Please pray for this blog and that more teens will use it!
I do not have a question so I will share an insight that came to me while I was pondering what makes me feel good at Christmas time.
I was thinking how Christ suffered and died for us and in doing so He gave His very life for us. Not only that, He also gave us the ability to unite in His suffering when we are in any kind of pain, making our suffering a prayer. God only permits suffering and or evil for good to come out of it.
So I thought; He also gave us His life in the form of a little baby. On Christmas the world received Hope itself. The world received Redemption. God gave us the best present of all; the author of LIFE.
My pondering continued.................I am happy at Christmas because I get to give and make people happy. If we can (and are supposed to)unite our sufferings with Christ on the cross, why not unite our giving to Christ in the crib.
When we give something as small as a smile, we can unite it to Christ in the crib and make it a prayer for more love in the world. To top it all off, that old and true line came in my head. "God can never be out given."
Then I remembered my favorite quote from the Pope:
"Life is a mystery of love which is more truly our own the more we donate it, or rather, the more we donate our own self, making a gift of ourselves, our time, our resources and our qualities for the good of others." .....Pope Benedict XVI
Now you know why I am happy at Christmas. God Bless you all!
I need questions from you to answer. I have a direct email link to make it easier for you or you can use the comment section if you want to be anonymous. Please help get the word out about this blog. Now any teen can ask any question about the faith and remain anonymous.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Is God good or Evil?
Please pray for this blog and that more teens will use it!
The question is:
How could a creature in creation tell the difference between a good God and a God who is evil but enjoys watching people think that He is good and trying to please him, only to find out that they are to be destroyed after they have died permanently (meaning that the "good charade" would continue in a near-death experience)? Because God, by definition is all-knowing and all-powerful and has infinite will power, would there be any observable difference between a good God and an evil one that fosters the appearance of good? How can we know the difference?
Team mate Randy's response:
The question is:
How could a creature in creation tell the difference between a good God and a God who is evil but enjoys watching people think that He is good and trying to please him, only to find out that they are to be destroyed after they have died permanently (meaning that the "good charade" would continue in a near-death experience)? Because God, by definition is all-knowing and all-powerful and has infinite will power, would there be any observable difference between a good God and an evil one that fosters the appearance of good? How can we know the difference?
Team mate Randy's response:
One way we can know that God is not evil is by the fact that we exist. If we accept the existence of a God who is all-powerful and infinite then this God is completely self-sufficient. There is nothing in Him that is lacking or is left unfulfilled.
(We could stop here and say that since evil is not a thing in itself, but a lacking of something necessary for perfection, that God is not evil because He lacks nothing. But let’s continue.)
So, His act of creating us could be of no benefit to Himself. God does not need for us to exist or else He would not be God. So why did He create? If it was not for the creators own benefit it must have been for the benefit of the created. On Gods part we have an unconditional giving wholly for the benefit of the other. This is the definition of love, and love is the highest good.
I need questions from you to answer. I have a direct email link to make it easier for you or you can use the comment section if you want to be anonymous. Please help get the word out about this blog. Now any teen can ask any question about the faith and remain anonymous.
Friday, November 13, 2009
New Endorsement!
This blog has just been endorsed by Fr. Gillette at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. I welcome endorsements from other Catholic priests, clergy and youth ministers.
You should also note the team members Larry and Elizabeth are youth ministers of Catholic Churches in the Vancouver Washington area. Please see the post "Meet the Team" 9/17/09.
This blog still needs prayers and above all questions from teens.
You should also note the team members Larry and Elizabeth are youth ministers of Catholic Churches in the Vancouver Washington area. Please see the post "Meet the Team" 9/17/09.
This blog still needs prayers and above all questions from teens.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Blog Prayer.
I do not have any questions to answer.
Please say this prayer.
My beloved Holy Spirit,
Motivator of all mankind,
I beg you.
Please give us the courage to seek the truth.
Please inspire more teens to inquire without fear.
Please let all of us teens know how much you care.
Amen
I need questions from you to answer. I have a direct email link to make it easier for you or you can use the comment section if you want to be anonymous. Please help get the word out about this blog. Now any teen can ask any question about the faith and remain anonymous.
Please say this prayer.
My beloved Holy Spirit,
Motivator of all mankind,
I beg you.
Please give us the courage to seek the truth.
Please inspire more teens to inquire without fear.
Please let all of us teens know how much you care.
Amen
I need questions from you to answer. I have a direct email link to make it easier for you or you can use the comment section if you want to be anonymous. Please help get the word out about this blog. Now any teen can ask any question about the faith and remain anonymous.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
The Void
Dear Teens,
You have not asked any questions for me to answer. After much prayer I wish to address a deep subject with hope that it will help you in some way. The void.
For years now I have been praying that God will show me areas of my life that we (God and I) need to fix in order for me to become a better participant in His will. He has been working with me to correct pride, greed, road rage, impatience, and many other negative things. At the same time He has increased the time I spend in prayer, contemplation, and adoration.
My recognition that I was trying to fulfill legitimate needs in non-legitimate ways and my want to love Him better and more is what caused me to ask Him to change me.
There is fear in change. I am so comfortable in these ways of filling my needs. I am not fulfilled, but it is the only thing I know.........garbage is good when it is the only food you know. I had to let go of my comfort zone and let God feed me.
For instance: I was always told that impurity is a sin. My need to love and be loved is real and good. My way of filling the need often led me to confession. Guys know what I am talking about. For girls/young women it is the need to be accepted and loved by a man at the expense of your dignity. I prayed and prayed and when my frustration broke my pride and I let go, God delivered. He led me to Theology of the Body. I learned it and embraced it and my desire to use woman changed.
When that happened, when I stopped my behavior to embrace the truth, when my desire changed, a void was noticeable. I had to learn a new behavior. When I catch myself getting angry at a driver and my desire to love them replaces my anger, a void is present. I am not doing what I have always done.
I am now letting go of my bad habit of living in the future or the past. Why do I do this I asked in prayer. The answer is that the truth about the present hurts and I am trying to avoid it. My desire to live in the present and to take up my current situation because it is what God wants, forces me to let go of a way of thinking that I have been doing for longer than most of you reading this have been alive. The painful VOID is here.
What do you do with the void, the emptiness?
If I do it my way, I am not fulfilled and I hurt God and myself. When I surrender and do it His way, I get the void. It seems that I can't win.
My solution has three parts:
1) I unite my pain with Christ. If He can suffer and die for me, for the will of the Father, how can I be selfish? At least I am loving people and God more than myself.
2) I trust Him. How can I not trust Him? Look what He has done for us. Who else can I trust?
3) I pray to Him to fill the void(s). There is a reason for the void(s). His way or no way. The devil will try to fill it. he will suggest sinful ways.........No, not for me.
My pain is a prayer. I know He will fill the void(s) when He is ready. I trust Him.
There will be voids in your life. The battle for your soul is real. Don't escape, you can't. I know I have tried. God loves you and so do His servants (like me, my team here, your parents, your priest and others).
I hope this helps.
Paul
Please pray for this blog and that more teens will use it!
I need questions from you to answer. I have a direct email link to make it easier for you or you can use the comment section if you want to be anonymous. Please help get the word out about this blog. Now any teen can ask any question about the faith and remain anonymous.
You have not asked any questions for me to answer. After much prayer I wish to address a deep subject with hope that it will help you in some way. The void.
For years now I have been praying that God will show me areas of my life that we (God and I) need to fix in order for me to become a better participant in His will. He has been working with me to correct pride, greed, road rage, impatience, and many other negative things. At the same time He has increased the time I spend in prayer, contemplation, and adoration.
My recognition that I was trying to fulfill legitimate needs in non-legitimate ways and my want to love Him better and more is what caused me to ask Him to change me.
There is fear in change. I am so comfortable in these ways of filling my needs. I am not fulfilled, but it is the only thing I know.........garbage is good when it is the only food you know. I had to let go of my comfort zone and let God feed me.
For instance: I was always told that impurity is a sin. My need to love and be loved is real and good. My way of filling the need often led me to confession. Guys know what I am talking about. For girls/young women it is the need to be accepted and loved by a man at the expense of your dignity. I prayed and prayed and when my frustration broke my pride and I let go, God delivered. He led me to Theology of the Body. I learned it and embraced it and my desire to use woman changed.
When that happened, when I stopped my behavior to embrace the truth, when my desire changed, a void was noticeable. I had to learn a new behavior. When I catch myself getting angry at a driver and my desire to love them replaces my anger, a void is present. I am not doing what I have always done.
I am now letting go of my bad habit of living in the future or the past. Why do I do this I asked in prayer. The answer is that the truth about the present hurts and I am trying to avoid it. My desire to live in the present and to take up my current situation because it is what God wants, forces me to let go of a way of thinking that I have been doing for longer than most of you reading this have been alive. The painful VOID is here.
What do you do with the void, the emptiness?
If I do it my way, I am not fulfilled and I hurt God and myself. When I surrender and do it His way, I get the void. It seems that I can't win.
My solution has three parts:
1) I unite my pain with Christ. If He can suffer and die for me, for the will of the Father, how can I be selfish? At least I am loving people and God more than myself.
2) I trust Him. How can I not trust Him? Look what He has done for us. Who else can I trust?
3) I pray to Him to fill the void(s). There is a reason for the void(s). His way or no way. The devil will try to fill it. he will suggest sinful ways.........No, not for me.
My pain is a prayer. I know He will fill the void(s) when He is ready. I trust Him.
There will be voids in your life. The battle for your soul is real. Don't escape, you can't. I know I have tried. God loves you and so do His servants (like me, my team here, your parents, your priest and others).
I hope this helps.
Paul
Please pray for this blog and that more teens will use it!
I need questions from you to answer. I have a direct email link to make it easier for you or you can use the comment section if you want to be anonymous. Please help get the word out about this blog. Now any teen can ask any question about the faith and remain anonymous.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
What's your question?
I need your help.
I have no questions to answer. This blog lets teens (you) ask any question about any subject and how it relates to the catholic faith, and ask it anonymously.
Please pray for this blog.
Please pray for all teens.
Please let other teens know about this blog.
Do not worry, I will not stop posting. I am called to help you in this way.
I have a direct email link to make it easier for you or you can use the comment section if you want to be anonymous. Please help get the word out about this blog. Now any teen can ask any question about the faith and remain anonymous.
Ask me!
I have no questions to answer. This blog lets teens (you) ask any question about any subject and how it relates to the catholic faith, and ask it anonymously.
Please pray for this blog.
Please pray for all teens.
Please let other teens know about this blog.
Do not worry, I will not stop posting. I am called to help you in this way.
I have a direct email link to make it easier for you or you can use the comment section if you want to be anonymous. Please help get the word out about this blog. Now any teen can ask any question about the faith and remain anonymous.
Ask me!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Is the bible a fairy tale?
Please pray for this blog and that more teens will use it!
The question is: "My parents wants me to go through confirmation this year, but I'm really not sure how I personally feel about the faith. It's just hard for me to trust that everything in a really old book is all true. So I was wondering, is there any proof at all that these writing weren't just made up or some fairy tale?"
Team member Randy responds:
As Catholic Christians we believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. By this we mean that the Holy Spirit acted through the human authors so that they freely wrote what God wanted to be written. Here is the line of thought that leads us to this truth:
1. Jesus is God. He claimed to be God and showed us His glory by resurrecting from the dead.
2. Jesus founded a Church on the 12 Apostles. He gave to them all the Truths that He wanted to reveal to us and gave them the authority to teach that Truth and make decisions in His Name (look up Matthew 16:18-19 for evidence). Some of these Truths were written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
3. Using that authority given by Christ, this Church has declared which books are truly the "Word of God" - the Bible that we have today.
For this line of thought to hold up, the information about what Christ said and did in the Bible must be reliable and not merely a made up myth. If Jesus never claimed to be God, never intended to found His Church, or did not rise from the dead, then as Saint Paul says "our Faith is in vain" ( 1 Cor. 15:17). Here are just a few reasons why the information about Jesus in the Bible must be reliable:
1. If what we believe about Christ were a made up myth then there would have to be at least two or three generations between the original eyewitness of Jesus and the myth makers. But, the 4 Gospels were all written within the life time of people who knew Christ (no credible Bible scholar refutes this). The closer a writing is to the event it describes, the more likely it is to be reliable. There simply was not enough time for any made up myths to develop about Jesus. If what the Gospels claim about Jesus were a myth then the myth would have never been believed, and it would have been refuted by the eyewitnesses of the "real" Jesus. However, there is absolutely no evidence anywhere of anyone ever opposing the so called "myth" of Jesus.
2. We have over 5000 ancient copies of the Bible (500 copies written before the year 500 AD). They all match each other with 99.5 percent accuracy. No other ancient document that scholars consider reliable history even comes close to being this accurate.
3. The accounts of Christ in the Bible are eyewitness accounts (all of the external evidence agrees on this). All of these eyewitness accounts essentially tell us the same things about Jesus. Many many people witnessed Jesus claiming to be God, preforming miracles, establishing His Church, dieing, and Him risen from the dead. We know they believed it and were not making up myths because as the saying goes "myths don't make martyrs". Many of the first Catholic Christians, including all 12 Apostles (possibly excluding John) were tortured and killed for believing in Christ. No one makes up a fairy tale in order to be tortured and killed. If it was a fairy tale they would surely give it up when faced with a painful death. However, not a single one ever confessed to making it all up - ever. In fact, Peter (our first Pope) was crucified upside down because he did not consider himself worthy to die in the same way as our Lord.
These are only a few short reasons the Bible is reliable (entire books have been written on the topic). I hope the questioner will continue to study, pray, and ask questions about the faith. Because the Bible is the Word of God Pope Benedict XVI has said "God speaks with each one of us through Sacred Scripture and it has a message for each one. We must not read Sacred Scripture as a word of the past but as the Word of God that is also addressed to us, and we must try to understand what it is that the Lord wants to tell us."Please consider this when thinking about Confirmation. God bless!
I need questions from you to answer. I have a direct email link to make it easier for you or you can use the comment section if you want to be anonymous. Please help get the word out about this blog. Now any teen can ask any question about the faith and remain anonymous.
The question is: "My parents wants me to go through confirmation this year, but I'm really not sure how I personally feel about the faith. It's just hard for me to trust that everything in a really old book is all true. So I was wondering, is there any proof at all that these writing weren't just made up or some fairy tale?"
Team member Randy responds:
As Catholic Christians we believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. By this we mean that the Holy Spirit acted through the human authors so that they freely wrote what God wanted to be written. Here is the line of thought that leads us to this truth:
1. Jesus is God. He claimed to be God and showed us His glory by resurrecting from the dead.
2. Jesus founded a Church on the 12 Apostles. He gave to them all the Truths that He wanted to reveal to us and gave them the authority to teach that Truth and make decisions in His Name (look up Matthew 16:18-19 for evidence). Some of these Truths were written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
3. Using that authority given by Christ, this Church has declared which books are truly the "Word of God" - the Bible that we have today.
For this line of thought to hold up, the information about what Christ said and did in the Bible must be reliable and not merely a made up myth. If Jesus never claimed to be God, never intended to found His Church, or did not rise from the dead, then as Saint Paul says "our Faith is in vain" ( 1 Cor. 15:17). Here are just a few reasons why the information about Jesus in the Bible must be reliable:
1. If what we believe about Christ were a made up myth then there would have to be at least two or three generations between the original eyewitness of Jesus and the myth makers. But, the 4 Gospels were all written within the life time of people who knew Christ (no credible Bible scholar refutes this). The closer a writing is to the event it describes, the more likely it is to be reliable. There simply was not enough time for any made up myths to develop about Jesus. If what the Gospels claim about Jesus were a myth then the myth would have never been believed, and it would have been refuted by the eyewitnesses of the "real" Jesus. However, there is absolutely no evidence anywhere of anyone ever opposing the so called "myth" of Jesus.
2. We have over 5000 ancient copies of the Bible (500 copies written before the year 500 AD). They all match each other with 99.5 percent accuracy. No other ancient document that scholars consider reliable history even comes close to being this accurate.
3. The accounts of Christ in the Bible are eyewitness accounts (all of the external evidence agrees on this). All of these eyewitness accounts essentially tell us the same things about Jesus. Many many people witnessed Jesus claiming to be God, preforming miracles, establishing His Church, dieing, and Him risen from the dead. We know they believed it and were not making up myths because as the saying goes "myths don't make martyrs". Many of the first Catholic Christians, including all 12 Apostles (possibly excluding John) were tortured and killed for believing in Christ. No one makes up a fairy tale in order to be tortured and killed. If it was a fairy tale they would surely give it up when faced with a painful death. However, not a single one ever confessed to making it all up - ever. In fact, Peter (our first Pope) was crucified upside down because he did not consider himself worthy to die in the same way as our Lord.
These are only a few short reasons the Bible is reliable (entire books have been written on the topic). I hope the questioner will continue to study, pray, and ask questions about the faith. Because the Bible is the Word of God Pope Benedict XVI has said "God speaks with each one of us through Sacred Scripture and it has a message for each one. We must not read Sacred Scripture as a word of the past but as the Word of God that is also addressed to us, and we must try to understand what it is that the Lord wants to tell us."Please consider this when thinking about Confirmation. God bless!
I need questions from you to answer. I have a direct email link to make it easier for you or you can use the comment section if you want to be anonymous. Please help get the word out about this blog. Now any teen can ask any question about the faith and remain anonymous.
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