The Mass: More than a "Catholic Punchcard"

The mass. Such an intricate celebration, a joyful mystery, Heaven on Earth; yet something many of us Catholics (me included) take for granted as just part of the routine that makes up the structure of our earthly lives before our eternal one. 

I've grown up as a "cradle Catholic," and for most of my life the mass has been just something I thought we did because it was the thing to do on Sundays. I even so much as calculated that the mass happened to be the same time as two full Spongebob episodes, so if I could sit through that, then the mass should be a piece of cake! But, as most do, I got older and realized more so the true importance of the mass. Over the years, I've learned many facts about the mass, but it took me a long time to learn what it meant to experience the mass.

This is by no means me saying I know am perfectly in tune with the mass every time I sit in a church pew, because I definitely have my faults, and recently my heart has been in so many places that I've let myself be distracted during mass. And sure enough, our never-failing God sent me a huge wake up call, basically saying Ali, it's not enough to recognize that you're having a problem letting other worries take you away from the mass, it's time to act. 

This past Sunday at mass, we had a deacon visiting from Steubenville, Ohio, Deacon Ralph Poyo. This man had a beautiful gift of speaking to large crowds, and he had the whole congregation captivated during his homily. Though he had us all prepare ourselves and "get comfortable" for his long homily, throughout it all, he was calling us to become uncomfortable, to make the decision to refuse to let the mass be just another "punch in our Catholic punch card," but to be something that we enter into and allow God to speak to us through. 

He then used a beautiful analogy of the mass being like marriage. I know we're teenagers, but think about the future for a second and what you would picture a sacramental marriage to be like if it's what God calls you to. How many of you would want to be in a sacramental marriage with someone who didn't want to be in it with you? To come home and say "honey I love you" and not hear it in return, or to come to the dinner table when the spouse just doesn't want to. God doesn't want that here at the altar! He wants us to want to come to Him, to His altar. The Church, Christ's bride, that's us! We can't be stuck in an off again, on again relationship in the mass. We're called to a commitment, to give our hearts fully to our God. 

A year ago, by the graces of Confirmation, the Lord called me to become a Eucharistic Minister (which I highly suggest to any of you to prayerfully consider of you've received Confirmation). This past Sunday, I happened to be ministering the Blood at the back of my church. One of the things I love about serving is seeing the joy the Eucharist brings to so many people. As we know, we don't always have to receive the Blood which is perfectly alright, and this one particular lady happened to walk by me with her son who wasn't of age for Communion. As soon as they were passing by me, I hear the little boy, tugging his mom's hand and saying, "Get the drink, mommy! Get the drink!" It definitely made me smile, but it didn't hit me until later that that boy was showing me how our Father wants all of us approach communion and the mass. He wants us all to be filled with such joy and excitement at the opportunity we are presented with to fully encounter Christ, not only for ourselves but to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ to do the same. 

I can't promise it will be easy, relationships never are, but prayer doesn't help our relationship with God, it IS our relationship with Him! The mass is the highest form of prayer, so it is a perfect way to deepen your relationship with God. Developing a strong relationship with Him through the mass will be something you have to work for, but it will be worth it infinite times over.  Open your heart to a full commitment, allowing your heart, in whatever state it's in, to be transformed by God's living presence in the Eucharist at mass. 

"The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:17

Thanks and God bless,

Ali

Prayer requests, comments, or just need to talk? Reach me at alimartinez11@gmail.com! 

Word of the Day: Embarrassment

Embarrassed means to feel awkward, self-conscious, or ashamed. I looked it up... Nobody likes to feel embarrassed. One moment can haunt you for years.

But, one day God may call you to do something that does not make sense, to you, or to anyone else. And because nobody understands why God called you to do such a thing, it will cause you to feel embarrassed. 

It may be something like blessing your meal one day at lunch, while your friends sit there, noticeably uncomfortable, and maybe that will bother you so much that next time, you just don't bother to pray, because "you don't want your friends to feel uncomfortable." 

Or maybe, God will call you to do something bolder, something crazier. Maybe He already has. 

What we can not do is let our feeble human understanding convince us into believing that are actions were mistaken, and that we were foolish to think that God would actually call us to do that. The devil wants us to live in shame and embarrassment, to feel insecure and silly, to feel vulnerable and weak.

Bothers and Sisters, I once thought that I could never embarrass myself for God because I needed to be the symbol of strength and holiness for a people who needed someone strong, but I did not understand the Truth. I am not strong, and I cannot even pretend to be strong. My strength lies in God. A Lord who is strength, and peace, and Love. Today, brothers and sisters, place your hope, not in my words or witness, but in the hands of the God who saves. 

1 John 3:18-20

Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

Peace

Allow me to be vulnerable...

When I got into my car to head home tonight from a nice dinner with friends, I could not have expected the plan God had for me the rest of the night. I never expect it.

As I drove home, I found myself trying to talk as sincerely as I could with God, and I begged Him to free from my struggles. I let my faults break me down to the point where I was done. I worked myself up into a frantic mixture of despair and anguish, trying to hold onto my past encounters with God, in hopes that faith would gush out once again and bring me to tears, but no tears fell. 

I sat quietly, feeling confused and angry, mostly at myself for ever forgetting what The Lord had already given to me. 

And then... In the moment of my greatest weakness, I knew that every thing would be alright. I prayed aloud, 

"It's going to be ok. It's ok. I am at peace."

I was truly at peace. As far as I know I'm not bipolar, so what I felt must have been a gift from the Spirit. So I prayed for more, asking the Holy Spirit to come, giving Him permission to work in my life. What He told me was that I could be at peace, and still struggle. That the struggles of this world will not be taken away until the end of my days, and that I could have peace, knowing that then, I would be truly free.

I served a special 10:30pm mass when I got home, still feeling at peace. During Father's homily, he spoke about how God promised us that He would always be with us, but He never promised to take away the struggles of this world. Then, towards the end of his homily, he said softly, 

"It's going to be okay." 

Brothers and Sisters, do not despair. Do not be afraid. The Lord our God will give you peace when you call upon His Spirit, and He will never, ever, leave you. 

"Behold, I make all things new."

Rev. 21:4

Alex

      

Quite the Jokester

God's got a lot of ways to communicate with us down here on Earth. We've seen a burning bush, pillars of smoke, angels, a bright star, booming voices, apparitions and visions. The list goes on and on. He uses methods of communication like these to convey important instructions and keep us headed in the right direction. It's quite a serious business. However, I can't help but wonder if God just loves getting a good chuckle in sometimes.

I'd like to share with you a little event that happened a few weeks ago. I was working in New Orleans for a few weeks, staying with my aunt and uncle, and witnessed my aunt get some sickness. She was coughing and fevery and absolutely miserable for two whole weeks. Germaphobe that I am, I tried my best to avoid getting sick. I thought I had succeeded. But then, my last week, I left work early--shivering, sore throat, and headache. As I lay in my bed battling a fever after having been away from my home and parents for weeks, I pleaded with God.

I know there are a lot of worse things in the world....but please make it stop. I can't handle a two week illness. I have meetings next week. I have things to do, people to see, places to be. Please God! 

Finally, after three miserable days, I told Him, I will pray the rosary TWICE tomorrow if I feel fine by then.

Much to my surprise, God complied. I was not expecting that. I knew He was the God who conquered giants, but I didn't think He'd actually stoop so low as to conquer germs. So night rolled around and I pulled out the Laudate app on my phone to pray the rosary (side note: best Catholic app on earth. Get it). But it didn't take long for the mere presence of my phone to sidetrack me. And then I fell asleep, rosary un-prayed and God unhappy.

I put it off a few days more, sometimes because I forgot, other times because I wasn't in "prayer mood." I hadn't prayed the rosary in forever, so to me, it just seemed boring and monotonous. Motivation to follow up with my promise was scarce.

Then God reminded me that I had promised. "Not so fast. You're not getting away with it that easily..." I could just picture Him saying.

I walked into my room after arriving home from the trip and was immediately confronted with a not-so-subtle reminder that God was still waiting for me to fulfill my part of the bargain. There, sitting on my table, was an unfamiliar rosary. I asked my mom about it, and she told me that she had found it in the laundry and assumed it was mine. Well, it most definitely was not mine, nor was it anyone else's in the household.

I see what you did there, God...clever, very clever. Okay, you win. Message received, loud and clear.

I started praying...

And to my surprise, the rosary is awesome! I wasn't expecting to re-discover a great form of devotion. So thank goodness we've got a Father like that who keeps us honest and holds us accountable! If it weren't for Him, I'd still be sick, miserable, and under the impression that the Rosary is boring!

Thank you for reading and God bless,
Faith

Maintaining Your Identity

Being a Catholic isn't something we reserve for Sunday. It's part of our identity. As a member of the Church, we are expected to strive for sainthood every day. 

But it's easier said than done, especially when we live in a culture that seems to glorify everything that goes against our morals.

At times, it feels like everywhere we turn, someone is telling us that the Catholic way is the wrong way. Empty relationships. Meaningless partying. Destructive outlets. Life mottos of YOLO...That is what we're told is "normal." That is what we're "supposed" to be doing. Jesus doesn't care what you do Saturday night, as long as you're in a pew Sunday...

We are even told what opinions we should have. And then we are degraded and mocked for upholding our Catholic identity, for not going along with what society has deemed acceptable and normal.

But as Christians, we aren't called to follow what is normal. We strive to enter through the narrow gate. And it's narrow because the path is difficult. Not many stick around long enough to even reach the gate.

As teenagers, especially, we are constantly bombarded with temptations. We are tempted to see ourselves through the world's eyes, not through God's eyes. It requires much effort to change our focus, to put our spiritual needs before sensual pleasure and maintain our identity and integrity as children of God. It's hard to put Christ first, in front of our desires, our temptations, and the pressure to fit in. But Christ reminds us that we weren't made to fit in. We never have been. Early Christians were stoned, crucified, and tortured for their beliefs. Nowadays, not much has changed. Sure, we may not face this physical abuse quite as often, but we still are as "persecuted" as ever, just with a modern twist.

How then, can we stay motivated on our journey to Christ? How can we combat everything we encounter that wishes to tear us away from Him? Faith. It's not an easy answer, but it's imperative to our journey. We must trust that what God has in store for us is greater than any fleeting sense of bliss, any sensationalized act that rips us from His grasp. As Christians, we are called to be responsible and to be patient. What may seem like "missing out" can actually be what keep us on the straight and narrow.

In fact, we can even enjoy the benefits of our faith here and now. Who needs an empty relationship motivated by a skewed understanding of love when you could fall in love with the One who loved you so much He conquered death for your sake? Who needs to rely on drugs, drinking, partying, etc. to feel good when you can experience the most surreal and uplifting peace in the presence of Christ? And for goodness sake, if YOLO is even still a thing, who needs to only "live once" when you have the option of eternal life in Heaven with the Father?

No matter what other folks think, I'd say, as Christians, we get the good deal in these situations. And the awesome thing is that anyone can experience this love and joy if only they make the choice. Regardless of their past choices or opinions, all are open to venture down the path to Christ's doorstep. Sure, that path is tough sometimes, but it's our cross to bear. And after all, Jesus did turn the cross, a dreaded sign of a slow and painful death, into a global and timeless symbol for His conquering all death, all suffering, and all sin. Just think of what He could do with our crosses and our small sacrifices for His sake.

So fight the good fight of faith and be courageous. Standing out isn't a bad thing. Not in the long run. Standing out as a follower of Christ can help you and those to whom you witness pass through the narrow gate to Heaven.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect  (Romans 12:2).

Thank you for reading and God bless,
Faith
noah.faith@yahoo.com

Why I didn't go to mass today...

I've always been bad at taking medicine. Currently, I have to take eight pills a day for a certain medical condition, and it takes a real mental effort for me to not get focused on something else before I take my morning pills. It's not like I don't want to get better, it's just that I have other daily priorities that are typically a lot more exciting than taking my medicine.

When I woke up this morning, I decided I was going to go to Mass. However, here I am typing away at this blog. The title is is self-explanatory. Somehow, life got in the way of Mass...

I remember specifically thinking while driving to Mass today, how the Devil will give you 14 trillion reasons why not go to to daily Mass or Confession, and how I really needed to learn how to "take my medicine" without getting distracted by what may be more interesting or more important to me. And I still didn't get to Mass! I told myself I would get my daily errands done and then go to the later Mass, but once again, here I am. I forgot. 

I forgot? I forgot??? What? After the experiences I had with the living God, which truly strengthened my faith, I cannot remember to get to Mass and receive the body of the one who continually saves me?

An analogous situation would be if I knew that my medicine could heal me as long as I continued to take it regularly, but then I didn't take my medicine!

Oh wait. That's exactly what I do.

Brothers and Sisters, I come to you once again, as a sick patient in need of a healer. I was given a prescription. I tried it out and it worked, but now I just have to keep taking it, even when the remedying  effects are not so noticeable. Help me take my medicine.

Together, let's pray for each other, that when we get really sick in sin, we will look to the one who can heal us. 

"Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed."

Thank you so much for reading! 

May God bless you and keep you,

Alex 

Word of the Day! Amen!

Today's word of the day is amen! I'm sorry that this post will be very unorganized, due to my writing it from my phone, but I just couldn't wait!

So, we all know this word. We say it after every prayer almost like second-nature. It's like breathing. Amen, amen, amen, but what are we saying? If you google it (and yes, folks, I legitimately googled the word amen) you get about a million different translations and it gets pretty confusing. But here's the simplest translation I've got for you: Yes, God. I agree. I agree. So be it. It's not some made up Latin word. It has meaning! And so much meaning at that!

After reciting one of the many prayers that we memorized when were 8 years old, we say Amen. But Amen does not mean The End. Like...okay that's the end of my prayer. It's an exclamation! It's an affirmation!
When we go up to communion to receive the blessed sacrament, we whisper Amen like its a secret. We should be shouting it! Amen! Yes, God! Thank you, God!

So that is today's word. Amen :)

God Bless!!
Becca

Dare to Hope

     So I wrote my last post here about faith, so I thought, you know what, might as well write about the other two theological virtues, because they’re intimately related and because they’re awesome - in the full heavens-thundering-volcanoes-erupting-foundations-of-the-earth-trembling sense of the word. Someone remind me to do a post/rant later on the twenty-first century’s annoying habit of leaving language out in the rain to die.

     Hope, like faith, is a response. God has revealed himself to the world as its savior, as the light that will forever banish the darkness, should we choose to let it. The beauty of faith is that it is freely rational. Now that we have faith, that is where hope comes in to play. Faith, the greatest light the world can ever know, promises us the joy of eternal life with God, but it demands of us sainthood. We are, each and every one of us, called to a life of purity and perfection. 

     And that perfection is just absolutely, stupidly, hard. Satan and his minions prowl the world like voracious lions, and small, puny sinners like myself are their meal. Sin is a reality that we face every single day and it is a battle that is downright exhausting. But our God will not be deprived of us so easily, no sir. He has given us the gift of Reconciliation. I don’t know about you, but going to Reconciliation is hard, sometimes it seems just as hard as fighting sin. Which is why we need a constant reminder of its power. 

So here goes:

     Reconciliation cuts right to the core. It doesn’t whittle away at sin, it destroys it. It is the boot that stomps right on the head of the serpent and crushes its skull so that its forked tongue, deceitful promises, and disgusting sliminess may never pollute this good earth again. Reconciliation is our .44 Magnum that we point at sin, asking it, “You feeling lucky, punk?” and then without a moment’s hesitation, blow its brains out. (Revised fifth commandment: Thou shalt not kill, unless thou art killing sin, then go nuts).

      Faith calls us to be saints, yes, or to put it more clearly, faith calls us to badasses for Jesus. And Reconciliation is the key that unlocks our God given gift of badassery! How cool is that! Once you leave that confessional, you are in a state of grace equal to that of soul in heaven and your sins have been washed away by the Blood of the Lamb, never to be seen or heard from again. At this point, we are essentially new men and women, free of guilt, free of the proverbial ball and chain, able and willing to be a living sacrament that dispenses the promise of salvation to the entire world.

     At least for a little while. Because the next day at school, or when you’re out with your friends, or home alone, sin shows up again and knocks you back to the ground. So , eventually, you dust yourself off and you go back to confession, this time, a bit embarrassed because it’s only been two weeks and you’re already back in the hole. You load up your Magnum, embrace your inner badass, and shoot sin in the face again. Only to go home and find it standing there bigger and badder than ever. Right there, that first sin after Reconciliation, in my opinion, that’s what hurts the most. It’s a slap in the face, a reminder that I am human and a I am weak. And after being knocked down again and again and again, I ask myself, what’s the point? Falling down hurts, so shouldn’t I just stay on the ground? Is it even worth it to get back up?

The answer is yes.

     We have to believe that this time we will do better, that after confessing our sins for hundredth, the thousandth time, that we can change. “By the grace of God, I will sin no more and avoid the near occasion of sin.” That is hope. The devotion of mind, body, and soul to the truth that we are not saved by our own merits, but by God’s infinite grace. No sin is too big for God to conquer and so we have to keep going back, for it is “in hope we have been saved.” (Rom 8:24)

     Our bodies are Temples of God, and they are under siege by the forces of sin and evil.... I don’t know about you, but I’m getting kind of tired with this generalizing ambiguous language. Here’s the deal. We’re King Theoden at the Battle of Helm’s Deep. Ten thousand Uruk-Hai are storming over the walls and the keep is all but taken. “What can man do against such reckless hate?” We listen to Aragorn of course! “Ride out with me. Ride out and meet them.” So we draw our swords together, nock our arrows, sound the Horn of Helm Hammerhand, and charge! Forth Eorlingas! We may be surrounded, outnumbered, facing certain certain death, but we did it, we rode out, we dared to hope. And because we did, we look to the east and there sits God Himself, clothed in glory atop a stallion of purest white and with the morning sun rising behind Him, He charges down into the valley of darkness with the entire hosts of heaven streaming out behind Him. 

It's stuff like this that makes me love being Catholic.

God bless,
Matt

Word of the Day: Fallen

Have you ever come off of a retreat feeling invincible, like nothing could separate you from God, like you would never go back to being who you were before? But let's face the hard truth, it happens, and it feels a little bit like this:

Oops! Know the feeling? Yea, me too. So what can we do? How can we feel the way we did that night before the Blessed Sacrament singing an amazing song with other teenagers, maybe even crying! (That part is for the men) However, you can't go back to the retreat and start over, that train has left the station. 

Don't feel ripped off when I say this, but I don't know the answer. There's not a magic button to get those feelings back, or to make the tears fall. What I do know is this:

First I need you to ask yourself this question:

Am I willing to work in this relationship with God, to try and love and obey Him, to attempt to be a holier person, to still praise His name, even if I can't promise you it's gonna feel good every time you pray, or that you're going to feel consoled after every adoration?

If your answer is yes, then you have a long narrow path ahead of you, that will not be easy, but I think you know what to do the next time you fall.

Alright, I could talk for years, but I hear some poptarts calling my name.

Have a wonderfully swell, sacrament filled, overwhelmingly blessed, Tuesday!

Alex

Reality.

This is the story of my life before Jesus. You will find that this story will bump right into the end of my first witness that I posted on here, entitled "I was raised Catholic...But."

When I was young I believed in Santa Claus. I was the last person in my family to still believe in him. I could have cared less about the Easter bunny or the tooth fairy, Christmas was so much better. A time filled with wonder and joy and of course, presents! As I grew older, for one reason or another, I came to no longer believe in the existence of Santa. It was a bitter betrayal of my childhood, but also a sobering wake-up call for me, and with it, I took my first step into reality.

In 5th grade, I fell in love. We dated for about six months, but it didn't work out, and honestly, I wasn't hurt, it was a superficial relationship. For the next three years, I would "go out" with girls on and off, always breaking up within a month or two. Dating was a game to keep me from getting bored in school, and so when dating got boring, well, you get the idea. Things like kissing and sex became, in my mind, like achievements you earned once you learned how to play the game better. The best I ever did was a few truth or dare kisses and a bunch of broken hearts that stopped believing in true love. With that, I had took my second step into reality.

In the 7th grade, I immersed myself into the coolest and preppiest group of people in junior high. I felt like I belonged because I could joke with them and they joked with me... well, actually, they just made fun of me, and I laughed and excused it as friendship. "That's just what friends do," I told myself.

This was my third step into reality, into the real world, where faith is for fairy tales, love is a game, and friends make fun of each other...

After a while, I stopped dating. I wasn't very good at the game, and I told myself it was because I wasn't the handsome, athletic, funny guy that every girl seemed to want. I would never be that guy.
For a time, I silently tolerated the daily barrage of jokes and sugar-coated insults from my "friends" that only made feel smaller and smaller and smaller. I never said the right thing, my jokes weren't funny, and I was weird. To this day, I haven't gotten over that... In every social situation, the words awkward and weird still taunt me... I would never be cool.

But you know what? God had a different plan for me, a plan so much greater than one I could ever imagine myself, so much greater than being cool or handsome in this world. God called me to be a priest. But in a sense, He called me to so much more than that. He called me to be a knight, to defend the glorious kingdom of heaven, fighting off the Devil with the power of God, and saving souls for the king. He called me to be a prince, to wear a crown, to leave behind my insecurities and downfalls, and to be with Him forever in an amazing kingdom. He called me to be a leader. No, a light. A light in a world, in this reality, where darkness overwhelms us and steals away our love.

God, our God, called upon a sinner, upon a weak kid, who, like many others today, had been taught ideas about faith, love, and friendship that were false, selfish, and cruel. And do you know what happened? He gave that kid the gift of faith to believe in a power greater than himself, to fight for that power, because that power is love, and God is Love. 

Read what the Holy Spirit has to say about all this. Read the whole thing, it's good stuff. 

Ephesians 2:1-10

And you he made alive, when you were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. Among these we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of body and mind, and so we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 

But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God -- not because of works, lest any man should boast.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

(Sigh) Scripture is wonderful. If I was feeling spunky, I would ask for an amen, but I think that's sort of a given.

Alright, the final chapter. Please listen to what I feel I need to say, what is always on my heart when I write. What I have received in my life is special, but it's not exclusive. The fact of the matter is, God is calling all of us. Maybe not to the religious life, but He is calling us to holiness. Hear his voice through my words, hear Him calling you to greatness! And remember the words from Sunday's Gospel:

"Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

Luke 12

We, brothers and sisters, have been entrusted with a calling. A calling that challenges what we hear everyday! Can you hear it? With God, we are capable of rising as a strong and faithful generation of Christian followers who will spread love and light.
What we have seen in our experiences and encounters on retreats and at camp or conferences during adoration and mass have been glimpses of the future kingdom that awaits us, and it is time to start living like we truly believe that. Say yes to holiness today, say yes to God.

God Bless,
Alex

walexfry@sbcglobal.net

Word of the Day: Sight

Today's word of the day is sight. In particular, God sight. Look for God in your daily lives today. Look in your relationships, in your heart, maybe even in the food you are eating. Your going to find that He is everywhere! Acknowledge His presence! Tell Him thank you for giving you that cake for breakfast! Just me? Oh.

You get the point. Have a great, blessing filled day! For my Pines friends, don't forget to drink lots of sunscreen and wear lots of water, it's gonna be a scorcher! 

Thanks to my dad for today's word of the day! 

God bless! 

Alex

Word of the Day: Rest

      Today's word is rest, a word very familiar to teenagers on summer. Last night, I went out with some friends and we watched two movies at a drive-in movie theater and then we drove around for a while. Once we had finished with our shenanigans and returned home it was already 1:30am and we did not get to sleep for another hour. So needless to say, I am exhausted. 

      Being the sensible teenager I am, I usually get to sleep around 10 because I know that if I do not get my rest, then I will be one grumpy goose during the day. 

      In the same way, if we do not go to mass on Sunday, where we have the opportunity to let go of all of our plans and agendas, and truly rest in the Spirit of God, thus rejuvenated in both the strength to continue the daily fight and the peace to know that a Kingdom awaits us after this life (consequently trivializing what may be stressing us out that week) then we're going to see our ability to love hindered. Ironically in the Gospel tomorrow Jesus will teach us to stay vigilant and awake. So with that in mind, what I don't mean when I say rest is that you now have an excuse to fall asleep in mass. 

      Tonight, maybe ask God to prepare your heart for mass tomorrow. So that when you get that chance to rest your weary head in the hands of the one who made you, you will be open to receive in the grace that will help you throughout the week.

      And speaking of getting plenty of rest, you can go to daily mass, or especially, go to confession. I would certainly emphasize that more if I wasn't trying to keep this blog short for your convenience. Confession is the perfect place to catch up on your "resting." And remember this, God is the all-powerful, supreme, creator of the universe, and even He rests... But not only that, He wants you to rest in Him and with Him... Forever. 

Mark 6:30-31

The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

Alright folks, have a good sleep, and pray you and I may find rest in God. 

I'm about to go into hibernation until mass tomorrow. 

Sweet dreams,

Alex

Word of the Day: Silence

That's right, I said it. Silence. Think about how much noise we have in our lives... If we aren't talking, we're watching tv or listening to music or watching vines or texting or all those other noisy activities. So with that being said, instead of you reading me lecture about how important silence is and how God speaks in the silence, let's just try a little activity. It's called shutup and listen. 

It's really easy just sit where you are and ask yourself the meditative questions that will provide from my imagination, and then listen. You probably won't hear anything audible, but by being quiet you are opening the door for God to work in your heart. Then when your done, I would love if you commented below and share what happened. Or not, whatever you're feeling.

Alright question 1.

If God is a real person like they say He is, (Hint. He is alive) then how is my relationship with Him right now?

Dos.

What can I do today that will please the God of the universe? 

767 - 764

If Jesus walked up to me right now and told me to leave everything without warning, and follow Him, what are the things that would make you hesitate? School, probably not.

Parents and family, maybe.

The comfort of your own bed, that's more like it. 

What else? Doubt? What about your carefully planned future and years of school in preparation for a career. Maybe you would just rather follow Jesus in your heart, but the actual literal following is a little extreme for you...

Alright folks, shutup and listen.

Psalm 46:10

"Be still, and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth!"

Hey, God Bless, and have a wonderful day! 

Alex Fry

Walking by Faith

My conversion story is complex. The last time I told it, I stood in front of two hundred of my peers at a class retreat, professing my renewed faith in public for the first time. I told them that I was raised Catholic, but that I had been merely going through the motions. I didn’t get anything out of my faith because I wasn’t putting anything into it. But then, something changed and I saw firsthand the joy a Christ-filled life can instill in people. I saw models of faith who radiated pure joy, and I wanted that joy. Slowly and surely, through one thousand little conversions, I made my way closer to Christ, and before I knew it, I was completely and utterly in love, on fire with passion for Him.

I thought that was where the story ended. At least that’s how I left it on retreat. But the funny thing was, just weeks before that retreat, I was starting to question God. I had been living off of a “Jesus high” after discovering His love—truly digging deep into it—for the first time. And then suddenly: nothing. I remember practicing my witness and noting how I didn’t even really believe some of the stuff I was telling my classmates. I was beginning to doubt God's love for me.

You were with me the past few months. Why leave now? What have I done? Why are you doing this to me? Can’t I just live in the high forever?

I had had a hole in my heart and had gone years without noticing it. But then I delved deep into my faith, saw that hole, and filled it to the brim. Or at least I thought I had. Now I was feeling empty, depressed, alone. How could He abandon me like this? Didn’t He see I was trying? Didn’t He see His abandonment was making my life worse, that I was turning to other impulses and temptations to give me the satisfaction that only He could provide? Why couldn’t He just let me feel Him?

But I delivered my witness as planned. And, by the time I got up there, I believed it. I was reminded of the truth that God loved me and could set me free from my chains. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I looked up to see my classmates praying for me before I began, and then I felt the Holy Spirit guiding my words, my mind clear and my thoughts full of passion.

It was wonderful. I felt the classic retreat high, quite an inspiring experience. I spoke to a priest about how I had been feeling before retreat, and he told me, “Faith isn’t always something you feel.” But I brushed aside his comment, saying, “Well, yeah sure, but everything is good now because I feel so on fire.”

I thought it was all good. All back to normal. Problem solved.

But the thing is…you can’t ride a Jesus high forever. It wears off. And you can't live your life under the impression that faith means feeling that high all the time.

Why? That’s something I struggled with. Why did God have to do this? Why did He have to throw me back into the real world? I failed to see that, as part of our human nature, we live in a fallen world. It’s not going to change until Christ comes down Himself and fixes it once and for all. As a result of our fallen world, we sin. We mess up. We hurt others. Others hurt us. Temptations bombard us at every turn. Each day is not that life-changing day where you discover Christ’s love for the first time. Each day is not a retreat. If it were, it’d be called Heaven, not earth.

Anyways, my expectations of heaven on earth were quickly shot down. Reality set in and it stung. Stress got to me. Other people got to me. The twisted side of my very own mind got to me. The lies sounded true again. You’re alone. God’s not here. He’s causing the darkness.

I couldn't wrap my mind around it. Why was I feeling spiritually dry and even dark? Why could I find no consolation? It was causing me pain to think that God saw me like this and did nothing to help. I blamed Him. He brought the darkness upon me. I even remembering writing in a prayer journal that God was “an absentee Father” for seeing me in such utter darkness and doing nothing to save me. Wasn’t I His child, His beloved? What ever happened to “I have called you by name and you are mine?”

Suffice it to say I was bitter. I couldn't believe that a few months earlier, I had given a witness on the freedom Christ brought me. And all of my classmates, boy, were they fooled…Some Catholic I am, I thought.

I blamed God and then I turned away. I gave into temptations that strengthened the voice in my head that told me I was alone and unloved. I was pulled further and further from God by my own doing, blaming Him each step down that dark road away from His light.

A mentor recommended I read The Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross, which described this spiritual darkness and how we sometimes experience it because “God wills to lead us higher.” I read it, marking on every single page. St. John described my darkness perfectly, but I was tired of hearing that the darkness was for a better cause. I didn’t want to hear it justified. I wanted to hear the easy answer; something along the lines of, “Pray the rosary every night and, voila, darkness is gone.”

But I didn’t find that. What I found was, “Keep listening for His voice” and “it will make you stronger.” I stopped reading.

Then I reached the point no one wants to reach. I reached the point where I had nowhere else to turn but to God, nowhere to go but up. I realized finally that maybe it wasn’t God causing the emptiness all along. Maybe it was me. I realized that my alternatives to happiness only made me sink lower and lower. Truly by the grace of God, I stopped heading down this counter-productive and even destructive path. I turned around and faced Jesus and slowly and painfully forced myself to at least try that way. I was done blaming Him; now I was going to try whole-heartedly giving Him all of me, asking Him—begging Him— to save me.

I came to see that maybe, just maybe, God had sent me a brief storm. Instead of persevering through it to His light and emerging stronger, I had accepted the Devil’s inadequate umbrella and planted myself beneath the rain permanently…I don’t know if that makes sense, but that’s the way this newfound understanding played out in my head.

The minute I opened myself up to seeing Him again, I was willing to get out of the rain and find His light again. I found the motivation to continue The Dark Night. I read on and found my answer. It hit me clearly, and I couldn’t believe I had been blind to it for so long:

God doesn’t cause these moments of darkness. They are already within us. He just reveals the darkness and the weakness within our hearts so we can GET RID OF IT. 

If He wants us to mature in our faith, we need to get rid of our belief that feeling God is the equivalent of having faith. We need to learn to rely on Him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health…We must realize that faith is more than just a feeling and love is so much more than a retreat high. To know God, we need to know ourselves, inside and out, imperfections and all. We need to know that, as Christians, we have a Cross to bear, and we should be eager to partake in Christ's suffering, enduring any struggle that will lead us into closer union with Him.

We need look no further than Blessed Mother Teresa to see this perseverance and faith in action. She, for decades, felt nothing, no passion, no flame at all. And yet, she still prayed, lived a Christ-like life, went to Mass, and fought the good fight of faith. What an inspiration. She kept her faith alive and strong despite no sensual satisfaction in doing so because she knew, deep in her heart, that God loved her. Even when she didn’t feel it, she could never doubt His love.

I am a log burning with Christ’s flame. If I want to truly become one with His flame, I’ve got to give myself over to Him. I must withstand the flames and let my imperfections and sins be turned to ash. The more I resist, the harder it becomes. Once I am stripped of my restraining walls and my log has been thoroughly burned, then and only THEN am I truly united to Christ. I am so consumed by Christ’s flame that I become one with it.

Now I’ve realized that when I stood up at retreat and delivered my witness, my journey was far from over. And it still is. I’ve got so much more maturing left to do. There are so many part of my log still in need of purification. Still, I will struggle with my doubts, with my times of depression and insecurity. But I know that God’s words ring truer than any other lie I—or anybody else—tell myself. I know that on my journey to Christ, there will be times when I'll just have to keep trusting my faith, even if the path is pitch black and my inner flashlight has been extinguished.

God wasn’t lying when He said, Fear not, for I have called you by name. You are mine…You are precious in my eyes and I love you (Isaiah 43).

Wherever you are in your faith journey, remember these words. Don’t let doubts or struggle define you. God loves you more than you can imagine, and He is with you through it all, the highs and the lows. When you don’t feel Him, keep praying. Keep having faith. Don’t turn away or you’ll find yourself feeling even further from Him. If you endure the suffering in your life as Jesus did, you will conquer your struggles. Give yourself over to Him fully, no reservations, and He will make you into a beautiful vessel of His love.

We walk by faith, not by sight. This is a tough lesson to learn, but with it as an anchor, your faith can move mountains.


I pray that sharing my story has helped you in some way. Feel free to contact me with questions or comments at noah.faith@yahoo.com.

Word of the Day: Sacrifice

      

      Here's a quick one on what I think sacrifice is. When I hear the word sacrifice I usually think of this:

      Now as much as I love animal sacrifices, (For legal purposes, I should probably mention that I'm joking) I have to remind myself that sacrificing is more than borrowing blood from the best lamb and smearing it across your door. No, sacrificing is something we should be practicing everyday. (And for legal purposes I should mention that I do not mean that you should sacrifice animals everyday or any day for that matter)

      Sacrificing on a daily basis can mean something as simple as cleaning your room without being told to do so 30 trillion times by your mom. It can mean purposely pulling yourself out of the limelight so others can be noticed and loved. It can mean giving up one day of your summer so you can sit down and work on your college applications. Oh yea, and it can also mean this:

      I'll shutup and let the Holy Spirit work with you on that one.

      Today, try and sacrifice in a way that is unnoticeable by anyone else. Except... Jesus always notices, and He is generous to those who die to themselves because of their love for God:

Mathew 25:34-40

"Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;

for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,

I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'

Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink?

And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee?

And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?'

And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.'"

Broken.

Broken. Beaten. Torn. Wounded. Hurt. Scarred. Falling Apart. Stop, have I gotten to you yet? Can you relate yet? Of course you can, we all can. Broken. We are all broken. Some of us just have cracks, some of us are shattered. We see broken people everywhere, in our houses, schools, and churches. What's breaking you? Maybe it's getting drunk when you know you're made by God. Maybe it's listening to the music that you know is eroding away your sense of truth and morals. Maybe it's your family... divorced parents, depressed siblings, they're broken too. Maybe you're confused, you wonder if you're gay because of feelings you have, maybe you're not sure if God exists or if this life has meaning, maybe you're not sure if everything the Church says is Truth, maybe you fear dying, and the questions and doubts are tearing you apart. Broken.

I'm sweating, not because it's hot, but because I'm talking to myself. I'm not preaching a sermon, I'm trying to give myself a peptalk. Brothers and sisters, allow me vulnerable. I'm afraid too, I'm confused too, I'm lost too. But, once upon a time, before I even knew that God was more than man in the sky, He gave me faith, and I believed and I listened to Him call me by name, and I dedicated my life to Him, and now I have a relationship with Him, but I still fall. I am still a sinner, and things definitely do not get easier when you decide to live out your Catholic faith. 

But, when the devil tries to tell me that my sins are what define me, are what hold me back from God, are what separate me from Him and His mercy, I just remember those powerful words:

"O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?"

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

1 Corinthians 15:55

Victory! The fight has already been won! Jesus came down, played the game, beat the whole system, and changed the rules forever. Your ticket to Heaven has already been bought with the Blood of the Lamb, all you have to do is redeem it! 

However, I know what you're thinking. If not, it's definitely what I'm thinking. Because if I'm honest, most of the time I don't feel like a winner. I feel like a weak, unworthy loser caught up in sins that seem bigger than me. I feel bound to these sins like a slave, and it sucks. There's no point to sugar coat that. We all know what I'm talking about.

But brothers and sisters, hear me loud and clear, Amazing Grace isn't just a song. It's real, and it's free, on one condition. You gotta ask for it. It's time to get to the confessional!

A few quick tips on going to confession, just a few things that may help that I'm learning from my own experiences with reconciliation:

1. Leave everything in the confessional.

Look deeply for the sins that you may be holding within for fear of shame and embarrassment. The best confessions I have ever had were the ones that I finally let go of my pride and fell on my knees.  Like my good friend Becca shared in her post, "You don't need to suffer anymore."

2. Do not be afraid.

The confessional should be the safest, most open place in the entire world, and it can be the place of great healing for you if you allow it to.

3. Be authentic.

I love that word. It challenges all of us to truly stay alert in our relationship with God. Be honest to yourself and to God. You'll be doing yourself a favor. You wouldn't leave out a symptom while at a doctors appointment just because it's a little gross, would you? Maybe you would, but it's not going do you any good. In the same way, we should be eager to let God take over in our lives, especially where the toughest sins are concerned. So be authentic in the confessional! 

4. Let it go.

This is one of my biggest problems. After the confession is over and you've received absolution, let it go. Don't worry any longer about your sins. Don't let those sins eat away at your dignity! Don't continue to weigh yourself down with shame! God has already forgotten them! (Mind blown) God can't really forget can he? That doesn't seem like...

"I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins."

Isaiah 43:25

Oh.

(Double Mind Blown)

If God himself has forgotten, why do you still choose to remember? 

I don't know, I struggle with it too. But it doesn't matter why, it just matters that we let it go, and if we are having trouble with that, then we need to pray about it. So pray for me and I'll pray for you. 

So that wraps up my thoughts on confession, well not really, I have a bunch more, but for now that's enough. 

Let's pray.

Dear Heavenly Father,

When our brokenness appears to define us, and our sins seem to be too much for us, we ask that You would help us to meet You in confession, and that You would give us the strength and courage to leave everything there, to open up ourselves to You, and that You would pour out every grace and blessing upon us so that we may be not only purified and cleansed of our sins, but also revived for the path ahead. Lord we thank You for winning over death by Your death, and we thank You for the gift of reconciliation.

Amen.

If you wanna talk, my email is walexfry@sbcglobal.net 

If you don't have an email, but you wanna talk, just comment below and we will figure out how to get into contact! 

Alex Fry

 Common Misconceptions beaten down to a pulp by God's Word:

 

You are not too broken or too lost. Psalm 32:10

When you pray, God is not listening. Psalm 28:6, 34:7, Exodus 3:7