I learned something a little scary about myself this weekend while cleaning my bookshelves. As I rummaged through the piles, I was embarrassed to see the number of half-read and un-used “self-help” books. I had books on personality types, Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace, dating insights, The Five Love Languages, books on time management, self-improvement, and deeper inner healing. I even had a book by Dr. Phil . . . Really Mary?

I know that at least I’m not alone in this. Type “self-help” in the search engine of Amazon and you get over 172,000 book titles. We live in a culture looking for the quick fix to every problem. We scour glamour magazines, best-selling authors, and psychological experts looking for the one product, insight, or procedure that will finally “fix” us and make us “okay.”

What Are You Seeking?

Don’t get me wrong, I do feel that bettering ourselves is a worthy cause. But if I’m honest with myself, behind my desire to buy all those books is a deeper longing for wholeness. I want some hope to find the answers to my fears. I’m looking for a strategy to handle my chaotic life or a medicine to ease the ache of any of the pains that surround me.

The problem with the self-help phenomenon is it can gives us the illusion that we can actually fix ourselves without the help of God. Instead of dealing with our hurt, sin, and deep issues, we learn strategies for coping and hiding. We’re just putting band-aids over our gaping, oozing wounds.

In high school, I hid my wounded-ness and deep insecurity behind my list of achievements. With three varsity sports, student council, shiny awards and leadership roles galore, I looked like I had my act together. But inside, I never thought I was enough. I was never pretty enough, smart enough, or funny enough. I believed lies about myself that bound me. I thought the shame and pain I carried inside from past hurts could never mend. So I just coped. I kept pushing through and pretending I was okay when I wasn’t.

Gentle Healer

But God didn’t come into our humanity just to give us a band aid for our wounds or coping mechanisms to push through. He came to give us life and life to the fullness. (John: 10:10) He came to restore us and to make us whole. He came to bring healing.

A huge part of Christ’s ministry on earth was to heal. Throughout scripture we see the countless stories of him giving sight to the blind, making the lame walk, raising the dead, and healing the lepers. The way He heals isn’t exactly the same today . . . It’s not like you wander through a colony of lepers on the way to Geometry class. (That would be scary.)

Today, it’s our souls that are wounded.

You can think if your leg isn’t broken or your arm isn’t severed off then God has nothing to heal. But to live in this fallen world is to know pain and the effects of sin in our hearts. We all carry pain from shame, rejection, or feelings of unworthiness. But just as Christ ministered healing to the lame and the lepers when He walked on the earth 2000 years ago, He wants to heal the wounds and blindness of our hearts today.

“He carried in his own body on the cross the sins we committed. He did this so that we might live in righteousness, having nothing to do with sin. By his wounds you were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24 (CEB)

So Fix Me Already

Okay, you might be thinking, “Mary, I have prayed a million times for this same thing, and God hasn’t fixed it. It still hurts. It hasn’t gotten better. God isn’t healing me!”

But what I have learned in my own healing is that God doesn’t want to just “fix” us. Our God is not a Santa Clause or a magician. He is a gentle healer and a loving surgeon. He wants intimacy with us – a relationship. It is in and through that relationship that His love has the power to heal our wounds. It’s a lifetime of walking with Him as our closest friend. He wants to hold us and walk through the pain with us, using the healing of the sacraments and bringing the resources and the people to guide us along the way.

Whatever your wound is – rejection from a failed relationship, separation of your parents, loss of a loved one, insecurities, abuse, shame from sin, feelings of abandonment, addiction, or a long list of small ways you hide your failures and inadequacies – God endured that very wound and carried it on the cross to so that you could be restored to new life. In our journey to wholeness we don’t need a “self-Help” book or a another formula. We have a savior. The wounded healer calls to you today . . . And by his wounds, you can take confidence that “you are healed.”

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

Editor’s Note: I never guessed 40 days could fly by so fast! But here we are in Holy Week and I’m not so sure my heart is prepared to fully enter into the Triduum – the most epic time of year for us as Catholics. What about you? Are you prepared?

If you feel like you need a recap of this journey through the desert we just took, listen to Fr. Mike Schmitz’s homilies from the last couple weeks. If that sounds boring to you – you’ve never heard this holy man preach! Just press play . . . you could even organize your sock drawer while you listen. Just promise me you’ll do one thing, prepare your heart and really enter into the Triduum this year; God has something amazing to show you.

I’m praying for you.

-Christina Mead

For Love of You

“The ashes mean I am a sinner. The Cross means I have a Savior. The ashes mean I need to turn away from something. The Cross is what I turn towards. The ashes mean that I have fallen short of God’s glory. And the Cross means that you and I are all made for glory.”

For Love of You

Purification and Enlightenment

“I invite you, my brothers and sisters, to enter into this Lent with a spirit of meekness but a spirit of courage, with a spirit of humility but a spirit of boldness, with a spirit not of fear, as St. Peter says, to not be afraid or terrified with fear, but a spirit of hope.”

Purification and Enlightenment

My Beloved Son

“In Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Chapter 8, the whole chapter is about being a son of God. Because of Jesus it says, ‘Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, ‘Papa! Abba! Father!’ So what does that mean? Isaac said, ‘Abraham, Father, your will is my will. Let it be done unto me.’ Jesus said to the Father, ‘Abba, Father, Your will is my will, Your mind is my mind, Your mission is my mission.’ And you, us, as sons and daughters of the Father, what do we say? ‘Father, Your will is my will. Just like Abraham, I can trust you. Just like Isaac, I can trust you. Just like Jesus, I can trust you.’”

My Beloved Son

Christianity 101: Shame

“God is not ashamed of your shame. He is not ashamed of what we’re ashamed of. He is not afraid of what scares us. He is not afraid of our sins. God is not shocked by the fact that we are weak. So do not, do not, please, my brothers and sisters, do not allow your shame or your sin or your weakness to keep you in shadow.”

Christianity 101: Shame

Father, Glorify Your Name

“I think when Jesus says in today’s Gospel, ‘Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a single grain of wheat. But if it dies, it can produce much fruit,’ He knows what He is talking about. Because here He is, stripping Himself. Here He is, becoming that seed that falls to the ground and dies. And I think the same thing happens to us. When it comes to whatever it is in our life that just enslaves us, whether it’s that desire to be famous, that desire to be known, the desire to be significant, unless that dies, I just die as me and my glory does not follow me below. So Jesus says, ‘Here is the secret: humble yourselves. Strip off glory.’”

Father, Glorify Your Name

Prepare for Easter with our friend Matt Maher in this series of video reflections. Come back each day of Holy Week the watch the reflection. Make sure to share them with all your friends.

You can find Matt Maher at:
Website: http://mattmahermusic.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/mattmahermusic
YouTube: http://youtube.com/mattmahermusic
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mattmahermusic

Palm Sunday

The Last Supper

Betrayal

Judgement Before The Sanhedrin

Good Friday

Waiting

Resurrection

It’s the Ash Wednesday edition of XLT. The special night has different format because we had a Liturgy of the Word at the beginning of the night. Fr. John Parks, Associate Pastor at St. Timothy’s Catholic Church in Mesa, Arizona gives a great homily about living in relationship with the God who loves you in the here and now. During Lent we not only turn back to God, we allow him to look at us with His eyes of mercy and love. Matt Maher leads worship too!

Song List

• Hosanna – Brooke Fraser
• The Heart of Worship – Matt Redman
• Give Us Clean Hands – Tim Hughes
• Prepare the Way – Charlie Hall
• Lay it Down – Matt Maher
• I Love You, Lord – Matt Maher
• How He Loves – John Mark McMillan
• Adoration – Matt Maher
• Divine Praises – Matt Maher
• No Turning Back – Matt Maher, Chris Tomlin
• How Great is Our God – Chris Tomlin
• Your Grace is Enough – Matt Maher
• Hold Us Together – Matt Maher
• Every Little Prison (Deliver Me) – Matt Maher

(On January 15, 2012, I completed my first marathon. This series breaks down the lessons I learned on my journey to the finish line.)

I remember one of my first retreats in high school. I came home Sunday night on fire and ready to be a new person. It was time to change. I was going to go to Confession every week, get to mass everyday, pray the rosary every night, and read my Bible every morning. I was going to be holy. No more making fun of people, bad language, or laziness. I knew I could do it. I was inspired.

And that lasted until Tuesday. Yep. Tuesday. I had so much to learn. You see, I was trying to run a sprint, and life is more like a marathon.

For those who don’t know, a marathon is 26.2 miles, and the best way to describe that is with the following words: very, very, VERY LONG. If you try to sprint it there’s a pretty good chance you’ll burnout early, like I did after my retreat. I had good intentions, and the things I was trying to do were holy, but I hadn’t set a foundation.

The Importance of the First Mile

As I trained for and ran in my first marathon, I came to realize the importance of the first mile. It’s in the first mile when you set a steady pace, allowing yourself to grow gradually as you continue the race. If you start too fast, you’ll exhaust yourself. If you start too slow, you’ll lose interest. But, the key is to get into a rhythm that allows you to focus and persevere until the end.

Along with that, in the first mile, your body is still adapting. There are little pains in your legs, feet, and muscles that can make you want to quit. But if you get into a rhythm and set a solid pace, do you know what happens? Those pains don’t bother you any more, and you continue on.

Endurance

In Hebrews 10:36 we hear, “You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.”

And what is that promise? Salvation of our souls. But so often, we get those little moments of motivation and feel the urge to sprint towards that promise, forgetting a key word in the beginning of this verse: endurance. Growing in holiness takes time. It takes effort each and every day, and we build up endurance through foundation of prayer, which allows us to continue on that path to salvation.

Take a look at your own life. What is it that you want to achieve? What long-term goals do you have? How are you growing toward the ultimate goal of salvation (1 Peter 1:9)?

I was disappointed in myself after that first retreat experience because I fell so soon, but I didn’t have to. I learned that I needed to build up some endurance in my prayer life to get to that finish line. And you do too. Now, go hit that “starting line” and focus on that first mile. Find that steady pace, work through those pains, and build your endurance. The finish line is waiting for you.

1. Lesson 1: You’re Capable of More Than You Think
2. Lesson 2: You’ve Got to Have a Plan

How do the Stations of the Cross go from being just 14 images on your parish’s walls to a life-altering encounter with God? Simple – How you pray them. Whether you are praying them by yourself in your room or in a crowded Church during Lent, this prayer is an invitation into the very heart of God. It is our decision to accept or deny the invitation. Below are just a few suggestions on how to truly enter into the Way of the Cross and allow your heart to be transformed in the journey:

Make Space for God

All too often we race through the Stations as though there is a “fastest pray-er” award waiting at the end of the 14th Station (there isn’t, by the way). When entering into this journey, take your time. Start by asking the Holy Spirit to reveal something new. Go through each Station prayerfully and intentionally. Leave space and silence between each Station for God to speak, illuminate, reveal and unveil.

Use Your Eyeballs

There is a reason why almost every Catholic Church in the world has 14 images hanging on their walls. God gave us our vision to help us enter into His vision. Whether you are praying the Stations in the church or at home, use visual images of each Station to help focus and direct your prayer.

Imagination Station

Just as God gave you eyesight, He also gave you an imagination. Use it! With each Station, place yourself in the moment. What does the cross look like? What do the crowded streets feel like? What does nails piercing the hands and feet of Jesus sound like? What does the incense used to prepare Jesus for burial smell like? Enter in and allow the Holy Spirit (and your imagination) to lead the prayer.

What’s Your Goal?

Why relive what happened so many years ago? The goal of praying the Stations is not just to get through them. The goal is to contemplate the depth of love God demonstrated on the Cross. The other goal is to learn how to carry our own crosses with Christ. In praying the Stations, we learn compassion (literally “to feel with”). We enter into the suffering of Christ to better understand our suffering and the suffering of others.

How to use Come Walk: A Teen Guide to Stations of the Cross

For each Station, you will find two different reflections. The first reflection helps you enter into the scene. The second reflection helps you apply the scene to your own life. If you are praying the Stations as a group, the leader (or leaders) will start each Station with a call & response prayer. Then someone will read each reflection with a short period of silence after each. Finally, conclude each Station by praying the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be together as a group. If you are praying the Stations by yourself, slowly read and pray the prayers and reflections.

The following was taken from Come Walk: A Teen Guide to Stations of the Cross. You can purchase this handy little pocket guide in the Life Teen Store for only three bucks!

I have a love/hate relationship with the show Fear Factor.

In fact, I barely watch it because I’m covering my eyes so often. At the same time, I can’t turn it off because it’s so fascinating to see what people (who are far braver than I) will do for money and fame.

If you’ve never seen it, it’s a reality TV show where you can win a load of money if you overcome your fears and do all sorts of gross or exhilarating things, such as eating live beetles, letting snakes slither all over you in a pit, walking across a lot of broken glass, or being strapped to the front of a moving vehicle as it crashes through walls.

I don’t know about you, but I would rather be poor.

Brainstorming for my new years resolution is like writing my own script for a personalized episode of Fear Factor. Well at least this year it is.

Last year I didn’t even make one. I used some lame-o excuse about not setting myself up for disappointment.

When I thought back on 2011, I saw myself having a lot of great intentions but I had a hard time following through with them all. I’m guessing it was the lack of focus resulting from not having made a resolution. I know I don’t want to be complacent; I want to keep growing. I prayed about it and I realized that for this year, if there are just a couple goals I could accomplish, it’d be better than feeling like I was failing in all the areas I need to work on.

So this year there will be no lame-o excuse making. I’ve done it. I’ve made a bold, brave resolution. (No, you don’t get to know what it is – hello . . . my MOM reads this)

This past year I had a light bulb moment when I read a quote about how when we procrastinate, usually it’s because of a fear of failure. The idea of trying something and failing is so repulsive to us that we’d rather just not try. That’s what happened when I decided I didn’t want to make a resolution – I just didn’t want to fail. Now that would make for a boring episode of Fear Factor wouldn’t it – if they never even tried?

What if during this new year we tried to accomplish just one or two things we’re afraid of? And not slightly meaningless things like sky-diving or beetle consumption. I mean things that have a ripple effect into eternity.

I’m afraid of wearing bright red lipstick. But I’m also afraid of seriously praying about a vocation to the religious life. I’m afraid of sushi. And I’m afraid to let go of resentment and love my enemies.

I think you can tell which ones are under the “slightly meaningless” category.

Pope John XXIII said:

“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”

What are your hopes and dreams for the kind of saint you want to be? Start working on it and use this new year as a time to recommit to holiness.

Don’t be afraid. Sainthood isn’t nearly as scary as eating live, wriggling beetles. But it’s way more exhilarating.

The day has finally arrived! We prayed the new Roman Missal at Mass for the last two Sundays. Did you like it? Do you remember the part of the Creed where we professed believing that Jesus is “consubstantial” with the Father? In case you were confused about what that big, fancy word means, here’s an excerpt from the book “More Than Words” that explains it. You can purchase the book in the Life Teen Store to help you understand all the words in the Mass that are different!

If you’ve ever had a best friend or been completely in love, or if you’ve known someone almost your whole life, you know what it is like to say “We’re basically the same person.” If you’ve known twins, you’ve probably noticed how they seem to know what the other is thinking, whether they are identical or not. If you’ve attended a wedding and heard the priest reference that the two become one flesh (Mark 10:8), you know that there is a sacred joining of two together.

But when we talk about the union of God the Father with God the Son, it is not enough to just say that they are the same. They are both God – one God in three unique Persons. By asking us to now use the word consubstantial when we pray the Creed (remember, the Creed is a statement of what we believe as Catholics) the Church is reminding us of the importance of professing that the Father and the Son are the exact same substance.

That means we believe that what they are made of, what they both are at their very core, is the same, just as Jesus Himself said: “The Father and I are one” (John 10:30).

This is an excerpt from "More Than Words." Buy it today in the Life Teen Store.

This is one of the ways we try to understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity. We will now say that Jesus is consubstantial with the Father when we pray the Creed; it might call you to go deeper in Scripture to try and understand Jesus. The more you read, especially in the Gospels, you’ll start to see why this is such an important part of what we believe about Jesus. You might also want to check out the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 242, 262, 467, and 663, for some further explanation.

Pray that you will understand Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man.

One final note if you want to go a little deeper: the idea of the Father and Son being consubstantial is one of the ways that the early Church answered against heresies about who Jesus was. When some wanted to say that Jesus was not fully human or was not fully God, or when others did not believe that He was eternal, the Church professed her belief that Jesus and the Father are One God of the same substance. The concept of homoousion, which is now translated into consubstantial, was first clearly articulated at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD (which is where the Nicene Creed came from).

You can find Matt at:

• Website: www.mattmahermusic.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/mattmahermusic
• Twitter: @mattmahermusic
• YouTube: youtube.com/mattmahermusic
• iTunes: The Love In Between

“The New Album”

View on: Vimeo | YouTube

The Catholic Christian sacramental life not only provides inspiration for his songwriting, but also has fostered his creative growth.

“The Intersection”

View on: Vimeo | YouTube

God’s grace is always available to us in the sacraments which are an intersection between Heaven and Earth.

“Every Little Prison”

View on: Vimeo | YouTube

“Every Little Prison” reflects on the Litany of Humility, a challenging prayer that helps us reflect on giving God the glory in our entire life.

“The Spirit and the Bride”

View on: Vimeo | YouTube

Becoming part of the mystical Bride of Christ is the invitation that God shares with each one of us.

“Bus Tour

View on: Vimeo | YouTube

In this funny video, Matt shares the glamorous life on the road in a tour bus.

Dear Young Friends,

I greet all of you, especially the young people who have asked me their questions, and I thank them for the sincerity with which they set forth their concerns, that express the longing which all of you have to achieve something great in life, something which can bring you fulfilment and happiness.

How can a young person be true to the faith and yet continue to aspire to high ideals in today’s society? In the Gospel we have just heard, Jesus gives us an answer to this urgent question: “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love” (Jn 15:9).

Yes, dear friends, God loves us. This is the great truth of our life; it is what makes everything else meaningful. We are not the product of blind chance or absurdity; instead our life originates as part of a loving plan of God. To abide in his love, then, means living a life rooted in faith, since faith is more than the mere acceptance of certain abstract truths: it is an intimate relationship with Christ, who enables us to open our hearts to this mystery of love and to live as men and women conscious of being loved by God.

If you abide in the love of Christ, rooted in the faith, you will encounter, even amid setbacks and suffering, the source of true happiness and joy. Faith does not run counter to your highest ideals; on the contrary, it elevates and perfects those ideals. Dear young people, do not be satisfied with anything less than Truth and Love, do not be content with anything less than Christ.

Nowadays, although the dominant culture of relativism all around us has given up on the search for truth, even if it is the highest aspiration of the human spirit, we need to speak with courage and humility of the universal significance of Christ as the Saviour of humanity and the source of hope for our lives. He who took upon himself our afflictions, is well acquainted with the mystery of human suffering and manifests his loving presence in those who suffer. They in their turn, united to the passion of Christ, share closely in his work of redemption. Furthermore, our disinterested attention towards the sick and the forgotten will always be a humble and warm testimony of God’s compassionate regard.

Dear friends, may no adversity paralyze you. Be afraid neither of the world, nor of the future, nor of your weakness. The Lord has allowed you to live in this moment of history so that, by your faith, his name will continue to resound throughout the world.

During this prayer vigil, I urge you to ask God to help you find your vocation in society and in the Church, and to persevere in that vocation with joy and fidelity. It is a good thing to open our hearts to Christ’s call and to follow with courage and generosity the path he maps out for us.

The Lord calls many people to marriage, in which a man and a woman, in becoming one flesh (cf. Gen 2:24), find fulfilment in a profound life of communion. It is a prospect that is both bright and demanding. It is a project for true love which is daily renewed and deepened by sharing joys and sorrows, one marked by complete self-giving. For this reason, to acknowledge the beauty and goodness of marriage is to realize that only a setting of fidelity and indissolubility, along with openness to God’s gift of life, is adequate to the grandeur and dignity of marital love.

Christ calls others to follow him more closely in the priesthood or in consecrated life. It is hard to put into words the happiness you feel when you know that Jesus seeks you, trusts in you, and with his unmistakable voice also says to you: “Follow me!” (cf. Mk 2:14).

Dear young people, if you wish to discover and to live faithfully the form of life to which the Lord is calling each of you, you must remain in his love as his friends. And how do we preserve friendship except through frequent contact, conversation, being together in good times and bad? Saint Teresa of Jesus used to say that prayer is just such “friendly contact, often spending time alone with the one who we know loves us” (cf. Autobiography, 8).

And so I now ask you to “abide” in the adoration of Christ, truly present in the Eucharist. I ask you to enter into conversation with him, to bring before him your questions and to listen to his voice. Dear friends, I pray for you with all my heart. And I ask you to pray for me. Tonight let us ask the Lord to grant that, attracted by the beauty of his love, we may always live faithfully as his disciples. Amen.

Dear Friends: I thank you for your joy and your resistance. Your strength is greater than the rain. Thank you. With rain the Lord has sent us many blessings. In this also, you are an example.

[French] Dear young French-speakers, be proud of the gift of faith which you have received, as it will illumine your life at every moment. Draw strength from the faith of your neighbours, from the faith of the Church! Through faith we are grounded in Christ. Gather with others to deepen it, be faithful to the celebration of the Eucharist, the mystery of faith par excellence. Christ alone can respond to your aspirations. Let yourselves be seized by God, so that your presence in the Church will give her new life!

[English] Dear young people, in these moments of silence before the Blessed Sacrament, let us raise our minds and hearts to Jesus Christ, the Lord of our lives and of the future. May he pour out his Spirit upon us and upon the whole Church, that we may be a beacon of freedom, reconciliation and peace for the whole world.

[German] Dear young Christians from the German-speaking countries! Deep in our hearts we yearn for what is grand and beautiful in life. Do not let your desires and aspirations dissipate, but ground them in Jesus Christ. He himself is the sure foundation, the point of reference, for building up your life.

[Italian] I now turn to the Italian-speaking young people. Dear friends, this vigil will remain as an unforgettable experience in your lives. Guard the flame which God has lit in your hearts tonight. Never let it go out, renew it each day, share it with your contemporaries who live in darkness and who are seeking a light for their way. Thank you! Until tomorrow morning!

[Portuguese] My dear friends, I invite each of you to enter into a personal dialogue with Christ, sharing with him your hesitations and above all listening to his voice. The Lord is here and he is calling you! Young friends, it is good to hear within us the word of Jesus and to follow in his footsteps. Ask the Lord to help you to discover your vocation in life and in the Church, and to persevere in it with joy and fidelity, knowing that he never abandons you or betrays you! He remains with us until the end of the world.

[Polish] Dear young friends from Poland! This prayer vigil is filled with the presence of Christ. Grounded in his love, draw near to him with the flame of your faith. He will fill your hearts with his life. Build your lives on Christ and on his Gospel. I willingly bless all of you.

* * *

Dear Young Friends,

We have lived together an adventure. Strengthened by your faith in Christ, you have resisted the rain. Before leaving I wish you all good night. Have a good rest. I thank you for the sacrifice that you are making and I have no doubt that you will offer it generously to the Lord. We shall see one another tomorrow, God willing, in the celebration of the Eucharist. I am expecting all of you. I thank you for the fine example that you have given. As happened tonight, you can always, with Christ, endure the trials of life. Do not forget this. I thank you all.