Fr. Vu has often said, “Don’t be a cookie cutter Catholic, you won’t get anywhere in your faith.” I didn’t know what this meant at the beginning of the year, but recently it hit me that this is what the Xavier community needs to hear. I was guilty of being a stereotypical Catholic teen. I went to Mass irregularly, prayed only when I needed something, and didn’t make my faith a priority in my life. I was so incognizant of how much I had let my practice and effort in the Catholic Church drop. Whenever I was asked about my faith, I loved to brag and say that I was a vigorous Catholic who strived to be an even better one. It’s easy for teens to get wrapped up in their social lives and other things making it hard to be a good practicing Catholic, but that is no excuse to slack off and get by with the doing bare minimum.

I was writing down “because Jesus loves me” as an answer on my religion homework because it was a simple way to get an “A” in the class. I only went to Mass around the holidays, and complained about service activities I felt were totally unnecessary at the time. I made the most preposterous excuses as to why I couldn’t go to Mass on Sunday, and persistently convinced myself that I was doing enough in my religion class, spiritual life, and my community. I see this happen with other people as well.  We need to redirect ourselves toward God, and serve others because that was the sole purpose we were put on the earth.

The biggest turning point in my faith life was at the beginning of this year when I attended Kairos. I have reflected on my religious life since, and the retreat helped me to disconnect from my busy life and focus on the more important things. On Kairos, I was encouraged to dig deeper in my faith and be a better follower of God. I realized that I can always improve my faith, and that nothing I ever did was “too much.” I ventured out and started torturing Mr. Farrell with the harder questions in religion class. I also started to serve God by serving others, and I  made it a routine to try to deepen my faith.

Don’t be a “cookie cutter Catholic.” There is so much more to your faith than what you have experienced. Once I started to explore, and not say the typical things people expected to hear, I was able to find answers about my faith that I was too scared to look for before. Although you will never be able to reach your full potential as a Catholic, you can continue to flourish in your faith through prayer and a better daily routine. Your faith will lead you to where you need to be; you just need to follow it with your whole heart. As George Whitefield said, “Press forward. Do not stop, do not linger in your journey, but strive for the mark set before you.”