Totally who's?

One would like to think that as we come to understand who Jesus Christ is that each of us would learn to give assent and to abandon ourselves to our Holy Catholic Faith. The incredible reality of the Catholic Church helps us to consider that there is no other religion like the Catholic Faith. Why? Because only the Catholic Church historically is proven to have been founded by Jesus Christ. You can decide for yourself whether you believe Jesus was the only Son of God who was eternally begotten and was sent by the Father for the sake of our Salvation, but you can't argue historically that Jesus established the Catholic Church.

It takes faith to do what I do. My job sustains my family, but I am not making a living that is extremely comfortable given the growing size of my family and what most Americans are striving own in our modern world. This doesn't bother me too much; though, I think some sort of change may be coming eventually. At any rate, I am struck again by the Totus Tuus team that is hear this week at St. Jude. Their devotion to serve the parish and to serve the Mystical body of Christ is once again very edifying. As with years past, you can see their desire and their faith for the Lord Jesus in their mannerisms and chosen words.

I think it disarms us "adults" in the modern world, where we seek so many things, to meet these young people who are dedicated to spreading the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many are the things that invite us to place our faith in the World, many are the things that tempt us to focus on ourselves and our own desires, but these young people give us a great witness of seeking only to do God's will by their devoting an entire summer to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. Sure, they will eventually move on from this summer program and finish their college degrees and seek other things too - jobs, families, success, etc. But it is striking to know that there is an abundance of young people who are building the kingdom of Christ in this world, and when our current team moves on, there will be more young people to take their place. It reminds one of the Catholic notion of family: we parents procreate in order not only to propogate the human species, but also to pass on the joy of the reality of our Catholic Faith. In both ways, teaching and procreating, God blesses those who truly put the effort and sacrifice to pass on these incredible gifts of our Holy Catholic Faith and life, respectively.

I am struck by the edification which this team provides me. Totus Tuus. It's Latin for "Totally Yours" and it is inspired by Pope John Paul II's papal motto (which actually comes from St. Louis De Montfort). These Totus Tuus team members truly have given themselves TOTALLY to Christ for this summer, and hopefully for their whole lives. You can see this if you ask them about how they are doing. In the midst of the light amounts of sleep and rest and time for themselves, they exude the joy of serving Jesus Christ with their whole minds, whole bodies, and whole strengths. Sure they aren't perfect, but their desire to be sure shows.

Whether you have a child in the Totus Tuus program or not, I encourage you to check out the Totus Tuus website. It can be found here. But most importantly, I hope every parishioner at St. Jude will consider joining us for the potluck on Wednesday to meet these young people and to be edified by their desire to serve Jesus Christ. These are the future of our Holy Mother Church!