New Experiences About Our Faith example essay topic

Mystical or Spiritual experiences occur everyday in so many ways for so many different people. Some people tend to encounter these experiences through religious rituals or even just on thoughts of life itself. Whatever the thoughts or feelings may be, everybody has such an experience sometime during their life. Could the feelings that some may have be reactions in the brain or acts of God to help us realize our faith, and discover new mysteries that may lie ahead of us? Hearing many stories of different individuals can give us new insight into the beliefs of others and of ours as well.

My first interview involved my grandmother, Elizabeth Barajas. She stated that she has had many spiritual experiences in life. She was brought up in a catholic educational system throughout her whole life and was raised by a very strict mother that had a firm and strong belief in God and faith. My grandmother chose to talk to me about my great grandmother, her mom, Esther P. Kelly. My great grandmother always attended church and would pray constantly during the day and night.

My grandma was always curious as to why her mother was always praying. All through out childhood she would just watch my great grandma pray and do other religious acts of worship. When she became an adult she was finally able to ask my great grandma why it was that she prayed so much and how it came to be. My great grandmother answered by saying that she knows God can hear her prayers.

She then said that while she prays she can no longer hear any outside interference or anybody else speak. She said it feels as if she is in a secluded dark place all by herself and that she has conversations with God. She said that sometimes she doesn't even feel the touch of my grandma when she needed something. My great grandma also attended mass just about every day and she loved to sing along with the choir. According to my great grandma, she feels a chill down her spine when she sings and she feels a sort of heavenly and peaceful presence around her. She said that she would get so caught up in the moment that she would forget all about her personal problems and the problems that awaited her outside the church doors.

For some reason, my great grandmother had spiritual experiences or feelings whenever she was involved with her beliefs and rituals. Again I ask, are these merely thoughts in the brain or proof of Gods ultimate existence? My second interview was with a high school friend of mine. His name is Ricardo Navarro and he is nineteen years of age. He too was brought up in a catholic family. He however, did not pay much attention to his religious teachings and studies that his family followed.

He remembers his mother telling him that one-day he is going to need the Lord's help in a problem in his life. One night after work, he was hit by a drunk driver and suffered critical brain damage. His family was grieve stricken and prayed everyday as he lay in a coma. The doctors said that the damage to the brain was severe and that he was lucky it wasn't worse. It didn't stop his family from praying and believing that God will help pull them through this tragedy. He was unable to graduate with us but his mother took him his cap and gown along with a cross with our names on it.

His mother read him the names and he awoke with tears down his eyes, as they opened slowly. He was out of the hospital but could not remember many people in his life. His speech was that of a second grade level and he had to attend therapy for weeks. With the constant therapy lessons he was able to remember most things in his life except how he got hit. He does remember, however, the words that his mother told him, saying that he would someday need the lords help. He now has a much closer relationship to God and he tells me that when he talks to God he can feel a cold presence as if it's God's cold and refreshing breath.

He goes to church every Sunday and is part of a church youth group. His faith is now stronger than ever and he thanks God for his newfound strength. A personal experience that I had was one day driving to work. I was at a red light and a homeless man approached me for some change. I was taught by my religious faith to help others in need so I gave him a dollar. He asked me my name, and he told me his name was Melvin.

The light turned green and I had to turn. However, something inside of me told me to turn back and talk to this man once again. I did just that and the light was red again. I gave him the last five dollars that I had I my wallet. He looked at me and for some reason I saw feelings and emotions in his eyes as he started to have a tear come down his cheek. He said very sincerely " God bless you and your wife" as he saw a picture of my girlfriend on the dashboard.

I looked at him and said to meet me back at this same spot in two days when I worked again. I returned two days later and he wasn't there. I thought to myself for a while about my values and morals. I got so caught up in the moment of thought that it felt strange. I thought "Was that a sort of test by God". I then remembered Melvin's eyes and wondered if those were Gods eyes that I stared into.

I kept thinking for days about my faith and how strong it now is and till this day I remember that very special moment. My experience was similar to Rause because Rause too thinks about his faith and where it is. It took events in his life to figure out and ask why his family's faith was so strong and why they felt the way they did about their religion. I was put into a position of doing something that my faith and beliefs taught me to do. Rause was put into a position to ask why his faith is no longer there. The both of us encountered new experiences about our faith but I know why my faith is there and Rause is struggling to find where his is.

Mystical and spiritual experiences come in so many different forms that they all seem to be unique in their own way. It's no doubt that everyone has one but it's up to that individual to on how he or she will interpret the feelings and emotions they encountered. These experiences can help shape our beliefs and can truly make us who we are or who we can be as a moral human being.