Dear NEWEST 410 class!
My name is Valerie Jones, and I’ll be one of your senior helpers! I was in the 410 class last year, but in a way I will be experiencing the 410 confirmation class for the first time with y’all because my year was completely virtual. With the close relationships and the spiritual growth I experienced last year online, I can’t wait to experience it in full swing with you this year! I know we’re going to have a really great time preparing for a huge (ly awesome) step in the Catholic faith. Let’s grow together towards Christ, Amen HEY 410!! I’m Sophia Cadenas, and I’m one of your senior helpers! I am a senior at Seven Lakes (GO SPARTANS). I was also in 410 last year virtually and can’t wait to do it all over again in person with you all!! Although my zoom experience was different, confirmation is one of the coolest things I’ve experienced. I can’t wait to see how the holy spirit moves through each and every one of you. Just keep your heart and mind open to see how Jesus moves you! He’s really awesome! Let’s keep loving as Jesus does, Amen
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Embarrassing moments, at mass, ugh! Yes, I have many, and one in particular is the worst. I was a Eucharistic Minister, and was in the spot next to Father Martins. I had started off poorly, I went to the wrong location and Father scolded me; the worst was yet to come. One of the first people in my line was a very devout woman. She not only wore a veil, but she knelt to receive communion on the tongue. I went to give her the body of Christ, holding it between my thumb and forefinger. I placed it on her tongue and pulled my hand away. Well, the communion wafer stuck to my thumb; and stuck long enough to pull off of her tongue and drop to the floor! I went for another try, and the same thing happened with one big difference. Instead of dropping to the floor, the wafer dropped down her blouse. She was much more composed than I, fished it out and consumed it. Needless to say, I had to struggle to stay focused the remainder of mass. As much of a fail that effort at serving communion was, the ultimate goal was a rousing success. This very devout woman STILL received Jesus Christ, body blood soul and divinity. That is one of the most amazing things about the Eucharist. Despite our failings, lack of attention, or messing up the procedure Jesus always shows up to be physically in communion with us. Think about that for a second, our Lord becomes a part of us. When you leave mass, it is impossible to remove Jesus from you. In fact, you have become what you consumed. The word mass comes from the Latin word missa, which translated means “Go, be sent”. Now I know that all of us, me included, have not always left mass and shown the world that Jesus is alive and is now a part of us. That does not mean he is not there. One of the things that is part of all the sacraments is God’s grace, the free gift of God that shows His love for us. Like any gift, we must choose to accept that grace. Sometimes God is there with His arms out saying “here, I love you, have this!” and we say “No!”. If the image you get is that of a defiant 2-year-old, I think you are spot on, that is how we sometimes act. Even if we say no, God keeps giving us that gift of himself, week after week, hoping for our own sake that we say “Yes” and not only receive him but become him to the world. If we do, at every single mass we are fundamentally changed. Are you ready to accept? If you ever want to hear an amazing story about mass, ask me about the picture with this post some time. I leave you with the words of St. Josemaria Escriva: “When you approach the tabernacle remember that he has been waiting for you for twenty centuries.” In Christ, Eric My relationship with God is constantly changing and evolving with me as I grow up. Creating a meaningful connection with him definitely takes effort and you can’t just snap your fingers together and hope it happens. Personally, I find myself feeling the closest to God when I am praying in an intimate place. My favorite places to pray are my room, in my car, anywhere outside, and the church. Finding places you feel comfortable to be yourself and really focus on praying is key to having a steady relationship with God. I’m not gonna lie, it’s gonna be really difficult sometimes because there will be others who don’t care about Jesus. You might feel like the whole world is doing whatever they want while you have to be doing the right thing. The other hard part is that most times no one is going to be breathing down your neck forcing you to read your bible, go to church, pray every night, and make the right decisions. It’s all up to you and how much effort you are willing to put into the relationship. That’s why having people hold you accountable to your faith like a close friend, parent, or anyone who is walking with Christ is a great idea. We are all human and more than likely we are going to get lazy and skip out on certain things that help grow your relationship with Christ. That’s why if you find someone to hold you accountable you both can check up on each other and make sure the other person is continuing to walk on the right path. Establishing a strong relationship with the Lord takes time and patience, but it’s extremely rewarding. When I am walking with the Lord in my heart I always am the best version of myself. Along with that, I also treat others with Jesus in my heart, which is what He wants us to do. He wants us to share His glory with the world and we can only do that once we have connected with Him ourselves. Welcome, 410 in the Den! I am so excited that you have chosen to begin this exciting new step in your faith journey. The sacrament of confirmation is such a huge opportunity for spiritual growth and it’s a great source of grace for the rest of your faith life. Eric, Maria, and I are so excited, honored, and grateful that we get to walk with you on this journey. Our hope for you this year is that you approach each class with an open mind and an open heart, ready to listen and ready to ask questions. Your instinct might be to always give us the “church-y” answer, and feed us the answers that you think we want to hear. I promise you that we would rather you express your true thoughts and feelings! It’s the best way to really learn and have a genuine experience. We also pray that you will use our class to build new friendships and strengthen existing ones. I have a feeling that this will be a year full of fun and laughter, based on the energy of our class this week! One of my favorite parts of belonging to our church is the incredible sense of fellowship within our parish. There are so many great people to surround ourselves with who will help to encourage us to follow the right path – the path of faithfulness! We definitely don’t have all of the answers, but we promise to do our best to give you opportunities to learn and grow in your relationship to God this year. I can’t wait to see what this year brings! On this Holy Saturday, I wanted to share some thoughts that have been rattling around in my head about Good Friday and Easter. When I was watching/attending the virtual Good Friday service yesterday, I was taken back to my childhood. The parts of the passion narrative always have the narrator, the priest, as Jesus; and another reader as “the crowd”. When I was a kid, they didn’t have a reader for the crowd but rather the congregation read that part. It always bugged me that we always had to play the bad guy. Why did I have to yell “crucify Him, crucify Him!”? How about letting we the people off the hook? Well, I have gotten my wish, now the reader handles that part and we are just silent witnesses. I think the old way that reading was handled was telling me something, and so is the new way. Have you ever thought about what you would have done in that situation, especially if you had been a follower of Jesus even if at a distance? Would you have silently watched? Would you have joined the crowd and yelled “crucify Him”? I fear the way I hope I would have acted is different than the way I actually would have acted. This fear is founded in the way I treat Him now. Sure, I stand up for Jesus when I am with other disciples in a safe place. When I am with the crowd and they are acting un-Christian, I so often have either been silent or joined in. I can just see Jesus looking at me from the praetorium as my actions (or lack of action) yell “crucify Him”. Here’s the thing though, Jesus is looking at me in those times with eyes of not only disappointment, but primarily love and mercy. In this time of “stay home, work safe” and the fear associated with the pandemic, I think we are experiencing an Easter very similar to the first Easter. On that first Easter, the apostles were consumed by fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. Their world had been rocked and they did not know what to do. They were huddled in the upper room practicing their own version of “stay home, be safe”. We all know what happened next, the stone is rolled away and the resurrected Jesus comes to them, bringing with Him the Holy Spirit. This Easter, we are all at home, we can not go experience Jesus at church in the blessed sacrament. Just like 2000 years ago, Jesus is coming to you in your homes to bring you peace and love. This is so emblematic of our God. He does not wait for us to come to Him, rather he seeks us out wherever we are to show us His love and invite us into the joy of a relationship with Him. As you sit at home this Easter, recognize that Jesus is there with you, seeking you out, bringing you the Holy Spirit and all those gifts. You are all amazing witnesses to Christ’s love in this world, now more than ever may you commit to that identity and know the love of the creator of the Universe surrounds you and overcomes all. The tomb is empty, we are redeemed, death is defeated, Hallelujah! Blessings and Love to you all! The Friday Stations of the Cross has never been one of my go to Lenten commitments. I am not exactly sure why, as the Good Friday service has always spoke volumes to me. Maybe it is because it feels so automatic, and not something I could really embrace spiritually every Friday for 6 weeks. Frankly, I never really thought about it much … until now. Now that I can’t physically walk through the stations and things are in such turmoil, I really want to experience it … and can’t. As we all navigate this new reality of living through a pandemic, and the fear, anxiety, loneliness, and unease it entails; I think the stations of the cross are a great reflection to help us focus our eyes on God’s message of hope. I want to reflect on a couple of the stations in particular. I am not going to walk through all the stations, I encourage you to experience all the station prayer through some online sources (see the end of this post). The 1st & 2nd Stations – Jesus is condemned to death, Jesus carries his cross Though fully innocent, Jesus is condemned. So many times we have to deal with difficulty through no fault of our own. This is certainly one of those times. At those times, we are called to pick up our cross and carry it. Very often being a disciple of Christ means carrying burdens – in fact Jesus promised us this. Those burdens can be our own difficulty, they can also be the burdens of others. The 5th Station – Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross Simon had no idea he would be helping carry Jesus’s cross, yet he did. There are times when we are called upon to help others, and we may not know when and where those instances will occur. We must keep our eyes and our hearts open for these opportunities. In your homes right now I am sure you can find many instances for this. Like Simon, I promise you will meet Jesus in doing this. 9th Station – Jesus falls a third time After scourging and beating, carrying his cross, and falling twice, Jesus falls yet again. The exhaustion and pain must have been overwhelming. Even so, Jesus got up again. We may feel pretty knocked down. We will get back up, but we will likely fall down again. We will be dealing with issues associated with Covid19 for a while. That means there will be good days and not so good days ahead. When you get knocked down, look to Christ and He will help you get back up. 14th Station – Jesus is laid in the tomb Jesus has commended His spirit to the Father and has died. He is taken down from the cross and laid in the tomb of Joseph Arimathea. So why am I drawn to this station? The reason is what happens next, after Good Friday is Easter Sunday. The resurrection is coming! One of my favorite recent praise and worship songs is “Sunday” by Tree63. The whole theme is no matter what crap is going on, Sunday is coming – the resurrected Lord is coming. Our year is ending in a random way and I know there are many things that you were all looking forward to this spring which are not happening. God calls us at these tough times to look to Him and rely on Him even more. It is so appropriate that this all comes about during Lent. Lets take this as an opportunity to grow closer to Christ and enter into a deeper relationship with the Savior of the World. While traveling through the desert, we look forward together to Easter. Blessings, Eric Tree 63 "Sunday" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS_-XtspdWQ&t=85s A couple versions of Stations of the Cross https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8lUZ1Hyx4I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ9om4YElns&feature=youtu.be “God isn’t real. Jesus didn’t rise from the dead. Nothing happens after you die.” These are just a few of the many thoughts that crept into my head during my freshman year of college. This wasn’t the first time I experienced doubt, but it was the first time these doubts felt like something more than just small thoughts in the back of my head. It began after being assigned a particular reading in one of my science classes. My textbook, while describing the beginning of the world, made the claim that God wasn’t necessary to kickstart the universe. It also said that existence of life on Earth can be traced back to an incredibly lucky bowl of primordial soup – not Adam and Eve. I had learned about evolution and the beginning of the world before, but I had never heard it said that these things were possible without God. Not long after this, I read and discussed a creation story from Greek mythology in a philosophy course. It seemed uncomfortably similar to the creation story found in the Bible and I didn’t have a good answer to the question, “What proof do you have that the Christian story is the right one?”
I had definitely been challenged by people that didn’t believe in God or disliked religion before, but they were usually pretty angry about something they heard in church, or were open with the fact that they didn’t want God to be real. In these situations, I wasn’t troubled by their lack of belief and figured they’d come around when they were a little less upset or were ready to live a Christian life. Meanwhile, I had never been challenged by calm, intelligent, and respected college professors who didn’t mention atheism at all. They were simply trying to pass on knowledge and encourage their students to think hard about important issues, but at the same time were were poking big holes in what I considered a pretty solid worldview, and I was at a loss on how to patch them back up. After all, I had just graduated from high school — what did I know compared to them? Searching for God I struggled with the material I encountered in class for months. I remember walking back to my dorm after Mass one Sunday, looking at the sky, and feeling distraught that the canvas of clouds and tree tops maybe hadn’t been painted by God and, instead, were just the result of a big, cosmic accident. It was incredibly scary to consider a world without God or, on a different note, to consider that I was a member of the wrong religion and that God was quite upset with me for it. In spite of my fears, I eventually made a decision that I was done holding on to Catholicism, and belief in God, if I didn’t have a good reason to do so. I just wanted to know the truth to the best of my ability, even if it was bleak and godless or required learning an entirely new religion. I began using my free time to check out books, skim articles, listen to podcasts, and start conversations with anyone who looked like they might be interested in discussing the meaning of life with me. I even invited friends up to my dorm room to watch debates, lectures, and documentaries online with me. A few even took me up on it! Things like this went on for months, but I never stopped going to Mass or stopped praying. I didn’t always feel like there was a good reason to be doing it, but that was the only way I knew how to handle difficult times. If God was out there, I wanted Him to know that I was searching for Him. Then, while daydreaming in my dorm one day, it suddenly hit me that the Catholic faith I had been questioning so thoroughly was actually the most convincing to me. It happened so suddenly, but felt so clear. I wish I could say there was one book, one piece of evidence, or a heavenly apparition that convinced me of this, but there wasn’t. I just had a brief moment of clarity that made me realize Catholics seemed to have a detailed, intelligent, and reasonable response to just about any question you could think of regarding religion and God. I didn’t necessarily know all the answers yet, but I learned they were out there waiting for me. It seemed to have always been that way too because within a few years of Christ’s death and Resurrection, there were already bishops writing detailed and well-reasoned defenses of basic Christian beliefs. Faith, History, and Science I also realized that, despite what some atheist celebrities may say, science isn’t capable of disproving God. God exists outside of nature, God exists outside of time, and God transcends existence in the way that humans are capable of knowing it. Science simply isn’t capable of examining something that exists in this manner. This may be frustrating, but God possibly works this way to respect our free will – we wouldn’t be truly free to choose a Christian life if God was constantly hovering above us with watchful eyes for our entire lives. Through my months of doubting, I learned that Catholicism and science weren’t in a battle for control, but were actually close allies. There is even a patron saint of scientists who was a Dominican friar, bishop, and scientist: St. Albert the Great. A passionate love for God has often been responsible for inspiring strong desires to discover how He created the world to function. Catholics can accept scientific discoveries, like the theory of evolution or the Big Bang, and recognize God as the first cause of all creation at the same time. Furthermore, Catholic scientists are actually credited with helping to advance these theories and many, many other scientific developments. If you do some reading on Gregor Mendel, Laura Bassi, Georges Lemaitre, Mary Kenneth Keller, Roger Bacon, or Guy Consolmagno, you’ll learn even more about incredible, Catholic contributions to science. Most significantly, I discovered there is amazing historical evidence to support Christ’s death and Resurrection. For example, the empty tomb of Jesus was first discovered by a group of His female followers, one of whom happened to be the first to witness His Resurrection. When Jesus was alive, the testimony of a woman wasn’t considered trustworthy in Jewish society. In fact, women weren’t even allowed to serve as eyewitnesses in court. If you were trying to convince someone of something they didn’t witness, you wouldn’t use a female’s testimony to do it. Yet, that is exactly what is done in the New Testament. If the writers of the Gospels were trying to convince fellow Jews of a made-up story, they would have written that men had discovered Jesus’ empty tomb and witnessed the Resurrection because it would have been more convincing. The only reason why it would have been recorded that women were the first is if that is exactly how it happened and there was no way around it. Grace and Formation I’m not confident that I would have had the fortitude to go searching for all this information if I hadn’t been heavily steeped in Catholic prayer as a child. My parents made sure I was at Mass every Sunday and prayed in the mornings, before meals, and at night. Fortunately, God gave me enough grace to be receptive to their efforts to form me. I had started relying on prayer so much that I still did it even when I felt like it was pointless and, coincidentally, these same prayers that felt like wastes of time were probably the same prayers that helped reinvigorate my faith. So, if you take anything from this testimony, I hope it is that you should never stop praying, and that it is normal and okay to doubt and question your faith. Saint Augustine once said, “Doubt is but another element of faith.” Don’t think there is something wrong with you or that God will be angry that you are finding some beliefs difficult; it is a sign of spiritual maturity and part of being human in a fallen world – even Mother Teresa struggled with her faith. Take your struggles as an invitation to strengthen your relationship with God and learn more about Him. You’ll be glad you did. What a great week this past week! Witnessing so many receive the sacrament of confirmation, but in particular seeing all of YOU receive the sacrament was a huge blessing. Since Wednesday night I have had time to reflect and pray on our year together. You all said “Amen” when confirmed, which means you not only said “I believe” but you also said “yes” to being Christ in the world; in your homes and communities. It sounds like a lot to ask of you I know. I also know you are all more than up to the challenge, and you are not in this alone. In a very profound way, the Holy Spirit is with you. The third person of the trinity is sometimes the hardest to figure out. Think of it this way, how can we get to know a person whom we have trouble understanding? One of the best ways is by the fruits of their labor. In the same way, letting the Holy Spirit work in you will show in how you allow the fruits of the spirit to be made visible in your life. Remember the fruits? We sang about them at the retreat – Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control. Here are some thoughts on how to make these fruits shine as you move forward: LOVE – If the Spirit is active in your heart, you will show it by loving people. Love is not a feeling, it is an act of will. Make a decision to want the good of others over the good of yourself, and act on that decision. Everything good, everything holy, everything worthy, everything that makes life worth living is built on love. JOY and PEACE – Joy isn’t skip down the road happiness, joy stems from the peace of being connected to the spirit of God. If you are in relationship with your Creator, the Creator of the universe, you will know that He loves you and your soul will be at peace. Joy allows you to approach good and tough times with the confidence of that peaceful connectedness with your Creator. Find that peace by continually building your relationship with God and show joy to all you meet – No stink faces! PATIENCE – If you live for yourself and are always looking inward, you will often be frustrated by other people and how they always seem to hinder your path. If your life is based on others, the people along your path are an opportunity to meet God, and not people who just get in your way. See God in everyone, and especially in those who annoy you. Your patient listening will cast them in a whole new light. KINDNESS and GOODNESS – One of my favorite recent country songs is “Humble and Kind” by Tim McGraw. The last verse says: “Don’t take for granted the love this life gives you …When you get where you're goin' … Don't forget turn back around … Help the next one in line … Always stay humble and kind” When we are kind and good to others we give the gift of God to them. Often, they have never known that gift, and through you they may come to know God. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awzNHuGqoMc FAITHFULESS – At some point in your life, you are going to be called to make a great commitment to love. It may be in marriage, maybe in the priesthood. Those who enter the military are making a commitment based on love of country. Whatever commitment you make, being true to that commitment is a measure of your love. This measure is most difficult and most profound in difficulty. Make a commitment of love, and stay faithful to it. GENTLENESS – How do you approach people? Do you like to intimidate them, make sure they know you are the boss? Christ constantly approached everyone , particularly on the fringes, with gentleness born out of love for them. Be approachable, be interruptible. SELF CONTROL – Some people think that Catholicism as puritanical and says no to physical desires. Not true! We are bodily creatures, and we are creatures made for love. If everything is guided and ordered by love, our desires are there not for our own selfish ends, but to show God’s love. Self control will keep you pointed in that right direction. I have seen the fruits of the spirit in each of you in different and wonderful ways. I know you will continue to open your hearts to the Spirit and let the fruits flourish even more now. Thank you for a wonderful year, and remember that we still need your gifts during your senior year. I leave you with a simple prayer, one which you may remember from the confirmation ceremony. While you were being anointed with chrism, the Latin form of this prayer was being chanted. I watched you be anointed and heard the choir chant these words, and I had to fight back tears of joy. Sometimes the simple prayers are the best prayers. Veni Sancte Spiritus – Come Holy Spirit. In Christ, Eric “Prayer is an aspiration of the heart, it is a simple glance directed to heaven, it is a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as joy; finally, it is something great, supernatural, which expands my soul and unites me to Jesus.” -St.Therese of Lisieux In the quote above, St. Therese very eloquently explains what prayer is to her. What strikes me the most about what she says is the last part: “(prayer) expands my soul and unites me to Jesus.” Whether you realize it or not, Jesus desires to have an intimate relationship with YOU. Let this sink in: the God of the universe wants to KNOW you. He doesn’t want to know about you, but he truly wants to know your heart. How else can Jesus lead us into deeper intimacy with Him other than through prayer? There are a lot of things I wish I could write about in this blog post, but I think the one thing that I want to emphasize is that it is through prayer that we become fully ourselves. It’s in prayer that we learn to receive grace; it’s how we come to know the Father’s love for us and accept his mercy. It’s taken me 4 years (and counting) to learn how to be disciplined in my prayer. At first, I would just wake up and make the sign of the cross—that was the entirety of my prayer life, along with the occasional prayer before meals or for a big test or volleyball game. But friends, if I could urge you to do one thing, it is simply to learn how to pray. It’s through prayer that I have come to know Christ, and therefore, come to know myself. I wish I could share the different moments in prayer where Jesus has lead me into intimacy because it has lead to so much FREEDOM. It’s through my relationship with Christ that I am able to know what it means to be Beloved. It’s through prayer, that I have been able to show up to work or class everyday and know exactly whose I am. I am a Beloved daughter of Christ, and I CANNOT be shaken—and I have come to believe this in the depths of my heart. Some days, I may not know exactly who I am, but I know WHOSE I am, and that makes all difference. I know Truth because I know Jesus. I live an abundant life (not an easy one), but an ABUNDANT one because I have come to know Christ through prayer. I am living in freedom because I am living in the presence of God. I wouldn’t have gotten here without a daily prayer life. Don’t get me wrong—there are days when I don’t want to pray. There are so many reasons I could skip prayer, being busy is always my first excuse. But when I skip prayer, I find myself more easily annoyed with the world, more stressed, more anxious. My heart longs to be in communion with God, and I don’t know how else to do this other than through prayer. Friends, I’m praying for you. I pray that you find the courage to be bold enough to be real with Jesus in prayer. I pray that you are disciplined in making time to talk to Him, especially when you have 100 reasons not to. Finally, I pray that you have the humility to accept your humanness and surrender to Christ through prayer. Our Catholic faith has so many tools for us to use to get to know Jesus, but it’s up to you to prioritize prayer and show up on a daily basis. I hope you give Jesus your daily yes, no matter how small you think it is-- I promise it will change your life. In Christ, Karen Leal |
AuthorYour confirmation teachers - Kathleen, Eric, Sophia, and Valerie, and with contributions from 410 alumni Archives
September 2021
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