Our life is like an hourglass

Dear KNOT,

I am Catherine Lorete, a high school student. I am not close to God before. I just knew Him by name, but not His stories. During my elementary years, I can only count my attendance to mass — First Communion, Confirmation, and Baccalaureate. My parents were not active in the church. Even though we have catechists in school, I wasn’t convinced to attend it because I knew, I’ll just be sitting alone in the church.

But things changed when my parents sent me to Holy Cross Academy, Inc. (Digos City). I passed the entrance exam and so I became a scholar. Because my parents were not in good terms, I grew up crying in the middle of the night, hearing shouts, packing things, and experiencing chaos with my brother and mother.

Whenever they fight, I missed classes for days, because I can’t wake up early. We used to go everywhere just to escape my father’s place. Yet, after a day or two, my father would follow us.

Things were not really easy especially my school days. I wasn’t aware that I have to attend the flag ceremony every day, pray the rosary every month of October, and attend the mass every Wednesday. I told myself, “Unsa mani oy, kapoya ba.”

Until June 03, 2012 came when I first entered Mary Mediatrix Cathedral. I looked at the crucified Christ and was amazed how He was “displayed” there. I was alone in the mass. God touched me.

My church service started when I became the representative of our classroom to be a lector for the first reading one Wednesday. As the classroom president, I have to do my responsibility. I thought it was over for me to believe in God, but every time that I miss mass, a part of me is lost.

Finally, I became an official lector in my 8th and 9th grades. I served the mass even on summer breaks. It was not easy. I needed to overcome my shyness. But, this made me a better instrument of God.

I can’t say that I’m the best, but knowing that they trusted me to handle this responsibility made me feel the happiest. Whenever our bishop preside the mass, I am always terrified and afraid. The most embarrassing and scariest was when I announced an event that already happened. After that, I cried at the back of the church, went home and decided to stop serving. But I feel the sudden guilt and a small voice whispered for me not to stop. Instead of giving up, I developed everything just to make me feel satisfied, until one Sunday morning Bishop Guillermo Afable, DD came to me with a big smile and congratulated me: “Maayo na gayud ka mobasa ba.” My heart jumped for joy. I realized that the person I feared turned to be my inspiration.

There are times when I choose to give up, but I am determined to serve the King of Kings. I would rather be nothing in this world just for Him, for I learned that a part of my misery is determined not by my problem, but on how I meet my goal in life.

I challenge everyone to pray for their real duties here on Earth. Our life is like an hourglass, very short to imagine chances are so limited that’s why we are told to live our life to the fullest. “We may not know what the future holds but we can trust the one who holds the future.”