This February, I want to feature one of my favorite bloggers. Sara from To Jesus, Sincerely, is the real deal. She is open, honest, vulnerable, and amazingly faithful. She encourages me in my walk of faith and I so enjoy what she brings to the table. Sara is a prayer warrior and I have found much comfort in prayers that she has offered for me. She is a frequent visitor with our Lord in Adoration and I admire her devotion to spending time with him. Sara blogs, does videos, and makes Catholic devotionals over at her Etsy shop. I would definitely check out her Lenten Journal, since Lent is just weeks away. All around, she's just amazing and I am so excited to feature her. She is also really, really good at math which gets all kinds of props from me, since I'm numerically challenged. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram,Twitter, and Pinterest. I highly recommend following her. She's a great gal to have in your court.

‍1. Are you a cradle Catholic or a convert? If a convert, where did you convert from?

‍I’m a cradle Catholic. But I feel there was an element of conversion for me that I’ve also seen in many fellow cradle Catholics. There came a point, growing up, when I had to transition from accepting the faith of my parents to embracing the faith as my own. I don’t think it was a one-day thing. More like a process of choosing to pursue the faith more actively than I did as a child.

‍2. Who is one of your favorite saints?

‍I’m pretty sure I have a different answer to this question every time someone asks me. Today’s favorite is St. John Bosco. How on earth did he take care of an entire houseful of energetic young boys without losing his mind? I only have one bundle of boyhood joy and he doesn’t. stop. moving. I need John Bosco’s intercession in my parenting journey right now!

‍3. What is your favorite Catholic place that you have visited? What is one place you hope to visit?

‍My favorite Catholic place is St. Edmund’s Retreat House (Ender’s Island) in Mystic, CT. I’ve loved going there ever since I was a kid. It’s so peaceful and I always come away centered in Christ. It’s also where my husband proposed to me – icing on the cake! I’m not much of a traveler, I prefer the comfort and familiarity of my local faves.

‍4. What's a myth or misconception about the Catholic Faith that you often hear? What's the truth of it?

‍One that always makes me scratch my head is, “Catholics don’t read the Bible.” The Mass, the central celebration of our faith, is saturated with scripture. We do, however, approach scripture differently from most Christians. We don’t regard the Bible as the sole source of truth. There’s also Tradition and the Magisterium. But we love the Bible dearly, just the same!

‍5. Aside from the Eucharist, what is your favorite part of the Mass?

‍By far, the invitation to the Eucharist is my favorite part of the Mass. When the priest holds up the Host and Chalice and declares, “Behold the Lamb of God” – just, wow! There’s so much packed in there. It’s the summary of our Redemption Story. Jesus, the willing Sacrifice for our sins, the Lamb of God, died in our place and rose again. And He invites us to consume Him: “Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.” This is the greatest privilege of our lives, to open our mouths and let our God enter in. And God proceeds to assimilate us into Himself – He takes us up to share in His Divinity. Even the angels don’t get that honor! And I can’t help but respond with deepest conviction, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” This exchange with God, before He comes to me in Holy Communion, is incredibly powerful. It’s a reminder of His omnipotence, humility, and mercy, of my nothingness before Him… and of His infinite love for me that closes the chasm between Creator and creation.

‍6. Why do you love being Catholic?

‍The sense of union and communion is one of my favorite things about the Catholic Church. We’re never alone. We’re one Body, united under one Pope – the visible head of the Church, and under Christ – the mystical Head. We belong to the Communion of Saints. We can talk to them like our best friends, and they can pray for us before God’s throne. And best of all, we can become one with Christ through the Eucharist (Holy Communion). We consume Him and He takes us up to share in His Divinity. There’s no division, no competition in the Church. Only belonging.