I have been volunteering in my children's school and for our Church for many years. My oldest daughter is 22years now and I started helping out her preschool teachers when she was 3 and our Church for just a few years less. I guess I have been surprised lately when I heard a few different people make comments about why they could not help out in the Church.
A couple of people, a man and a women, who are not related, said that because they are senior citizens and had helped out for a number of years already, they had put in their time and were done. Another young women said that because she worked and had a young child, that if the Church gave her a paid position she would be able to do more, but that she couldn't really put in much time otherwise.
I have been dumbfounded by these comments. Not only do these particular senior citizens have better strength than I , because of my chronic pain syndrome, they have lots of time off because they are retired. They have been spending their time at home getting aggravated at the problems in the world or shopping or trips to the Casino. The young woman that made the comment that she couldn't because of working and having a young family is only stating the same sentiments as her contemporaries, but what bothers me about her comments is that I myself, and many of my friends did and do a lot of volunteering with jobs and kids too.
What happened to people wanting to help because they knew it was their duty. When did people forget that they are the Church? In my discussion with people in my parish and from other parishes, I am finding that many people think that the Church is simply an institution that should provide them with the programs and activities that they want and need. They don't realize that they are the Church and the programs and activities are theirs to develop and organize. Priest today are stretched so thin and Catholics today are expecting many things that their grandparents didn't. Vacation Bible School, family programs, Adult religious studies, adult bible study, counseling, book discus ion groups, prayer groups, youth groups, young adult groups and many more are part of the needs of the new Catholic family and are very good for the spiritual growth of the Catholic family but for the most part are new for most parishes.
People don't realize what we are all called to at our Baptism. That we are responsible for each other's journey to heaven. Catholics are really afraid the the word "evangelization". But that is what the Church is for (we are for). Providing good experiences for each other to learn and love the faith is important for Evangelization. We Are The Church. Pope John Paul II called the Church to a New Evangelization. He called each one of us.
I am not doing all this (volunteering) because I am so good and definitely not so smart. God has been using me even before I knew Him. I just hope that my writing this will be His way of reaching into their heart so that people will want to make time for each other, to do what they can do, and should do and will be very happy doing it. God Bless everyone who does the will of God.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph pray for us
two hearts
What about the Training Wheels?
Do you remember how it was to be little, 4 or 5 years old, and you wanted to ride a two wheel bike. The tricycle moved to slow and you had places to go, fast! So your dad got you a two wheeled bike and for safety and so that you could practice, he put training wheels on your bike. The same thing happened for me, but it was God who put training wheels on my soul. But just for a time, now they are off.
I was raised (very loosely) Catholic. My mom has just been baptized Catholic, just before my conversion in 2004 and my dad liked to say that he was atheist. My dad was a depressed man. Serious alcoholism and an anger problem made it hard for him to show God to us and even see God himself. My mom came from a highly abusive home, married my dad very young (she was 13 years his junior) and was just trying to stay out of my dads way. My sister and I developed emotional problems that still trouble us today to various degrees. It is only because of a miraculous event in my grandmother’s life that pushed her to ask my dad to have my sister and I become Catholic. My grandmother told me the story that when my dad was 2 years old (1934) that he was very sick with measles and pneumonia, and at a time when antibiotics when not in use, she feared for his life. She took him into a Catholic Hospital and a nun took him, put him in a bed and cared for him. The most impressive part of this care was that this holy nun knelt next to my dad’s bed and prayed for him throughout the entire night. His fever broke and he lived. She didn’t herself become Catholic or became a church attendee, but I believe she made a promise that her child, (he was very rebellious and would not) or her grandchildren would know that God that created the heart of that nun who would kneel for 13 hours and pray for someone she didn’t know.
So, even though my dad was rebellious, he did want his mother’s approval and earned it though my sister and me, especially when he asked my mother to make sure we made our Sacraments. Catechized only in the years that marked our First Communion and Confirmation, I was Catholic in name only. I had no real idea of my faith. I married a Catholic in the Church (my mother in law was the biggest factor for the Church wedding, thank God) and we had two children, who because we are “Catholic” we baptized them and even sent them to Catholic school. Still going through the motions, I remember my daughters asking, “its Sunday, shouldn’t we go to Church?” Even with that, I still didn’t wake up, but God is good and very patient.
Early spring 2004 things started changing for me. I guess it was me actually growing up and wanting to get off of my spiritual tricycle and ride a “big girl” bike. So like a good Father, God gave me training wheels. For a good number of months, the usual worldly temptations I experienced for most of my life didn’t occur. When our parish offered a women’s bible study, I joined. And for the first time in our lives we started, as a family, to attend Mass every weekend, and I even went to Mass and special devotions during the week. I started to learn about my faith and how much God loves me. All of this just happened, without much thought about it, “Training Wheels”. When the new school year started, things began to happen quickly. My oldest daughter, who was being treated for emotional problems, had more and more trouble at school. Finally she couldn’t handle it and dropped out so that I could home school her. My new boss, for office politic reasons, hated me and for the first few months of school, (I worked as a library media coordinator for a small Catholic elementary school) made my life miserable. My chronic illness (fibromyalgia) was getting worse. I knew that a couple of long time friends would be moving on at the end of the school year, which made me sad. I was just hanging on. Within the year, I would lose my job that I loved very much, my illness hit an all time low and my daughter ran away from home. If it wasn’t for the holy training wheels that God had giving me, keeping my heart from sin just long enough to get to know him and giving me a couple of holy friends, I would have literally died when all these things happened. I didn’t have enough self esteem, and emotional strength to handle the pain. Even through the incredibly bad time, I could see how God protected me. I even saw how he protected me before I even knew him. I like to say that God had the Blessed Mother’s hands around my heart my whole life, protecting me until I woke up and found Him.
Since then, God in His wisdom has taken the training wheels off. The temptations and faults that I have had, hit me big time. Because I loved God so much now, I saw some things in my life that the world would say are “ok” as destructive to my relationship with Him. But, like a great dad, God is letting me learn to “ride”. With the training wheels off, I have fallen and know it, but He is there to pick me back up. I love Confession for that pick up and push off to start riding again. I don’t have the complete peace that a confident “rider” has, but I’m getting there.
I am starting this blog because I believe too many people don’t see or trust in the goodness of God. There is a lack of real hope. I hope that my reflections about the goodness that God shows me in my life and the lives of those around me will help someone get to know and love Jesus through His loving and tender Mother, Mary. God Bless, Mama’s Girl
I was raised (very loosely) Catholic. My mom has just been baptized Catholic, just before my conversion in 2004 and my dad liked to say that he was atheist. My dad was a depressed man. Serious alcoholism and an anger problem made it hard for him to show God to us and even see God himself. My mom came from a highly abusive home, married my dad very young (she was 13 years his junior) and was just trying to stay out of my dads way. My sister and I developed emotional problems that still trouble us today to various degrees. It is only because of a miraculous event in my grandmother’s life that pushed her to ask my dad to have my sister and I become Catholic. My grandmother told me the story that when my dad was 2 years old (1934) that he was very sick with measles and pneumonia, and at a time when antibiotics when not in use, she feared for his life. She took him into a Catholic Hospital and a nun took him, put him in a bed and cared for him. The most impressive part of this care was that this holy nun knelt next to my dad’s bed and prayed for him throughout the entire night. His fever broke and he lived. She didn’t herself become Catholic or became a church attendee, but I believe she made a promise that her child, (he was very rebellious and would not) or her grandchildren would know that God that created the heart of that nun who would kneel for 13 hours and pray for someone she didn’t know.
So, even though my dad was rebellious, he did want his mother’s approval and earned it though my sister and me, especially when he asked my mother to make sure we made our Sacraments. Catechized only in the years that marked our First Communion and Confirmation, I was Catholic in name only. I had no real idea of my faith. I married a Catholic in the Church (my mother in law was the biggest factor for the Church wedding, thank God) and we had two children, who because we are “Catholic” we baptized them and even sent them to Catholic school. Still going through the motions, I remember my daughters asking, “its Sunday, shouldn’t we go to Church?” Even with that, I still didn’t wake up, but God is good and very patient.
Early spring 2004 things started changing for me. I guess it was me actually growing up and wanting to get off of my spiritual tricycle and ride a “big girl” bike. So like a good Father, God gave me training wheels. For a good number of months, the usual worldly temptations I experienced for most of my life didn’t occur. When our parish offered a women’s bible study, I joined. And for the first time in our lives we started, as a family, to attend Mass every weekend, and I even went to Mass and special devotions during the week. I started to learn about my faith and how much God loves me. All of this just happened, without much thought about it, “Training Wheels”. When the new school year started, things began to happen quickly. My oldest daughter, who was being treated for emotional problems, had more and more trouble at school. Finally she couldn’t handle it and dropped out so that I could home school her. My new boss, for office politic reasons, hated me and for the first few months of school, (I worked as a library media coordinator for a small Catholic elementary school) made my life miserable. My chronic illness (fibromyalgia) was getting worse. I knew that a couple of long time friends would be moving on at the end of the school year, which made me sad. I was just hanging on. Within the year, I would lose my job that I loved very much, my illness hit an all time low and my daughter ran away from home. If it wasn’t for the holy training wheels that God had giving me, keeping my heart from sin just long enough to get to know him and giving me a couple of holy friends, I would have literally died when all these things happened. I didn’t have enough self esteem, and emotional strength to handle the pain. Even through the incredibly bad time, I could see how God protected me. I even saw how he protected me before I even knew him. I like to say that God had the Blessed Mother’s hands around my heart my whole life, protecting me until I woke up and found Him.
Since then, God in His wisdom has taken the training wheels off. The temptations and faults that I have had, hit me big time. Because I loved God so much now, I saw some things in my life that the world would say are “ok” as destructive to my relationship with Him. But, like a great dad, God is letting me learn to “ride”. With the training wheels off, I have fallen and know it, but He is there to pick me back up. I love Confession for that pick up and push off to start riding again. I don’t have the complete peace that a confident “rider” has, but I’m getting there.
I am starting this blog because I believe too many people don’t see or trust in the goodness of God. There is a lack of real hope. I hope that my reflections about the goodness that God shows me in my life and the lives of those around me will help someone get to know and love Jesus through His loving and tender Mother, Mary. God Bless, Mama’s Girl
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- mama's girl
- Michigan, United States