St. Mary, Oxford at 215 Summit St, Oxford, IA 52322 US - Don't Let Faith Get Lost in School Year
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Don't Let Faith Get Lost in School Year
By Quinn Montgomery |
School time brings together a host of activities: sports, friends, after-school activities such as clubs, and especially homework. With so many activities going on in a young person’s life it is easy to lose track of other important activities that should be a no-brainer. In my experience over the years faith is the most common activity lost in the pursuit of other goals. Yeah, you go to church once a week, but is it enough just to go to church? It is easy to lose your focus of faith because you can not see it, it just is there.
One of the ways I try to put faith into my everyday life is to listen or sing (but not well) to Christian or inspirational music.
St. Augustine was the one who said, “To sing is to pray twice.” Singing is an easy and fast way to bring faith into your life.
Another way I try to keep faith in my everyday life is to pray before big projects. Speaking in front of a group is not an easy thing for some people. I know I’m one of them. I have found that if I pray before I start a project or give a speech I have more confidence in myself and my work. It gives me a sense of grounded-ness that can be hard to regularly see.
Keeping faith in everyday life is easy, if you want it to be. Singing along and praying are easy ways of just thanking God for the day and incorporating faith in your everyday life. It is much easier than people think. Think about it the next time you are in your car.
(Quinn Montgomery, 16, is a member of St. Mary Parish in Oxford, and a junior at Clear Creek Amana High School in Tiffin.) This article was published in the October 2, 2008 edition of the Catholic Messenger.