Formed

By: Rick Hernandez

It was March 14, 1970, when I was baptized into the Catholic faith of my parents, grandparents, and our predecessors before them. At the time, my young parents were not where they are today in their own journeys of faith, but they knew enough to desire that I be baptized, cleansed from original sin, and marked as a child of God. I have always been amazed by the graces from this gift of faith on their part, for they knew then, as I know now, that I was formed for this, born for this, blessed to serve in this life.

"You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know." (Psalms 139:13-14)

As some would argue, it is true that I did not choose my faith at that time, but it was given to me as a gift of love from my parents. My baptism was their way to share with me their connection to Him who loved them, and who had given me to them to continue fulfilling a covenant of love. My baptism was indeed done because of love, and I am grateful, for I was given the opportunity to belong to His family and to know Him who formed me with His very hand.
 
And as my parents grew in their faith, I was shown the way to Christ. They did this gently, lovingly, and patiently, the same way that a gardener cares for his rose bushes. Sometimes a firm hand was needed, so a firm hand was applied. Sometimes dreams and ambitions were encouraged, other times trimmed. I was formed slowly, lovingly, and patiently.
 
I was taught to look at the world and recognize God’s hand in all. Gently, I was encouraged to keep dear Mother Mary close to my thoughts and heart. Likewise, I was made aware of the angels that keep watch over us, and of the many saints that have lived here, died, and now live forever looking at the light of God’s face while interceding for us. All these traditions from our Faith help unite us to the Greater, the Holier, and the Sacred.
 
We need to be lovingly formed to become aware of our gifts, and that awareness needs to be present so that we may learn to care for and use our gifts correctly. We are formed to live our gifts of Love, Hope, and Faith, and all so that we can “live what we believe,” and that our knowledge of God be embedded into our hearts and minds.

"If you do not live what you believe, you will end up believing what you live."  (Venerable Bishop Fulton J. Sheen)

​We are formed into God’s people, but this is something we need to nurture. We are the rose bushes, and we need Christ to care for us, to trim us. To do this we approach the Seat of Mercy. We go to the Eucharist, and at that moment of intimate union with our Eucharistic Lord, we allow ourselves to be nurtured and trimmed, formed yet again.

​We are called to be malleable in the hands of the Divine Master, but for some of us, to be malleable and vulnerable as is required is difficult and scary. It requires courage. We can pray for that courage.
 
I am blessed to have been encouraged since youth to be open and trusting with God, and I could trust because I knew I had the support I needed.  My parents raised me to know trust, but let us understand that not all of us had had this same experience. We have not all been formed beyond the womb. Some of us have been left to our own devices, to self-form, and to take wisdom from wherever we are able to glean it. But wisdom is not easy to find.

“Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it.” (Lewis Carroll)

As Mr. Carroll says, wisdom can be had, but only if found. God is always willing to impart His wisdom. Our Faith’s history, traditions, scripture, and rituals are there to form us, to impart that wisdom required to live saintly lives.

​It is true that we live in the world, but we are not “of the world”. The wisdom we are searching for comes from being formed in Christ, and for this, we have to seek Him, openly, honestly, and sincerely.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)

​This bears repeating. “Our Faith’s history, traditions, scripture, and rituals are there to form us, to impart that wisdom required to live saintly lives.”

When we are finally “formed,” our lives become aligned to God’s will for us.  May that be for us a happy and fulfilling life, and that our lives become a living prayer of thanksgiving. Oh, joyful Eucharistic lives!

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” (G.K. Chesterton)

May our lives become lives of witness. May we testify to what we have heard and seen. May we, formed in His love, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” (Saint Francis of Assisi).
 
Let us pray: Lord, please continue forming us every day. May we steadily grow in Charity, Hope, and Faith. May we become the people you have created us to be. Amen.

Rick Hernandez

Rick Hernandez is a commonsense Catholic, Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament, and a Director for Elisheba House. He lives in Trinity, Florida, with his wife Ivonne and their children. He also writes for the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament's Daily Eucharistic Reflections and for Catholicmom.com.