Epiphany! & Day of Recollection for catechists

Something occurred to me while reflecting on Sunday’s readings on the feast of the Epiphany. Ever wondered how gift-giving got its roots during Christmas? I’m guessing it probably started cos of the 3 Magi haha. But guess what? The biggest gift at Christmas was actually given by God, His only Son Jesus. ‘God became Man’ and the everlasting effect of that present is eternal life for all of us.

Essentially that was Fr Erbin’s message for all of us at an inspiring ‘Day of Recollection’ for the QoP and St Mike’s catechists, ‘God became Man’.

As volunteer workers in church, we encounter difficulties all the time. We face rejections and disappointments; we have to put up with unresponsiveness, inactivity or lack of appreciation from the people we serve; sometimes we also start questioning whether what we’re doing is the right thing for us. As doubts and fears increase in us, our hopes slowly disappoint.

How true this is for me. Many times after class, I always have nagging worries assailing me.

‘Did I talk too much today?’ ‘How come some of the kids looked so sian when we did the activities?’ ‘I think I’m such a failure and so unqualified to teach’ ‘I feel like I have to live up to so many people’s expectations, my students, my facilitators, my big boss JC’ ‘Ah, it’s so tiring being a teacher and preparing for classes, I just want to give it up.’ Adapted from Chronicles of the Agonies of a Catechist by Ben =)

But there is a hope that does not disappoint. Our faith is unique because ‘God became Man’ for us, and this is a hope and a promise that can never be broken. ‘Man will live forever more, because of Christmas day’. There’s the reason for our hope. God has already come to us and showed us the way to eternal happiness. The big HOPE comes from God, not from the circumstances in the world around us.

Have you fallen in love before? Isn’t it a wonderful feeling? God became Man cos he fell in love with us since the very first day he created us, and he’s never stopped loving us. All of us must have fallen in love with God at some point in our lives too. Or we won’t be still in church, and helping others to love God too.

Sometimes when troubles come, and our hopes look dim, it’s time for us to reignite the flames of love. ‘Fan the gift of faith into a flame’ as St Paul would say. Rediscover the first love that we had for God, remember the feeling that we had when we first fell in love. Be intimate with God; pray and dialogue with him and we can revive the hope in us. Let our hearts of stone become flesh once more. When we have done that, we are ready to be catechists again.

Our job as catechists is to ‘Awaken the Heart of a young person to Jesus’. We need to be witnesses, more than just teachers. Jesus was a great teacher some may say, but his unconditional love was witnessed in the end through dying on the cross for us. Before anyone listens to what we have to say, they like to see how we act first. Therefore, our love for God must inflame us like the seraphim. When our kids see that, they will also want to follow and love God of their own accord.

This is not only true for catechists but for every baptized catholic on Earth. When we work on our love for God, we’ll always influence those around us to love Him too. There would be less wars, less hatred, more love, more peace in the world.

At the altar of the mass, the love of Jesus transforms the bread and wine into his body and blood. At the altar of marriage, the love of Jesus transforms the man and woman into one body. At the ‘altar’ of the catechist’s classroom, the love of Jesus transforms hearts of stone into hearts of love.

Blessed Saviour, source of all life,
We are beginning a new calendar year,
And it offers me a chance to begin anew with those I teach.
My New Year’s resolution is
To be a more enthusiastic catechist.

But how can I carry through?
What can I possibly say or do
To make the time worthwhile
For the children you have placed in my care?
Warm me up, please,
With the fire of your presence.
Touch my reluctant heart
And be with me as I try
To touch the hearts of your ‘little ones’
With my own joy and enthusiasm.

With you, dear savior
I can do all things.
Without you I can do nothing.
Come along with me to every class
And be our ‘unseen guest’,
The one who lights the way
For the children and me
With great joy and enthusiasm.
Amen.

Taken from ‘A Prayerbook for Catechists’

Hope this is fruitful read for you =p

Love,
Ben