God is good. God is real. God is not boring. He is worthy of our praise and our worship. But what is worship? As the Oxford Dictionary says, worship is “the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity.” As a cradle Catholic, I could give a similar definition when asked.

From attending a non-denominational Christian middle school, I know worship has different styles, varying by person and denomination. During chapel on Wednesdays, students both led and participated in charismatic worship. While the Catholic Church emphasizes Mass and Liturgy, many Protestant churches focus on worship through praise and song. To me, there was a clear contrast between incense-infused Mass and the Protestants’ more modern style of church.

However, until I attended a summer retreat at Damascus Catholic Mission Campus in Columbus before my sophomore year of high school, the true meaning of worship—to give glory to the one true God—didn’t truly click for me. It became “heart knowledge” rather than a concept in my head. At Damascus, both Mass and worship through music and adoration effectively partnered to show faith’s authenticity and that it is alive through the Holy Spirit. This was a transformational experience for me, as I realized the truth of God and encountered Him in a new way.

Heading home from the retreat, I was determined to create an environment of encounter for those around me to know God and the Catholic faith in a different way. It seemed logical to create an experience similar to mine on the Damascus retreat. So, my best friend and I planned a unique Holy Hour at our parish that featured a reflective talk and used our love for music to worship the Lord through praise and traditional adoration.

As our planned date rolled around, both my excitement and nervousness grew, but I remained eager to spread the Gospel n a new way for our Family of Parishes. My friend and I carefully tuned our instruments and filled the church with candles while parishioners gathered. When the monstrance was reverently carried into the chapel, and we strummed the first few guitar chords, my nerves melted away as I realized that even if I messed up a note or sang the wrong words, it was still worship and pleasing to the Lord.

I learned much about true worship that night. First, to maintain faith, action is required. Our Catholic faith is set in a rich tradition of faith and works. Being on mission is required to truly live like Christ, and it can take the form of using our specific gifts or simply stepping into intentionality with words and actions.

Second, I learned that using our talents is a beautiful way to praise God and that showing others the ministry-invested side of myself is valuable. I also witnessed these Holy Hours’ impact on my friends’ faith, as some encountered the Lord in a new way. They have come to know that religion is not simply a set of rules, but rather a foundation to grow in a relationship with a personal God. Their definition of worship evolved from simply checking boxes to actually taking a deep dive into this relationship.

So, what is worship? Worship is unveiling and living out the Church’s complexities and mission through our unique talents, but it is also bringing others into awareness of Heaven’s glory and the Gospel’s beauty. Worship is giving God what He is due and living out what we were made for.

BELLE GRUBERT is a soon-to-be high school graduate living in Cincinnati. She will enter university in the fall of 2024 and study business and psychology. She loves peonies, high-top converse and playing music and is committed to being actively involved in her Catholic faith and in ministry.

This article appeared in the March 2024 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.