A Discipleship Moment | May 19, 2024

“When am I ever going to use this?” - the question that every teacher cringes to hear and every student loves to ask.  I will admit, there were times when I was taking a Differential Equations class that I asked that very question to myself.  While I can confidently say that I do not use Differential Equations currently, it turns out that most things we learn throughout our lives do, in fact, show up later whether we notice them or not.

Before leaving the education field when I got married, I taught for five years at my alma mater, Lumen Christi Catholic High School, in the Theology and Science Departments.  I appreciated many things about my job, but one of my favorite parts was that I got to teach the entire freshman class.  I loved watching them start the year as nervous kids then grow in confidence (and usually physical stature and stink level) as the year progressed.
 
The ninth grade theology course I taught was called “Fundamentals of Faith” and basically walked through the Apostles’ Creed piece-by-piece with thorough explanations of Catholic dogma.  Who are we, and what do we believe? The aim was that they would then move into the rest of their high school career - and life - with a basic understanding of Church teaching to guide them as they took a deeper dive into aspects of the faith.

Ninth grade also happened to be the year that our students received the sacrament of Confirmation.  I wanted them to remember that day for something bigger than what I remember from my Confirmation Mass in the mid-90s - my church crush, Michael, looking dapper in a navy blue suit.  I desperately wanted them to internalize the moment that the bishop, the successor of the apostles, anointed them, and heaven and earth came together to seal the Gift of the Holy Spirit within their soul forever. This made the chapter on the Holy Spirit crucially important.  In order to fully appreciate what was happening at their Confirmation, they had to understand who it was that they were meeting in the sacrament.
 
Our gospel this weekend tells us that we are sent the Spirit of truth who guides us to the truth, but the truth is the world does not know what (or who) the truth is.  Our youth are being shown messages in the media to “live their truth” as if every person has their own version of what is true.  This is logically impossible since truth deals in facts and not feelings or opinions.  St. Paul lays it out pretty bluntly in our second reading by telling us that our own desires are in direct opposition to those of the Spirit, and if we follow them, it leads to some pretty unsettling behavior.

People do not like to be told what to do and what not to do.  This is especially true for teenagers who are just figuring out who they are and what inspires them. Because I taught religion, I was supremely aware that the message of the Holy Spirit needed to be delivered in a way that they would accept or, at very least, not immediately reject.  If a student took my chem class and ended the year hating chemistry, that’s that.  They may go their whole life with a disdain for chemistry (in fact, many do) and be none the worse for doing so.  But if a student took my religion class and came out of it hating religion, the consequences could be dire.

So how does one accomplish this and inspire a rich desire for holiness in the hearts of 14 and 15 year olds?  I have no idea.  Did my efforts work, and my students now recall the moment of their Confirmation as life-changing?  No clue.  Are they living lives rooted in the truth of the Spirit and not “their own truth”?  Beats me. 

While I may not know how their ninth grade religion class impacted who they are as young adults, the Holy Spirit certainly does.  My hope is that they wake each day filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control… and that they now wear deodorant.

Peace to you,
~ Hallie