Gabe Canizares is a member of Singles for Christ, and was previously an active member in the CFC-Youth community.
Being in the community, I had the chance to meet so many people, and through that I got to see a lot of different perspectives. One thing I learned is that it doesn’t matter what community you’re apart of in the Catholic Church, everything is going to fade eventually — and what’s going to last is the relationships you choose to keep and the friends that you choose to continue journeying with in your faith. That was a very important lesson I learned in my time in CFC-Youth: intentional friendships. Once your lives move forward, there’s always those same friends that you can always go back for support, different perspectives.
The fellowship is what helped cement my faith. Just being friends [with the people in CFC-Youth] and learning from each other. I’ve seen friends get married, friends go to the seminary and convent, and that showed me that there is just more out there, and that He is waiting for you. Just watching your friends grow inspires you to grow in your own way as well. You watch and learn how they discern their life, and that gives you tips on how you discern for your own life. That helped me on my journey of discovering myself. When I’m at a low-point or when I want to understand something more, just being vulnerable with my friends and opening up with what’s worrying me, getting their honest insight and perspectives and using that I can find the best solution for myself to grow.
It is simple friendships […] that’s enough to push you to pursue Christ. When you see your friends pursue Christ for nothing more than Christ Himself, […] it helps you to pursue Christ with all your heart. If Christ is in the center of your life, then everything falls into place – whether it is vocation, relationships or whatever!
One thing I cannot stress enough is to have Christ at the center of your life […] be serious about that. When you’re serious about God, you’ll be serious about everything else (like relationships, vocation, career, etc.), and you’ll think about what I can do to be a better son, daughter, brother, sister, to all those around you. I think, honestly, pursue Christ, and everything else that worries you (friends, relationships, school, etc.), all of that stuff will come together too! Also, forgive.
One more thing: what you have now is going to change. Your best friends can change too. What matters most is who you choose to keep in your life and be intentional with your friends. Understand their story, have a genuine interest in their lives and try to reach out to different ministries and communities and that will remind you that there is so much more to love and not just what is comfortable. You’ll learn so much more about yourself doing that.
