For the past 14 weeks, I've been preparing for the Young Adult ACTS Retreat. The team and I successfully fulfilled our duties as a team by putting on an amazing retreat this past weekend. The above verse was our theme for the weekend. We totally hit the nail with integrating that verse into the weekend. If it wasn't for the River Rule, I'd be spilling all of my secrets but ACTS is such an amazing experience that I hope all of y'all are able to experience at some point if you haven't already.
...Just a little dress up fun...
But what I can share is my journey in preparation for the retreat. I e-mailed in my want to be on team in March and prayed that I possibly would be selected to be on team. This spring was a very trying time - I was taking some hard classes, preparing for the GRE, found out that Physical Therapy school wasn't really doable and was soul-searching for what I wanted to do and get out of life. So prayer and Mass were my go-to activities to keep my grounded throughout all of these troubling times. During dead week of finals in May, I got the call and was asked if I wanted to be on team? Of course, I said yes! I hadn't teamed since 2007 and this was exactly what I needed in my life this summer!
If you have read my blog this summer, I've been pretty busy. This retreat was the icing on the cake and wouldn't have asked for my summer to be any different or less hectic. It kept me in check with my prayer life. Being on team kept my on my toes to keep serving at Church and at work. At A&M, I attended daily mass once or sometimes twice a week. It's just another hour I give to the Lord during my busy week to once again, keep me in check. I know many people work and have families and aren't able to attend so I cherish this ability because I know I'll be in some of y'alls shoes one day.
Some people ask, "Why do you go to daily mass?" Well, I thought it kept me focused throughout the week and I got a little taste of the bible and music in a less distracting setting. But this weekend on the retreat, our spiritual director, Deacon David Valdez, really answered that question. You see that bible verse up there? When we go to mass and receive the body & blood of Christ, we become full of Him. It was a real eye opener to me especially because I've been wanting to deepen my faith for awhile. And this summer on team helped me with that! Not only I was attending Mass twice a week this summer, I attended almost every ACTS meeting on Sundays. It made me stay in check with my prayer life and how I acted all summer.
It's a constant battle between our fleshy human selves and our spiritual need to be closer to Christ. Of course, it's a balancing act too. I try to balance out who I am with how I should act in a Christian manner. And it's hard but it's a delight to know that He loves and forgives us. It's amazing how we have freedom to practice our beliefs and show others discretely how our faith affects us.
Anyways...the 14 weeks of hard work paid off because the retreatants were amazing and all of us, as a team, knew the Holy Spirit was moving through all of us. Yes, we had our up's & down's but the point got across - a life without Christ makes us feel incomplete and hungry. I don't want that. I don't want to be stumbling all over the place, not knowing who I am or what I want to do because I don't have God. But now that He has moved through the 25 retreatants we had this weekend, I can truly say He wants to feel complete if we will let Him work His wonders in us.
Gig 'em & God Bless,
AC
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