Is There a Difference Between Practicing Religion and Having a Relationship with God?

Many people describe themselves as "good people" but is that enough? Often times we practice religion and think this is what God wants from us. As someone who was raised Catholic, I experienced all the traditions and rituals of a religious upbringing. My parents wanted me to be so religious that I was even an altar server when I first came to the states in 1996. I remember playing hide and seek under the altar (this is where my mind was at the time) and going for "Kolenda" (Carol) which is a time right after Christmas, December 26 and lasts till the Three Kings Day (Epiphany) January 6th. During this time of "Kolenda" a Catholic priest walks from house to house, now often times he needs a prior scheduled visit, and he blesses the home with holy water, prays over the home and its residents, gives the kids a picture of a saint and moves on to the next house after he takes an envelope of money that's laid out for him on a table covered with a white tablecloth. The priest will sing Christmas Carols with the family, talk about life and enjoy a meal of whatever the family has prepared.

I will never forget this one time after "Kolenda" going back to the church parish, because the priest didn't give me any money. (I was maybe 10 or 11 years old). As altar servers, we were taught to put all the "tip money" we get from the residents into an envelope, give it to the priest and then the priest will give us money in return. Well, this one time not only did I give back the envelope with all the money (I was a good altar server) but was not given any other money in return either. I wasn't going home empty handed for all of my hard work. I don't think I got any money in return that night.

This was just one story that I remember from my childhood which involved the Catholic Church and a particular Catholic tradition. I know many people have had much more traumatic experiences with the Catholic Church and for that I am truly sorry. Maybe you never experienced anything wrong with the Catholic Church, or maybe you just felt an emptiness that couldn't be filled. I know there are a lot of Catholic priests that try to do the right thing by their congregation. It is not a simple calling. Maybe even some priests were called by God to bring in the harvest, but they fell too much into the religiosity of it all and forgot their true calling. I've been to countless Catholic Masses and never experienced the Holy Spirit, never felt that God was literally in a wafer (check out my "First Holy Communion" post). To me the Catholic Mass feels like a repetitive format of gathering with no Holy Spirit present. A repetition of memorized prayers. On occasion, especially during the Christmas time, I would feel a true gathering of believers as we sing Christmas carols. I think a lot has changed in the Catholic Church and the reverence for God is not there. I hope one day we can get in the presence of God in the Catholic Church and TRULY WORSHIP His Holy name.

In 2014, I was invited to a non-denominational Christian Church - Christ Tabernacle- in Glendale, NY also known as Saint's Church. My life was transformed. It is there, where I first experienced beautiful worship and full surrender to God Almighty. It is there, where I felt the Holy Spirit for the first time. It is there, where I was water baptized as an adult, expressing publicly my willingness to walk with Jesus. Since then, I started reading the Bible regularly and started understanding that God seeks a TRUE RELATIONSHIP with us. An every day meeting, full dependence and trust of Him. He seeks after us and wants us to truly GET TO KNOW HIM and He want't to know us. We have to share our life with Him. It is not about traditions, rituals, holidays, performance. It is about spending time with our Creator. It is about listening to that still small voice and doing His will. It is about reading the Bible! I will forever be grateful to my friend, Steve who introduced me to the Truth and I pray that you find this same Truth one day.

Thank you for listening. May God speak to your heart and bless you always.

"Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day." - Psalm 25:4-5