True Worship

My time in Hiawassee, Georgia could be summed up as the most life-changing six weeks of my life. I know that’s what everyone says after they go on retreat, but I mean it in the most sincere way possible. And I’m not talking about a change in lifestyle, such as trying to pray or read scripture more. I’m talking about a transformation in which God showed me how to love, rely on prayer, desire to be with Jesus, and worship in the Spirit. I will never be the same. 

Summer Missionaries with Conan the BarBEARian

Since being in Utah I’ve had little support in my Catholic faith from others in the Church my age. After a few years in this environment, I began to think there weren’t many people in the Church who truly loved Jesus. My motivation in being a summer missionary was to show teens that having a relationship with Jesus is possible within the Catholic Church. At it’s core, this goal was a good one. However, my fault was in my arrogance of assuming I was one of the few Catholics who had discovered this Truth. There were 14 other summer missionaries, 8 service crew members, and 5 full time missionaries who, thanks be to God, showed me that there are plenty of college-aged Catholics who love Jesus with everything they have.

The night we all arrived at camp we had a spontaneous worship session on the deck of our cabin. It was one of my favorite nights in all six weeks of camp. This random group of people from around the country (and Canada) were worshipping in the Spirit in ways I had never seen or experienced before. During the two weeks of preparing camp and training I was able to witness this beautiful sight multiple times a day. Each word that came from everyone’s mouth was a true prayer straight from their heart. All of this continued during the four weeks of camp as well, but those first two weeks deepened my prayer life in ways I can only begin to explain. 

I now feel free to worship and praise God without being worried about what others will think of me. I’m comfortable singing, even though I am well aware my voice does not sound like a choir of angels. None of that matters anyways. Worship is about glorifying God, not displaying your passion and feelings for others to see. 
We prayed the Liturgy of the Hours in the morning and night as a community. The number of times God connected those prayers to my personal prayer, the readings for the day, or songs was insane. Jesus was speaking to me in deep and intimate ways, and it created a longing in me to just be with him. Now that I’m back home, I want to be in a place where praying is the first thing I do in the morning, and then continue to lean on prayer to get through the day. When Paul said, “Pray without ceasing,” he meant it.

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. 

God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.

John 4:23-24