What's in a name?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." 

You probably know the theme of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" even if you haven't read the play. The story of doomed lovers. Juliet is not allowed to associate with Romeo because of his last name. She complains that a name is meaningless, and tells Romeo that he would still be the same person without his name.

I am not an avid Shakespeare reader and I haven't thought of "Romeo and Juliet" in a long time- until the completion of 4:12@IC was near. Chuck and I have often wondered about the best way to spread the word about the meaning of the name 4:12@IC. You see, it's not just any other name, and calling it by another name would not be the same. The name IS a part of "who" the building is.

During the 4 years that Chuck has been youth minister at Immaculate Conception, we have been blessed with a wonderful adult Core Team and an absolutely amazing Teen Core. Through retreats, worship, bible study, and discussions one verse kept appearing and reappearing. When the possibility of a youth building became a reality it was clear that this verse should be included in the name.

 1 Timothy 4:12: "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity."

Timothy was a young man who faced the possibility of being looked down upon in his ministry because of his youth. Timothy had to prove that he was wise beyond his years. He had to live a life that set an example for other believers. He had to show that even though he was young in years, he was not young in The Lord.

Before the sheet rock was installed in the building our Teen Core and Core Team chose saints whose lives possessed qualities of how we should each live our Christian lives. Father John blessed the medals and we placed them in the walls to surround the teens with the examples of our Catholic faith.  We are so inspired by the saints that our teens and the adults of our Core Team chose. Here are just a few examples:

 Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton "And in every disappointment, great or small, let your heart fly directly to your dear Savior, throwing yourself in those arms for refuge against every pain and sorrow. Jesus will never leave you or forsake you."

Saint Cecilia "Make my heart and my body pure that I may not be confounded." "Arise, soldiers of Christ, throw away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light."

Saint Therese of Lisiuex "It is your arms, Jesus, that are the lift to carry me to heaven. And so there is no need for me to grow up: I must stay little and become less and less."

 Saint Frances of Rome "God's will is mine."

Saint Francis of Assisi "All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle."

Saint Thomas Aquinas "Love takes up where knowledge leaves off."

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen..

Saint Joan of Arc "I am not afraid, I was born to do this."  "Act and God will act."

Saint Catherine of Siena "“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire."

Saint Boniface  "Let us put our hope in God; He will save our souls.”

Saint Aloysius Gonzaga "It is better to be the child of God than the king of the world."

Saint Anthony "Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak."

Saint Florian "Help me to be loyal and true, respectful and honorable, obedient and valiant. "

Saint Augustine "Our heart is restless until it rests in You."

Saint Monica “Nothing is far from God.”

Saint Sebastian "The devil strains every nerve to secure the souls which belong to Christ. We should not grudge our toil in wresting them from Satan and giving them back to God."

Saint Benedict "Walk in God's ways."

Saint Charles “If a tiny spark of God’s love already burns within you, do not expose it to the wind, for it may get blown out… Stay quiet with God. Do not spend your time in useless chatter… Do not give yourself to others so completely that you have nothing left for yourself.”

So how does this relate to our new youth building and the mission of River Valley Life Teen?
We believe that the five examples given in 1 Timothy 4:12 are pillars for our teens.
Speech: What you say matters (verbally and on social media)- Your character gives strength to your words.
Life: Your lifestyle defines your character, and your character points others to God.
Love: Do you show Christ's love to others through your actions?
Faith: Do other people know about your relationship with Jesus by your actions and words? Do you share your Catholic faith? Do you live in a way that honors God?
Purity: Keeping yourself pure through your commitment to God. True love waits.

The mission of River Valley Life Teen is the very foundation for the reason 4:12@IC exists: to lead teens closer to Christ, and to give glory to God, which IS the name above all names.