Tracey's Blog!

Clarity. On the feast of Christ the King this Sunday, I heard a homily that I think I’ve needed to hear for awhile. Msgr. relayed the following story…

Jesus told this man to push this huge, heavy rock each morning as he left his house until Jesus came back to tell him to stop. And faithfully, each morning this man pushed this rock. Days, weeks, months, and finally a year went by before the Lord returned. In a year, the rock hadn’t budged an inch. The man looked at Jesus and felt like he had failed. Jesus responded, “I never asked you to move the rock, I just asked you to push it. Look at your arms. The rock hasn’t moved, but you have been made strong because of your obedience and faithfulness.”

Ever felt like Jesus asked you to do something that felt as futile as pushing a rock way too heavy to ever be moved? I think that’s how I’ve been feeling lately. I just can’t say that I have the obedience or faithfulness required. I find myself throwing my hands up to Jesus a whole lot and asking “are you sure, about this?”

Fitting story for the feast of Christ the King. You would think that the Church would pick readings about the glory of the risen Lord, but instead the Gospel brings us to the Cross. There is glory in obedience and submission. The one thief crucified with our Lord just wants Jesus to make his situation better, the other puts his trust in Jesus and asks for mercy. I guess I’ve been more like the first. I just look up at Jesus and ask Him to make everything better, and get disappointed when things don’t go my way. The homily challenged me to be obedient and submissive to His Will. If Jesus could be obedient unto death, than I can push a rock that can only make me stronger. “And being found in human form He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a Cross.” (Philippians 2:8)

With this homily I got reassurance that I’m not pushing this rock in vain, that it is making me stronger, somehow, and that I don’t have to move this rock. The rock is actually kinda like a gift, I suppose. This reassurance gave me clarity and that clarity brought freedom. It is a whole lot easier to walk, when the path is lit. “I AM the Way the Truth and the Life!” (John 14:6)

Seven years ago a group of youth ministers very wisely saw the need to bring young people before the Eucharist to Adore Jesus, WEEKLY! For two hours each Wednesday night, TONS of teens gathered to share community, song, and most importantly a time for praise. Entering into the eighth year, the group is much smaller in size, but still continues to meet EVERY WEDNESDAY to give glory to Jesus in the Eucharist. Most of the faces have changed, but the intention is the same- to praise Jesus FACE TO FACE!

Of late, I've found myself very discouraged at the low number of teens gathering on Wednesdays. I thought somehow this was a failure. I was failing to bring young people to Jesus in the Eucharist. But last week the Lord corrected my focus. I sat in awe of the young people who I have seen come almost every Wednesday night for the past year. I was inspired not only by their devotion and consistency, but moreover because of their desire to be with the Lord in an intimate fashion. You could see the LOVE in their eyes for Jesus- the longing for Him in their faces. These young people praise, listen, and adore their loving Savior. And it brought tears to my eyes.

These young people have told me that they make sure they get right to doing their homework on Wednesdays, unlike the usual procrastinating, because they want to get here. They bring their friends, their boyfriends/girlfriends, their siblings, and even some of their parents! What evangelizing! Not only do they value their time with Jesus, they are spreading that to those they love.

I was very humbled by these young people. I still strive to bring as many teens to experience Jesus in this way, but I know that the ones who come not only meet Jesus face-to-face, but heart-to-heart! How beautiful! I'm blessed to see this happen.

If you find yourself free on a Wednesday evening, between 7:30pm-9:30pm, stop on by our Chapel and give the Lord some of your time. Stay for the two hours or for two minutes. The Holy Time is filled with great music, rosary, Scripture readings, and reflections. See you there :) And if you don't take my advice, here's Pope John Paul II's appeal to young people at WYD Toronto- "Visit the Lord in that "heart to heart" contact that is Eucharistic Adoration."

I just returned back from Franciscan University's Steubenville East Youth Conference in Attleboro MA, energized and in awe of how amazing our Lord is to us! I've been to the conference many times before, but I always leave renewed.

It was a joy to spend the weekend with the youth from St. Anastasia's Church in Teaneck, St. John's in Hillsdale, Sacred Heart in Lyndhurst, and the Kingdom Builders who provide the peer ministry here at the AYRC. I never get tired of seeing Jesus open the eyes of youth to His presence in their lives and hearts, whether for the first time, or in a whole new way.

This year's theme of "ALL ACCESS" really hit home for me. Praise Jesus, we have all access to the Father through Him! But I was humbled when the speaker asked us if Jesus had all access to us?! Who am I to try and hide from the Creator of the Universe?!?!?! Many of us on the trip really struggled with offering all of us over to God, especially when it comes to our futures. We get so bogged down with choices, careers, colleges to pick, etc.- that we often forget to keep our eyes on Jesus! But over and over we were encouraged to take the "backseat" and let the Holy Spirit drive for a change :)

Thanks to Rich Donovan, our Special Events Coordinator, for organizing the trip. Knowing Rich was in charge of all the details left us worry-free and open to the direction of the Holy Spirit. I really encourage you to consider this opportunity for you or the youth of your parish next year. Its always the middle of July. Rich will have info out about next year by late fall.

So I finally got my blog up and running! Now I get to enjoy a little breather after an exciting month here at the Retreat Center. But we're getting ready for lots more going on in 2007!

November's retreat season began with St. Henry's from Bayonne. Not only did the Kingdom Builders and I get to spend the day with the wonderful youth from St. Henry's, but Bishop Donato and Father Rich also came down to celebrate the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist. Thanks to Marie Pope, Director of Religious Education for St. Henry's, for all of her work and prayers for a truly enriching day :)

Crossroads Retreat Weekend for high school freshmen and sophomores was a great experience for all involved! Family and friends who attended the closing mass could feel the enthusiasm and the Holy Spirit pouring out from the candidates and team. Father Steve Ryan, helped to close out the weekend with a powerful and uplifting liturgy :)

We hosted our first Archdiocesan Open Confirmation Retreat this month and there were over 150 participants! The sessions all received really positive feedback from both the participants and chaperones. Thanks to Mike Catuncan for running the session on prayer and for the beautiful Music Ministry to accompany Mass. Look for information on the next one on April 1st.

Queen of Peace High School in North Arlington filled the Retreat Center on a few days in November. It was a valuable experience for the Kingdom Builder retreat team to minister to their own peers from QPHS. And we were lucky to have Father Scott Antanasio, chaplain for QPHS help direct parts of the days and to close each day with the Eucharistic Celebration :)

Paramus Catholic High School's Senior Leadership class and St. Thomas, Bloomfield's 8th grade, got to test their leadership skills on our Challenge Course before we closed it down for the winter season.

And November came to a wonderful close with the NFCYM's Catholic Youth Ministry conference out in LAS VEGAS, Nevada! At first I thought it was pretty funny to have a Catholic Youth Ministry conference in "Sin City," but seeing all the good things happening in the Diocese of Las Vegas surely explained it. Bishop Pepe and staff were so welcoming, and the team from the NFCYM worked their tails off to create a much needed experience for me. Being a first-time attendee, I found the conference really overwhelming. It really was a wealth of information all in one place. I came home with a lot of information and reflection to unpack.

As you can tell there's tons going on here at the Retreat Center, but there's even more on the way! Keep checking our website. (And I'll try and keep the blogs shorter in the future :) )

God Bless!