Click here to download “A Mother’s Song” by Danielle Rose, from the Mysteries CD, courtesy of World Library Publications, wlpmusic.com

Why do you have a strong relationship with Mary?

When I was 19, I realized that although I knew a lot about Jesus, I did not know Him the way that I wanted to – to hear Him, see Him, touch Him, and be truly intimate with Him. I realized that there was someone who knew Him that way – Mary.

For the first time in my life, I spoke to Mary from my heart, and I asked her to please teach me and show me how she loved Him and knew Him. Our Mother Mary is very gentle; she waits for us to come to her and ask her for assistance.

I didn’t have any visions or hear any voices. A greater miracle happened. Mary quietly entered my heart and began to plant seeds of desire for prayer. I began to long to go to Daily Mass, confession, dates with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and to pray the rosary. Instead of fitting prayer “into” my busy schedule, prayer became the #1 priority that everything else was ordered around. Through Mary’s heart, I fell in love with Jesus.

She knew that the intimacy I longed to find with Him was waiting for me in the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. Through her invitation, I began to know that Jesus was truly present in the Eucharist – and that I could receive Him each day and know Him, hear Him, touch Him, see Him – the way that Mary did. And once I knew Him as Mary knows Him – to hold and receive His Body and Blood just as she held Him in her womb, her arms, and her heart – then my relationship with Jesus was forever transformed.

Can you tell us about this song?

I didn’t pray the rosary growing up. It wasn’t until college that I discovered the creative wonders and joys of praying with Mary to ponder the life of Jesus. Praying the rosary is like having a bible study with Mary. We look through her eyes, and she walks with us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Mary helps us cooperate with the Holy Spirit to take up our cross daily and to say “Yes” to God in all the joys and sorrows of our lives.

The mysteries of the rosary are living, and when we ask Mary to help us turn to Jesus, we begin to see and experience these mysteries in the events of our own lives. In order to share with others what Mary has shared with me, I wanted to write a meditation song for each of the 20 mysteries of the rosary, so that others (especially young people) could receive the gift of this prayer coming alive in their hearts anew.

This particular song is the meditation for the 5th sorrowful mystery: the Crucifixion. The song is from the perspective of Mary at the foot of the cross, as she recalls her the story of loving Jesus from the cradle to the grave.

Girl In Progress: An Exclusive Interview with Cierra Ramirez from Life Teen on Vimeo.

Cierra Ramirez, who stars in Girl in Progress alongside Eva Mendez, sat down with Jackie Francois to talk about the movie and what it’s like to be an actress. Check it out and go see this awesome movie! It comes out in theaters May 11, 2012.

• Find Girl in Progress in theaters near you: buzzplant.com/theaters
• For group sales and special rates: 888-319-7866

It was about this time 6 years ago that I quit smoking. I smoked for 12 years. It’s not something that you’re typically proud of, because I certainly wasn’t. But I will say this, I think God used the experience of that, in a very profound way, to understand the nature of what it means to be an addict.

And the line between an addict and a misfit is unbelievably close. As an addict you just have a craving for something and you just fixated on the wrong thing. All along what you were fixated and hungry for was God.

Sometimes that addiction, a distorted hunger for God, gets very oppressive and it can redefine the way you live your life. God wants you to rise above it. Maybe you’re watching this and you don’t smoke, or you’re not addicted to any substance. But maybe you’re addicted to other people’s opinions about yourself. And maybe your addicted to your own thoughts about yourself. Maybe you’re addicted to fear. Maybe you’re addicted to drama and you don’t know what do if there isn’t drama in your life.

Whatever your circumstance is, it doesn’t have to be earth shatteringly horrible, you could just be stuck in your life. God wants a break through for you. And that’s why I wrote the song “Rise Up.” I wrote it because there are people with small and real problems and some people with big and real problems. Any single one of those God is saying, “Look at me and I’ll raise your head and I’ll lift you above your circumstance.” And I think that Church does that together corporately, then we’ll see lambs that roar like lions. Not because of what they’ve done but because of what God is able to do through them.

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Jimmy Mitchell about his new project “Love Come Alive” with the musical company Mysterium. “Love Come Alive” was a live concert in the Fall of 2011 that helped support 40 Days for Life and was turned into an album and a touring concert this spring in cities around the country.

Listen to “Love Come Alive” by Haylee Mitchell

Download “Love Come Alive”

What is Mysterium?

Well, at it’s core, Mysterium is a company that produces music, publishes books, and puts on live events and tours with the vision of rebuilding Catholic culture through the arts. Our hope is to bring Truth and Beauty to a dark and disparaging world. I really believe that art is something that can engage the human heart, that can transform human culture.

I think there is this delicate balance between art for its own sake, which has its value, but art to glorify God, which is a lot of what we’ve done up to this point with two Marian Grace albums which are very much meant to stir that heart’s desire for transcendence. But I think that there are fine arts that are not necessarily meant for sacred things or for the Church, but are meant for the culture at large. Artists that are wrestling with their own humanity. Whether they are Catholic or not, Christian or not, have Truth to share with the world. They have art to share with the world that expresses Truth.

Primarily, we’re doing music right now, but the hope in the long run is to be an influence in the Church and in the culture for bringing Truth and Beauty, keeping those two things properly united in every form of art.

This is your third album, but your first non-sacred album. Why the change?

I probably would have done this ten years ago if I had the people around me. I’ve always had this dream of finding and forming and affirming Catholic artists, better put artists who are Catholic.

When I was in seminary two years, sacred music was just something that was very much intriguing me at the time. When we put out that first album it was very much on a whim. It was not meant to become something huge or lead to another album.

So when I got this committee in the Diocese of Nashville who wanted to take the 40 Days for Life campaign to the next level, I mentioned the possibility of doing a music festival. Not sacred music or Christian music and certainly not liturgical music, but music that uncovers the richness and mystery of what it means to be human. A great pop, rock, jazz, folk music about life and love inspired by a deep Catholic understanding of the human person in the culture at large.

This CD is all about what it means to be human. About the Truth, Beauty, Goodness of a life lived well, which to me is just as Catholic as sacred music, but totally different in its approach.

There is an intentional focus on pop songs. Why would the artists choose to write those type of songs?

The Church has a very distinct vision for how music fits into the life of the faithful. There’s music that is properly sacred and properly liturgical. There is music that is properly prayerful and devotional, that stirs love for our Lord. In an XLT or praise and worship. But I think a third dimension that is often neglected is music that is meant to be secular in nature. That is meant to transform the culture from within.

I don’t know many non-Christians who listen to Christian music. I know very few who would ever step foot in a Catholic church. I really want to bring music in all three categories.

What I’m hoping with “Love Come Alive” is that this kind of music in the hands of someone who would never step foot in a church, who would never turn on Christian radio, but could be engaged by simple but beautiful songs about love and life.

Why would this album be attractive to a young person when most of what young people listen to today is more about rhythm than about melody?

People buy this album when they see these artists live. If you see a show and enjoy an artist, enjoy the live performance, than you’re much more likely to buy their music. I think that young people will be excited about this CD when they have a personal contact with these artists.

If you can get a middle school girl to love your music, you’re pretty much guaranteed that the whole society is going to encounter it. I think there’s a little bit of that. Meg Murray’s “Share Some Love” is very poppy.

I think that because it’s helping raise money for the 40 Days for Life is going to motivate a 20 something or 30 something more than a teenager that is used to getting something for free anyway.

We’re going to start be doing some two week tours. We’ll be pairing up Halley and Chris, and Kevin and Colleen into some 10 or 11 city tours and get these artists out there. From my perspective the best way to connect with music is to get artists out there doing shows. Unless we get some crazy break and get on the radio or television or movie, we’ll just have to work hard. We’ll have to get in front of as many young people as possible.

What do you view as the future of Mysterium and this particular music?

With this music you get campus families, young adults, young families gather in a parish or mainstream venue. This sort of music really stirs Catholic culture. I don’t mean like we’re all on our knees in adoration. I mean people gathered because we believe in the gospel of life and love. Therefore, leisure and entertainment are things that are being human. I believe that leisure and entertainment can be rooted in something true and beautiful and deep, and it’s going to be that much more of a profound experience.

For a young teen who’s grown up in a world where interaction is less incarnational and more digital, how does “Love Come Alive” speak to a teenager?

They’re going to gather anyways, so let there be meaning behind the gathering. That’s a very naturally occurring thing.

One of the things that I think makes “Love Come Alive” distinct is that it’s an amazing opportunity for them to invite others who aren’t even Catholic or Christian. I think it touches enough upon those transcendentals of truth, beauty, goodness, and love that you don’t have to be Catholic, you don’t have to be Christian to enjoy this music. In some ways I want that of all the music that Mysterium puts out.

If people want to connect with Mysterium more, how should they do that?

The best thing with “Love Come Alive” is at lovecomealive.com. You can find all our tour dates there. We’re going to be a doing another big music festival in the Fall here in Nashville.

If people want to find and hear more about Mysterium, you can go to mysteriumonline.com. It’s the best place to read our blogs and stay in touch with all of our music up to this point. We’ve also release some books.

We’re on Twitter and Facebook and you can find that info on the websites.

I’m not going to lie; I thought the movie October Baby was going to be another one of those movies that I’d be embarrassed about as a Catholic.

Not that I’m ashamed of proclaiming my faith, but I was worried about how the movie would portray such a sensitive topic such as abortion. It’s hard enough to defend life in person and I didn’t think a movie could do it without coming across as unrelatable, especially because the audience is filled with people whose views oppose each other.

Maybe my attitude going in wasn’t the best, I’ll admit. I tend to be picky about the movies I watch; I guess you could call me a pre-movie pessimist. I just couldn’t imagine that a film could relay what we know as Catholics (that every life has dignity from the moment of conception) and be entertaining.

Not only did this movie meet my expectations, but it also exceeded them! It didn’t waver from truth in hopes to be more widely accepted. It even didn’t shy away from the hard topics surrounding abortion, specifically the effects on the post-abortive mother like I thought it would.

While watching the movie, I couldn’t help but be drawn into the story. The main character, after finding out that she was a survivor of a failed abortion, goes on a journey to discover who she is.

I was blown away by the honesty and raw emotion in the movie. What makes this movie great is that you go on a journey with the characters. You can feel the hurt, the confusion, the pain; but you can also feel the redemption that comes with forgiveness. I couldn’t help but be sympathetic to every character. The most moving aspects of the film were the scenes with the post-abortive mother and her adopted father. This was a story of forgiveness and redemption, yet it did not come across as “churchy.”

After seeing the movie, the people in the theatre — with tearstains down their cheeks — stuck around to talk about the movie. It seemed like everyone could relate to a specific character, or part of a character’s struggle. Those that have had a first hand experience of the pain that abortion brings could relate to the post-abortive mother. Those that have struggled letting their children grow up could relate to the father. The dynamic between the main character and her male best friend related to those in dating relationships. Every young person could relate to the main character’s search for who she was. Every character in the movie had a dynamic personality that allowed the audience to journey with them towards forgiveness and redemption. There is no denial that this movie, and the producers who made it, understood the effect that the story would have on the audience.

Truth moves hearts, and this movie has left an imprint on my heart that will constantly remind me of the freedom that only forgiveness can bring.

If you don’t know Audrey Assad, that’s okay. She’s only the biggest thing to happen to the Christian music scene in years, but you wouldn’t know it by talking to her. Liz Lemon appearances aside, Audrey probably wouldn’t stand out in a room full of celebrities, nor would you think that behind her quirky demeanor there’s a voice that could take on both the resonating power of Adele and the melodic soul of Joni Mitchell.

It’s her small and humble heart that makes her newest project Heart such a big and powerful album. There’s an honesty to the album that makes you feel like you’re not only getting to know Audrey’s heart, but you’re also seeing a glimpse of God’s heart.

Needless to say, when Audrey and her husband Billy approached us about a listening party for the new album, we jumped at the chance. Audrey and Billy both believe in sharing music together in community. So this is our small effort to talk and share Audrey’s music with all of you, the community on LifeTeen.com.

We’ve picked 5 songs to play for you and talk about. Of course, we encourage you to pick up the entire album for yourself and share the songs with your friends. If you want to let us know what you thought of the songs, you can always email me at rmiller@lifeteen.com or tweet Audrey at @audreyassad.

You can find Audrey here at AudreyAssad.com. You can purchase Heart on iTunes.

Okay, listen. I really like the Hunger Games. I could not put the first book down this summer and so of course at the first minute of Friday the 23rd, at 12:01am, I was sitting in a theater to see the movie.

“But it’s about teens killing each other!!!” This is the reaction a lot of adults have. (At least that’s what my parents said.) Yes it is about killing. And it’s terrible. It’s horrific.

See, this movie is not supposed to be about glorifying killing. The two main characters, Katniss and Peeta, are horrified that they have to participate in the Hunger Games and fight to the death, much like Roman gladiators. Though the governing body, the “Capitol”, finds it enjoyable, the majority (except for three districts) of the population is appalled by these games year after year.

But I found some very inspiring themes in this story:

Sacrifice

I cried when Katniss volunteered to go to the Hunger Games instead of her little sister who she loved more than anything. She loved her more than her own life. Hmm . . . what does that remind you of? “No greater love hath a man than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friend” (John 15:13). When faced with this decision, could I be as brave? Could I give up my life for my little sister? Or my brother? Or my best friend? I can only hope and pray that I could. When we see Katniss offer her own life, it’s inspiring. Could you do what she did? Can you make even small sacrifices in order to show your love for your family?

Courage

Katniss and Peeta are not going to win. That’s what everyone thought when they first arrived. These two were the underdogs. I often feel like they did. When I’m having a bad day, or week, or 4 months, and everything seems to be working against me and my happiness . . . what am I supposed to do? These two don’t give up. They keep going, keep fighting for their lives. And in doing so they imply to us, “You don’t have to give up when you’re dealt a rough blow,” “There’s more strength inside of you than you think.” We need to hear that. We need to see that played out.

Life

Valuable, precious, treasured, unique, dignified – these are the unspoken words that define a person’s life in this book and movie. The Capitol may think the lives of the kids in the Hunger Games are just about as valuable as their extravagant food – great for a bit of enjoyment, but ultimately – disposable. There’s this powerful moment in the movie when Katniss mourns the death of someone else in the Hunger Games, Rue. You get this sense that everything Katniss had been holding in, all her emotions about being in the Hunger Games, the reality of people dying around her, and the fact that she had to kill someone to defend herself, it all overwhelms her. She sits sobbing uncontrollably. What if we had the same respect for life? What if the reality of the thousands of babies who die every day hit us in the same way? Katniss in this moment is not being self-centered. If only I could think about the value of the lives around me every day. I would treat others with so much more respect. I would fight harder for life. What about you?

Injustice

What are we going to do about the injustices in our lives? Katniss and Peeta are heroes because they stand up for what they believe in. They say “NO” when told to conform to the expectations of their world. What’s eerie about this movie is that since it’s set so close to modern-day, you can almost envision these things happening. It would never happen though if each of us stands up for what we believe in. If you and I say, “NO” to things like bullying, abortion, people living in extravagance and not helping the poor – the world could be a different and better place sooner than we think.

Are these the reasons that so many people love this story? I believe that deep down we want to see characters who have more virtue than we do so that we can look up to them. Of course, just like us, who sin and fail, all of their actions aren’t perfect.

So I’m not saying in any way that this is a perfect story. (In fact there’s no such thing in today’s entertainment industry.) I’m also not advocating that everyone go see it; it’s pretty violent and I recommend it only for mature teens and adults.

We have to be honest though and admit that this movie was a HUGE success at the box office. I like to believe that this movie was huge because we’re tired of mindless, romantic comedies. Maybe that’s not true and some people went to see the film and their only thought afterwards was, “I want to marry Peeta.”

There’s a way to find good in some secular entertainment and I challenge you to search for truth in anything that you consume, whether it’s books, TV, music, or movies. Don’t just check out when you go to the movies. Ask questions, think about it, dig deep into the meaning, and maybe you’ll realize why the Hunger Games was devoured by the world this weekend.

Maybe we’re hungry for a story of sacrifice, courage, life, and justice. I can hope so.

Dear Nicki Minaj,

I want to begin by letting you know that I don’t know much about you. I don’t listen to your music. I don’t know your background, and I even had to look up how to spell your name. I think you performed at the Super Bowl this year, but last night, watching the Grammy’s, was probably my first real introduction to you. And if it’s important to make a good first impression, with me, you failed.

To say that I was offended by your performance is an understatement, and I really don’t want to go back and re-live it again, so I’m not going to get into any specifics. What I do want you to know is something all of us Catholics believe.

You can insult our Church. You can mock the hierarchy. You can make fun of our beliefs and traditions. But, there are two things I can promise. First, we will not back down. We will stand together, and if you mock our faith, expect to hear from us, no matter who you are. Second, Jesus loves you. That’s how great our Lord is. He loves you. And as hard as it is for me to say this, I love you too.

Now that in no way condones your actions. As I said, I was deeply offended as a Catholic who strives everyday to live out his faith. However, as an imperfect human being, I fail. We all do. I offend God everyday, and since your performance last night, I’ve probably offended God several times. That’s why I go to Confession, a sacrament that has transformed my life and made me a better person. It’s one of the things you mocked last night, and that made me sad.

You see I love you because I want you to know the unconditional love that I’ve come to know in my 31 years, a love that Jesus Christ freely offers. It’s through the Catholic Church that I’ve come to know this love. This doesn’t make me better than anyone else, and to be honest, I have a long way to go. But one thing I believe as a Catholic is that everyone deserves to know Christ’s unconditional love.

And perhaps you do. Perhaps you have a relationship with our Lord and pray everyday. I really don’t know. But, I would like to invite you to visit a Catholic Church. You can come to mine if you’d like. I’m sure my parish would like to welcome you and explain to you the beauty of the faith and how it’s transformed our lives. We could tell you all about the Eucharist and rest of the Sacraments, and what they’ve meant to our hearts and souls. There’s so much beauty to share, and maybe that would help you to understand us better.

Above all, I want you to know that I am praying for you. I pray that you may come to know God’s grace, joy, and love working in your life everyday, three things that I pray I may come to know more deeply as well. May God bless you always.

In Jesus’ Peace,

A Catholic

I’m not ashamed to say it: selections from Justin Bieber’s latest album, Under the Mistletoe, have definitely been creeping their way up on my iTunes’ most played list. As a lover of music and all things Christmas, I thought I’d share my reflections on one the year’s hottest Christmas albums.

Under the Mistletoe is Justin’s first Christmas album. In it, the 17-year-old pop star comes together with some of the biggest names in music, including: Usher, The Band Perry, and Boyz II Men. Aside from the classics like Silent Night, and The Christmas Song, I’d have to say my favorite songs on the album are Mistletoe, Drummer Boy, and Pray.

Mistletoe: Face it. If you bought this album, this song is the reason why. With a guitar strum you can nod your head along to and the serenading voice of the Biebs, Mistletoe is easily my favorite on the album. But even though a lot of girls might wish they were Justin’s “shorty,” standing under the mistletoe all night is a pretty boring way to spend the Christmas party. Still, I can’t help but admire the fact that Justin is willing to wait there all night for this girl.

Drummer Boy: This song is a fun and upbeat twist on the classic. And, if you’re anything like me, Drummer Boy may just make you want to get up and dance. Since Justin himself began playing the drums at age two, it could be that he identifies with the Little Drummer Boy who plays his drums as a gift for Jesus. Justin and Busta Rhymes take some creative liberties in this one, but it still has the same great message: Your talents make the perfect Christmas gift for God.

Pray: Justin shows that he has his priorities straight in this song. His answer to the question, “How can I make a change?” Pray.

“I close my eyes and pray for the brokenhearted
I pray for the life not started
I pray for the ones not breathing
I pray for all the souls in need”

Of course, giving to charity and volunteering your time is important too, but as Justin points out in this song, prayer is the most powerful thing we can do to make a difference.

If you’re looking for some Christmas tunes you can dance to, and also have an appreciation for the classics, Under the Mistletoe is worth checking out.