{"id":38509,"date":"2013-03-07T13:33:21","date_gmt":"2013-03-07T19:33:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=38509"},"modified":"2013-03-07T13:39:25","modified_gmt":"2013-03-07T19:39:25","slug":"confirmation-is-not-graduation-seeing-sacraments-as-more-than-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/03\/confirmation-is-not-graduation-seeing-sacraments-as-more-than-goals\/","title":{"rendered":"Confirmation is NOT Graduation: Seeing Sacraments as More Than Goals"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AriIn our lives it\u2019s hard to measure success, or even know if we\u2019re moving forward and growing without goals, markers and signs. In school we learned material, took a test to make sure we had comprehended and studied that material and received a grade for our efforts. As adults, we earn raises or reprimands based on our performance at work for the year. We mark our relationship lives with milestone goals of how long you\u2019ve known each other, and our romantic relationships with how long you’ve dated, engagement, marriage and children.<\/p>\n

We live our lives with expectations of something to work towards and mark the moment. We want something tangible. Concrete evidence we can see and show to others about ourselves, our family and our friends.<\/p>\n

Often times in our Catholic Church, you\u2019ll hear people ask about what Sacrament they need to \u201cget\u201d next. As if it\u2019s something to grasp, attain and complete. It\u2019s an end goal to accomplish.<\/p>\n

And yet, our faith is intangible. Indefinable. It\u2019s not something we can grasp and put goals on. Our relationship with God is more than memorized prayers, attending Faith Formation Classes, Youth Ministry or Catholic School and more than knowing the answer questions on a theology test. It\u2019s a relationship of the soul and heart with God.<\/p>\n

As a Director of Youth Ministry, I experience the attitude of goal attainment in regards to sacraments often, and it\u2019s something that breaks my heart. I have to remind people often that the sacraments are not a goal to get, but a moment to be celebrated.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t blame people for seeing the sacraments as a goal, because it\u2019s how our society has trained us to look at life. But I do try to help them change that mindset. Because once we all as Catholics understand that celebrating a Sacrament is not just a goal or mile-marker in life, but that it\u2019s part of a whole life-long faith journey, then our lives can change.<\/p>\n

Our lives can change because we recognize the need to participate in Faith Formation is more than just preparing for a Sacrament, but that it helps us relate and understand God in our daily lives. That Faith Formation isn’t something we do just as little kids or teenagers, but it’s something adults need too. And that the intangible, indefinable and indescribable relationship with God is more than the \u201cgoals\u201d of Sacrament reception.<\/p>\n

\"Ari<\/p>\n

Receiving the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation is not a graduation. It\u2019s a new beginning. And a call to continue even more passionately the journey of faith.<\/p>\n

As one of the teens from my parish who will be celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation tomorrow with our parish put it, \u201c[Confirmation is] the beginning of a new chapter in my life. One in which the Holy Spirit will be even more present. Because I now realize that Confirmation is just one moment in my faith journey, not just something to get and do. And I am really <\/strong><\/em>looking forward to it!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In our lives it\u2019s hard to measure success, or even know if we\u2019re moving forward and growing without goals, markers and signs. In school we learned material, took a test to make sure we had comprehended and studied that material and received a grade for our efforts. As adults, we earn raises or reprimands based… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[1064,1490,55,115,1451,50,1492,1491,710,168,125,131,177],"class_list":{"0":"post-38509","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog","7":"tag-bishop","8":"tag-bishop-joe","9":"tag-catholic-2","10":"tag-church-news","11":"tag-confirmation","12":"tag-faith","13":"tag-faith-journey","14":"tag-goals","15":"tag-graduation","16":"tag-holiness","17":"tag-life","18":"tag-mass","19":"tag-sacrament","20":"entry","21":"has-post-thumbnail"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":513093,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2017\/11\/angels-dragons-v-minor-exorcisms\/","url_meta":{"origin":38509,"position":0},"title":"Angels & Dragons V: Minor Exorcisms","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"November 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"With today\u2019s increase in pagan practices such as astrology, mediums, psychic readings, cleansings, New Age religion, Reiki, magic, angel touch, witchcraft, tarot cards, s\u00e9ances, Ouija boards, ghost hunters, Satanic music or worship, etc., people who have participated in any of these occult practices, including Christians, may feel demonically oppressed. When\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Column"","block_context":{"text":"Column","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/column\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/image12-550x330.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/image12-550x330.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/image12-550x330.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":344672,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2017\/01\/response-archbishop-chaput-tocqueville-lecture\/","url_meta":{"origin":38509,"position":1},"title":"Taboos and Resolutions (A Response to Archbishop Chaput’s Tocqueville Lecture)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"January 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"They say you shouldn't talk about sex, politics, or religion in public. As an evangelization-minded Catholic, I live a little differently, but I do tend to stay away from politics. I just don't like it. These days, however, there's no getting away from politics, even when we'd rather talk about\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\"The Gospel of John reminds us that the truth, and only the truth, makes us free. We're fully human and free only when we live under the authority of the truth.\" \u2014Archbishop Charles J. 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What made these couples \"unique\" according to social understanding of the Catholic faith is that all of these couples were either living together or who have had annulments. It\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Marriage","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/hands-376815_1280-550x380.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/hands-376815_1280-550x380.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/hands-376815_1280-550x380.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":156959,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/10\/sunday-says-podcast-october-4-2015-mass-readings-and-reflection\/","url_meta":{"origin":38509,"position":3},"title":"Sunday Says Podcast – October 4, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflection","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"October 3, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"October 4, 2015 Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 140 (NAB Translation) (Jerusalem Bible Translation) Reading 1 Genesis 2:18-24 This week\u2019s first reading comes to us from the well known reading from Genesis. This is the origin story of Eve in Adam\u2019s search for a companion. This reading can be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sunday Says"","block_context":{"text":"Sunday Says","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/podcast\/sundaysays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sunday Says Podcast","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/SundaySaysPodcast-logo-300x231.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1325780,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/order-disorder-and-grace-in-advent\/","url_meta":{"origin":38509,"position":4},"title":"Order, Disorder and Grace in Advent","author":"Rachel","date":"December 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm looking forward to offering these thoughts to you, dear readers, to be a small light on your Advent journey towards Christ. In His Providence, all these pieces fell together over the past few weeks. That doesn't always happen in blogging, but when it does, it gives me the sense\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_3451.jpg?fit=550%2C413&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_3451.jpg?fit=550%2C413&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_3451.jpg?fit=550%2C413&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12591,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/03\/confirmation-and-chocolate-milk\/","url_meta":{"origin":38509,"position":5},"title":"Confirmation and Chocolate Milk?","author":"Meghan James","date":"March 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Spring is almost here, and for many parishes, that means celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation. 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