Riding the highs - by CRHS senior and 410 alum Michael Sporkin

    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.

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