2006 Youth Supplement

Youths and faith: Getting in shape will build a stronger faith

Photo caption: Earlier this year, Cathedral High School students Patrick McNulty and Mac Banks helped chisel and carve a Celtic cross in honor of Stephen McNulty, Patrick’s brother, who died in March from heart problems. The cross, which was recently completed and dedicated at the private Catholic high school in Indianapolis, now stands as a tribute to Stephen on the Cathedral campus. (Photo by John Shaughnessy)

By Chrissie White (Special to The Criterion)

As young Catholics, we often seek a deeper understanding of our faith.

Some of us attend Sunday Mass regularly, but continue to feel lost or confused when it comes to Catholicism.

Sometimes our faith feels stagnant, as if we are not growing toward a deeper relationship with God.

The problem is that we do nothing to change the intensity of our faith. Faith is like fitness. If any coach or physical education instructor were asked how someone can get in shape, the answer would be something like this: We should start out at a level of physical activity that is comfortable and make it our routine. We should cut back on unhealthy food. Then we should gradually increase the number of laps we run, the amount of weight we lift and the number of calories we burn.

The athlete who only runs one mile a day for his entire season will see very little improvement in his performance. Similarly, if we do nothing more than attend Mass on Sunday, our faith will not grow to its full potential.

First, we need to decide on a comfortable level of faith practice, such as going to Mass on weekends and attending CCD class every week, and make the commitment to do it consistently.

Next, we need to cut back on the thing that distracts us most from our faith—sin. We should be aware of our everyday sins, try our best to avoid them and seek reconciliation with God.

When the time is right, we can add more faith activity to our routine. If our parish has a weekly Bible study group, we might decide to join. We can take advantage of the days of service our parish provides by serving food and drinks for a dinner, cleaning up around our church or visiting the homebound.

Many parishes in the archdiocese have adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Adoration is a great opportunity to develop a deeper relationship with God on a very personal level. Adoration allows us to sit quietly and spend time in prayer with Jesus. It is a way to have a one-on-one conversation as he is present right in front of us.

Sometimes we are looking for a way to incorporate our friends into our faith life. Youth ministers are the perfect people to ask if we want to find out about upcoming events for the youth of our parish, deanery and archdiocese. There are many trips, retreats and rallies throughout the year, and participants are able to gain more knowledge of their faith while doing something enjoyable with friends.

When you increase the intensity of your faith, you will find that many of your burning questions are answered, and your relationship with God is much stronger. Mass on Sunday gradually becomes more meaningful and more powerful than ever before.

Just like a plan to get into shape, a plan to intensify your faith takes hard work and dedication. And don’t forget the buddy system. Sometimes the support and participation of a willing friend makes all the difference.

(Chrissie White is a member of St. Gabriel Parish in Connersville.) †