A bulletin article written by Angela Amore, FOCUS Team Director, Ramapo College
For more information about FOCUS (the Fellowship of Catholic University Students)
click here.
It’s a scary word to Catholics, but Pope Paul VI tells us that the Church’s very identity is mission. So, what is our Identity, our mission as Catholics? We only need to turn to the last words Christ gave us on this earth, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always to the close of the age.” (Mt 28:19-20) The last command that Jesus gave us before ascending into Heaven, clearly tells us that we need to bring others to know, “the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He has] sent.” (Jn 17:3). The apostles took this seriously, hit the ground running, brought people the Gospel, and died for this believe.
Not too many of us our going to preach to the multitudes, but we are still called to fulfill this mission. It can seem like a daunting task with 7.6 billion people on this Earth. As in all things, we need only to look to the example of Christ. Jesus took 12 guys camping for 3 years. Jesus invested His very self into three of these men specifically; Peter, James and John. They were with Him at the Transfiguration and in the Garden before His death. He entrusted
everything He knew to these faithful men who would be able to teach others also. (cf 2 Tim 2:2) And that is all we need to do. Think about 3 people. Just three people in whom you can invest yourself and be ready to give witness for the reason of your hope. (cf 1 Pt 3:15) If these three people meet the person of Jesus Christ and then each find three people to invest in and bring to the Lord, who then find three more, and so on, we can reach the entirety of the 7.6 billion people on this planet for Christ in 33 years (same number Jesus was on this Earth, FYI)
It is as simple as grabbing coffee and over time start bringing up questions of the faith. Or playing basketball and talking after the game. It is not being afraid to ask the person at the desk next to you to come back to Mass. For me, it was seeing the constant joy of my lacrosse teammates day in and day out for three years to question where that kind of peace could come from. Start on the most natural of levels and do not be afraid to go deeper with people. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes trust in the Lord to go outside of our comfort zone and bring Him up to those around us. The battle has already been won and failure is not an option, so we have no reason to fear evangelization. Remember and trust in Christ’s promise as He gave us this mission; “lo, I am with you always until the close of the age.”
~Angela Amore, FOCUS Team Director
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Saying "I Do" to God
Getting married as a young adult is changing very much these days. I said to my fiancé the other day, “I am getting married at 24. It’s crazy how that is considered YOUNG.” My reasoning behind this was preempted by my parents who were married at 22 and 20. When my grandparents got married it was not uncommon to be married at 17 or 18, yet nowadays 24 is considered young for marriage. What has changed? What is the “right time” to get married?
In recent years, most people have been focusing on solidifying a career before settling down to get married. Who can blame them? With unemployment still at a very uncomfortable rate and what seems like no job security, coupled with an unprecedented high cost of living, I believe that most people struggle to get by and therefore do not want to subject their spouse and children to that. There is something missing in that equation—trust in God.
I know of a few couples who are called to marry one another, they know it, but they do not take the next step because of financial uncertainty. To clarify, none of these couples are by any means near the poverty line. Yet, for some reason in this country the American Dream is pushing us to strive for ideals, forgo sacrifice, and place control into our own hands rather than relying on God’s mercy. So the thought process becomes: I need to have ‘x’ amount of money in the bank before I get engaged and plan my wedding; I need to have worked my way to middle management before I have a child; I need, I need, I need. Since when do we really know what we need and when we need it? The right time to get married is in God’s time. Instead of thinking about what we want when we want it, let’s try thinking about what God wants when God wants it.
When I decided to get engaged last June, I was making next to nothing. I was a Graduate Assistant at Seton Hall, which paid a monthly stipend that barely paid my expenses. I had no clue what I would do in terms of a career. I had a little bit of money in the bank saved from when I was young (I had jobs since I was 13 years old), but I knew that God was calling me to do this. I knew he wanted me to trust in Him because I knew He would provide me with what I needed. I didn’t need a six-figure salary and a house. What I needed to do was trust in God’s plan for my life—I trusted in HIS DREAM for me, not the American Dream.
As you are reading this article this Sunday, July 10, I am saying my vows at Sacred Heart R.C. Church in Clifton. I will be marrying my high school sweetheart of over eight years. Olivia and I wish for our marriage to become a witness to others that worldly prosperity is not a necessary component to following God’s will. In fact, this week’s gospel speaks of having the word of God literally in your face, yet you cannot see nor hear it. Take these words to heart as you discern God’s calling in your own life. Perhaps God is calling you to take the next step in your relationship. Maybe He is calling you to serve Him as a priest, deacon, or in the religious life. He may want you to live a single life. Regardless of your calling, do not turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to it. Answer it. When? Now. Take the step, and watch what beauty God will unfold in your life. Allow His words fall on the rich soil of your hearts so that it can “produce fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”
In recent years, most people have been focusing on solidifying a career before settling down to get married. Who can blame them? With unemployment still at a very uncomfortable rate and what seems like no job security, coupled with an unprecedented high cost of living, I believe that most people struggle to get by and therefore do not want to subject their spouse and children to that. There is something missing in that equation—trust in God.
I know of a few couples who are called to marry one another, they know it, but they do not take the next step because of financial uncertainty. To clarify, none of these couples are by any means near the poverty line. Yet, for some reason in this country the American Dream is pushing us to strive for ideals, forgo sacrifice, and place control into our own hands rather than relying on God’s mercy. So the thought process becomes: I need to have ‘x’ amount of money in the bank before I get engaged and plan my wedding; I need to have worked my way to middle management before I have a child; I need, I need, I need. Since when do we really know what we need and when we need it? The right time to get married is in God’s time. Instead of thinking about what we want when we want it, let’s try thinking about what God wants when God wants it.
When I decided to get engaged last June, I was making next to nothing. I was a Graduate Assistant at Seton Hall, which paid a monthly stipend that barely paid my expenses. I had no clue what I would do in terms of a career. I had a little bit of money in the bank saved from when I was young (I had jobs since I was 13 years old), but I knew that God was calling me to do this. I knew he wanted me to trust in Him because I knew He would provide me with what I needed. I didn’t need a six-figure salary and a house. What I needed to do was trust in God’s plan for my life—I trusted in HIS DREAM for me, not the American Dream.
As you are reading this article this Sunday, July 10, I am saying my vows at Sacred Heart R.C. Church in Clifton. I will be marrying my high school sweetheart of over eight years. Olivia and I wish for our marriage to become a witness to others that worldly prosperity is not a necessary component to following God’s will. In fact, this week’s gospel speaks of having the word of God literally in your face, yet you cannot see nor hear it. Take these words to heart as you discern God’s calling in your own life. Perhaps God is calling you to take the next step in your relationship. Maybe He is calling you to serve Him as a priest, deacon, or in the religious life. He may want you to live a single life. Regardless of your calling, do not turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to it. Answer it. When? Now. Take the step, and watch what beauty God will unfold in your life. Allow His words fall on the rich soil of your hearts so that it can “produce fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”
Sunday, September 18, 2011
No Fair!
Bulletin Article 9/18
“God isn’t fair!” a student called out in class one day. I looked at the 11 year old with a smile and said, “What do you mean?” The student replied innocently, “Everything I want, God says I can’t have.” “EVERYTHING? So you don’t want happiness, love, and eternal life?” I said jokingly. I continued by saying, “Suppose I came into class the first day and gave you all of the money I have in my bank account, all of the clothes that I own, all of the food I have, and all of my other possessions. Would you like that?” “OH YEAH!” the student replied. “And then let’s say I told you that in order to pass the class you needed to come just one hour a week, would that sound like a good idea? Is that fair?” His hesitated for a moment and then said, “No..yes..no? Well it seems unfair to you. You gave me all you had and I just have to show up. I don’t need to do any work or read or participate!” I simply said, “Exactly.”
This week’s Gospel can seem unfair. If you are a senior in college, think of it this way. You spend four years studying for exams, writing papers, working (unpaid) internships, and reading countless articles for that one day where you get to walk through the Ramapo Arch, pass your tassel from the right to the left, and get your degree. You turn to the person to your left and notice that they just began last year—they studied for one year and earned the same degree as you! NOT FAIR! What’s amazing about this passage is that God continues to challenge those of us who think that we are owed something. It challenges us to realize that our lives are about what we owe HIM.
I am amazed as I encounter new people from different areas and age groups. I find an overwhelming sense of entitlement among most people these days. Whether it is someone who has been working for 40 years or someone right out of college, we as a society seem to think that because we have done a certain act or duty or achieved a certain status that we are owed something. I fall into this thought process as well. After receiving my Master’s degree, I thought that I deserved a premier spot within the Church. I applied to numerous PhD programs both in the United States and Rome with hopes that I would earn my doctorate and become a young, vibrant Theology professor that would ignite a fire in the hearts of the youth of our Church. God had other plans. His plan was to have me coordinate a Junior High Faith Formation program and teach middle school students and then come here to ICC and Ramapo to serve the Young Adults in our Parish Community. I could simply say, “God that isn’t fair; it’s not what I want.” (Which I did for a little while) but I don’t want to be the complaining vineyard worker. I want to give everything I have while I am working in that field so that I may truly earn that wage. I find myself coming to the same conclusion my student came to-I owe something to God, since He gave everything for me.
Fortunately, I have heard God’s call at a young age and I have, God willing, roughly 60 years of working in his vineyard before I receive my “wages.” But knowing that these wages equal eternal life is what keeps me working as hard as I can. I am not looking to earn over time or time and a half, because my wages equal everything I could possibly ever need or want-eternally being united to the God who created me. I know there will be people who start working in the vineyard long after me. I know there will be those who come in at the last minute and get paid just the same. That’s ok because Jesus gave everything he had for me. I owe him more than an hour-more than a day. I owe Him all that I have. I owe Him my life. Which worker are you? Are you satisfied with your wages?
“God isn’t fair!” a student called out in class one day. I looked at the 11 year old with a smile and said, “What do you mean?” The student replied innocently, “Everything I want, God says I can’t have.” “EVERYTHING? So you don’t want happiness, love, and eternal life?” I said jokingly. I continued by saying, “Suppose I came into class the first day and gave you all of the money I have in my bank account, all of the clothes that I own, all of the food I have, and all of my other possessions. Would you like that?” “OH YEAH!” the student replied. “And then let’s say I told you that in order to pass the class you needed to come just one hour a week, would that sound like a good idea? Is that fair?” His hesitated for a moment and then said, “No..yes..no? Well it seems unfair to you. You gave me all you had and I just have to show up. I don’t need to do any work or read or participate!” I simply said, “Exactly.”
This week’s Gospel can seem unfair. If you are a senior in college, think of it this way. You spend four years studying for exams, writing papers, working (unpaid) internships, and reading countless articles for that one day where you get to walk through the Ramapo Arch, pass your tassel from the right to the left, and get your degree. You turn to the person to your left and notice that they just began last year—they studied for one year and earned the same degree as you! NOT FAIR! What’s amazing about this passage is that God continues to challenge those of us who think that we are owed something. It challenges us to realize that our lives are about what we owe HIM.
I am amazed as I encounter new people from different areas and age groups. I find an overwhelming sense of entitlement among most people these days. Whether it is someone who has been working for 40 years or someone right out of college, we as a society seem to think that because we have done a certain act or duty or achieved a certain status that we are owed something. I fall into this thought process as well. After receiving my Master’s degree, I thought that I deserved a premier spot within the Church. I applied to numerous PhD programs both in the United States and Rome with hopes that I would earn my doctorate and become a young, vibrant Theology professor that would ignite a fire in the hearts of the youth of our Church. God had other plans. His plan was to have me coordinate a Junior High Faith Formation program and teach middle school students and then come here to ICC and Ramapo to serve the Young Adults in our Parish Community. I could simply say, “God that isn’t fair; it’s not what I want.” (Which I did for a little while) but I don’t want to be the complaining vineyard worker. I want to give everything I have while I am working in that field so that I may truly earn that wage. I find myself coming to the same conclusion my student came to-I owe something to God, since He gave everything for me.
Fortunately, I have heard God’s call at a young age and I have, God willing, roughly 60 years of working in his vineyard before I receive my “wages.” But knowing that these wages equal eternal life is what keeps me working as hard as I can. I am not looking to earn over time or time and a half, because my wages equal everything I could possibly ever need or want-eternally being united to the God who created me. I know there will be people who start working in the vineyard long after me. I know there will be those who come in at the last minute and get paid just the same. That’s ok because Jesus gave everything he had for me. I owe him more than an hour-more than a day. I owe Him all that I have. I owe Him my life. Which worker are you? Are you satisfied with your wages?
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