As you will notice on the websites, it is Annual Appeal time at Life Teen. The theme we have chosen the appeal this year is, “Vocations Start Here.”
We live in a loud and fast paced world. God longs to speak to each one of us, but how can we hear Him amidst the noise and demands of our culture? For over 27 years, the Life Teen Movement has been committed to evangelizing youth and helping them hear God’s call. We humbly invite you to take part in our mission where vocations begin.
She had her dream job . . . and she was only 19. Kylie beat out 10,000 other women when she won the Victoria’s Secret Model Search back in 2009. She travelled the world modeling lingerie as a Victoria’s Secret Angel but Kylie realized it wasn’t everything she had hoped it would be, especially as a married woman. So last Spring she said “peace out Victoria’s Secret!”
Just as in Marriage spouses give themselves fully to each other — spirit and body — so a priest gives himself to the service of Christ for the Church. Imagine trying to give yourself fully to an entire parish and have a family to take care of! You’d have to make sure your family has food on the table and a roof over their heads and are spiritually and emotionally taken care of.
The YouCat describes a creed as a “bried formula of faith that makes it possible for all believers to make a common profession” (YouCat 26).
The two most used creeds of the Catholic Church are the Nicene Creed and the Apostle’s Creed. In Mass, we pray the Nicene Creed, which was written during two of the great councils of the Church, Nicacea in 325 A.D. and Constantinople in 381 A.D. It’s the Church’s way of briefly summarizing the most important truths of the faith.
So, yes, it’s hard to be gay and Catholic — it’s hard to be anything and Catholic — because I don’t always get to do what I want. Show me a religion where you always get to do what you want and I’ll show you a pretty shabby, lazy religion. Something not worth living or dying for, or even getting up in the morning for. That might be the kind of world John Lennon wanted . . .
This promise – to only say what you mean with your body – is what chastity rings signify. Normally they are worn by those who plan on getting married and are currently striving to live a chaste single life.
Chastity rings are traditionally worn on the ring finger of the left hand, holding the place for the wedding ring they will receive from their future spouse.
Clothes say something about what we think, what we value. They also influence how we behave and feel. Sunday is special, and God’s House is special. Some things are really important, and our clothing and demeanor ought to reflect this truth.
The exterior reflects the interior, and God definitely deserves the best we have inside and out!
As we go through our sacramental preparation for Confirmation, Confirmation saints are chosen to be a person we want to be like, as well as someone who can pray for us from heaven.
Catholics are able to speak in tongues if they have been given the gift of tongues by the Holy Spirit.
“Tongues” is a kind of prayer that can either be vocalized or internal and it’s when a person is able to pray in a language that they do not know. Not all Catholics are given this gift, but that’s okay. All Catholics receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation. These are the important gifts that everyone needs to grow in holiness.
If you’ve happened to go to a Life Teen camp or Life Teen Steubenville Conference this summer, you might have seen this large, foamy device called a Life Teen Kneeler, perfect to keep those knees happy when spending time in Adoration. Well, two awesome girls from San Antonio, McKenna and Courtney to be exact, had a great idea to come up with 50 ways to use that Life Teen Kneeler (other than to kneel).
This is perhaps the best video ever made. Warning: you might be jealous of the kneeler if you don’t have one. Guess what? You can buy that and hundreds of other sweet items in our online store.
We venerate the bodies of saints because even though the saint is dead they are still an important part of that man or woman. They were once temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:15) and one day they will be eternally glorified!
Catholics follow the Ten Commandments because Christ, Himself, followed them and because He told others to follow them (Matthew 19:16-19). We also follow them because they were given to us by God. In the book of Exodus we read how God himself gave these commandments to the Israelites through the help of Moses. However there is more to following the Ten Commandments than just because “God told us to.”
We obey God’s commands because He loves us! Because God loves us and loves us perfectly we can always trust His word. Also, because God created us we can trust that He always knows what is best for us.
Only Catholics can receive the Eucharist at Mass because the Eucharist is the Sacrament of our unity in Christ; those who receive it need to have unity in the Faith.
The practice of excluding some people from Holy Communion is a Biblically based, ancient Christian discipline observed by both Catholics and many Protestants.
In the outward sign of crossing our forehead, lips, and heart, we are asking that the Word of God to pierce our mind, lips, and hearts.
We cross our forehead so that the Word of God may be in our thoughts and purify our minds. We cross our lips so that our speech may be holy and incline us to share the Gospel with others. And we cross our hearts to invite God to strengthen our love for Him and others. All of this is so that we might know, proclaim, and love Jesus Christ all the more.
Catholics make the sign of the cross because it is a brief profession of the Christian faith, which we received from the Apostles. “Through the Sign of the Cross we place ourselves under the protection of the Triune God.” (CCC 2157)
As often as we make the sign of the cross in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we are saying that we believe in God, a Trinity of three persons, and the Redemption of the Cross.
According to Catholic tradition, Our Lady gave the scapular to St. Simon Stock, the Father General of the Carmelite order, in the thirteenth century. Mary appeared to St. Simon in a vision, held out a scapular and said to him, “ . . . he who dies in this will not suffer eternal fire.”
Does this mean if you wear the scapular you get into heaven no matter what your actions? Of course not!
The scapular is not a “get out of hell free” card or a magical charm. It is an exterior sign of an interior fidelity to Christ and trust in his Mother’s love and intercession for her children.
What will your future be like? Do you just live life without a thought of the future? Do you live your life with the end in mind? Or do you live with eternity in mind? This was an amazing night of worship led by the Ike Ndolo Band and our talk was given by Mr. Matt Smith. Don’t miss out! Song List The Earth is Yours – Gungor Oh Happiness! – David Crowder Band Here is Our King – David Crowder Band Marvelous Light – Charlie Hall Our God – Chris Tomlin From the Inside Out – Hillsong At Read more [...]
Fasting is all about the “disposition” of your soul. That means the “condition” or “state” that your soul is in. In order to prepare the soul, we have to prepare the body.
We are physical beings. When we force our body to do something hard, like not eat or drink, it reminds us that hunger and thirst for spiritual food is even more important.
Since the body and soul make up the one person that you are, they have to do things together . . . like get ready for Jesus in the Eucharist.
Philip Neri’s prayer life is what kept him so joyful. His entire life became a prayer. He only ate once a day and, even then, it was only bread and water. Though he had a bed, he usually opted to sleep on the floor, without a pillow. He had few possessions, endured great spiritual attacks, and daily, during his intense prayers that lasted hours, it was not uncommon for him to experience ecstasies and visions.
Nuns might be serious about prayer, but they can be just as serious about winning at ultimate frisbee. Watch out, because this nun might take you down next time you step out onto the field.
