Faith... it's just around the corner

"We need your help."

That was the frantic phone call I received while at a high school journalism camp in downtown Austin. Three of my broadcasting students needed someone to interview, and they were desperate.

Finding a quiet spot, we discussed what they needed. They were in an intensely competitive class, and all week, they'd been receiving scathing reviews. It was time for the final project, and they were adamant their video be the best.

We decided to search for a college student, perhaps working in a coffee or gift shop. While heading toward Sixth Street, we walked in front of the University Catholic Center, and we could see students talking with a priest in the foyer. My students decided to go in, anxious, but determined to get their video.

However, I was reluctant to enter the building. For the past few months, I've had difficulty attending church services. Not because of a lack of faith but because I felt someone I admire had been unfairly treated by my home church.

I know that in business – and running a church is a business – some decisions aren't popular with the populace. Many of us spoke up but nothing was resolved. Weeks went by and my frustration turned to anger.

In some faiths, decisions are not supposed to be questioned, but reform and change doesn't happen unless people stand for what they believe. Doctrine is seldom the issue – it's the way people interpret the words and the way others are treated that causes rifts.

My faith in God was as strong as ever; my faith in people, however, was shattered. For six months, I avoided attending services and looked at other faiths and denominations. My heart was heavy because of the distance I was putting between myself and the church.

I hid my feelings as my students approached the group, nervous but hopeful. The young priest smiled and listened as we asked for an interview. He hesitated, saying he had quite a few things to do.

But when one of the teens explained how they were tired of getting picked on, The Rev. Jamie Baca immediately agreed to help them.

UT student Daniel Gonzalez works at the parish, and he also agreed to be on the video, even though his girlfriend was waiting and he'd been working since early in the morning.

Daniel helped the students set up their equipment and then Father Jamie came in, sat down and told them to ask away.

The interview took longer than five minutes, but the two weren't in a hurry. They talked about their backgrounds and how much they enjoyed working with college students. Daniel told the students about struggling with coming to Mass once he arrived at the university.

Their words were honest, and as I watched my teens film, the smiles returned to their faces. We left the church with ample footage, and the teens eagerly headed off to edit their video.

That evening, the anger and disappointment I'd been feeling melted away as I sat in Mass for the first time in months. Instead of feeling distanced from a church, I felt immense gratitude for having met Father Jamie and Daniel.

People will always be motivated by greed and goodness, pride and piety. There will be those who do what they do for personal gain. But two strangers reminded me that people doing the right thing are usually right around the corner.

I need to remember to have faith that God will place them in my path.
 
This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.