Following "The Rock"

Who has been inspiring you throughout this journey?

For the past few years, St. Peter has been a special patron in my life as I have started taking on more and more responsibility in the Church. Jesus has said to me just as He said to St. Peter, “Feed my lambs” (John 21:15). For as long as I can remember, I have always felt the most “myself” when I was doing something that was of service to Christ and His Church, whether that was leading a retreat when I was in high school or volunteering at a local parish’s youth group when I was in college. I love leading young people because I think they have such a great capacity for holiness that should not be underestimated and they have so much to teach me about how to truly be childlike. There is a deep desire in each of us to be loved and my goal as a leader is to respond to that need. I want to imitate St. Peter in his care for the flock that the Lord gave him, in his trust, and in his boldness.

When I went into college I knew about this peace and joy I felt when I was serving the Church and Her young people but I was content leaving that as something I did as a volunteer. But, the Lord had other ideas! When I was on a retreat during my freshman year of college, I felt the Lord calling me to work in ministry after I graduated. One of the Scriptures that was reflected on during this retreat was the call of the disciples at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew. After Jesus calls Sts. Peter and Andrew on the banks of the Sea of Galilee, it says, “at once they left their nets and followed him” (Matthew 4:20). This retreat was when my devotion to St. Peter began. 

I would often think about how St. Peter was able to let go of his nets and follow Jesus immediately. I wanted to trust Jesus like that but I didn’t know how to let go of the nets in my own life so that I could follow Him like St. Peter did. I wanted to hold on to my ambitions and pride and desire for recognition and success. These desires were challenged by my chaplain who asked me questions about why I wanted those things. I would answer him but there would come a point when I ran out of good answers. I started to question if I truly wanted the life I had planned for myself and started asking St. Peter to help me let go of my nets so that I could run after the Lord with no hesitation. After about a month of asking St. Peter for trust, I began to see a shift in my desires and in my prayer.

My prayer began to focus on St. Peter’s boldness in following the Lord. Often it takes me a while to warm up to a decision in my life but once I embrace it I want to dive in head first. The scene in the Gospel of Matthew that stuck out to me was when Jesus was walking on the water and St. Peter called out to Him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water” (Matthew 14:28). I, just like Peter, was daring the Lord to call me out of the boat onto the seas. I desired to make bold decisions for the Lord and I thought, “If He wants me to do big things for Him, let me start doing them now!”

The Lord has thrown so many surprises and challenges my way since I began trying to live like St. Peter. I changed majors after my freshman year so that I could reorient my priorities and what I was learning. I was chosen as the Student Campus Minister of my campus ministry in the middle of a pandemic. I was given the opportunity to lead the spiritual programming of a Catholic summer camp in Alaska. And now, I am the intern for the Catholic Hoos!  Something I learned was that the Lord will never refuse such a bold request when it is asked in humility. He will respond to your boldness with situations that require boldness.

Praise God for every surprise and challenge! The stormy seas and the unknown are places where we can truly learn how to trust Jesus. It is where we learn to place our confidence in the fact that Jesus wants to fulfill every desire of our hearts, just as He did for St. Peter. 

May we be filled with trust, make bold requests of the Lord, and care for the people the Lord puts in our paths. St. Peter, pray for us! 
 

Hello!! My name is Grace Joy and I am the Intern for the Catholic Hoos. I am from Yorktown, Virginia and I graduated from Virginia Tech in May 2022.  A few fun facts about me is that I know how to solve a rubik’s cube, I think chocolate is the second best thing the Lord created (after human beings of course), and have over a dozen indoor plants!