Growing up, in or out of the church, you hear about Jesus a lot. You hear about who He is and what He has in store for us, and yet we still do not believe it in ourselves. We hear in scriptures Jesus ask us who He is, in Luke 19 he asks the question, “Who am I?”. We spend so much of our time in bible study and in our daily life trying to learn more and more about Christ and sometimes we forget who we are in Christ. Who are we in Christ? Who are we in society? That is the struggle we face as we mature through high school and college. Growing pains are a real deal in those years. For me personally, I was a scrawny, quirky, rap enthusiastic kid who normally shied away from social spotlights. As I grew in my faith I learned that not only did God create each and every one of us as one in eternity, but He did so with specific attributes and traits that He equipped us with to not only succeed in life, but as disciples as well. Unfortunately, society says otherwise, as it glorifies false idols of all industries. Industries such as the entertainment industry with its movies and music that often times does no justice to our faith. Personally, and I assume the majority feel the same when I say this, I let societal norms trump my faith norms. I read the bible and saw that disciples came from vast backgrounds. Backgrounds that today would most likely not fit with today’s norms. That however, is the point. I do not watch the Grammy’s, in fact I never have. Just never felt compelled or anything, despite my infatuation for music. 2017 was no different, but I did end up saving a clip from it. Like previously mentioned, I am a rap enthusiast. I appreciate a good rhyme and beat and it just speaks to me. A rapper recently won multiple Grammy awards while giving all of his music away for free. No charge, as was his purpose, he wanted to share his life and his message. Chance the Rapper performed “How Great”, a song that begins with a church choir declaring “How Great is Our God”. It is a rap song with bible references, societal injustices, and praises scattered all throughout. Let me say that again, it is a RAP song. In a time and age where rap has most been defined by disgracing women, name calling, and brute bigotry, Chance has won multiple Grammy awards without these attributes, in fact he did so while rebuking those attributes. He is the most popular and influential rapper and he went completely against what has popularized rap in society. He praised God on that stage and glorified him in front of hundreds of millions viewing. Chance captivated the audience with his inspiring passion and story, as majority of musicians do not make music for free either. He used his God given gifts to his best and got on the biggest stage entertainment has to offer and declared that God is present, God is above all, and God is great. Funny thing is, a tweet I saw inspired me to write this. The Tweet read: “Matthew, the tax collector. Peter, the fisherman John, the baptist Luke, the physician Chance, the rapper” Some may say this tweet is a disgraceful tweet glorifying a rapper and disrespecting the disciples, I disagree. In contrary, I think this is a great way to hammer in the point that Jesus calls us all to be disciples. In everything that we do. As a brother, sister, father, mother, student, teacher, athlete, rapper, lawyer, doctor, accountant, priest, nun, or any other trait we may find ourselves falling under it is not without God that we have these titles. Matthew 28:19 reads “ Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” It does NOT say, “Your talents are deficient of God’s glory, use them to make society pleased.” It is not a request either, but a demand. So, with whatever trait you possess, realize that it is a trait God planned for you, a trait Christ died for you to use. Most of all, whatever trait you have, Matthew says you should baptize people with it Baptize, meaning “to give a name to.” Society will tell you fame is important, money is your water, and society is your life. This is a blatant misconception we struggle with today. If Chance can be a rapper, give all of his music out for free, and glorify God while doing so then what exactly is stopping you from doing the same with your gifts?
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Hopefully throughout this year, you’ve learned that God is always there for when you need him. He guides us through our struggles, and makes us better, stronger, and more complete in the process. Once we come out the other side, however, it’s easy to let that trust we placed in God fall to the wayside. Sometimes, many of us find it more beneficial to draw strength from Him during the rough patches, then insist on our own independence and rely on ourselves once the trouble is over. This makes for a jagged and insincere connection with the Lord that doesn’t quite feel whole. When I find myself riding the highs without God’s handlebars, I make a greater effort to do these three simple things in my daily life: “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” The sign of the cross is a universally recognized movement. We use it as Catholics routinely in mass and before major prayers, but it can be used as a form of prayer itself. Next time you hear an ambulance speed by on the highway or see smoke in the distance, use the sign of the cross to send out a quick prayer to those people in need. Be thankful that you’re not the one in the accident, and show it by throwing some thought their way. Can you spare any change? I know this is a hotly debated topic, but I always find giving to street workers very personally and spiritually rewarding. By “street workers”, I mean the guy standing at the corner selling the Houston Chronicle or the sign twirler in front of H.E.B., not the conman beggar with Ray Bans and Sperry’s. I always keep my change from late night Whataburger runs in my arm rest, and it’s easy for me to roll down my window at a stop light and hand a man $1.50 in change. It doesn’t matter what he does with it -- it’s giving him the chance that’s important. If you don’t trust the peddlers, I don’t blame you. Try putting your change in the church’s offering basket next Sunday instead. Your handful of pennies could buy you one stick of gum, or could combine with everyone’s pennies to feed a homeless shelter. One-Liners Attending mass weekly is critical as a practicing Christian. If you don’t know that by now, let me tell you again: attending mass weekly is critical as a practicing Christian. But, attendance alone is not enough. Showing up and sleeping through the homily does you no good. It wastes your time, and it wastes God’s time. There’s a lot going on at mass, I know, so I make an effort to really only focus on one or two things weekly, and let that one thing fully sink in. I carry it with me through the week, and let it act as a mantra in guiding my decisions and thoughts. I have found musing on one-liners to be an easy way to learn something every mass, and grow in my faith faster than I might have otherwise. Don’t leave God out to dry. After all the trust and faith you put in Him in your struggles, He has well earned your friendship in the crests of your life. Like any good friend, He cares about you greatly, and keeping up your relationship with him when life is solid makes it easier to turn to Him when life is shaky. A Drop in the Ocean - Why Missions Matter - As published on lifeteen.com/blog by Faith Noah2/9/2017 As I stepped off the plane during my first mission trip, I hardly expected the ways in which my understanding of poverty was about to be challenged. I left that trip with many different emotions and takeaways, but above all, with the realization that I had a lot to learn. And I still do. Since this first trip, I’ve had the chance to travel on other mission trips and to spend this entire summer in Nicaragua learning from awesome people who know much more about international service than do I. It’s got me thinking… what can we as Catholics do to enter more fully into experiences like this? What are some of the attitudes or conversations we can have to prepare for these encounters, to recognize Christ in all we meet? I’ve started to see some themes among the answers to these questions. Although I’ll never be an expert, I’ve tried to compile ideas that have proved quite helpful to me. So, for those of us preparing to serve in this beautiful way, here are some things we fix our eyes on to open our hearts to God’s plan for us: 1. Jesus is already there The goal of a mission trip is to serve, to recognize a need and to help fulfill it. However, we must remember that we deserve very little of the credit during such service trips. It’s not our duty to “bring Jesus” to people because… He’s already there. He can only work through us; we are merely His instruments. And, more often than not, we’ve got more to learn than we could ever hope to teach. Whenever I go on mission, though I’m technically the “missionary,” I find others ministering to me more than I could hope to minister to them: inviting me into their homes, teaching me how to cook, how to work, how to speak another language. I have to step off my high horse and realize that I’m receiving far more than I’m giving, both from Christ and from my fellow brothers and sisters. Even in terms of our physical contributions, it’s so important to be humbled during these trips. For many of us making these trips, we were not recruited to build a school because of our unparalleled construction skills. My Nicaraguan counterparts can tell you that I am completely lacking in the technical expertise department…However, I thank God that it’s far more important for me to build relationships than to build schools. Often, it’s not our skills that are required on a mission trip. Rather, our presence. We may not be able to erect a building in a day, or even lay a brick without help, but if we can get to know the lives and struggles of our friends around us, and that is something special. Just like the boy with five loaves and two fish, we must bring our whole selves to Christ’s feet in humble service and let Him use us as He pleases. Service is less about how much we give to others and more about how much we give up to Christ. We must put ourselves at His complete disposal, imitating Mary’s gift of self as Christ’s humble vessel. 2. We are little Philippians 2:3 says: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” As Christ’s children, we each possess indelible human dignity. There are no “served” and “servers” in God’s book; rather, we are all heirs of the Kingdom and called to live lives that reflect this. When we serve others, it’s a good thing. Unfortunately, Satan knows that, too, and he uses it to tempt us to the sin of pride. It’s easy to glorify ourselves in these experiences, instead of the Lord—to make ourselves big, when, in fact, we are quite little. If we look at each person as more important than ourselves, we can nip excessive pride in the butt. We are third (God first, other second, and then—only then—us). If we remember this, then it’s much easier to focus outward, to worry less about how we look to others, and instead focus on the true reason we are there: the human soul in front of our faces. It’s about them, not the number of likes we get on our pictures or the amount of people who compliment our work. 3. Solidarity is key Catholic Social Teaching (an awesome resource for social-justice minded folk) refers to solidarity as the idea of shared responsibility for other individuals, a duty of our status as brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ. As Christians, Christ is the premier model of solidarity. He became flesh to show true love, to share our struggles, and to feel our pain. When we serve others, He calls us to imitate Him, to enter into other’s struggles with empathy and solidarity. We are called not to walk above others, but with them—to accompany them hand-in-hand. By entering into the lives of our community partners, we leave our comfy bubbles. Especially if we are encountering poverty for the first time, we can expect a bit of discomfort. However, in this discomfort, we are given the opportunity to endure it joyfully, to live in solidarity with those for whom the discomfort of poverty is a daily reality. When the going gets tough or the bathroom situation is less than preferable, we have a choice: complain, or live in solidarity, letting other’s struggles become our own. When Christ took on our skin, He chose the latter every day. 4. We can’t change the world in a week… But we can let it change us. We can’t end poverty—at least not in a week. But if we let that week (or month or year) change us, then we have accomplished an ever greater goal: we have created a ripple that will impact every choice and every soul we encounter in the future. Mother Teresa once said, “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” Our drop is little amid such struggle across the world. But it still matters. Never diminish the impact you can have on the world, even if you can’t see it. 5. Everywhere is our mission field Christ has given us a Great Commission to go out to the world and proclaim His Word. We’re all called to be missionaries, but we don’t all need a passport to do it. Christ needs us as much in our schools, homes, parishes, and workplaces as He does in the middle of a foreign country. Every duty—no matter how mundane—can be offered for His glory. Every relationship—no matter how seemingly inconsequential—can be a life-changing encounter. Our mission field is here. Our ripple starts now. If you are anything like me when I was a junior, your year has consisted of countless nights spent studying until three am, monthly mental breakdowns because of the stress of all of your classes and extracurricular activities, and an intense longing for the terrible year to be over. Your faith is probably not something you are putting first and you may even wonder sometimes why you have been faced with so many obstacles. The truth is, you may never truly understand why God places hardships in your life, but at some point you have to learn that the only way to get through them is to trust in Him. The second six weeks of my junior year, I came home to find my oldest brother having a manic episode. He was writing gibberish on his walls with black sharpie, running from his room to the garage and back again every minute, and yelling phrases that made no sense to me. Needless to say I was scared and in efforts to shield myself from his state of insanity I hid in my parents’ closet until my mom got home from work. My parents had me leave for the weekend so that they could figure things out and care for my brother. When he came back from the hospital on Sunday evening, he had a prescription for medication to help treat bipolar disorder. I tried to find comfort in the fact that he was provided some sort of treatment and I told myself that he would get better in no time, but I was wrong. Weeks went by and my brother did not even begin to resemble the humorous, caring, older brother that I had known for sixteen years. When they realized they were no longer capable of giving him the care he needed, my parents made the decision to place my brother in a mental health center. For the week or so that he was there he did not allow me to visit him until the last day. When I finally saw him, he was drained of life and was not interested in seeing the people who put him in such a depressing place; he asked me how I could allow my parents to leave him there when I was supposed to love him. I again told myself that he would get better, that he would return from the center and transform into himself. My brother continued to get worse as the doctors tried their best to find the right medication to treat the mental disease that was eating away at his mind. I watched my parents cry almost weekly and I saw them slowly tear themselves apart because they thought that somehow my brother’s situation was their fault. I lost relationships with some of my closest friends. My grades began to significantly drop as I was unable to focus on anything other than what was going on in my household. I had in my mind that if I was not helping my parents or caring for my brother I was being selfish, so I spent a lot of time berating myself for feeling like the situation was unfair for me. How did I have any right to complain about how much stress I was feeling or how low my grades had gotten when my brother was losing control of his mind and his life more and more each day? I recently asked my friends what the biggest change they saw in me last year was and they said the hardest thing to watch was how quickly they saw my positivity and passion for life fade. I was not in a good place and I had no idea how to shake the pain I felt for my family. Throughout the year I remained consistent in prayer. One thing I never doubted was that God was watching over me. My problem was that I was not confident that he would provide for me and my family in our time of need. Thankfully, a few months before the school year ended, the annual mission trip dates were announced and I signed up immediately. As the trip approached, however, I was not as excited as I would typically be to serve the people of Laguna and share a week with amazing people from EYM. However, this quickly changed one night during an adoration mass. The song Oceans came on and the tiny church filled with more than twenty teens vibrated in song. It was then that I realized that the trip was God’s way of providing for me. I had a terrible year, I lost my joy and passion for life, but God reminded me of all that I had to be grateful and cheerful about. My message to you is to let yourself trust in our amazing God. Before my junior year, faith was something that I had because I wanted it; I did not have a true understanding of God’s power and love. My faith really began with the journey that you are taking right now. God decided to test me in a way that I could have never imagined, but He also was the only one who could get me through it. Life is going to get hard sometimes, that is a guarantee, but it is up to you to trust that God is capable of getting you through the worst hardships that you face. He may not answer your prayers fast enough or how you want him to answer them, but there will always be an answer. So if you are struggling right now at home, at school, or in any aspect of your life remember the God who declared that He has “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). God bless you on your journey towards Confirmation! |
AuthorYour confirmation teachers - Kathleen, Eric, Sophia, and Valerie, and with contributions from 410 alumni Archives
September 2021
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