Every year, we take our students to the beach to pray the
Stations of the Cross out in the beauty of nature. It’s a lot of work coordinating the event and being on the early team that goes ahead to prep the fourteen stations at the beach. In addition, each year there’s a bit of initial resistance
from our students because we are asking them to sacrifice a Friday night to come out
and pray. Sometimes being part of the
core team gets a bit discouraging when our students complain or when we meet
with opposition. As a team we have to constantly remind ourselves that sometimes we won’t see the fruits of our
labors... I’ve spoken before about how this year
RCIA has been quite a challenge personally and just when I had made up my mind
that next year I was taking a break a small miracle happened that prompted a change of heart. A student from the previous catechetical
year, surprised us with a cross he made so that we would have a better prop for
our beach Via Crucis. A week before our
beach night he came to deliver the beauty!
It’s a life size cross that students can carry much the same way Jesus
did from station to station, it’s varnished beautifully and it even has a base
to stand on its own. This student really
challenged us last year - so receiving this token of his appreciation really
helped me understand that even if the program only reaches one person my labors
are needed. This years' class was able to utilize the life size cross and from
the smiles as they exchanged it at each station, I think it was quite the
success and I have pictures to prove it (smile).
Students excited to take their turns carrying the cross.
Quite a beauty, right?!
We all need a little encouragement now and again. My student's gesture not only motivated me, but it inspire all on the RCIA team. It reassured me that sometimes my work will feel like a sacrifice and that I will be tempted to retreat to the comfort of my life without service; but God needs us to labor for Him. He needs us both when we are getting rewarded and especially when it's difficult to carry on. He never said things would be easy, but He did promise to be with us every step of the way. I had lost sight of Him and focused on the negativity and a little gesture from my previous student helped me to refocus and fix my eyes back on Him. Gloria a Dios!
We were now able to use our normal smaller crucifix for the twelfth station a place we stop at in a period of silence and reflection.
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