Franciscan at Home

n Weakness
People don’t brag about how weak they are. People want to think of themselves as confident, capable, self-sufficient... strong. I certainly don't recall being cheered on for how physically weak I was as a freshman in gym class! And if there had been an award for that, I certainly would have won. I couldn't bench press the bar. These are not the stories we celebrate or share with others—we love sharing the stories in which we were the heroes.

The paradox of the Christian faith is that when we are weak, God's greatness and his strength are made manifest. St. Paul begged the Lord to take away a thorn in his side, but the response was "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9).

Over many years in ministry, I have been drawn to a deeper union with God on many occasions. Frequently, this comes through a powerful experience of my weakness.

In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis speaks of two necessary “arts” for evangelization: the “art of accompaniment” and the “art of listening.” The Holy Father stresses that these intrinsically linked arts should mainly focus on the persons being evangelized, by truly seeking to know them and binding ourselves to walk with them wherever they are at in life:

Patiently Waiting Upon the Lord

I do not like patience. I don't enjoy exercising it and I particularly dislike knowing that it is something good that I should like. Patience, though, is key to seeing the incredible work of God in the human heart.

My high school religion classes are forty minutes a day, five days a week, for half a year. In addition to the intention of catechesis, they are also intended to be academically rigorous. We have tests; there are papers to be written; mastery of the material is desired and sometimes achieved. Amidst the intensity and the rhythm of these worthy pursuits, conversion is not always noted. It isn't reflected in test grades and, among high school students, is not something they share freely with their teachers. It can be easy to be discouraged and wonder, "Is anything I am doing making any difference?"

There was a time when I thought conversion only meant changing from one faith to another. It was much later that I discovered it is an ongoing process. Conversion can be gradual, or it can take place as an epiphany: a sudden awakening, or illumination. This is where my testimony begins.

I was asked to teach RCIA class on prayer. This was God’s first step in answering my own prayer at the time, which was for a better prayer life. Mine felt dry and empty, a letdown from my expectations. Something was missing.

In preparing for the class, I came across a quote from Saint Thérèse of Lisieux that triggered my epiphany: “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” In an action of God’s grace, this quote touched my soul. It awakened the realization that my prayer life lacked that intimate “surge of the heart” that looks toward heaven, and encounters the living God—an interior realization that prayer is not a one-way street but an exchange of love between Creator and creature! I realized prayer is communion, communication with God!

Este artículo es el primero de una serie de artículos sobre la catequesis para y con las personas con discapacidades. Surgen sin cesar tecnologías y medios de comunicación nuevos y se ponen al servicio de este noble objetivo. Desafortunadamente, nuestro tiempo es también uno que es testigo del aborto, de la eutanasia, y del racionamiento médico de la vida de los que la sociedad pueda juzgar como "no necesarios", apropiándose el derecho de cometer estas atrocidades en el nombre de la misericordia".

En la Grecia y la Roma antiguas, mataban abiertamente a las personas consideradas "defectuosas" o se les abandonaba a la muerte. En los Evangelios vemos que si una persona padecía alguna discapacidad, las demás lo atribuían a sus pecados o a los pecados de sus padres. Jesús derrocó esta visión y se puso a cambio a sanar a los ciegos, a los sordos y a los que sufrían de alguna otra discapacidad, Basta leer el Evangelio según San Marcos para saber que Jesús sanaba a los que padecían estas condiciones y hasta resucitaba a los muertos.[i] San Mateo registra la misión que Jesús confió a sus discípulos resaltando el hecho de que aún ellos estarían involucrados en la sanación: "Sanen a los enfermos, resuciten a los muertos, limpien de su enfermedad a los leprosos y expulsen a los demonios. Ustedes recibieron gratis este poder; no cobren tampoco por emplearlo" (Mt 10:8).

It was a warm, sunny day at the end of spring. Instead of spending the beautiful Saturday according to their own wishes, our students were reluctantly settling into their seats in a classroom. I saw looks of boredom on the faces of the youth and noted the variety of ages among those present. I glanced over at the two other members of our team: a young, enthusiastic priest and a very energetic woman who taught children much younger than those gathered before us. We had been recruited to deliver a day-long Confirmation retreat for a Native American community. On our three-hour drive to reach the reservation, Father had emphasized the fact that the culture from which these participants would be coming might present different challenges from those to which we were accustomed. Looking around the room, I began to understand what he had been describing. The ages of the confirmandi ranged from 5th to 11th graders; and some parents or family members also requested to attend the retreat. The sisters who ran the catechetical side of the mission church located on the reservation had already informed us that many of these students failed to attend any kind of courses regularly, and thus their level of catechesis was inconsistent.

Good Advice from a Mentor Priest

In the fall, the 8th grade religious education classes were meeting for the first time in formal preparation for their Confirmation at my parish. I had the privilege of being one of the catechists responsible for catechizing these young teens. There were a total of 17 students for whom I was responsible and the task before me seemed daunting, especially going into to this experience as a new college graduate, but I wanted to be a part of my parish’s religious education program. I had many questions, so I decided to speak with one of my closest mentors, and it so happens, the priest who recruited me for this position in the first place.

When we got together, I explained that I was not certain where to begin. I had never taught before and this group included private and public school kids, honors students and below grade level students, and all levels of interest in the faith. Father smiled and right then and there told me, “I knew I picked the right person for this task.” At this point I gave a blank stare back to Father as this was not the answer that I was expecting. Father went on to say, “Your desire to bring the Word of Jesus to the students is strong, otherwise, you wouldn’t be here asking where to begin.” Father then said, “Teach from the back of the room to the front and rely on the Word.” My blank stare continued, but at this point I was extremely interested to find out what he meant. Father explained that I should start by getting to know my students and their interests outside of class and to “assign homework, but don’t collect the homework. Rather make it a point to review the content of the homework with the entire class. The students who are ready for a deeper understanding will go the extra mile, while those who are not will still benefit from your reviewing of the key concepts.” Father advised me to not only find out their interests but also to show them that I was actually interested, even if I wasn’t. This resulted in my attending many events and activities that I would otherwise not have partaken; but the students saw me and my interest in them. Finally, Father said, “Teach the Word, and Jesus will ensure that each student receives exactly what he or she needs. Text books are useful, but nothing is better than the Word itself.”

Waiting on God

We had just begun our new catechetical year at the parish. Following an opening session that was offered in large group, I made my way around to the various confirmation classes to sit in and see how things were going and how I might better support the catechists and candidates that year.

Those involved in youth and young adult ministry accompany and mentor young people as they center their lives on Christ. We hope you enjoy this testimony written by a young adult woman, who describes a significant instance of this conversion from her own life.

Recently, I spoke to 100 young adults on a retreat in the mountains of Prescott, Arizona. The majority of attendees were single and feeling uncertain about their lives and the direction the Lord was taking them. In addition, many spoke of the ache they have in their hearts—the longing they have to find someone to love them in marriage. I remember this feeling myself when I was a single younger adult praying for my vocation and wondering if God would ask me to be single for the rest of my life. The thought made me feel so sad and lonely. Then something changed.

The Car, the Barn, and the Woods

The goal of the catechist is to lead others to an encounter with the living God, leading them to conversion.

My father, Pat Brueggen, was my CCD instructor, youth minister, sports coach, but most importantly my role model for the faith. The man I got to see after the cleanup from our lock-ins and football games was a person whose faith was intertwined in the way he lived his life. Catholicism was not merely an 8-5 job, but it was what drove every facet of his life. The barn, the woods, and the car may not seem like primary places of catechesis, but this is where I learned my faith and grew closer to Jesus. My dad would listen to Scott Hahn cassette tapes while milking the cows and would always take time to pass that knowledge on to us. I would watch my father in the tree stand dressed in his blaze orange, shivering with a rosary in his hand because of the freezing temperatures. In the car, every time we would pass a Church, he would reverently make a sign of the cross to remind himself and those in the car that Jesus was present there. God was continually working through my father in a way that prompted me to want to have a relationship with God myself.

Over the course of my life, I have seen the Holy Spirit working in my dad, which drew me to want the same Spirit to live and be seen in me.

Andrew Brueggen
Holmen, Wisconsin