Article by Phoenix writer Brooke Oldenborg ’26:
On Sunday, November 17, I decided to end my weekend with my home parish’s evening mass. This is the first mass I’ve attended fully in a while. As the priest started talking, it seemed like a normal mass, but as he continued it felt as though his homily was tailored for me and the many other high schoolers in attendance. His opening statement addressed the room with a shock, discussing the morbid things proposed for humans at the end of time as stated in the Bible. However, with explanation, he pointed out that these things are not much different than what we experience on a daily basis. Through natural disasters, the loss of loved ones, stress, and fear, we all go through things that feel like the “end of our world.”
I thought this was an odd subject for the priest to bring up as it came across as a seemingly dark statement for a positive homily to stem from. Nevertheless, he turned the topic into a motivational speech about the trust we must put in God’s plan. He mentioned that it’s natural for humans to be inclined to solve their own problems without the help of God. We develop coping mechanisms that don’t often work and lead us to experience the same problems consistently.
As people, we are always looking for ways to improve our lives. Many live in a constant state of unfulfillment, causing us to constantly long for advancement. Personally, I find it hard to be content or to trust that everything will work out as society pushes me in the opposite direction. The fear of not knowing what comes next is a daunting thought embedded in my mind.
Being a junior in high school, it feels as though there is always something to worry about. Are my grades good enough? Will that one quiz affect my average? Should I already know what college I want to go to? A constant state of worry seems almost inevitable as I approach the upcoming changes in my life. All this worry makes it hard to focus on what’s really important, as it’s clouded by the fear of failure.
As I sat in the pew, listening to the priest’s words, I began to reflect on how often I try to control everything in my life, thinking that I can fix or manage all the problems on my own. The stress of grades, the pressure of future decisions, and the constant worry about what’s next have consumed so much of my mental energy. But hearing the priest remind us that we don’t have to carry those burdens alone was a revelation.
Regardless of how you may feel in a particular situation, the only “coping mechanism” you need is reliance on God. I took this message to heart as it related immensely to the overwhelming feelings I so often experience. That evening, I left mass with a new perspective on how to manage the many challenges that come with life.
