Denver Catholic

27 DENVER CATHOLIC | JANUARY 26-FEBRUARY 8, 2019 Run into God's arms — he loves you education . . . also teaches youth about the di©erent relationship models they and their peers may engage in, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender peers, and how to be a safe and healthy partner in a relationship. [It] also fosters youth social-emotional health and well-be- ing by teaching self-acceptance and respect for those whose sexuality, gender, gender expression, or lived experience di©er from their own. [It] rejects the use of shame, stigma, fear, and gender norms or gender stereotypes as instructional tools and recognizes that such tactics are coun- terproductive to youth empowerment and particularly harmful to vulnera- ble and questioning youth." We must reverse the decline of our Catholic schools as we need them now more than ever before! Arch- bishop Aquila has been leading the way in calling for a renewal of our schools by emphasizing discipleship as our most important task. If our children live as disciples (or students) of Christ, they will know their true identity as children of God, will have the wisdom to see what matters most in the world, and will enter their vocation and work with the courage necessary to thrive in a secular world. The formation of disciples is holistic: entering into a relationship with God, knowing the truth, pursuing what is good by forming virtue, and develop- ing the skills to succeed. Our children need a community of faith and love to reach their fullest potential, as God will help them to be fully alive in Him. The Church recognizes that par- ents are the primary educators of their children. The challenges in edu- cation today require cooperation to give our children the best education possible. The Archdiocese of Denver is committed to making Catholic education available to all students, an education that is robustly Cath- olic, provides an integrated liberal arts curriculum, and o©ers a healthy and holy environment. Our Catholic schools are committed to renewal and growth in the midst of greater need, but parents also must be more involved than in the past. I agree with Hasson and Farnan that it's time to "look for alternatives. . . . If you are concerned about your child's faith, intellectual formation, and patri- otism, public schools are working against you. It's time to get out, now" (177). A s I have confessed to you many times before, I do not consider myself a good pray-er. My prayer is often dry. Dry as in, "Is anybody listening?" Not that it doesn't "count" or anything, but I am hardly a mystic. So when something dramatic happens in prayer, I often take it as a sign that it is not just for me, but to be shared with all of you as well. It was a few days ago. While pray- ing, I tried to imagine how God was seeing me at that moment. Imme- diately, I received an image of Jesus Christ, Savior of the Universe, with open arms and a huge smile on his face, welcoming me the way I used to welcome my nieces and neph- ews when they were little (and still excited to see me), and ran full speed into my arms. He was doing the same, ready to catch me as I ran to him, and delighting in it the same way I used to delight in the joy in their little, mirac- ulous faces. I know, it could have just been my imagination. But the immediacy and vividness made it feel like something more. Even if it was just my own imagina- tion, it still reflects the truth. It stag- gers me to think that he could love me as much as I love the five beautiful chil- dren he has placed in my life. And yet, my faith tells me that he loves me even more. Infinitely more. That is almost impossible for me to fathom. Still. As I said, I think this little vision is for you as much as for me. To help you see and maybe begin to grasp his love for you. We have all heard that "God is love." Repeatedly. Some of us even aµxed the phrase to felt banners in our CCD classes back in the '70s. But, at some point, we hear it so much that it becomes just another meaningless phrase. How many of us really know it? How many of us really base our faith in a relationship with a Father who loves us madly? I think that, no matter how often we hear that God is Love, it is all too easy to revert to a rules-based men- tality. To be "holy," I just have to do "x" and "y." Avoid sin. Say the rosary. Try not to have too much fun. There is nothing wrong with any of that. In fact, it is all true. (Except, of course, the fun part.) But on its own, it isn't going to make you holy. And, with- out a thriving, active relationship with God, it's going to be diµcult to sustain any merely rules-based program. My favorite saint, St. John Paul II, said that once we start asking what we are supposed to do, we have left the realm of love and entered the realm of ethics. When somebody is in love, the "rules" come naturally. A man in love doesn't ask, "How many times am I supposed to send flowers? How many buds per delivery?" He wants to show his love, as often and as many ways as possible. It overflows. When we are in love with God, we want to serve him. We're looking for ways to serve him more. It gives us joy. The problem, of course, is that God is generally unseen. It's easy to have a reciprocal relationship with a flesh- and-blood person. But two-way con- versations with the Lord of the Uni- verse are a little harder to come by. There are two important keys to a real, loving, two-way relationship with God. The first is Scripture. If you're in love with someone, you want to learn everything you can about them. All the more important when we can't tangibly see our Beloved. How do we get to know God better? By reading his love story, the Bible. We see God's first revelations to his people. We see Christ in action, curing the sick and welcoming sin- ners. We see his sacrifice for us. If we aren't studying Scripture, the God we worship might very well be the product of our own imagina- tions, and not the actual God who has revealed himself to us. The second key is prayer — the heart of the relationship. It's where we talk to him. Our prayer shouldn't just be rote recitation of formulas. It should be true communication, a sharing of the heart. St. Teresa of Avila said that "prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God." We pour our hearts out to him. We share our struggles. We thank him for our blessings. We ask for his help. And, if we can manage to block out the noise of our lives, we will find that God speaks to us, through prayer and through Scripture. I want you to do a little exercise for me. Close your eyes and ask God to surround you with his peace and pro- tection. And then imagine him, with outstretched arms and a big smile on his face, waiting to catch you as you run to him. And then pray. Talk to that guy. Pour out your heart to him. He loves you. Guest Column Mary Beth is a Denver- based real estate agent and syndicated columnist. She is the author of We're on a Mission from God and Real Love. She can be reached via her website at www.mblovesdenver.com. MARY BETH BONACCI I agree with Hasson and Farnan that it's time to 'look for alternatives. . . . If you are concerned about your child's faith, intellectual formation, and patriotism, public schools are working against you. It's time to get out, now.'" JARED STAUDT "

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