Weekly reflections
"I am the way and the truth and the life"
-Jn.14:6
-Jn.14:6
Chariots, long road trips, and standing guard over the Ethiopian Queen's treasury comprised a certain young eunuch's life (Acts.8:27). Still seeking something more, he opened the book of Isaiah to no avail: "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opened not his mouth". Is Isaiah talking about himself or someone else?
It was to this man that the Apostle, Philip, appeared seemingly out of nowhere. And apparently Philip did not skip leg day, for he ran and caught up with a CHARIOT. The eunuch invited him in, and his questions began to be answered. Introductions like the name Jesus, the word grace, the story of salvation poured into the young eunuch's mind, driving him toward a future he had never even thought imaginable--like water gushing through a parched desert. The experience ended as surreal as it began--with Philip being whisked away by the "Spirit of the Lord". Philips ability to touch this man's life had nothing to do with Philip and everything to do with Christ. His message was Christ's, his power to "fast travel" was Christ's. All Philip did was accept this completely unmerited gift. So many Confirmation students think that the sacrament Confirmation is all about what they are doing when in fact it's all about being a passive recipient of the Holy Spirit. May we echo John the Baptist's cry: "He must increase; I must decrease" (Jn.3:30). Do this, and the Holy Spirit will work wonders in you.
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During Youth Group this week, one of our high school students shared some insecurities about beginning high school, and rightfully so. It's a scary time! Right now, many who are beginning middle school, high school and college fear failure, and that's a healthy fear. We set expectations for ourselves and want to achieve them so badly that we fear falling short.
Jesus tells us that he loves us and has a "wedding feast" prepared for us (Mt.22:2). All we have to do is respond to this invitation (as the phrase goes, "we have ONE job"). The task should be simple: RSVP for and attend the exciting event. But sometimes we let our fears and indifference hold us back. Solution? Here comes a typical Catholic answer that we ignore now because we hear it so much: Prayer. Let that word mean more to you today. Make it a real encounter with the Lord who wants nothing more than to see your success, happiness, and peace. When we do this, we can begin this new school year with confidence, not in ourselves, but in him who loves us. I wish I could lie and say that I wasn't playing Pokemon Go like everyone else... Frankly, the game has lots of problems, so I probably won't be playing for much longer (I mean seriously... all I'm catching are Rattatas and Pidgies); but since I'm a youth minister and tend to relate everything I experience to my faith, I thought I would take advantage of this current trend for a moment.
Saints are like Pokemon. Yes, this is a crazy analogy, but hold on. God "catches" certain individuals as weak sinners and they "evolve" into strong Saints. He did it in both the Old and New Testament. Just look at the guy from the Old Testament, Abram. Talk about a sorry excuse for a husband! The guy wouldn't even let people know Sarah was his wife since he was afraid of what the Egyptians might do to him. God took this knucklehead, changed his name to Abraham, and made him the direct ancestor of Jesus himself! Now look at Saul from the New Testament. This jerk was arresting Christians for... being Christians... and even had some executed! Thankfully Jesus got a little vengeance by knocking him off his horse, inducing him with temporary blindness, and overall making him look silly (thank you!). But after a name change, a hasty catechetical formation, and restored vision, Paul went out and became one of the greatest Saints the Church has ever known! All this goes to show that we sinners have it in us to "evolve" into great Saints if we are even a little open to being "caught" by God. |
Spencer MoseleyYouth Minister Archives
January 2017
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