The Church of Today

God needs a YOU.

St. Therese of Lisieux, who knew God
was calling her to the religious life
at an early age.

Think about that. No matter how old or young you are, no matter how educated/qualified/religious/etc. you are....GOD NEEDS YOU. He needs you to proclaim His message, whether you are simply loving your neighbor or preaching from a pulpit. He needs you!

Youth especially: Do you ever feel like we are brushed aside and labelled "too inexperienced" or "too naive" to know anything? Even when people give us a chance, they sometimes do so only to prepare us for the future, when we will become the adults, the leaders, the decision makers. The "future" is our place, not the "now."

Well, guess what? We don't have to wait until we're all grown up to make a difference. This applies to everything we try to make a difference in, but especially the Church. 

We may not be saints today. But that doesn't mean we're not too young to try. Look at spiritual powerhouses like St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Joan of Arc, THE VIRGIN MARY (who, by the way, is said to have had Jesus at the age of FOURTEEN)! They didn't let age stop them. They accomplished more in just a few years than many accomplish their entire lives. And when I say "accomplished," I'm not talking about wealth or power. I'm talking about the stuff that really counts: spreading Christ's joy, leading others to Christ, giving of themselves, service, etc. 

I am not the Church of tomorrow. I am the Church of today.

While at Notre Dame Vision this past week, a speaker told us to repeat these words. The power with which my peers and I stated these words amazed me. It was as if, at that moment, it had really hit us. Sainthood wasn't something to work toward eventually. It's something to be grasped at right now by ALL people, including even us!

St. Catherine of Siena once said, "If you are who you were meant to be, you will set the world on fire."

God is calling us to be His. He's calling us this very moment. The only thing stopping us is ourselves. Why do we place limits on our abilities? Why do we allow ourselves to sit on the sidelines as future saints like Therese and Joan of Arc and Mary pass us by? He has a plan for us, and if we follow this plan, we WILL set the world on fire. 

God needs a YOU...right now. Mother Teresa would tell those who gave up everything to join her work in Calcutta to leave. "Find you own Calcutta...you can find Calcutta all over the world, if you have the eyes to see." 

God is calling you to be a saint, but not a Mother Teresa, St. Therese, or St. Joan of Arc. Those spots have been filled. He's calling you somewhere else. So, by all means, use these powerhouses of devotion as models to strive toward, but at the same time, find your own Calcutta. Find your calling, be God's unique St. [insert your name here].

God needs you. He needs you right now. All of you. You're not too young. You're not too old. You're not too bad, too unholy, too anything! You are God's. So go be His this very moment, and you will set the world on fire.