Educated Autopilot

So last night I attended the start-up meeting of a new young adult group at my church, Young Adult Life. It was really cool to see some current friends and to make some new ones. I have usually been in a position of ministry leadership, so it was kind of a nice break to “sit back” (as much as icebreakers allow you to sit back) and take it all in.

While I took it all in, I spent some time recalling the Gospel reading and homily from the weekend. It was the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), which is, to me, one of the epitomizing Sundays we celebrate all year. Father’s homily asked us to reflect on what we have been given, and what we have turned over to God to see what he can create. It was all very beautiful.

And I really didn’t pay it much mind while it was happening. Which is exactly where the problem has been the whole time—me.

For quite a while now, it has been very easy for me to go through the motions. I don’t know what made me feel like keeping faith an inactive but visible part of my life was justified. It doesn’t even look good reading it back to myself. Yuck.

I have a large amount of head knowledge about my faith, but lately have very little conscious participation coming from the rest of me (mind, body and soul). On some kind of educated autopilot, I guess.

The super lame part is that it is way too easy to stay this way. I have certainly run into my fair share of faithful adults (Catholic and otherwise) who are very good at going through the motions. I’m saying (without calling anyone else out) that I don’t want to be one of them.

God gives us so much more than the routine, and I need to start giving him way more than what I had been. I believe that I have a purpose in this life, and I am 99.3% sure it isn’t to just go through the motions. I’ve been given a lot, and He deserves way more than I can ever offer in return. So, I guess I’m done “sitting back.”