"Think of three things you did well today”

Almost 60 young people came from all over the diocese – Sinton, Taft, Kingsville, Aransas Pass, and Corpus Christi – all excited to get to know our new Bishop Mario Avilés personally. After personal encounters, mingling, and pizza, the bishop spoke on “Deeper union with God – this Lent and beyond.” 
 
“Lent invites us to step away from our daily distractions,” said Bishop Avilés, quoting John 15:4, “Abide in me, and I in you.” We are all called to an intimacy with God “to find our true self and our purpose,” which is especially important for young adults facing many options. He proposed to live the Lenten practices with intentionality.
 
“Prayer is the heart of the relationship – we have to talk to the Lord to establish a relationship,” he explained. If you want to get to know a young man or a woman, “you don’t talk to him or her every other month – you do it every evening.” He offered the young people some advice: “We always tell God what didn’t go well in our day. But try to think of three things you did well.” 
 
Another good practice: “Pray for those who might be difficult to love.” It is easier to go to Mass and abstain from meat on Fridays, but praying for those who hurt you is hard. “But we have to do it, and it opens us to the mercy of God.”
 
He then suggested a fast from negativity and judgment: “Physical fasting is good because it gives you control over your body, but by doing acts of kindness and service, we mirror God’s love and gain connection with others.” He emphasized that “we don’t go to Heaven alone; we grab those we find on the way by being an example and showing compassion,” and that “we are here to help each other.”
 
In the following Q&A, the Bishop answered the young adult’s questions: Did he always want to be a priest? “No, but the example of the priests in my parish attracted me – they presented the faith in a different way.” His favorite saint? “St. Philip Neri, the founder of my congregation.” What to do when always overthinking everything? “I’m inclined to that too – trusting in divine providence.” And what to look for in a Catholic spouse? “Someone who can help you to grow.” 
 
He asked the young adults how he could best serve them, and “meetings like this one” came up often. The Bishop assured them that his house was open to them, continuing the tradition Bishop Mulvey had started.
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