Have you ever wondered, “Is God real? Does He really exist?” When I was a teenager, I kind of accepted the fact that there is a God somewhere out there in the universe, but I considered Him to be very far away. I did not really believe in God – nor was I disbelieving in Him – but it just didn’t seem like a big deal whether or not He was real. So, I grew up doing everything that society and my parents expected of me, and even what I expected of myself. In my mind, if God really existed, I would only want to be on His side or in His “good books” just in case I ever needed to ask Him for some special favor.

God could have made Himself known to me sooner, but His timing is perfect in all things. Once, I remember I was attending a regular Sunday Mass at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in California, and on that particular day, the church had invited a visiting priest to celebrate Mass. I have always been interested in hearing from visiting priests, because these traveling missionaries often come energized with an important message for the people to help ignite the fire of their faith once again. I don’t recall much of the gospel reading, but when this priest began his sermon, he stood right in the middle of the church amongst the congregation of people, and shouted out in a loud voice: “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength!” (Mark 12:30). I felt as if he was talking directly to me! I can still remember how that commandment stuck with me all day long, as I kept repeating the words and mulling over them in my mind throughout the day.

Since childhood, I have always asked questions. (Some people might find that annoying because this means I also have a tendency to interrupt conversations with questions!) But at that time, I was struggling to understand the real meaning of those words, even though they seemed like such simple words making such a simple statement. Since there was no one at that time with whom I could debate this word of God, I suddenly spoke these words out loud to myself, “That kind of love is huge! How can I love someone like that if I can’t see them, I can’t hear them, and I can’t even touch them?” It seemed impossible to me and did not make any sense. Little did I know, that was exactly the kind of prayer that God wanted to hear from me. God is always such a gentleman… He wanted to make sure that my interest was genuine, so He was not about impose any knowledge of Himself upon me.  That was the beginning of my journey into discovering and getting to know who God is.

To my surprise, I discovered that God does not miss an opportunity to let Himself be known, and almost immediately I started feeling His presence everywhere. It felt like having a sixth sense, or a different perception and heightened intuition. I started reading and loving books written by saints and great authors. These renowned men and women had already walked the path that I was about to take in order to make the journey easier for me – all I had to do was read about and absorb their supernatural experiences. I home schooled my two daughters and thus learned more about the Catholic Faith from a child’s perspective. I loved everything I was learning and wanted to know more. I became so consumed with wonder and awe, that eventually I wanted to teach others about Him too. For seven years I was a book store entrepreneur, and I loved every moment when I was able to share with someone an inspirational book or a little piece of knowledge about who God is. And because of my conviction, I had the courage and grace to spearhead a fundraising project to put up Divine Mercy billboards declaring “Jesus I Trust in You,” in and around northern Nevada, just so that all His children could adore and glorify Him in public. I have also volunteered as a teacher for children’s catechism classes at two of my old parishes, which has given me great joy because the hearts of the young are so open and willing to learn about God.

My journey in getting to know God has been exciting and full of adventure. I have a father, a friend, and a companion whom I can talk to all day long. Externally, our conversation may seem one-sided, but that is not so internally. Best of all, He never tires of my constant chit-chat and my companionship. I want everyone to know who this wonderful God is, because He really exists. God is REAL.