Having faith is a beautiful thing.

Two weekends ago I visited my home parish for a retreat. After deciding to not attend the actual retreat, I still decided that I wanted to attend adoration because, for the past year or so, there have been some really awesome adorations that have occurred.

For starters, I would just like to say that this adoration was so heavily populated that it had to be held in the auditorium of the high school...and yes, it is a public high school.

The auditorium was packed from top to bottom with people of all ages. Adoration was accompanied with really great music from a Catholic band. For me personally, I like adoration better when there is music because it helps me get in the zone and adds for another way of worship...plus I just can't focus when I am sitting in silence for an hour.

When they called for penance to begin, the line was out the door. I didn't think I would go to penance but something inside me felt compelled to. The line was down the hallway. When I got towards the front, I realized it was face-to-face and there was no screen between me and the priest. I knew I couldn't back out so I told the priest my sins and felt relieved. Going to confession is such a wonderful thing.

When I came back to my seat, I said my penance and I felt some type of way. I've always heard people at youth group talk about attending adoration and being moved to tears and I never thought that was something that could happen to me, but sure enough it did. All the praise and beauty made me cry.

They ended the night with some upbeat songs and hearing hundreds of people singing out words of praise is so cool.

I am so thankful I have my faith as a part of me and that my parents raised me to believe in something greater than myself.

God is good.