Just Shine On

This post is the first out of three in a series I call, ‘Come Holy Spirit!’ The title reflects my personal experiences from this past July, which focuses on receiving my Sacrament of Confirmation, and also my experience at CatholicTV as a co-host providing live television coverage of World Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  I have 2 hopeful purposes for sharing this piece of my life with you. 

• To express how much it meant to me, to celebrate the beautiful Sacrament of Confirmation, in the hope that those of you who are preparing to make your own Confirmation will appreciate it as much as I do, and understand why it’s such a big step in your journey as a young Catholic!
• To show you that with the help of the Holy Spirit, you can do anything!!!

I hope you enjoy this personal witness series!

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July 20-28, 2013, was probably the biggest, most exciting eight days of my 16-year-old life. It started with final preparations for my Confirmation; an event that I had waited almost six years for.

Six years.

I think about those six years, and all they represent. The beginning of those six years is marked by a re-birth of my faith, (maybe I will tell you that story another time,) that just kind of spiraled upward from there. It sparked a desire to become an altar server, and to be closer to the mystery of the Eucharist. That desire gave me the courage to step up onto the Sanctuary, to be in front of a whole church-full of people. It inspired me to become the best altar server I could. I read the whole Bible on three separate occasions. I asked the priests in my life countless questions. I played ‘Undercover Missionary’ for a while, by hiding business cards with Bible verses at the grocery store, and other places around town. I read many faith-based books, even those beyond my comprehension. I volunteered as a group leader for VBS four years in a row. I taught a summer CCD class for two weeks, and then endured 2 years of CCD classes myself, to learn about the Sacrament of Confirmation. Certain situations made it necessary for me to defend my faith, on many, (MANY,) separate occasions. Six years. That’s six years in a nutshell, and only a small part of the whole story. It seemed like an eternity, because I had wanted to make my Confirmation so badly, for such a long time.

Six years…

Flash forward: It was finally the day before my Confirmation.

My family and I took a day trip to a nearby shrine, so we could spend a day in prayer and preparation for this big week. The shrine that we went to was beautiful, and the hundreds of dragonflies added to the peaceful, Holy Spirit-filled atmosphere. In fact, there were so many, that all you had to do was put your hand out, and a dragonfly would land on your fingers. We <3 dragonflies. 🙂

We reflected on the Stations of the Cross, following a path that wound through the woods…

learned more about the visitation of our Lady of Fatima…

and lit a candle and said a prayer for my two deceased grandparents.
We also climbed up a set of stone steps to a statue of the Crucified Christ. 

The grounds also features a giant rosary, made out of an anchor, chain, and boulders. The anchor represents the Crucifix of a rosary, and the boulders represent each bead.

  As my family and I prayed it, thunder rolled in the distance, and we jokingly began to sing “Praise You In This Storm” by Casting Crowns.

When we finished the rosary, we entered the shrine’s chapel, to receive Reconciliation. The chapel was beautiful, with stained glass windows and hundreds of lit candles. Gregorian chant played in the background, making the wait for Confession very peaceful. It always feels great to walk out after Reconciliation, and, since we left soon after, it was the perfect ending to our afternoon at the shrine. I was thankful to have had this time with my family, and be able to prepare for the whirlwind week I had ahead of me.

That night I didn’t fall asleep until around two in the morning, for a couple of reasons. 

1. I was nervous about doing the Second Reading at my Confirmation Mass the next morning. (My first time ever lectoring!) 

2. It was hot that night, and my room wasn’t much cooler than the muggy night air.

3. There was a thunderstorm that was practically right over our house. Since I’m on the second floor, with not even an attic over my room, it gets pretty loud up there. :/

But, (around two in the morning,) the thunder subsided, and my constant stream of ‘Hail Marys’ calmed me down enough that I fell asleep. (I always pray the Hail Mary when I’m nervous. I learned that little trick from my mama. Thanks Mama!)

To be continued… 

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