Why Do I Want To Be Confirmed?

It would be so natural to want to be Confirmed due to the fact that it is a continuation of Baptism, like a transition point from one stage to another. However, to just go with the flow without having personally felt a burning desire for this Holy Sacrament would make this whole journey of faith seem entirely meaningless. Throughout my life, I have found many reasons to praise the Lord for choosing me to be a Catholic from birth. Thankful am I that the Sacrament of Baptism was bestowed upon me, cleansing me of original sin and and marking me as a child of God. Now, it is I who will choose Confirmation to strengthen the grace of my Baptism and to live out my choice as a Catholic, forever faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ.

The many encounters with God in my life, the many instances His Spirit has moved me have made me realize that, yes, I am indeed on the right path and continuing to walk in faith will bring me closer to the Lord. I can never forget how He has always been there for me. He has never failed me. If I look back at my life and at all things around me, I find that it is absolutely impossible to doubt the existence of God. In fact, I often wonder, how can anyone not believe in Him, the Almighty God? He has done wonders in my life and I feel His presence around me all the time. I feel You, Lord, in the wind that blows as I stand looking out of my window at the wonders of your creation; I hear You, Lord, speaking to me through the words in Your Holy Bible as You comfort my broken heart; I see You, Lord, in those I love as they fill my life with happiness and love; I know You are there, Lord, because You have been always at my side at all times and in all circumstances; and therefore, I trust in You, Lord, I feel Your divine love.

Life as a teenager is hardly ever easy, we are often faced with challenges and receive pressure from the world around us. As the Evil One attempts to lure us to worldly pleasures, we, being Catholic teenagers, have the added advantage that is, the protection of the Lord and the guidance of His Spirit. By receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, I know I will find the special strength within my soul to be a witness of the Catholic faith to the world. Being Catholic means daring to be different from the materialistic and status-conscious world. Why should we let profanities escape from our lips when we were created to sing praises to God? It is foolish to think that we are 'cool' if we speak such words because, in fact, we are only disgracing ourselves and God who made us so perfectly. Why should we dress in such a way that we are disrespecting our bodies which are the Temples of God? Is that the way we want others to look at us? It is a shame to have such low self esteem until it becomes a necessity to stoop so low to speak or dress so disgracefully. Based on my opinion, I want to be Confirmed to make a change and dare to be different from the majority and follow the laws regarding morality that God has given. I want to educate the new generation of Catholics that Church traditions are meant to be observed and treated with reverence, and to the members of the older generation who are too open to modernization, I want them to realize that it is not right to change the Church's traditions or bend certain rules or laws to fit into the needs and wants of the youngsters.

Just take a look at the youth coming to Church and to Catechism classes, is that how we want the Church leaders of tomorrow to be? I have seen people playing with their hand phones during mass and wearing inappropriate clothing to Church. This is definitely not the way to dress to see the King of Kings! The fact that these teenagers will be Confirmed and then married and later on be parents is worrying me. I wonder what will become of the generations to come. I feel it is the responsibility of the parents and Catholic educators to guide our young people to be pious Catholics and good examples in all aspects to the future generation. I strongly feel that criteria to gauge a teenagers readiness to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation should be more focused on their attitude towards the faith, participation in Mass and the whole image they are portraying as Catholics, and not just relying on their attendance and their ability to hand in an essay on why they want to be Confirmed.

As a Catholic teenager serious about deepening my faith, I vow that I will stand tall as a Catholic, trying my very best to reflect our Lord Jesus Christ in my words and actions. If I were at times fail to do so, I pray for the strength to turn quickly to God and beg for forgiveness. In the further stages of life, if I am ever married, I pledge that my spouse and I will uphold the Sacred Vows of Holy Matrimony, maintaining a conducive Catholic environment to raise our children to be strong in their Catholic faith. As for now, I will be Confirmed and I will forever treasure my personal relationship with our Lord. For me, He is my Saviour, my Strength and in Him I place all my trust.

" For in everything, O Lord, you have exalted

and glorified Your people

and You have not neglected to help them at all

times and in all places "

Wisdom of Solomon 19:22

The Day That Changed My Life Forever

" The rhythm of waves lapping on the shore,

Is like a beautiful symphony I have never heard before ”

By the waterside I stroll, the gentle sea breeze blows my long dark-brown hair. I feel the white waves lightly brushing against my legs. I close my eyes and open my inner sense to be one with my surroundings. Ah! This is the perfect place to venture into the depths of my soul and discover the real me. With my eyelids sealed, my spirit set free, the quest for identity has now begun….

The various shapes, patterns and sizes of seashells that lie on the golden sand fascinates me and thus with these shells I begin to understand more about my physical being. Picturing the individual uniqueness of each seashell found on the beach, I earnestly try to view myself equally as special as those around me but in the end failing to do so. Indeed, I have never pictured myself as special or even significant. Do not get me wrong for I am pretty sure I am not lacking in self-confidence. Instead, perhaps the reason behind this perception I have of myself is plainly because happy am I with putting everyone else in a class above my own. It somehow pleases me to prioritize the intentions of others especially those whom I se dearly love. Strange to say, as I held the seashells in the palm of my hand, a deep connection formed between me and the shells. These calcium compounds each possess a great deal of unique beauty, There was no way I could judge with utmost fairness which was the best and who was I to do so?

I paused for a few moments of silent contemplation and then let what I now understand sink into my system, becoming an ingrained belief or principle. So, applying what I learned from the shells, I see the dawning truth that I, like those shells, am unique and special too. Looking down at my reflection in the water, I am awakened for the first time to the pleasing sight of my somewhat big brown eyes, my straight and manageable long dark-brown hair, the sharp nose that sits in the middle of my oval-shaped face and the tall, slender figure I am. Upon seeing myself in a different light, I offer my praise to Almighty God for all He has blessed me with and also for altering my critical perception of myself. At that very moment, a gust of wind blew against my face and immediately I recognized that as a sign of God’s love for me. Well, I still find no reason to think more highly of myself than what is required for I know that God loves me and I just need to love myself enough.

With my newly acquired sense of confidence, I cast my conscious mind to dwell upon the element of water; refreshing, cool, versatile, calm and yet at the same time, forceful, strong and indispensable – how I wish I could bear the same characteristics of water! Just as how the now peaceful and calm seawater can form gentle ripples as well as feet-high tidal waves, I implore to follow in the image of water, portraying myself as wise, calm and thoughtful but strong-willed when the need arises. I aspire to be accommodating and versatile like the ability of water to take the shape of whatever container it is placed in. In the exact same way, I wish to be able to adapt easily to new situations and circumstances. Water is essential for aquatic creatures to carry on living, giving life and creating a perfect environment for the underwater world and therefore, my dreams of taking up a profession that centers upon giving hope and new life to the needy are as wide as an ocean. Perhaps by taking up careers like doctors, teachers, psychologist and counselors, I will be able to serve others with my skills and God-given talents. I believe such careers will be most suitable for me as I do enjoy serving the needs of others.

So absorbed was I with the wonderful nature of water, I failed to notice the beautiful sunset was turning into night. Alone am I in the darkness of the night with soft splashing sounds of the gentle waves, silently whispering of the incoming tide. I sat myself down on a high rock, admiring the sight of the mesmerizing full-moon. Honestly speaking, I am afraid of being alone on a deserted beach but then I stare up at the moon and the stars and feel the sense of direction overwhelming me for the Almighty God is like the moon in my life, shining down shafts of light in the darkest of my nights. The stars, however, are like the wonderful people in my life who motivate me, inspire me and guide me along the right path. Under this starry sky, I am enlightened to believe that God who has made day and night, is allowing me to toughen myself, face my fears and seek Him through the darkness of life which sometimes meet us on our path and I believe I have succeeded - I have indeed found the need for God in my soul. Furthermore, through trials and tribulations, with the help of the stars in my life, I have become a more mature, responsible and enlightened person. As I gaze at the moon and the stars, I feel God’s warmth dispelling the coldness of this dark night as well as my fears. With God, I am never alone!

Daybreak…. I awake - feeling renewed - from what felt like a truly restful sleep. My inner being is at peace and an outburst of opulent joy erupts from within. My night of soul-searching is an experience with God. It is Him who opens my eyes to my hidden inner beauty, it is Him who allows me to see the purpose of my life and it is Him who dispels my fears. In God, I find who I truly am. Hence, turning from the shoreline, I head back home with God in my heart and this poem in my head:

“ Strolling by the beach seeking identity,

Mesmerized was I by the breathtaking scenery;

God was with me throughout the night,

As I sat silently under the moonlight;

He has opened my eyes for me to see,

His unique and wonderful creation called ME…. ”

The rhythm of waves lapping on the shore,
Is like a beautiful symphony I've never heard before;
With every wisp of sea breeze that I inhale,
I'm finding the strength to stand up and face the gale;
For I've been caught up in the maelstroms of life,
Now I'm lying on the sand, finding it hard to revive...

As I remained unconscious by the waterside,
I dreamt of an angel cruising in with the tide;
He sat by me and listened to my shipwreck story,
As I complained, he smiled and spoke slowly;
The words he uttered are unforgettable to me,
For the wisdom he spoke changed who I am to be.

I awake to the rhythm of the lapping waves,
I embrace this familiar symphony with a smile on my face;
The words of my angel still ring in my ears,
I get to my feet and face my fears;
Calling out to the Lord, master of the sea,
Thanking Him for the angel He sent to me.

For my angel I have changed my outlook towards life,
I look not on my setbacks but rejoice for I'm alive;
I have chosen to give up my pessimistic ways,
Vowing to be optimistic, smiling always;
And when things get rough every once in a while,
I'll picture my angel and his beautiful smile.

"I am once more challenging life's dark waters,
Making it through the tempestuous weathers;
In you, dear angel, I have found meaning in life,
My motivation, my determination and a reason to strive;
You have given me reason to make a difference,
I'll perfect myself and go the distance;
Letting the Lord work marvels in me,
Because you are my angel and will always be.."

In every tidal wave I surf each day,
I think of my angel and the words he'd say
A new hope is alive with every heartbeat;
Perhaps in another dream we might once again meet...

The Rhythm of the Waves..

Imagine we are now standing by the seaside: watching the flow of the tides, listening to its melodic splashing sounds.. The sea breeze gently blowing, the tranquility sinks right down to the cores of our somewhat broken souls..yes, life isn't perfect and so are we..but as we savour this very moment, we feel the perfection of this beautiful scenery becoming so infectious that it seeps through the fine cracks of our brokeness making us feel whole, secure and spotlessly perfect.. What we feel at this very moment is none other than the prefect love of GOD... His love for us heals us completely from all our hurts and pains.. His love for us perfects our imperfections...and that is why we feel so complete and alive, surrounded by His beautiful and perfect creation..
Waves... from these expressions of water, life's unpredictability becomes clearer to us..there are times when the waves of our lives are gentle and soothing, brushing our legs lightly as we walk along the shore of happiness... the happiness we obtain from our encounters with these waves spread like the ripples on the water surface thoughout our whole being and warm our hearts... as we all know very well, these harmless water movements do not last forever...just as we are most of the time unprepared when tsunamis hit, we are certainly caught off-guard when life turns into a tempestuous sea..the gentle waves and the small ripples become our worst nightmares, turning into roaring waves and high tides...crashing and smashing our hopes and dreams in a flash...
When everything seems lost and we are left in the dark-facing the after effects of the maelstrom-GOD reaches out to us... Upon Him, our rock, we rebuild our hopes and dreams and let Him work His miracles-making our new dreams even more wonderous than our original plans... For when GOD closes a window, He opens a door... Trust evermore in GOD for He will hold our hands and lead us to greener pastures; do not worry for GOD is with us always...just enjoy the moment and dance to the rhythm of the waves with GOD in our lives...