Justine Lam
I was born and raised as a Catholic. In my family, my mom was the strongest in the faith and taught it to my siblings and me. It was her idea and reinforcement that we attended a Catholic youth group every Saturday evening and Bible study every Sunday morning.
She drove me and my siblings, as well as our cousins, to church, which was over 30 minutes away. She waited at church until the activities were over to drive us home. I can honestly say that my mother has been my anchor in my faith and is the living embodiment of a practicing Catholic. Through her life, I see that God is loving, merciful and good. She is a constant reminder to me to pray and to trust in God.
No one has ever asked me why I am Catholic before and now that I am being asked, I am not sure if I can adequately answer this question, as I am still journeying. Part of the reason why I am Catholic is of course my mom but also because of my dad’s conversion. He became Catholic in order to marry my mom, but besides going to Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, he was not active in his faith. But slowly, I saw him go to daily Mass with us, participate in our evening family prayers and go to adoration. What I didn’t know was that my mom was praying for him in hopes that he would become closer to God and be an example for us all throughout their marriage. My mom’s determination, unwavering faith and trust in God has continued to inspire me because I know an encounter and a conversion of heart is possible.
As I entered college, I continued to grow in my faith and have taken multiple theology classes about the existence of God and who God really is. Part of me became confused. These discussions we’d have in class trying to come to an understanding were difficult, and challenged my faith like never before. There were many instances where I felt like I failed to defend the faith, and even though what my peers were saying sounded logical, I couldn’t bring myself to believe what they were saying. It did not sound like truth, and I want to seek that truth, knowing the true joy it can bring to one’s life, given the witnesses of my parents and other Catholics. These classes may have challenged my faith but nonetheless, I choose to believe in God and remain a practicing Catholic because I know there is much to learn.
As a young adult in the present day, like many of my peers, the Bible verse, “God I believe, help my unbelief” has been a source of comfort as I contemplate and actively seek the grace to know and defend my faith. But most important, I seek to establish a personal relationship with Jesus so that, like my mom, I can someday witness to others joyfully and confidently in a God that loves me abundantly without hesitation or question.
A parishioner at St. Anne-St. Joseph Hien in Minneapolis and a finance major at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Lam also is a youth leader for the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement. She likes to play board games with her siblings and watch “Golden Girls” and “The Great British Bake Off.”
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