I've never really considered how profound it is to be asked to confirm, the responsibility to reinforce someone in a choice. I have asked and been asked to participate in a confirmation ritual. I don't put that on my resume. I can't submit that as a write off on my tax return. I don't share it on a first date. But I can recall it when I am discouraged, stressed, and doubtful.
I am not much of an apologetic, evangelist, or preacher. I appreciate the way of Francis of Assisi. I trust my life, imperfect and radical, to be my explanation of my faith. I breach the walls of sensibility and dance in the clutches of paradox's vortexes. I put faith in forgiveness. I am learning to trust being gentle. I am accepting that power is not strength, and being strong does not help me carry, lift, or move heavy topics. I am not valuable, I am expendable, and yet I am still significant.
My daughter made her confirmation last summer. I wrote the following letter for her. I came across it while cleaning out some other writing off my iPad. I was pleased with how far I have come as a father, a friend, and confirming believer in Christ. It gets easier and easier to be faithful as my journey leads me further into maturity. I was inspired by it and hope you are challenged by it too.
I am not much of an apologetic, evangelist, or preacher. I appreciate the way of Francis of Assisi. I trust my life, imperfect and radical, to be my explanation of my faith. I breach the walls of sensibility and dance in the clutches of paradox's vortexes. I put faith in forgiveness. I am learning to trust being gentle. I am accepting that power is not strength, and being strong does not help me carry, lift, or move heavy topics. I am not valuable, I am expendable, and yet I am still significant.
My daughter made her confirmation last summer. I wrote the following letter for her. I came across it while cleaning out some other writing off my iPad. I was pleased with how far I have come as a father, a friend, and confirming believer in Christ. It gets easier and easier to be faithful as my journey leads me further into maturity. I was inspired by it and hope you are challenged by it too.
Daughters,
Life gets really difficult and beautifully challenging. You may want to take short cuts, find pleasures, and take the easier routes. I don't blame you. This is the beauty of choice. You have chosen to be a believer in Jesus Christ, A person and God, who asks you to find the divine route, find joy, and take the peaceful route. I hope you value what your contribution to the world can be.
There will be a time when you will need to see your life as serving a purpose for ideas, concepts, and situations greater than yourself. As you grow you will become aware of how significant every emotion, moment, and incident can be. You are my motivation for loving others. I learned to love myself because it was watching you grow where I realized I am living so you can have a good understanding of love. I have learned to love so that I might show you through my love for you what love looks like. As you know, I fail, I am irritating, I am silly, I am embarrassing, and I am awkward. I hope you know it is what trying to love looks like.
I would like you to know that my goal as a dad is to learn to love you despite anything you could possibly do to deserve it. That is a fancy way of saying that I am learning how to love you no matter what. I am really thoughtful about how to challenge you because there are going to be situations in life that will push you to the limits of being able to love. When you come to the point of not being able to love I want you to know that you are touching your humanity, it isn't failure. I also want you to know that God's love doesn't have limits and neither does Her grace.
If you never reach points that test your ability to love, then figure out how to take a couple more risks. I am very proud of your choice to commit and confirm your Faith in God. I hope you understand that God is unknowable and yet just a prayer away.
I hope that you are courageous enough to find God beyond the Catholic catechism and open yourself to understanding how the people of the world have seen God. I hope you continue to recognize the power, the beauty, and the soul nutrition that comes with the Eucharist. I'd like you to discover that the church is not so much a building, can exist without an organization, and is more a way of living.
I'd like you to know that paradox is an important concept that will help you understand what it means to believe in Jesus Christ. I want you to understand that pain is part of life, suffering doesn't have to be, and there is a difference between the two. I hope you believe that you are just as valuable as your neighbor and never believe that you are worth more then anyone else. I do hope you understand that I think of you as a priority and precious.
You are worth as much as anyone else but you are uniquely valuable to me.
Hope you find this message helpful someday.
