Milestones

Author

Baptism

---

We respond to God's plan for our salvation when we ask the Church for Baptism. God washes us from our sin, unites our life to Christ, adopts us as His own children, transforms our bodies into a temple of the Holy Spirit, and initiates the infusion of the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love. We move from ignorance to believing in the promise of Eternal Life.

Father

Relationship

---

We respond to God’s call to be His beloved sons and daughters when we choose to pray daily. We seek to know, love, and serve him in everything we do and let God define who we are. We move from self-searching to believing that God is trustworthy.

Provider

Receptivity

---

We respond to God’s care for our needs when we accept the gifts that He supplies. We are setting aside our preferences to receive the abundant life awaiting us. We move from self-sufficiency to believing in Divine Providence. 

Protector

Consecration

---

We respond to God’s shield over us when we dedicate our lives to him. We are entrusting our whole selves as a sign of our fear and devotion. We move from self-preservation to believing that God is just.

Lover

Purity

---

We respond to God’s pursuit of our heart when we choose to live by His commands. We protect our innocence and he elevates our sense of belonging. We move from defiance to believing that God is our beloved.

Giver

Firm in Faith

---

We respond to God’s love for us when we accept the times of spiritual dryness or confusion without making changes. We are choosing God himself and not just the benefits of being in relationship with him. We move from doubt to believing that God is good.

Creator

Spirituality

---

We respond to God’s presence in the world when we wonder about the beauty of creation. We give God a channel to communicate with us and form our spirituality. We move from indifference to believing that God is with us.

Healer 

Trust

---

We respond to God’s desire for our well-being when we seek His help in our brokenness. We are letting God prescribe what our bodies and souls need in order to heal and accept the sufferings he allows. We move from self-perfecting to believing that God is merciful.

Strength 

Surrender

---

We respond to God’s gift of grace when we give him our weaknesses. We are letting him act in us to accomplish His work. We move from controlling to believing that God is sufficient.

God 

Humility

---

We respond to God’s wisdom to keep us little when we accept our circumstances the way they are. We are fortified through embarrassment so that we can plunge into the abyss and knowledge of God’s love. We move from arrogance to believing that God is all-knowing.

Married 

Holy Communion

---

In the Gospels, Jesus tells us how he has come to do the Father’s will. The Father gave us, his children, in marriage to Jesus, and the wedding takes place on the cross. Jesus is now physically able to give his body and blood to us through Holy Communion. Jesus takes us on the journey to bring us spiritually into that espousal: where our spirits receive his will, our hearts receive his love, our minds receive his thoughts, and we go where he goes. Jesus becomes our Life.

Ruled 

Lord of My Life

---

Jesus invites us to put him on the throne of our hearts. We submit to him in everything and commit to live His teachings according to the Catholic Church. We enter into servitude and trust that he will rule over our lives with Divine justice. Jesus becomes our King.

Called 

Discipleship

---

Jesus invites us to follow him. We develop a vision of heaven and let our desire for holiness grow. We enter into obedience and trust that he will teach us how to spread the gospel message. Jesus becomes our Teacher.

Guided 

Scripture

---

Jesus invites us to read His Word. We learn about God’s love, gain a moral compass, and discover how he speaks to our hearts. We enter into docility and trust that he will keep us steady amidst the storms of life. Jesus becomes our Truth.

Satisfied 

Content in the Lord

---

Jesus invites us to rest in him. We hand him our dreams and desires and let go of our attachments. We enter into peace and joy and trust that he will be enough for us, whether he gives or takes away. Jesus becomes our Treasure.

Blessed 

Eucharistic Life

---

Jesus invites us to spend time with him in the Blessed Sacrament. We foster a personal relationship and let his presence fill our life. We enter into companionship and trust that he will make us holy. Jesus becomes our Source and Summit.

Broken 

Cornerstone

---

Jesus invites us to come to him when we are personally rejected or persecuted. We learn to forgive instead of defending ourselves which teaches us how to love. We enter into rebuilding and trust that Jesus will heal our wounds and lay new foundations for our life in him. Jesus becomes our Savior.

Given 

Call to Marriage or Celibacy

---

Jesus invites us to permanently promise ourselves to “another” either in marriage or celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of God. We die and become a new creation when we are joined together in Christ in our life’s vocation. We step onto the path that will lead us to heaven. We embrace all of the unforeseen joys and hardships. We enter into sanctification and trust that Jesus will hold it all together. Jesus becomes our Cross.
 

recieved 

Leadership

---

Jesus invites us to work. We accept roles and serve according to how Jesus taught us. We enter into relationship and responsibility and trust that Jesus will use us as his instrument. Jesus becomes our Gift.

Espoused 

Thirst

---

Jesus invites us to hand over what is most precious to us. We take the empty cup of sorrow, formed by our broken humanity, and bring it to his pierced side. He fills it with his precious blood and we drink. We enter into emptiness and sweetness and trust that Jesus will abide in us. Jesus becomes our Spouse.

Temple of the Holy Spirit

Confirmation

Receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation infuses you with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Submission & Permission

Submitting to the will of the Holy Spirit opens you up to personal sanctification. Permitting the Holy Spirit's desires for you transforms your virtue to bear His fruits.

Celebration

Celebrating the anointed and abundant life in God enlightens you to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Holy Abandonment

Resting in holy abandonment to the Holy Spirit floods you with his Spirit so that you are moved by His Grace.

Spiritual Gifts & Charisms

Taking notice of your spiritual gifts and charisms develops your awareness of your unique participation in Christ's threefold office of priest, profit, and king. (our 3rd vocation)

Cooperation

Cooperating with the promptings of the Holy Spirit makes you a channel for His Will to be accomplished.

Armor of God

Putting on the armor of God through temptation gains you a discernment of spirits.

Spiritual Awareness

Surrendering your reasoning to the Holy Spirit in times of spiritual darkness makes you in tune to God's movements drawing you into a spiritual awareness.

Radical Surrender

A full surrender of your life and will to the Holy Spirit at the risk of looking foolish to the world endows you in the nature of God, which is the Fire of Divine Love.

Life 

conception, embodied soul carrying brokenness by original sin

Design

no mistakes dignity a unique, unrepeatable, and irreplaceable new creation made in the image and likeness of God as male or female

Worth 

redeemed by Christ

Happiness

vision for Heaven, journey / pilgrimage 

Purpose

made empty for God and bearing Christ into the world (our 5th vocation)

Modesty

protect what is holy yet given a window to the soul in order to delight in its beauty

Maturity

Developing your behavior, intellect, skill, will with the humble pursuit of excellence to have self mastery over the appetites, thoughts, desires, feelings directed by God's timing and in his way.

Healing

with the stripping away of what has formed you by anything other than God's design by returning to the place of injury to heal what was broken to restore unique reflection

Self Awareness

gift and need, receiving the way God made you

Perfection

Finding your imperfectly, wholly yourself so that all is done by God's grace and for his glory. (limp hand in order to rest on him)

Family of God

Joining the Family of God through Baptism incorporates you into the Mystical Body of Christ.

Fellowship

Entering into fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ gives you an awareness of the gift of community.

Gift of Self

Developing the awareness that you are not made for yourself but for others and exercising your gifts when the other is in need expands your capacity to love unconditionally. 

Testimony & Witness

Sharing your testimony of how God has transformed you by his love bridges your relationships to go to the deeper layers of your life in the pursuit of holiness.

Interdependence

Relying on the support and resources of those in your community allows you to receive your provisions from God.

Spiritual Culture

Living by the Truths of the Gospel transforms the culture of your community and pierces the hearts of those who encounter it.

Fraternal Friction

Committing to one another in the midst of fraternal friction leads you to dwelling in peace and unity in your relationships.

Spiritual Companionship

Embracing the brothers and sisters that God puts in your life bonds you in Spiritual Companionship for the journey to heaven.

Spiritual Direction

Taking the risk to be seen vulnerably and allowing yourself to be held accountable to the Truth enlightens your eyes to the Spiritual Direction given through others.

Marriage of Vocations

Promising yourself to those God has given you to live in community with unveils your unique relationship in the covenantal bond of the Mystical Body of Christ and begins your experience of the Communion of Saints. (our 4th vocation)