The Journey So Far

What's Your Next Step? Reflect on Your Journey So Far.

This week, we're all going to pause and take a breath. Some of us just began this part of the journey a month or so ago, while others have been travelling on this road for many months. This Sunday will offer us an opportunity to take stock on where we've been, where we are, and where we're going. 

• Take a minute to remember back to your Rite of Welcome. Call to mind your thoughts and feelings as you walked into the church that day. What were you hoping for from the RCIA? What were you worried about? What was going on in your life at that time?

We talk about RCIA as a class, and while this is a familiar image, it has some limitations. We're not just here to learn what the Church teaches so that we can pass the class and graduate. Rather, learning what the Church teaches is meant to deepen our communion with God and one another. This deepening communion gives us a radically new perspective on our lives. And so we gather to figure out how to respond to the new life revealed in Jesus and how to live out this new life in our own specific circumstances. This means the RCIA is more like an apprenticeship than a class.

• Take another minute to reflect on the past months since your Rite of Welcome. Have there been any noteworthy changes to your life, to your perspective, to your understanding of God, yourself, or others? Has anything become clearer for you? More confusing? What have been themost important new ideas or experiences for you in this process?

When the time comes for you to be received into the full communion of theCatholic Church, you will be asked to avow the following in the presence of thecommunity:  I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church teaches, believes, and proclaims to be revealed by God. This act of profession restores you to full communion with the Church throughout the world. Your confirmation and reception of the Eucharist follow. 

• Reflect on your goals for the next coming months in the RCIA. Is there anything still missing for you as you journey into full communion? What are the most fully Catholic areas of your life? Are there areas that haven't been as influenced by the Church in this journey? Take a final minute to bring these areas to God's attention, asking God to provide for your needs.

Sponsors, be sure to connect with your candidates around these important questions. It's crucial that you help them discern the path ahead of them by listening to their stories, reflecting what you've heard, and praying for the steps ahead.

Peace!