Léna, soon to be baptized: Knowing that ‘Jesus is the truth’ is life-changing

“I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” These are the words that thousands of catechumens around the world are preparing to hear on Easter night when they are baptized. Throughout Lent, Aleteia is sharing with you the stories of some of these men and women, who are happy to become children of God. Read all of the testimonies here. 

Léna loves motorbikes and dreams of riding away on a Yamaha R1. Her first goal: baptism. The next: a motorcycle license.

She’s 24 years old, likes going to the gym and hiking, and has a weakness for crochet. Talkative and curious, this young French woman is originally from Troyes but is currently studying human resources in Pau. She’ll receive her first communion on April 19 in the parish of Christ-Sauveur. 

Born into a completely atheist family, she sought God from childhood, but religion was frowned upon at home. “As a child, I believed, but my father more or less forced me not to believe,” she recounts. “You're too smart to believe that,” he’d say. “And when you're little,” she continues, “you believe your parents.”

The years passed, and as a teenager she met Didominique, who would become her best friend—and later her godfather. He’s a Christian. “Without him, I don't know if I would have taken the plunge,” she continues.

At the age of 18, she was thinking about baptism. Didominique put her in touch with a priest he knew, Father Laurent. But it was still too early to take the plunge. “I gave up because I didn't want to take catechism classes. I wasn't sure whether I believed in it or not.”

A few years later, this desire arose again, much more urgently and incessantly. Full of questions, the young woman searched for answers on the internet and found, in her words, “everything and its opposite.”

“As soon as I had a question, I would look for the answer on the web, but in fact, what I was missing was the guiding thread,” she says. ”And then at one point, it completely obsessed me. I was thinking particularly of Jesus. I was afraid: why me? I didn't feel up to it.”

Feeling that she needed guidance, she called Father Laurent again. “I know he never answers the phone, but this time, when I called him, he picked up!” she says with a laugh. He listened to her and gave her advice. Léna then found herself taking private catechism classes once a week.

“It was enriching. I started to understand and to go to mass. The first few times, I sat at the back of the church. As it was a new experience, I couldn't hear very well and I suffered a little. It was difficult. I found it hard to get up and go because I was apprehensive. Then I downloaded AELF (an app with the Bible and daily scripture readings in French, Editor’s note) and little by little I started to enjoy going there.”

Now, she takes time every day to experience her relationship with God. “I pray in my own way. I talk to him; I confide in him.” At the same time, her best friend is a great support to her on her journey of faith. “Whenever I feel guilty, for example if I've lost my temper, he's there.”

The catechumens group is also an important source of support. “I feel a little more understood. It's not easy to feel legitimate. I felt a bit like a fraud,” she confesses. “I had a life before where I wasn’t a believer, where I didn't even think about faith. I still make mistakes; I'm not perfect. Since I'm a bit behind, I feel like I have to work twice as hard. But only God is perfect.”

What will baptism change for her? “I'll find out once I'm baptized. I'm already trying to live my life as a Christian every day,” she continues. “I feel like I'm a long way from my goal, but it's not the goal, it's just the beginning. I'm so happy! It's the best revelation I've had in my life. Everything changes when you realize that Jesus is the truth. It's so much better: you're never alone, there's always someone with you. It's magical.” Divine, even!