Gen. 12:1-4, Psalm 33, 2 Tim. 1:8-10, Matt. 17:1-9

This Sunday’s gospel reads, “When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground, terrified, but Jesus came and touched them. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘don’t be afraid.’ When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.” (Matthew 17: 6-8) While studying, praying, and reflecting, this passage stood out to me most because of the power and glory shown by Jesus. The passage reminds me of a time in my life when I was terrified, lost, and had never experienced Jesus in a powerful way. Growing up, I was extremely blessed to have been homeschooled and Catholic - a prolific duo. The one thing that was always consistent in my school was Religion class, all the way from pre-K through high school. My mom was practically a drill sergeant! We never took a break from it. This is one of the great reasons I love my faith, but it’s only half of it.

The other half is from first-hand experience at three Steubenville conferences and one Search retreat. I truly believe that these retreats and conferences are life-changing. They came at a perfect time in my life when I was lost, terrified, and excited - in short, a bag of mixed emotions. One particular moment stands out that fits well with this magnificent reading. It was when I attended my first Search and was just going through the motions of the faith, lost and broken. Coming to the retreat, I wasn’t sure what to expect except the stereotypical Search Retreat closing with a group of emotional teens bawling their eyes out. Boy, was I wrong! At first I thought to myself that I would never cry in front of people I just met, but then I found myself telling them my story.

On Friday, at the start of the retreat, we wrote down our problems and struggles in life on notecards and placed them in a box. Each card was drawn by a random prayer partner, who we didn’t know at the time. Saturday was the bulk of the retreat. To be honest, I hadn’t really felt much up to that point and I wondered why I didn't feel anything. Was my heart dormant? Was I using my brain too much and overthinking? Was I even normal? Then, as the day went on, my emotions hit me like a brick wall and culminated at Adoration.

With song after song piercing my heart, I felt my heart slowly melting! Up to this point, Adoration was just song and prayer, but slowly a prayer group was formed. When this happened, I knew what I had to do, almost like a calling. I was terrified that I was about to tell these people what was going on in my life. I was trembling with every step I took until I made eye contact with a person in the prayer group.  It stunned me. It was the most radiant facial expression I had ever seen. It was a simple smile. I was no longer terrified. I felt powerful, confident that the power I was experiencing was not of this earth. It was glorious, peaceful, and forgiving all at once. With this confidence I poured my heart out to the Lord who was working through these people. When Adoration was ending, just like Peter, James, and John at the Transfiguration, I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay in this peaceful person’s presence until it was time to leave for bed. It was truly an unforgettable smile.

Sunday was the last day of the retreat and we were getting ready for the closing that I had before dreaded as a time when emotional teens would be bawling. We were given back the notecards we filled out on Friday, but this time with the name of our secret prayer partner.  I was shocked to find out that my prayer partner was the person at Adoration with the most radiant smile. I was crying my eyes out as we embraced each other, and then it hit me. It was as if God used him to get to me, because in the beginning of the retreat, he knew what I had done. During Adoration, when the prayer groups came out, he was part of one.  It just so happened that I went to him, and when he saw me approaching it brought a smile to his face. You see, he knew what I had done and with the greatest sign of happiness, he embraced me. It was as if I was His lost son who had come back to Him in the way that God is to all of his children. It was as if Jesus himself transformed into this man to rescue me.  So, there I was at the retreat closing, your stereotypical teen boy bawling his eyes out while giving his testimony!

Through this life-changing experience, I truly believe that for a moment God took the form of a man to show himself to me. From this encounter I can profess that I have experienced God‘s glory, power, love, and forgiveness. Like Peter, James, and John, I was that disciple face down terrified, and now I am his son standing for Him! This Lent, I invite you to reflect on the most profound time that you experienced God whether it be through his power, truth, beauty, or goodness.

 Marc Anthony Ortiz is 19 years old and the oldest of seven brothers and sisters. He has been homeschooled and lives in Abilene where he attends Holy Family.