WITNEY: Finding hope in Jesus

(Herald file photo by James Ramos)

If someone were to take inventory of my works over the past 40 years, I think anyone would probably easily and quickly label me as a “good” Catholic. I’ve served the Church in so many capacities over the years, yet for many years, my relationship with God was complicated because deep down, I was only serving because I was terrified of God’s wrath and punishment.  

Growing up, the wrath of God and the pains of hell were used as a parenting tool to keep me in line, to keep me out of trouble and to keep me from making mistakes. As I entered my teen and adult years, I decided to see a Catholic therapist to work on repairing what I knew was an incredibly broken relationship with God and the faith. And what has been the most surprising thing is that the healing that I’ve encountered so far isn’t due to the relationship with God I thought I wanted or needed, but rather it’s been in developing a relationship with Jesus — with His forgiveness, mercy, grace, justice and love. All words that Jesus not only preached but lived and have now become the cornerstone of my faith.   

The work that the Holy Spirit has since led me to with youth has given me the opportunity to create opportunities to teach what I’ve learned and help them understand that Jesus loves them in their brokenness and came here for the wounded, for us. He came here to walk with us, to journey with us and to love us. The Church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners. This is where they belong, no matter what they’ve done or what they struggle with.   

As a parent of two teens myself, I am so grateful that the language and environment the youth are surrounded by in today’s youth ministry experience, especially at the Archdiocesan Youth Conference (AYC), is one that is focused on encountering and developing a deep and meaningful relationship with Jesus. It gives them the opportunity to learn about the hope, love, grace, mercy and forgiveness of Jesus, which are emphasized through the lives of saints and experienced through the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. I am so grateful that their faith journey is already so incredibly different from mine, and I hope that when they serve the Church as they age, they do so out of love, not fear and obligation.  

Give your teen the greatest gift of encountering Jesus’ love as they are and where they are in their faith journey. Registration for AYC 2025, hosted by the Office of Catechesis and Evangelization, on July 25 to 27 at Hilton Americas-Houston, is now open! 

Chrissy Figueroa Witney is a youth ministry volunteer at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church.