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Adoration Talk (September 16, 2015)

Hello everyone. My name is Kristina Ulm, and tonight for this talk I want to focus on the
first line of the passage we just heard where Jesus says, I have come to set the earth on fire, and
how I wish it were already blazing! What does it mean to set the world on fire? To me, a big
part of it, or at least the beginning, is being the person God intended you to be. I think we each
need to find our special gifts and talents. Sometimes this can be hard. Its easy to think Im just
another person. Ordinary. But each of us is so much more than that. I think a better word is
extraordinary! God made each of us in His perfect image, and if we cant see who that is or what
our gifts are, we need pray to God for the wisdom to know our talents. Pray for the grace to see
ourselves as God sees us. As who we truly are and are meant to be. And embrace our
differences! Take pride in your quirks! Be who you are, not who everyone else thinks you
should be.
Finding this person that God wants us to be and being that person allows us to experience
the joy of Christ. But to be able to share that joy, we must first find it for ourselves and let it
penetrate our hearts and lives. And as I was saying, I think a large part of this comes from selfacceptance. In the words of Saint Catherine of Sienna, Be who God meant you to be and you
will set the world on fire. Personally, I see this greatly exemplified through my fellow interns.
Each of them has a unique personality and individual strengths that God has blessed them with,
and through prayer and self-discovery they all have embraced their individual qualities and with
Gods guidance are using these unique traits to spread the joy of Christ to others. And I feel so
blessed to be a witness to that. For instance:

Monica is one of the friendliest and most outgoing people I have ever met and is
never afraid to approach someone new, start a conversation with them, and

probably be best friends within 10 minutes of getting to know each other.


Matt Im pretty sure knows something about everything and could talk to pretty

much anyone about any subject. Hes always up for a friendly debate.
Amanda is a bit more reserved than these two and one of the most pondering and
contemplative friends I have. She is often deep in thought and when she speaks
has this ability to call upon the attention of those around her and share truly

insightful thoughts and ideas.


And finally, theres Yuli. If youve met Yuli, then theres not much else to say, but
for those of you that havent had the pleasure just yet, he is incredibly full of life
and faith and praises God in all that he does and invites others to do the same
through his passion and enthusiasm.

Each of these people is a role model and Im so blessed to live with them and be inspired by
them.
For me personally, this acceptance of myself and who God made me to be came quite
recently one night on a retreat us interns went on called the Evangelical Catholic. We were
having adoration, similar to tonight, and I was on my knees praying to the Lord. I prayed for my
family, for my weaknesses, for my doubts. At the time, I was worried about going back to school
and starting all over again with a new home, new roommates, and new major, and I was even
having doubts about this internship and my qualifications and if I was truly meant to be in this
position. So I prayed and prayed. And I praised God. And out of nowhere, I felt this sense of
overwhelming peace wash over me and enter my heart. In that moment, I felt the Holy Spirit
within me, reassuring me. I knew right then, that God put me here for a reason. That at least for
this year, this is where Im meant to be and how Im being called to serve Jesus. All along, God

saw in me what I myself was blind to. He knew I had the strength and capabilities to be an intern
and was just patiently waiting for me to catch on and realize it as well. And when I did, my
worries and doubts about not being good enough were lifted off my shoulders and peace and
contentment filled me. With God, each of us is capable of this peace, confidence, and love of
ourselves.
And now comes the good part. After we find this love of Christ, everything, everything,
becomes beautiful. We can start to see that love all around us, blossoming and taking on forms
we never imagined. And it can be overwhelming, so prepare yourself for joy like youve never
experienced before. And also be prepared for a tugging in your heart and butterflies in your
tummy. Thats the Lord, urging you to go and share His love with everyone you encounter. As
Pope Francis stated in an excerpt of The Joy of the Gospel, What kind of love would not feel the
need to speak of the beloved, to point him out, to make him known? When we truly let God
into our lives and accept the love He is consistently and tenderly pouring down upon us, we also
accept the responsibility of that love. The responsibility to let that love be known. To take pride
in it. To let it guide us and give us strength. And to spread that love in the unique and wonderful
ways that God allows us to. Each of us is obligated as Catholics and followers of our Savior
Jesus Christ to go out into the world and start a fire, tend to that fire, and spread that fire until the
whole world is blazing. Thank you.

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