Our homework assignment
By Steven Polley
Director, Office of Youth Ministry and Adult Education
Many times as I have written these columns I have referred to my growing up in Eastern Colorado. Of course, living on a small farm, we had to be somewhat creative regarding our entertainment. Not family entertainment, because there was always a game to play or a puzzle to finish, but when you were alone with your time, you had to be creative. Thus as a young person, I had to use my imagination. Fortunately for me, God gave me a good imagination and to this day, I believe that it is still used productively. I know that using my imagination when I was younger helped me grow in my giftedness and in what I do today.
As a young person growing up, I was given the opportunity to participate in many different things. I was able to choose things that helped me grow as a person. I simply was given the freedom to be who God created me to be. And through this freedom, God allowed me to slowly grow into a deeper understanding of what my gifts were.
But too, there were people along the way who helped me recognize these gifts. Who would have thought that as a seventh grader, when I played only two plays during the entire football season, that I would end up having the opportunity to try and make the team at Fort Hays State?
Yes, I made the team, if you consider being the 93rd player out of 94, making the team. At least I practiced for one season. But even this opportunity allowed others and myself to recognize gifts in me that I did not know existed.
Recently, we just completed the fall sessions for Catechist Formation in the Diocese. Coleen Stein did a marvelous job of creating the format for these sessions, and she put together a wonderful panel of presenters who focused on vocations, "Living Your Baptismal Call." As we listened to each presenter share their story, we could hear how they were able to recognize the gifts God gave them and how God was calling them to use these gifts.
Bishop Gilmore asked us to seek holiness, to become all that the Lord has designed us to be. He said that all people are called for a special task, a special mission.
I realize that I am not sharing with you anything that you do not already know. But what about our young people? In their busy, hectic lives, are they able to clearly recognize the gifts God has given them? Do they need someone to help them see these things? Many times during diocesan events, we take time to speak to the young people about the gifts God has given them and how they are being called to use them. But the more people they hear these things from, the more they will come to answer God’s call.
Thus, I leave with you a homework assignment (and yes, I will complete this assignment too). What I would like for you to do, is to think of this as a Christmas gift to be given to one or two young people in your parish. Between now and Christmas, I would like you to pick a couple of kids and just observe them as they participate in different things. As you do so, keep a mental list of the gifts you recognize in them. Then, prior to Christmas, create a short message to them, listing all of the things you have observed in them. Then invite them to continue using these gifts to help God build the kingdom here on earth. For myself, I have a wonderful Youth Council for which I will do the same thing; I will spend my time recognizing the giftedness in each of these young people.
May God guide and bless you on this journey, and thanks for giving in so many wonderful ways and for using your gifts in the way you do.