StCYM: Moving Forward! II (29 APR 18)

This week we met, once again, to continue our series called "Moving Forward!". And, once again, we had no time for games because of the good discussions we were having. Next week, I promise, we will have time for games. I love how the discussions are going! I can see the underclassmen really opening up to the upperclassmen and a bond is growing and discipleship is beginning to exist. This is a beautiful direction that I envisioned the group going in. God is certainly good!

Before we entered into the discussions we played a decision making game called "bomb shelter". In this game the group is in a post-nuclear scenario where they are in a bunker with two years of supplies until the radiation goes away. However, the shelter can only sustain a certain number of individuals. The group had to decide who had to go. The purpose of this exercise is to analyze how decisions are made. The goal was to identify those methods and question their moral rigidity. We learned that most decisions were made due to stereotypes. 

Last week we discussed our disposition before making big decisions. This week we looked at how to go about making decisions. We asked ourselves three questions when facing a big decision; "what does my heart say?", "what does my mind say?", and "what does God say through His Church?". In the small groups we then discussed how fears and peer pressure can impact our decision making abilities. Among the major decisions were dating, post high school endeavors, and friendships. We also discussed how Church teaching should influence our decisions and how it can challenge us when society teaches differently.

Next week we will discuss taking action, since clarity requires that we do. We will go into how to move forward after big decisions are made and what the consequences are. We will also prepare for the 8th graders that are returning on 20 May for their second open house visit to StCYM. It will be a great time. And, yes, we will have time for games!

Pax,

Johannes

StCYM: Moving Forward! I (22 APR 18)

This week we started our next series I've titled "Moving Forward!". During this series we will discover how we move forward following the soul training we received during Lent. We will focus on discerning major life decisions that currently apply to our lives (what to do after college, what extracurriculars to be a part of, which relationships to maintain or end, etc.). Discernment is not just for a particular vocation, it is something we ought to do for every major life decision.

We began this week by looking at our disposition. Throughout this series we will use Ignatian rules for discernment. To begin a proper discernment, the key is to have the proper disposition. To have the proper disposition we need to recognize what our current state in life is. We discussed questions such as "How is my spiritual, emotional, mental health?", "What are things that hold me back?", "How is my prayer life?", "Does God seem close or distant?", "Am I in any toxic relationships/friendships?", "How is my relationship with the Church?" and others. The discussions were good and lasted the entire evening. We didn't even have time for games!

The teens mentioned how relevant these discussions are in their lives at the moment. They have big decisions to make that require good discernment. This is why providing the tools to discern properly is very important to teens at this stage in their lives. What teens do now can have an impact on what they do 10 years from now or maybe more. Including God and others in our decision making process in a healthy way will produce the good fruit we are all called to produce. Next week we will continue this discussion by discussing how to move forward once we have the proper disposition. Please pray for the teens as they are making their major decisions.

Pax,

Johannes

StCYM: 8th Grader Open House (15 APR 18)

I am very grateful to God for the direction StCYM is moving. I am seeing teens step up and take ownership of their faith and encouraging their peers to do the same. This continued during our eighth grader open house last night. Two of the freshman gave a brief talk on their transition from eighth grade to ninth grade. The group also discussed what StCYM does and what its purpose is. It was amazing to see the teens take charge.

Last night we had a full house. We began the night in prayer and transitioned into our group sessions. I divided the group in two. One would stay downstairs while the other went upstairs. One group talked about the transition from middle school to high school, while the other group discussed what happens at StCYM and what people would want to see happen. After 15 minutes or so we switched. Following the group sessions we transitioned into game time! We had teens playing on the Wii and, the classic, Scattergories. The game room was also filled with teens playing Foosball, table tennis, and air hockey. It was a night of great energy. The food was great too.

I am excited to see where this goes. It was great to see the eighth graders and the first timers that were invited. Our next eighth grader open house is scheduled for 20 May. If it is anything like last night, it will be an amazing one too. We have great things planned here at StCYM and the Holy Spirit is very much at work in all of it. Thank you for all of your prayers and support. It means a lot to us as we continue to journey on the narrow path.

Pax

Conversations in the World: My Version of Catholicism

Advent greetings! It has been a while since submitting a blog post. One of my resolutions for 2017 is to be more consistent and post at least once per month. I pray I am successful. Anyway, in this post I'd like to give a reflection of a recent conversation I had in the world. What I mean by having a conversation in the world is discussing different Church teachings or stances on various topics with someone who is either not Catholic or is a separated Catholic in a non-religious setting. Based on my experience most of these conversations happen over a good glass of beer at a local bar. In this conversation the topic was conversion and witness.

We were discussing the coercive nature that some religious people evangelize, including Catholics. He mentioned how people have been pushy or even shut him out. I immediately acknowledged that coercion does exist, but that it is not the proper way to evangelize and began to discuss what proper evangelizing is and what the Church teaches in regard to conversion. God does not coerce and this is evident in Christ's ministry. Christ was not a warrior that sought to gather foot soldiers and ransack Jerusalem. The proper way to evangelize is to be like Christ; a faithful witness to the truth seeking the good of others. Christ, the Son acting in union with the Father and the Holy Spirit, gave people a choice. It is important to note that Christ didn't mince words. He gave people a solid choice to make, but he let them make the choice upholding their free will. It is important to remember that the Holy Spirit does the converting when a person's heart is open to respond to the Spirit. All we can do and should do is proclaim the teachings of the Church and be a witness to the teachings. We must recognize our sinfulness and need for the Church.

It was a very civil discussion with someone who believes in a world beyond this one, but who is not religious. He appreciated my tone and said he likes my version of Catholicism. I must note that I responded by thanking him and added that my version is not my version. I simply seek to follow Christ as I work toward holiness in serving God and His creation. I love these types of conversations. Don't be afraid of engaging in conversations similar to these. You may not know all the answers, I certainly don't, but that's why we have smart phones. If you get stumped, simply look up the answer on a good Catholic app or website. If the person you are conversing with is a good person, they will appreciate your diligence. The moment was certainly a moment of consolation in my discernment of the priesthood.