Confirmation, Confirmation and More Confirmation!

Hello, hello everyone! Yes, I know it’s been a while since I have posted, but when you don’t hear from me, please know that it’s only because things are getting so busy! Confirmation is in just about three weeks and there is a lot to do to say the least. From getting Baptismal Certificates to preparing kids to be Baptized so they can get confirmed to classes and rehearsals and retreat and music; there just aren’t enough hours in the day! There is a lot happening, though.

Great News! On March 12th there is a group of students arriving from Franciscan University of Steubenville and they are giving up their spring break to come here for a mission trip. They will be putting on a Born in the Spirit Seminar during the week, speaking on the reality of the Holy Spirit in our lives and His Gifts and Power that He wants to give us for the building up of the Church. They will also be helping me on Saturday with my Confirmation retreat. I am very excited to have male witnesses for the boys in my classes simply because they really have no role models here on San Pedro. We are going to be so blessed to have them here!

This week I am teaching on the reality of Death and Dying. We were talking today about how our world really doesn’t deal well with the reality of Death. We see it everywhere, we hear about deaths of people, but there’s not much else said. We talked about the Catholic perspective of what death is, and that we have to remember death is not an END, but simply a transition into what we hope will be a life of Eternity with God. Heaven is REAL, Hell is REAL, and Purgatory is REAL, and it’s good to remember that. God wants us all in Heaven with Him, for eternity, and if we make the right choices TODAY and put HIM First in our lives and seek Holiness, we will certainly get there. But we have to make the right choices and live faithfully today! He is so good and faithful and in HIS mercy gives us Purgatory as a gift if we still need to be purified from sin when we die. I asked the kids what this world would look like if people really realized the Eternal Happiness that God desires for us in Heaven; a place where God says there will be no more tears and no more pain, rather perfect love and unending joy. I asked them what they think this world would look like if people really were aware that any day could be their last day and that we need to live for God right now like it is our last day. Jesus was obviously right when He said, “if you do not become like children you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven”. Their answers to my questions were so simple, yet so true and child-like. They said if people really knew and understood all this, then they’d love more; they’d let others know how much they are loved so that they have no regrets when a loved one passes away. They said their parent’s wouldn’t spend so much time drinking (alcohol and drug abuse is a huge problem down here) and they said they would spend more time in prayer, REALLY living out what JESUS calls us to. The reality of Death puts things in perspective, especially the little trivial things that I let myself get so worked up over, that really don’t matter in the scheme of things. I am so thankful for the way these kids are teaching me and calling me onto holiness. Please pray for them as they prepare to receive a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit!