Reflections of a First Year Deacon's Wife
Sponsored
Catholic365 is sponsored by
Road to Purity
Easter Vigil has come and gone. RCIA programs are ending their year and looking forward to their next group of Catholic-hopefuls. We pray this years’ group of neophytes learned some basics from RCIA but also learned that they have much to learn about their new Catholic faith. What some may not see is that WE (the rest of the Catholic faith community) can learn much about ourselves and our faith from our neophytes! “Not likely” you say?
The fire in their hearts and the light of the Holy Spirit in their eyes at the Easter Vigil should teach us that while our Catholic faith is an old religion; that does not mean it is dead. It is exciting, captivating, and so rich that one lifetime is not enough to learn all there is to know about the Catholic Church here on earth. The infectious smiles on their newly baptized and confirmed faces should teach us that we should be joyful always but especially joyful when we share our faith. If the neophytes were sad and unhappy, we definitely are doing something wrong! After six Easter Vigils, I have yet to see one sad person among the lot. Not even the babies!!
Their “I do” when asked if they believe in God, renounce Satan, and share our Baptismal vows from the Creed should encourage us all to say “I do” to Christ every single day. “I do” love you, “I do” renounce Satan & all of his empty promises, “I do” believe that I consume the real body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ every time I take holy communion, and “I do” want to spread the Good News for you.
If we can get a little spark of energy from our neophytes, we can begin our own internal flame of desire to learn more about our wonderful faith, show the world that being Catholic is filled with joy and love (not just standing and kneeling), and renew our promises to God daily. This is our Easter gift from our new brothers and sisters in Christ – will you accept it and use it!?
Cindy Ellis is active in her parish, Parish of the Holy Spirit, Kennewick, WA. She is married with 5 adult children (and their spouses) as well as 18 grandchildren. Her husband, Ken, was ordained as a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Boise in 2016 and is currently serving in the Diocese of Yakima. Avid motorcyclists, they plan vacations around children/grandchildren special events and ride their Victory Vision touring bike to the location (200 – 2,000 miles one way). Cindy often rides her own Can-Am Spyder (3-wheeler) - which she loves.
Cindy and her husband converted to Catholicism at Easter Vigil 2009 and strives to learn all they can about their chosen faith. Cindy recently finished her B.S. in Health Informatics and is looking forward to having time for more faith filled writing and reading now that it is completed. She is employed at a hospital IT Department and thoroughly is enjoying this new career path. IT has been her career field for more than 30 years.
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/GatorShine
