Greg Robeson's blog

Last Wednesday, I got rocked by one of the teens in the youth group. She led a night on grace and Reconciliation. Taylor is not Catholic yet, but she is going through RCIA. Talking about the sacraments, she said, "Protestants don't know what they are missing and you Catholics don't know what you've got". The way she shared her desire for full communion had several of us crying including me.

 I asked Taylor why she wants to become Catholic so badly and she began to share with me. I have been so moved by her, I asked her to write it down so that I could share it with you. Here is what she gave me.

He is risen- Alleluia!

I did not get to see Jesus come out of the tomb, but I did see a resurrection last week.

Recently, the youth group that I serve returned from our Spring Retreat called Lost. At our high school prayer night last Wednesday, some amazing things happened. The night was about how it can be hard to come back from retreat because we fall into our old ways or habits and we can feel pushed by others or the culture to live the same old way as if nothing inside us has changed.

He is risen- Alleluia!

I did not get to see Jesus come out of the tomb, but I did see a resurrection last week.

The youth group I serve recently returned from Spring Retreat- it was called Lost. At our high school prayer night last Wednesday, some amazing things happened. The night was about how it can be hard to come back from retreat because we fall into our old ways or habits and we can feel pushed by others or the culture to live the same old way as if nothing inside us has changed.

The other day, I was chasing my two year old daughter Emily around the coffee table in our living room and I realized how much fun she was having. At that moment, I was her whole world. I am not sure what she understands at a two year old level, but I think she was enjoying knowing that she was that special that daddy would take the time to chase her. On some level, I think she was in touch with something that I hope she never forgets- there is something about her that is so special that it is worth chasing after- she has dignity that no one can steal.

Has anyone ever asked you this question? It seems like body art is really growing in popularity, even in Christian circles. I can’t tell you how often I hear this one, “That tattoo reminds me of my strong faith or how much I love God”. Well it is time to put on the armor (Eph 6:11) and gird ourselves in the truth (Job 38:1-5) so that when people ask us our opinion on this important issue, we are prepared with an answer that positively reflects our moral character. Here are some quick points to be familiar with in regards to tattoos. 

Recently at youth group, a teen named Joe asked a tough question. "I heard in the media recently that Pope Benedict said that 'salvation lies within the Catholic Church'. The media went nuts with this and lots of people are talking about what he meant. What is the deal? Does God intend salvation for Catholics alone?"

I thought, "wow, better take this answer slowly, this is important". But God had something else in mind. The coolest moments in youth ministry often happen when someone a lot younger than me takes the lead in ministering to others.

The only non-Catholic teen in the room raised her hand with great zeal. I called on her thinking, "great, this will give me more time to think and answer properly". How little I knew.

…during mass.  Have you ever been tempted to read the bulletin during mass? A couple weeks ago during mass at another parish, I glanced at the bulletin to find out when the meeting was for the Quilter’s club. I just had a craving to knit a sweater that will actually not draw up on a 6’ 10” man! In my frantic search, I stumbled upon the pastor’s column and became immediately engrossed in it. The humor, the deep theological content… I was glued to the page- I could not put it down until I finished the column! I don’t know if you have ever gotten into a good novel and the next thing you know, it is another day! That is what this was like, although only minutes passed, not hours. I did not realize what I was doing until the homily was over and everyone was standing up. Now I felt foolish. I work in a Church- I am supposed to be one of those holy guys who does not do stuff like this, or so my guilty conscience was telling me.

How do I become holy? A teen recently asked me this soul searching question. We become holy when we use all of the gifts that God gave us for one sole purpose, to be like Christ. Holiness is becoming conformed to the image of Christ, and wanting what Christ wants, the will of the Father above all. To be holy is to follow the supreme commandment, which is to love the Lord your God with your heart, mind, and soul, and your neighbor as yourself. When we are devoted to the glory of God and the service of neighbor, we become holy.

In order to do this, we need to draw strength from our God, for we can do nothing on our own, especially become holy. In order to become holy, we need to live a lifestyle that is especially receptive to God’s grace. This consists in prayer, self-denial, service, constant practice of all the virtues, and frequent participation in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. When we do these things, charity begins to reign in our heart and charity (or love) rules over all the means of attaining holiness.

Recently I was giving a talk on a retreat and I was sharing about some of the people that have inspired my faith- my spiritual heroes like John Paul II and Therese of Lisieux. After my talk, a teen came up to me and said, “I don’t make enough of an impact on others through my faith”. The more I listened to him, the more I realized that he was not happy being himself. He thought he had to be someone else, someone “important” like a pope- he wanted to make more of a recognizable impact.

As a youth minister, I fall into this type of thinking. I better make an impact either with jokes that make everyone laugh or powerful stories that make everyone cry. The more hours I am up at church and the more people  approve of my youth ministry, the better the youth minister I am, the better the person that I am. The problem with this is that “youth minister” is not who I am, it is just my job. I have a duty to do a good job, but a more serious one not to lose myself in it. "Christian" is who I am and marriage is my vocation, the main way that God has given me to live out being a Christian.

Do you celebrate any dates that are special just to you or your family? Maybe a birthday or anniversary? Maybe each May, you gratefully remember the day you finally graduated from school. I am preparing to celebrate an anniversary that some people might find strange. Tomorrow is the anniversary of my father’s death. I remember it like it was yesterday- I was a freshman in high school.

I was the one who found him dying; he was having a heart attack at age fifty-five. I remember initially being very confused by what was going on- I thought he would be ok for sure. After the ambulance left my house with him, I even invited the concerned neighborhood kids in for cookies- I pretended to be tough. After he died, I became numb- I did not feel a thing- nothing made sense to me. Soon after that, I got angry at God because it was not fair for my dad to die so young. I remember thinking, “Kids need a mom and a dad, and I am not done growing up yet”.