A Weekend for Change - Worthy Christian Forums

I’m a Steubie 3fer, I’ve attend FUS’s Steubenville High School retreats on Franciscan University’s campus since I was able to. I’ve been to All Access, Witness and Above All. My favorite to date is Above All, it moved me the most. We opened with a Travelers Mass, and during the consecration of the Eucharist I just felt right, like this is where I should be, kneeling as bred and wine are turned to the body and blood of my savior. It just felt really cool.

Then at Adoration that night I felt Jesus, he gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. It’s not that weird for me actually, Jesus has touched me a lot, always when I have a turmoil of emotions, usually when I’m crying myself to sleep over a family argument, He’s always there, I can feel Him lay on the bed beside me and just stroke the side of my face, as if to say ‘everything will be fine.’ I could always describe the feel of his hands, rough and calloused, like a carpenter’s should be, from working with wood, but gentle. The kiss was harder to explain, but I just knew it was Him, I could feel him near me and there was a scraggly feeling on my cheek, as if someone with a beard had kissed me. That feeling stayed with me the rest of the night.

The next day there wasn’t too many big things; girls had their chastity talk in the field house, boys in the Glory Tent. We had Mass again, then our sessions, my friends and I stayed in the field house and learned about the lies the media is shoving down our throats. The speaker was on “Real Life” or some MTV show like that like 10 years ago, he said that not once did they show him going to Daily Mass, and that at this big reunion thing, the girl who got the award for biggest witch (keep rhyming it won’t take long) took the award and said “This has done nothing for me” before throwing it into the pool and finishing with “I am a Christian now.” Of course MTV only showed her saying “This has done nothing for me” and throwing the award into the pool.

That night we had Adoration again, but this time the priest walked with Jesus among us, all 150-200 students and chaperons. I always get emotional on this night; it’s something I can’t help. During Adoration this year I felt like a little girl in, like a flower girl’s dress, only there weren’t any big puffy sleeves, it was short sleeved but the sleeves had a cut down the middle, kind of like how I want my wedding dress to look. Not that anyone reading this would know how I want my wedding dress to look. It was a pretty white dress, that’s all you need to know. And yes, I did cry that night. We also have to break into small groups and answer questions, our group was called the cream in the middle of the oreo because we were the middle group, to young to be almost done with Steubenville for a few years but too old to have no experience. I called our adult leader ‘Mama duck’ because when we were going to the little garden that had a small chapel, a nativity, stations of the cross, a grotto to Mary and a tomb for aborted babies we followed her in a straight line without even trying. The tomb for aborted babies is especially important to me because the first two babies, Francis and Clare, were aborted on my birthday.

The next day we had to listen to a scripture passage for words that stood out distinctly to us, I didn’t hear any specific words, but some words triggered pictures in my mind. Like in one picture I saw my youth group sitting around a table, like in a Last Supper setting, only it was dark outside the windows, I could see my new friend, her father, and brother all sitting in the windows looking in on us, I could tell my friend wanted to join us but her father wouldn’t let her. I realize now what it symbolizes, my friend is willing to join our youth group, and we’re willing to welcome her whole family, but her father seems like an imposing figure to me and he seems like he doesn’t want his family to really get involved with our youth group, probably because he’d have to drive his daughter 2h in either direction to get her to sleepovers and other big events with us.

We had closing Mass and the homily was awesome, the priest told a story about a friend of his who was Methodist and how his (the friend) co-worker had lost (as in dead) her two year old son, and how on the anniversary of his death a year later she was missing all after noon and the priest’s friend went looking for her, fearing the worst. When he got to her Catholic Church he found her kneeling in Adoration almost touching the Monstrance. He asked what she was doing and she said “I’m leaving my pain with Jesus” the friend said “Jesus is here, where?” the co-worker pointed to the Monstrance, “Right there” she said. The next Easter the friend was converted and now he’s a priest. I was just like ‘that is so cool!!!’

That’s my Steubie experience!

Peace out
~Beka

Wow! I l do like the scripture reading for personal application,thats a very good idea.

It sounds as if you had quite an experience. These "mountain top" experiences are so inspiring and I hope that you are able to hold onto the joy that you have. Now, let me encourage you to read your Bible. Study it and learn to keep it the authority in your life. I don't want to put any kind damper on your joy, but one day there will be troubles arise in your life and if you start building a solid foundation of Bible truth you will always be on solid ground.

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Nathele

I like this... "one day there will be troubles arise in yourlife and if you start building a solid foundation of the Bible truth you will always be on solid ground" - So true.

Shiloh62: That's an awesome story! Thank you for sharing :-) May you continue to seek Him.....

Love,

Yzraela