You Can Lead a Horse to Water… — UFFT #24

Sometimes you just have to let God do His work.

We’ve probably all heard the old saying “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink!” used time and time again throughout our lives; I know I have. More often than not, people tell me that often-used cliché while I’m venting about a failed attempt at trying to convince, persuade, or teach someone to think like I do.

It’s really frustrating to me when I’m in conversation with someone and no matter how solid my evidence is, no matter how believable and accurate my facts are, and no matter how much I point out the tiniest flaws in their argument, they refuse to side with me and think how I think or believe what I believe. Being the logical person that I am, this sort of stubbornness just doesn’t make sense to me!

It’s even MORE frustrating because lately we, as Catholics, have been called to a “New Evangelization” to try and get the word out about the Good News of Jesus Christ that’s found in the Catholic Church, the fullness of truth! But it seems that no matter what, I can’t seem to get people to fall in love with the Church, no matter what I do! I can bring them to Youth Group, talk them through the Mass till I’m blue in the face, and even answer their never-ending questions about transubstantiation and the Saints, but at the end of the day, I can never get masses of people to learn to love the Catholic Church!

I Serve, Why BE Served? — UFFT #18

This is my personal reflection journal from the Senior Retreat!

This weekend I was so blessed to have the opportunity to attend a Senior Retreat put on by my Church’s Youth Ministry program. Without going into too much detail about it, I was absolutely shocked with how much I enjoyed myself. Now, before anyone goes jumping to conclusions, I didn’t doubt the skill of retreat-planning that St. John Neumann’s absolutely amazing CORE Team and Youth Minister have, no, not that at all! What I really doubted was my ability to be served.

You see, for a long time now, I’ve been serving others. I’ve been on my Youth Group’s Peer Team for three years, led my High School’s Retreat Team as President for two years, been on the diocesan Evangelization Team for two years, and I’ve helped out at COUNTLESS Youth Group events throughout my time. Even when I was supposed to “be on retreat”, somehow I always managed to rope myself into helping in some way (much to the irritation of my Youth Ministers, I’m sure). But this retreat, there was no escaping it, I was going to be served whether I liked it or not!

Unleavened Food for Thought #004

Imagine this: you’re out in the ocean far away from any shore. You are riding in a small wooden boat; not as small as a rowboat, but not nearly as big as an ocean-liner or cruise ship. The boat creaks and moans gently as it is rocked softly by the waves, and the sail billows and flaps in the stiff breeze, carrying you across the water.

You look around; from where you are standing on the bow of the boat, you see eleven of your closest friends seated on the main deck of the boat, talking, laughing, and having a good time.