If you go to a Catholic high school, while you might be on fire for your faith, you likely have friends and acquaintances who see their faith as just another class, not something that transforms their lives. That's why, even in a Catholic school, you're called to evangelize.
The ironic thing about half-truths is that, most of the time, they aren’t really true at all. They represent something that, if left alone, might appear to be true. Usually though, if you dig in a bit, you find that there’s a lot more assuming happening than truth telling.
I remember thinking, “How in the world is this supposed to make me a better person? I’m not getting any holier by eating fewer churros at lunch!”
Seriously - Jesus really does love you. This isn’t just a nice idea that we tell ourselves. It’s true. That being said, we should all try to do a better job of remembering what that really means for us. One good way to do this is to consider taking up a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
I craved stability but never had it as a child which only added to my anxiety. I lived with chronic anxiety but didn’t know what to call and this made it very difficult to eat. I was too young to understand at the time, but this is when my struggle with anxiety over food began.
In this era of the Internet and social media, we’re able to stay connected with our brothers and sisters all over the world. We may be in different locations, but we’re all connected under one body in Christ and in the experiences that we share. And these experiences can either be expressed in words, pictures, or even memes.
There are a lot of podcasts out there right now. So, even if your big idea for a new podcast falls flat (just like your bar idea), there's a lot of great content that you can engage with out there. Here are the Top 5 Podcasts every Youth Minister should be listening to right now:
With a new year comes new opportunities to build or rebuild relationships with the staff we serve with, our parishioners, parents, and especially our teens. It will be tempting to sink back into old structures, habits, and modes of doing ministry "the way things were." However, the ways we minister going forward will require vulnerability, and we will need to continue to adapt to new needs, issues and circumstances.
I always think about how Jesus would react to middle schoolers. Every time they misbehave, I imagine that Jesus would say to them, "You have no idea all that I have done and will continue to do for you." And so I aim to love them just as Christ does.
