Beyond the Cradle

Written by Elise Huber on Wednesday of the First Week of Advent

“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end.”
-Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude

I am a cradle Catholic. Except, I don’t really care for that term because it seems to imply that I have always been “Catholic.” I know that sounds strange because yes, technically I have always been part of the Catholic Church. But, what it implies is that I have always lived my life as a Catholic with an active faith and God always at the forefront of my mind. And frankly that’s just not true. Being a cradle Catholic is simply a place to start: a beginning to my journey of discovering what my faith is.

As I was growing up, faith was Sunday mornings and prayers before meals and bed. I learned about Jesus and what was considered “right” and “wrong,” and that shaped me, even though I didn’t know it at the time. I could not see the road ahead and I could not have told you that I would be spending a very large majority of my time in a Catholic church.

Even without my understanding, God was preparing me. He was preparing me for the faith journey that I have and will continue to travel until one day I meet Him face to face. It has been a journey of joy, sorrow, peace, suffering and love. I never knew where I was going, and I still don’t, but God was and is constantly preparing me for continuous journey. It is my job to try and trust Him.

Question for Reflection:
Even though we cannot see the road ahead, are you open to how God is preparing you for this journey through Advent?

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Elise Huber
Elise is a senior studying Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She plans to continue on to medical school to become a primary care physician. She is currently the Small Church Community Intern at St. Mary and loves spending time outside, playing music, reading, writing, and getting to know other people.
Email: eahuber@umich.edu

**To hear more of Elise’s story, and other’s like it, join us at the Living Library on Sunday, December 6 at 7pm at St. Mary Student Parish.  The Living Library is an inspiring evening of storytelling in which our eleven student interns and two campus ministry associates share excerpts from their recently written spiritual autobiographies. All are invited to come listen to their stories of struggle, triumph, growth and faith.**