The founder of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students implored nearly 10,000 young adults to put Christ first in their lives so they can help change the world. "You were willed into existence because you were meant to be amazing. The invitation Christ is extending is to choose him first and become the man or woman you were meant to be," Curtis Martin said during his keynote address Jan. 4 at the SEEK 2015 conference. "If you allow Christ to be the principle and foundation of your life, you will be a world changer," he said. Sponsored by FOCUS and held Jan. 1-5 at the Opryland Hotel and Resort in Nashville, the conference drew young people from college and university campuses across the country. Martin told attendees, "The great truth of the Christian Gospel is not that we love God, but that God loves us. ... We need to respond with a full, all-in effort. If you become who you are meant to be, you will set the world on fire," he added. "Go set the world on fire." Attendees felt inspired to do just that. "It moves my heart to tears to see people encountering Christ," said Gage Shirley, one of more than 75 students from the University of Kansas in attendance.
The twelve apostles chosen by Jesus formed the bedrock of the early Church , and their Catholic identity is deeply rooted in their direct relationship with Christ and the mission He entrusted to them. The Catechism of the Catholic Church highlights this foundational role, stating that Jesus "instituted the Twelve as 'the seeds of the new Israel and the beginning of the sacred hierarchy'" ( CCC 860 ). These men were not simply followers; they were handpicked by Jesus, lived intimately with Him, witnessed His miracles and teachings firsthand, and were specifically commissioned to preach the Gospel to all nations ( Matthew 28:19-20 ). Their unique position as eyewitnesses to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and their reception of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, established them as the authoritative leaders of the nascent Church, a reality echoed in the writings of early Church Fathers like Ignatius of Antioch, who emphasized the apostles' authority as repre...