What is young adulthood? If you hesitate to answer or know you aren’t nailing it— Acies is for you! Why have you not joined Acies? Is it because you believe you already have enough friends or a friend group or that you are already committed to your spiritual life? Are you turned away because of the rumors or stigmas told by others, or do you use the excuse that your life is too busy for one more commitment? You are challenged to read on.
Acies was started by a group of young adults in St. Mary’s back in 2013 and recently had the honor of celebrating its tenth anniversary with both past and current members in November of this past year. The purpose for which Acies was created is to form and educate its members in Catholic truths and principles that they might take up ‘the armor of God’ (Eph.6.13) and truly live as Christians so that their every act is infused with a Catholic spirit of Faith and Charity. The three primary pillars of Acies are Sanctification through prayer, especially daily mental prayer, Formation through study, and lastly through Catholic Action.
The word Acies translates to ‘battle line’, or as put by our current chaplain of Acies, as ‘the cutting edge’. Through the Sacrament of Confirmation, you are made a soldier of Christ and join the ranks of soldiers in training, so to speak. As a young adult putting away ‘the things of a child’ (Cor.1.13), it is time to take up one's armor and sword. The Captain calls you to join the ranks on the front lines of the battlefield for Christ the King. At this time more than ever in history, the support and formation that a Catholic young adult group can provide is so essential to society and to our young adults here in our own parish of St. Marys. It provides stability, friendship, and a deeper, richer exploration of Catholic truths along with an opportunity for Catholic action in an all-important period of young adults’ lives where they find themselves in between leaving behind childhood school days and begin making those life decisions on which their futures will rest. Young adulthood in today’s world can be a dangerous time, as one is faced with new and dangerous experiences which threaten to sway one away from the truth and destroy the light of faith in one’s soul. Our world is seeking to destroy all that is good and challenges the very heart of Catholic morals in its attacks, targeting most especially youth and young adults. At the same time, society places much responsibility for the future on the shoulders of its young adults as the leaders of tomorrow. The choices one makes now will not only impact the individual who makes them but society as a whole. Therefore one has a duty to himself and his neighbor to weigh carefully the life choices he makes for the good of his own soul and the impact it will have on those with which he comes in contact. As Fr. Gardner said in one of his conferences to Acies members, “If you blow young adulthood, then [you] might blow later [your] vocation.” We were made for heaven. We are meant to be saints. If we are not striving for this, then one’s life has no true purpose.
If our country was going to war, America would look to its young adults to answer freedom’s call. It is then asked of you, young adults of St. Marys: Will you step up? Will you answer the call to the battle line, the call to be the cutting edge of Catholic society? Will you commit yourself to labor under the banner of the Holy Ghost, patron of Acies, for the good of your own soul and the souls of those around you? Will you commit to spread the reign of Christ the King among society? Will you pass on what you have received to those that will follow after, and in doing so, discover the endless riches Acies offers to its members in the form of not only meaningful friendships and camaraderie among your fellow young adults, but also the countless blessings that will follow in eternity after?
Do you have what it takes to stand up in a world of young adults that sadly lack commitment today and make a commitment to answer the Call to Action?
