Spiritual Makeover

Today is Ash Wednesday, which means that the 40 days of Lent have begun. A time to rethink our ways, a time to rid ourselves of all of the excess, a time to truly repent, and a time to reflect on what it means to be saved through Christ, as day after day, we get closer to the focal point of our faith - the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Keep Going

Growing in faith is a lifelong journey, not a one time "here's your faith, have a good day" thing. Very understandable - life is full of success, full of opportunities, but it is also full of stress, sadness, and failure. In the whirlwind that is life, faith can be a difficult thing to hold on to.

But many people do hold onto it. They realize that faith is a journey, and that Christ never said it was going to be easy. Included in that faith journey is something that C.S. Lewis called the "Law of Undulations," the fact that we can experience times of highs and lows in our lives; a series of peaks and valleys - ups and downs. And yet, while we all experience these ups and downs, we can still be progressing, becoming more aware, becoming stronger, and becoming closer to God, despite our many setbacks.

Look It In The Eye

The Youth Ministry Office organizes Youth Coordinator's meetings 3 or 4 times a year. It's a chance for everyone to see how active the diocese is, as well as for the YMO to update all the coordinators on all the youth events, training seminars, etc.

There was a point in last night's meeting where we split off into our individual deaneries (smaller groups based on where in the archdiocese our parishes are located). On the meeting agenda, one of the things we were asked to discuss was what we were most excited about for our individual youth ministries this year.

The other thing? "What are you not looking forward to?"