“Jesus in the Stairwell”- that was my immediate caption to this picture that my sister Lisa took during Saturday night Adoration. At first I thought the stairwell wasn’t the most becoming location for a photo op. I mean, stairwells are those places with no décor, full of brick and concrete. They are more out of purpose and less about “show”. Maybe I also kind of think of creepy stuff happening in stairwells. I’m sure that’s because I’ve seen too many movies where people are trying to escape some evil in places like that. When I’m in a stairwell, I usually want to get out of it as soon as possible and get to my destination.

My other thought about the picture was that there was no one around Him adoring him. Doesn’t he deserve a picture with at least some hands raised up towards Him? Some reverent faces gazing up at Him? He’s all alone! But then I thought again. How like Jesus to turn His back from the spotlight and to seek out the person at the bottom of the stairwell. How like Him to prefer this humble spot to reveal His glory. After all, He came to us from the womb of a humble virgin. And when he was laid in a manger, did you know that it is actually a feeding trough for animals?

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Echoing throughout Oscar’s talk was the line “we all suffer differently.” He shared first about the suffering of his wife giving birth and his daughter having a headache. Then, Oscar reminded us that we never suffer alone. He described times when he sacrificed for his children and explained that his own sacrifices are nothing compared to the sacrifice that the Father makes for each of us. When God sacrificed His son for His children, He made the ultimate sacrifice. As Oscar says “God revealed Himself through the beauty of that cross.”

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Cooper began his talk by talking about some of his struggles to maintain holiness in a college relationship. He said that in discerning what to do about this relationship he talked with some friends. One of Cooper’s friends told him, “I am going to pray for you to be weak. In praying for you to be weak, I’m inviting Jesus to be your strength.” Cooper said that after this conversation he decided to end the relationship because it ultimately was not bringing him closer to Jesus. In reflecting on this experience he realized that he had been focused on making himself happy.

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Discernment means to cut away from until knowing what is best. Discernment is between two good things, while temptation is between a good thing and a bad thing. God is always speaking to us and we need to make sure we are speaking to Him because authentic discernment comes through Christ.

Father Martin broke down the steps of discernment

• Acknowledging what we are experiencing in our lives.
• Relate it to where we are currently at.
• Receive God’s message and listing to what He has to say.
• Respond to what He tells us.

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During the session on relationships, Sarah outlined the ways that growing in virtue builds Christ-centered relationships.

Before diving into ways to build virtue, Sarah outlined what she calls the “emoticoaster.” It describes the pattern that a lot of people follow when they are getting into a relationship. She explains the journey from mental stalking to social media stalking to texting, flirting, and calling. Most people in the room raised their hands to say that they had seen someone riding the emoticoaster before. Sarah then walked through the many traps associated with the emoticoaster.

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