He Transforms
Dear friends in Christ,
We are in such a busy time of year! Summer is ending, school is starting, maybe work is extra stressful, and some of us (like my daughter) are even starting to think about Halloween and Christmas! In the midst of all the busyness of life, how do we keep our eyes fixed on the One who holds all of life together?
A few weeks ago, our Gospel reading told of Jesus walking on the water during a storm and Peter’s attempt to follow Him out onto the waves. When he looked at the waves and the storm instead of Christ, he began to sink, and called for the Lord to save him. Now in this week’s reading, Peter declares boldly, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). I think his experience with fear and trust in the Lord was how this Truth was revealed to Peter—and I wonder if he would have developed such faith without first having almost drowned.
As adults, I imagine that we have all experienced a time of being lost in a storm or feeling we are sinking beneath the waves. When we cry out “Lord, save me!” and then watch and listen for His guiding hand, He transforms our fear and doubt into the kind of faith that allows us to declare the Truth of Christ because we have experienced it directly, in our own life!
In my work with children and young people, I have found that they also experience feelings of being lost, even in the most secure, loving families. Our world has such darkness in it for young people, and it can be overwhelming and frightening as parents to know how to best guide our children to the goodness and light of Christ.
The most important thing to remember is that parents are your child's first and best teacher. You love them, and they love and respect you, in a way that no other teacher, catechist, or mentor will ever be able to match. Your child needs to experience your personal, loving witness to the faith in your own life in order to adopt that faith and make it his or her own. Talk to them about your experiences, even the difficult and unpleasant ones, and share with them how Christ and the Church make a difference to you.
That is not to say that you are alone! We are so blessed here at St. John’s with a wealth of resources to help all of us, from the very youngest children to the most senior adults, to continue to learn and grow in our faith. Information about our Faith Formation Programs is available here. Please register your children so that we can help you to help them on their journey of knowing and loving Christ and His Church.
Peace and blessings to all during this busy time!