February 3, 2012
Rappelling metaphor suggests the ‘rope as the Church’
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
When Deacon Michael Seibert got ready to speak at the Confirmation Spectacular at St. Joseph parish in Jasper, he unpacked rappelling equipment, which included ropes, harnesses and gloves. Then he set up a 12-foot ladder by the basketball goal in the parish center’s gym.
As he held a sturdy rope, Deacon Seibert told the participants to think of it as the Catholic Church, and he encouraged them to learn about the Church from experts. He reminded them that to be really good at something — be it rappelling or being a faithful Catholic — takes work because “you get what you put into it.
“You have to keep practicing so when you are in a pinch, when you have troubles in your life, you turn to Jesus.”
He suggested that when they wake up every day they “treat the edge of the bed like a cliff.” Continuing the rappelling metaphor, he said, “Don’t get up until you are tied to Jesus.”
At the end of his presentation, he invited participants to try rappelling from the ladder he had set up. Blaine Fuhs, a parishioner at St. Peter Church, Montgomery, was the first volunteer. He said he enjoyed the rappelling experience and the talk by the deacon. “The rope as the Church was a good metaphor.”
Related story: 2012 Confirmation Spectacular: Day includes explanation of Mass components by bishop