Learning from an actress

So many young people, who went to World Youth Day in Lisbon were able to find the time of unity and renewal they needed to pursue their mission.  American actress and stuntwoman Brenda Lorena García is definitely one of them. Born and raised in Los Angeles by practicing Catholic parents, she is a familiar face on movie sets. Her most recent films include the blockbusters Fast X, Avatar: The Way of Water and Transformers 5, in which she took part as a stuntwoman.  “Life in Hollywood can be pretty difficult because people are intentionally anti-Christian, or atheist, which is an additional hardship for the life of faith,” said Brenda during the Lisbon celebrations, mentioning the personal crisis she went through in 2017, which led her to take a half-year break from the spotlight and her frenetic daily life to remain in silence with God. “It was during this time of retreat, which made me feel like I was being born again, that God confirmed to me in different ways that I was to stay in Hollywood and that this was my mission territory,” she said. “St. Teresa of Calcutta is a great model of faith for me, and God made me understand that Hollywood was somehow my Calcutta, that many ‘lepers’ were there in need of genuine love.” Her WYD experience in Panama in 2019 consolidated this existential turning point by bringing out many opportunities to exercise her life mission. “Right after that wonderful spiritual experience in Panama, my career blossomed even more than before, and I felt that the Lord was really guiding me.” And it was for this same nourishment for the soul that she went to Lisbon for this year, to keep her heart in tune with God’s plans. “It was important to attend this beautiful, holy event because I wanted to learn how I can grow in faith and holiness and learn to better meet different people where they are, whatever their state of life. My goal is always to encounter God in other people. I’ve had the blessing of encountering him face-to-face in the Eucharist, and now I’ve seen him through hundreds of thousands of people in a way I wouldn’t have expected and that will help me keep my spiritual life in check for years to come.”