It has been such a great opportunity getting to go through Confirmation Interviews with our upcoming 9th grade students who are almost ready to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. I love being able to sit down with them and hear about how they have experienced God and in what ways they see Him moving in their lives.
These interview sessions are usually rather simple; we’re really not looking for elaborate or eloquent answers. Just honest and authentic experiences from our students. And I’m amazed every year as we do this how edifying it is for me personally as I do these “check ins” with our youth. Because just as I ask them questions about how God is moving in their lives, I realize I need those “check ins” too.
I’m sure you have felt this way before. Life gets busy with family responsibilities, work tasks, social engagements and suddenly you are just trying to breathe. I find myself, even in my own job at the Church, falling in the trap of talking about God more than talking to God.
I recently read a quote from Pope Francis that says, “To be saints is not a privilege for the few, but a vocation for everyone.”
I think we can often fall into the mental trap of believing that sainthood is something to be achieved by the greats in our Church history–surely not us, everyday, ordinary people. But this is just the enemy getting in our way of realizing that this call to holiness is not only universal, but one that is entirely attainable.
I am comforted by the fact that the Lord does not call us to things that are beyond our reach. While sanctity may seem impossible, the Lord provides and equips so that this is a goal that is worth reaching and stretching to achieve it.
As a parish family, we offer so many ways to be able to grow in our faith and reach for this goal of sainthood. Through the sacrament of Reconciliation and the Holy Mass we are able to experience the grace of God in holy and tangible ways. Our bible studies that go throughout our week help us grow in fellowship as we dive in to God’s word. Our new Religious Education program is specifically designed to empower our families to grow in faith with one another. Our Alpha program will kick back up this fall and is an excellent way to dive into growing your relationship with Jesus. Even when we are on the go, our homilies and various talks on our website are easily accessible to help us keep focused on heaven, the ultimate prize.
Pray with your family about where you might feel that the Lord is calling you to live out this universal vocation to holiness. Maybe start off with doing a “check in” with yourself just like we do with our Confirmation candidates and ask some of these questions – and know that we here at St. John’s want to support you along that journey as well!
- How would you describe your relationship with God?
- Jesus asks: Who do you say that I am? What is your response?
- Have you ever felt the presence of the Holy Spirit? When was that? How has it changed you?
- If you could ask the Lord for one thing to help you grow closer to Him, what would you say?
To growing in holiness together,
Clare Kolenda
Youth Faith Formation