Like I Do.

In my last post I wrote that running makes me feel strong and healthy and lucky. Since then I've realized that I feel the same way about my faith. I know this world is increasingly anti-Catholic and godless. But I find that the more I learn about Catholicism, the more sense it makes.

But I'm not going to go into all that now. It's a Monday and I'm tired, especially after after a busy weekend full of youth group stuff. Since 2010, I've been a core member for Life Teen at Our Lady of Mercy in Hicksville. This basically means that I help plan and run youth group meetings and events for teenagers. 

On Friday night was the first Holy Hour and Dodgeball event of the new school year. This entailed cramming into St. Ignatius church with hundreds of other people, mostly young adults. The guys who run this thing are no joke. At this point I've had a ton of holy hour/adoration experiences, but they really do it best. The atmosphere, the music, the talks... at my first one, years ago, I was skeptical. Now I look forward to it each month. As I grow older I find myself praying more and more, an experience that is typically one-sided. But it's only in the environment of this holy hour that I've ever felt as though I know what He's trying to say back.

And this was followed by pumpkin beers and wings at Buffalo Wild Wings with a group of awesome young adults who happen to love God like I do. 

Even though I didn't get home until well after midnight, I was up bright and early Saturday morning to road trip with Kevin and Theresa to Life Teen training in Pennsylvania. The day featured talks, breakout sessions, mass, food, good people, and general awesomeness. My faith has taken me to places I never would have been otherwise, like an Indian reservation in Montana and concrete houses in Mexico and this random little church in Pennsylvania.

Then, yesterday, was the Life Teen kickoff for the new school year. Dozens of teenagers, ice breakers, skits, food, prayer, fire pits, s'mores. Chatting with Annemarie and Michelle, fellow core members, afterwards about wedding stuff. 

It's hard for me to blog about this, actually. I do have a lot of friends now that are Catholic and are into youth ministry and God and all of that, and they've given me the confidence to be more open about my faith. But I know a majority of the world out there is anti-Catholic. If they read this, they won't understand. They'll think I'm weird. They'll think I'm crazy. They might even think I'm hypocritical because I've been far from perfect in my life. (Let's just forget the college years, shall we?)

Maybe that's why it's important for me to write it. Because you can believe in God and be normal. Your life can be average in all other ways. I've met enough people now to believe that. People who have jobs and hobbies and interests like everyone else does. They also happen to be practicing Catholics as well.  And they're some of the best people I've ever met.

I'll delve into this deeper another day. There is so much more to this than even I know. It's overwhelming and daunting and scary and incredible. And maybe that's why I love it.