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In past years, I've not posted much specifically about Lent. This year, we're gonna change that!! Do you know what you're doing/ giving up for Lent yet? Join the Catholic Teen Life blog on this Lenten journey of service, sacrifice, and love!! Our Lenten Theme is..... (Drum roll, please...) WASHING FEET! (Are you excited? Maybe? Sort of...?) Yes, I realize that this is typically just a Holy Thursday thing. But I was reading through John 13: 1-20 this week and realized how many ways there are to dive deeper into this scripture passage, and I think Lent is the perfect time to do that. How can we, as Catholic teenagers, wash feet? How can we allow Jesus to wash our own? What is true service? What is true conversion? How can we be joyful in all things? This is what we'll be diving into together during this Lenten season. Want to join me on this journey? Here's the plan. It's super simple, so you can use it by itself or add it to any other program/devotional you're doing during Lent. The Goal: Learn how to practically "wash feet" in everyday life, as well as let Jesus wash yours. How?: Get a suggestion for serving someone through either prayer, fasting, or almsgiving each day... And then try your hardest to complete it, or something similar! (Cause that's sort of the whole point...) & Read CTL posts about conversion, service, and joyful sacrifice. So why should you join the Catholic Teen Life blog on this journey? After all, there are SO MANY other resources out there. Our culture (and sometimes, Church) has become selfish and neglected joyful service and sacrifice. That needs to change. It starts with us. So many other Catholic Lenten programs are made to appeal mainly to adults. This one's different! Just like this blog, it's made for Catholic Teens, by a Catholic Teen. It's simple. Really simple. Like, "you don't even have to decide what to give up for Lent"- simple. (But if you've already decided what you're giving up/ doing for Lent, you can still follow along and do as much as you'd like!) If you follow the blog on Instagram, you can find the daily Lenten activity posted there each day, or refer to the guide that I'll include in a blog post on Ash Wednesday. For now, this is all I'll reveal! But you can look forward to a great Lenten journey together, all for Christ. Have a great week, friends!! - Catholic Teen

"Look to Him that you may be radiant with joy..." ~Psalm 34:5 This amazing verse is found in our responsorial psalm today, the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. It really stood out to me as I read the readings this morning. Christ lives out joy in the fullest possible way. When we look to Him and He fills us with His joy, we are radiant with it, and in turn, shine His light to the nations. There is a distinct difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is fleeting. It is a moment of pleasure, quickly replaced by other feelings. Joy is permanent. Joy is positivity, confidence, trust, and love, even in sad or frightening situations. Joy, true joy, is only possible in Christ. I'm willing to bet that Sts. Peter and Paul were some of the most joyful men to ever live. They knew Jesus, talked to Him, served Him, loved Him. They looked to Him for their every need, trusted him completely, even when faced with some of the most difficult situations one could imagine. How could you not be completely radiant with joy when you are that close to Jesus? What is the difference between us, today, and Sts. Peter and Paul? Why are we not as joyful as they were? We can be with Jesus, in person, in the Holy Eucharist. Though His image is not present to us, He is there, physically present under the form of bread and wine. We can talk to Him, both when sitting with Him in person or in our hearts, wherever we are. We can trust Him, abandoning our lives to the providence and love of God. Why would we not be joyful? We can be just as radiant with joy as the saints if we only look to Him.

Wishing you all a very happy Valentine's day! Today we celebrate love. In English, we have one word for love. In Greek, there were at least four... Let's look at the most common! Philio - The love shared between friends. Storge - The love shared between family. Eros - The mutual physical attraction and love between a man and a woman. All of the types of love are necessary and important, but each should direct us towards the ultimate type of love- agape. This is the total, all-consuming, sacrificial love which God has for us and which we should try to imitate. (Side note: If you'd like some seperate posts about each type of love, comment below and let me know!!) Jesus said, " No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." Every one of us is called to "lay down our lives" for those we love. True love means sacrifice. True love is a choice- not a feeling. You will not always "like" the people you love. We're all human. We all annoy eachother and have our little quirks. We all mess up and make mistakes. We all sin. But love conquers all of that. Love- true love- is greater than the ups and downs of life. As St. Paul says, "Love never fails." Friends, on this Valentine's day, as the world focuses solely on their romantic relationships (or lack thereof ...) I encourage you to Love more deeply and fully; strive to imitate the love of God in each of your relationships: with God, with your family, your friends , your boyfriend or girlfriend. How can you lay down your life for them and love them how God loves? Some Quotes for you this Valentine's Day: “Love is the most beautiful sentiment the Lord has put into the souls of men and women.” ~ St. Gianna Beretta Molla “Let us love, since that is what our hearts were made for.” -Saint Therese of Lisieux “Intense love does not measure it just gives. ” -Saint Theresa of Calcutta “When a man loves a woman, he has to become worthy of her. The higher her virtue, the more noble her character, the more devoted she is to truth, justice, goodness, the more a man has to aspire to be worthy of her. The history of civilization could actually be written in terms of the level of its women.” -Venerable Fulton Sheen “Love is never something ready-made, something merely ‘given’ to man and woman; it is always at the same time a ‘task’ which they are set. Love should be seen as something which in a sense never ‘is’ but is always only ‘becoming’, and what it becomes depends upon the contribution of both persons and the depth of their commitment.” -Saint Pope John Paul II “The things that we love tell us what we are.” -Saint Thomas Aquinas "Spread love everywhere you go... Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier." - St. Theresa of Calcutta "You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them." -St. Therese of Lisieux "The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Love; It signifies Love, It produces love. The Eucharist is the consummation of the whole spiritual life." -Saint Thomas Aquinas And finally.... this one. WOW. "There is no place for selfishness—and no place for fear! Do not be afraid, then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when love requires sacrifice" -Pope John Paul II I hope you have a very Valentine's day (And Feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, of course...) and that you know just how loved you are by our amazing Lord!! With love, Catholic Teen

I’m going to be honest here. My life has been very difficult lately. I haven’t dealt with it in the best way. I’ve used busyness as an excuse to not pray as much. I’ve been irritable and have complained. I’ve allowed the stress, anxiety, and trouble with adjusting to new situations to get the best of me. I think we’ve all been there at some point in our lives. Suffering is a fact of life. I realized this afternoon that, well, God never said that this life would be easy. Yes, we have those “mountain-top” experiences, but in reality, the majority of the time is just a climb- a struggle. I’m not being pessimistic here, just realistic. Think about our Lord. He endured His suffering to give us a model of how to endure our own. He willingly accepted the cross when it was given to Him. He didn’t complain. He didn’t try and stop it. He let what was going to happen, happen. But, notice, He didn’t go looking for the cross. He didn’t look for suffering, but when it was given to Him in the form of a cross, He didn’t fight it. He embraced it. We all have suffering that we can’t avoid and didn’t choose. These are our crosses. Is your cross one that involves another person? Someone who annoys you endlessly or who has caused a major change in your life? Friend, He sees you. Love them as best you can. In doing this, you are loving both them and God and giving purpose to your suffering. Is your cross a health condition? Friend, He sees you. Embrace it. Yes, seek comfort and healing as much as you can, but willingly accept whatever happens to you. Offer it to Christ as an act of love! Is your cross one of an interior nature? Scrupulosity? Anxiety? Depression? Friend, He sees you. Offer it to Him, taking refuge in Him and trusting in His mercy. Is your cross built up of many little crosses? Daily struggles and annoyances? Friend, He sees you. Each moment of suffering is another chance to love. Whatever it is, friend, I encourage you to embrace it. This sounds scary, but I promise you, you can do it. Suffering is going to happen anyway, so you might as well use it for good!! I think of St. Therese of Lisieux as an example of embracing suffering. She offered to Jesus even her littlest sufferings- moments of humiliation and annoyance, for example- and gave them to Him as offerings to His merciful love. Suffering can be turned into an act of love for God, allowing us to grow in virtue and love God and our neighbor. St. Francis of Assisi is said to have gone around crying out, “Love is not loved! Love is not loved!” When we embrace our suffering by abandoning ourselves to the mercy and love of God, we allow ourselves to be loved by Love Himself, and we, in turn, love Him. So many people have rejected His gift of love, the innumerable graces that He wishes to give. How would that make Him feel? How would we feel if the majority of gifts we ever offered were rejected? If those we most deeply and intimately loved chose to be miserable rather than accept our help and love? We would feel unloved, unneeded. Suffering without Love is dead. Suffering with Love is life, is an imitation of Our Lord and a gift to Him. Offering your sufferings to Jesus and asking Him to help you out and give you all the graces that no one else wants, both helps you to patiently endure your suffering and to console His wounded heart. This afternoon, I saw once again that the suffering I’ve been given is yet another opportunity to love. No, we don’t have to be happy all the time, and it's okay to cry, vent, and be upset sometimes, but when we offer our suffering to Christ as an act of love, our suffering is redeemed in our own lives and we show our love for our Lord. Friend, whatever you are going through, I invite you to offer it up. Carry that cross right alongside Jesus for love of Him. St. Francis was right- Love is not loved. When we use our sufferings as acts of love for God and for the world, our trials gain new meaning, and we let Love Himself be loved.

" Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, 'Ephphatha!' (that is, 'Be opened!') And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, 'He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.'" Mk 7:31-37 Friends, today's Gospel reading is a fantastic reminder for us that each day gives us a new opportunity to ask God to help us to be open to His will. In what area of your life do you need to "be opened?" Physically? Mentally? Spiritually? When we are open to God's working in our lives, amazing things can happen. "Open my eyes, Lord Help me to see your face" "Open my ears, Lord Help me to hear your voice" "Open my heart, Lord Help me to love like you" ~From the song "Open My Eyes" by Jesse Manibusan Lord, I ask you to open my heart, my eyes, my ears to Your will and Your working in my life. I trust in You. I trust in Your plan. You do all things well. You make the deaf hear and the mute speak. Your works are marvelous, O Lord. Please help me to be open to your will.

Saint Valentine ​ The story: Saint Valentine was a Roman priest and martyr during the Third Century. He was first arrested for performing marriage ceremonies for young Christian couples during the persecutions. Legend has it that He healed the daughter of his jailer, and before his execution, wrote a note to the girl, signed, " From your Valentine" thus, giving us the tradition of sending Valentines to those we love. If you're sending a Valentine to someone you love this month, think of it as imitating a saint rather than helping the greeting card companies!! ​ Feast day: Feb. 14 ​ Patron of: Engaged couples, Beekeepers, Fainting, Epilepsy, Happy Marriages, Love, Lovers, Young people (!!!) ​ Find the novena here! ​ Saint Valentine, we thank you for giving and living your life in love for Christ and His people. We ask you to intercede for us in our relationships and to watch over the people who we will someday be called to marry. Please pray for the protection of all who are dating or engaged, that they will live their lives in joyful love and service. Take us under your care and help us to love God and our neighbor.

I asked readers and some of my friends and family to submit questions for this Q&A post. Thank you to all who helped out with this!! 😊 If anyone has anymore questions feel free to comment or send me an email. Enjoy! Q. What inspired you to have a blog for Catholic Teens? A. You. You inspired me to start this blog. You are a beloved Child of God and He loves you so much and has a plan for you. That's why I'm doing this- so you know you're not alone in this. Being a Catholic teen is definitely not easy in our world today, but if we stick together we'll find that there are so many of us all going through similar things. And.... also because I love Jesus and like to write about Him 🤭 Q. How can I focus on prayer and not let any distractions get to me during prayer? A. This is a hard one! I struggle with this all the time. I think the best thing to do is just to keep trying. When you find your mind wandering, just go back to God. Ask Him to help you overcome the distraction. All God asks is that you try. Distractions are not sins; they're an opportunity to grow in patience with yourself and in fortitude. Don't give up! Pray for and about whatever's on your mind. Use the distraction for good. If you're getting distracted by outside things it can be helpful to put your phone on silent during your prayer time and to dedicate a specific spot in your house to prayer. This can help you to focus and eliminate distractions from your environment. Read about how to do that here ! Q. Why do Catholics believe that Jesus is present in the Eucharist? A. We believe that Christ is present in the Eucharist, because, well, He said that He is! At the Last Supper, Christ instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist, giving His apostles bread and wine and telling them that it was His Body and Blood. We believe that Jesus meant what He said- that the consecrated bread and wine truly become His body and blood and not mere symbols. (Read more about this here. ) After the consecration during Mass, only the form of the bread and wine remain (how they look, taste, feel, etc.) but their true matter is that of the Body and Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. (Think of it this way: If I have a statue of Abraham Lincoln, the form of the statue might be stone, but the matter of the statue, that which makes it a statue rather than a hunk of rock, is Abraham Lincoln.) The USCCB explains it clearly on this page. The Catechism of the Catholic Church's section on the Eucharistic beliefs of the Church can be found here . Yes, the Eucharist is a difficult teaching to accept, but if one reads the biblical and historical evidence and simply has faith that Christ's words are true, they will come to believe. 😊 Q. One of my friends is Catholic. Why do I see her "cross herself"? A. Great question! What you are referring to is called the sign of the cross. Each of us is marked with the sign of the cross at our Baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When someone blesses themselves in this way (typically before or after praying) they are reminding themselves that they belong to God and of the nature of the Trinity. This is why they say "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." These words also dedicate the prayer to God. There are numerous graces associated with making the sign of the cross, but these are the two main ones. This is a simple article that goes into some more detail. Q. What Catholic Apps do you like using and recommend? A. My personal favorite is Catholify ! Along with providing the daily readings, the Bible, Catechism, Virtual Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet, numerous prayers, live adoration, Mass times, Pope Tweets, confession guides, and much more, they also have prayer groups with people from all around the world. It is amazing to be able to connect and pray with other Catholics from all over the country and world. I also really like Augustine Institute's Amen app . It's just like another popular Catholic app that does audio meditations (which I will not name here...) but is completely free! I have an entire post covering this topic. You can read it here: Catholic Apps Q. Why do Catholics fast during Lent? A. Catholics view Lent as a penitential season, meaning that it is a time of penance and sacrifice. We use the forty days before Easter to pray and fast, preparing our hearts and minds for Easter and contemplating Christ's sacrifice for us. We abstain from eating eat on Fridays, and fast (eating two small meals that, when combined, do not equal the third large meal) on Ash Wednesday, and Good Friday. Fasting is a historical practice that reaches all the way back to the Biblical Jews. Lessening the amount of food that you eat for spiritual purposes is a mild but effective form of mortification and a small way to participate in Christ's passion by offering up your own sacrifices for souls. Q. What are some Catholic books that you'd recommend? A. Read my posts on this topic for some awesome book recommendations: Book Reviews- Catholic Answers Book Reviews- Stories Book reviews- Devotionals and Prayer Books One of my favorite novels is In the Palace of the Great King: a Catholic Novel. by Julie Ash. You can read my review for it here. Q. How does one start a Catholic blog? A. I Love this question!! I use Wix to update my website and write my post. It's taken a while to get used to but overall the free version is very easy to use... No coding involved!! (It can be used for any sort of website, not just one that's Catholic 😉) You'll also need to figure out which topic you're going to blog about. My blog began as one for resources such as apps and book recommendations, but I've grown to enjoy writing scripture reflections and providing practical ways to live out our faith as Catholic teenagers, so that's what I write about! Find what you like and use it for God's glory. Q. How do we know that the Catholic Church is the one to go to? A. You can know that the Catholic Church is THE ONE because it's the one that Christ Himself established. Why would anyone need or want to go anywhere else? The Church can trace Her roots all the way back to when Christ said " And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, * and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18) The Church has existed since the moment that Christ established it, and because of Christ's promise in this verse, we know that it will endure until the end of time. Jesus also prayed, "And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one" (John 17:22). He wished that His Church, His community of believers, would be unified in all things, including theological beliefs, and He has preserved this unity in His Church. I strongly encourage you to read more about this topic in a post I wrote here Q. Are you saved? A. Well, yes and no. As Catholics, we believe that we are saved through Christ's death and resurrection; we believe that we are being saved by our cooperation with grace as we journey through this life on the way to Heaven; we believe that we will be saved when Christ takes us to Heaven after our particular judgment. So yes, we believe and hope that we will be going to Heaven, but we do not believe that you have to pray a certain prayer one time in your life, and then you will be saved forever. That view, though accepted by many Christian protestant denominations, is not biblically accurate. Q. Are Catholics cannibals? A. Great question!! Short answer: NOPE. Long answer, you can read here because Catholic Answers can say it better than I ever could 😂 Q. Why do we kneel so much in church? A. Kneeling is an act of reverence and humility before God. We kneel before the Blessed Sacrament because God is truly present in the Holy Eucharist. When we are at Mass we kneel at the most sacred moments in the liturgy, physically demonstrating reverence towards God. Q. Do priests have to go to confession? A. Yes!! All priests, just like any other Catholic, are required to go to confession at least one time per year. All priests have a confessor: another priest who regularly hears their confession. Q . How old do you have to be to become a priest? A. It varies from diocese to diocese, but typically you must be at least 17 years old and a high school graduate to apply for candidacy in your diocese. After this, you would have at least 6-9 years of preparation and discernment before you're ordained. The youngest ordained priests (currently) are probably ordained at around age 25. Q. What is a Vocation and how do you know which Vocation God has picked for you? A. You can read all about this in my Vocations posts! Vocations Resources An Interview with a Priest An Interview with a Religious Sister Some Vocation Tips... An Interview with a S eminarian World Day of Prayer for Vocations Called for a Purpose, Called to Love Q. Why do Catholics have a Pope? A. The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church. He has spiritual authority over all of the faithful and leads and guides the Church. The first pope was St. Peter. Jesus names Peter as the head over all the apostles when he renames him from "Simon" to "Cephas" which translates to Peter and means "rock". He also gives him the "keys to the kingdom" which gives him the authority to "bind and loose" ( this is explained here. ). He also has primacy over the other apostles. When Peter died, the Church did not just fizzle out and die too! A successor was elected, and to this day, each Pope (and consequently bishop and priest) has direct apostolic succession all the way back to Christ. Q. Can Catholics believe in ghosts? A. The word "ghost" literally means spirit. So yes, we believe in spirits. God can allow any spirit to appear to anyone at any time, whether the soul is in Heaven (as in an apparition of a saint), hell, or Purgatory. So yes, ghosts could be real if God permitted them to be, but it doesn't seem likely that a random one would come and "haunt" an abandoned house.... Jimmy Akin explains it well in this article.

Isn't it sometimes terribly hard to find a good book to read? One that doesn't have any unnecessary content that we shouldn't be reading? At least at my local library, it is. There have only been a few books in recent months that I haven't had to put down because of the content or that have kept my interest. Here are a few recommendations of books I've read over and over again that have a good message and that you won't want to put down. When God Wrecks Your Romance - Amanda Vernon and Matt Case My youth minister recently lent me her copy of this book and I absolutely love it. The story (it's a true story by the way! Amanda Vernon spoke at our parish last year.) is about two people who were friends as teenagers, and both liked each other very much but neither wanted to tell the other. After years and years of being at Steubenville conferences and retreats together, they find out what the other was thinking all that time. God takes them on a path they never could've imagined as He shows them both His will for their lives. It's an amazing story about love, friendship, vocations, and being happy where God puts you. If you like romance but don't care for all the unnecessary content that is normally put in them, this book is definitely for you. Chicken Soup for The Soul- Living Catholic Faith This book is a collection of stories from people from all over the place who live good Catholic lives and have stories to share with the world. The topics include love, service, angels, miracles, challenges, prayer, faith, and much much more. There are 101 stories so it's a good book to read if you don't have a lot of time on your hands..... Or you can read it all in one night like I did. God Said Yes - Heather Hornback Bland and Ninie Hammon I have read this book so many times.... I couldn't even tell you how many. It is the story of a woman who was run over by as car as a small child, and still managed to live a good life and have children even when the doctors said it'd be impossible. She has an incredible faith in God and trust that he will help her through all her struggles. It's a good one for those of us who like reading about medical stuff. Angels in the E.R - Dr. Robert Lesslie M.D. Another medical book! Dr.Lesslie is an E.R. doctor who shares his stories of his time in the E.R. with the world. For the most part, the stories are about patients he's seen (he doesn't use real names) and how they've impacted his life. He's also written several other books titled Angels on the Nightshift, Angels and Heroes, Miracles in the E.R., Angels on Call, Angels to the Rescue, When You Need an Angel, and Notes from a Doctor's Pocket. Also a good one for our medical fans :-) A Single Bead- Stephanie Engelman First fictional book on the list! This book is about a girl who finds a bead from her deceased grandmother's Rosary bead in the place where she died on the first anniversary of her death. What happens aafterwardand how praying the Rosary changes her life will make you want to pray it more often! Check out these books and the many more that can be found online. These are just a few of my favorites. Let me know in the comments if you have any suggestions or try any of these ones out. Happy reading!

I've compiled a list of some of the best apps that provide online resources to Catholics all over the world. Here are just a few: Holy Bible App- This app is one of the better Bible apps out there. It contains the entire Bible all in one app and you can download it to read it offline. You can select a Bible reading plan that has a theme. These themes include love, forgiveness, joy doubt, anxiety, and many others. The plan leads you to passages that may help with what you are trying to achieve through your plan. The app also includes devotionals and a prayer list. You can connect with friends on both Android and iOS phones. Here's the link to both app stores: Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sirma.mobile.bible.android iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bible/id282935706 Formed- This website/app is basically Catholic Netflix. It has tons of videos, movies, audio, and books about the Catholic faith. The topics vary from sacramental prep materials, to Saint movies, to Bible studies, and they even have shows and movies specifically for kids! It does cost some money, but it's definitely worth it in the long run. Here's the website: https://formed.org/ They also have an app that can be accessed from the website. Catholic Answers Live- Personally, this is one of my top 2 favorite Catholic Apps. It enables listeners to tune in to radio programs (or listen after they've aired) given by the apologists at Catholic Answers- some of the best in the world! They cover all sorts of topics including the sacrements, pro-life issues, and Church teachings on all sorts of issues. It's also good for those who haven't yet come home to the Church! There are numerous episodes where the apologists will open up the phone lines only to those who aren't Catholic so that they can ask questions. The programs consist of the apologists answering questions posed by callers who call in with questions about whatever the given topic is. It is a really great resource for those of us who enjoy evangelizing and apologetics. Here's the link to the Android and iOS app stores so you can download the app: Android- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.calive.playstore iOS- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/catholic-answers-live/id971611664 Catholify- This ties with Catholic Answers Live for my favorite app. It includes the entire Bible and Catechism, virtual Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet, prayer requests, Pope tweets, Mass and Confession times, tons of prayers, and the coolest part about it is that it even has live-streamed Eucharistic Adoration 24/7!! You can go to Adoration in your bedroom! How cool is that?! My favorite part is the prayer groups that include Catholics from all over the world. Here are the links: Android- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.igdit.catholify iOS- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/catholify/id738897570 Let me know in the comments section if you have a favorite Catholic app or if you try any of these ones! Keep an eye out for more posts like these coming soon...

"Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life." ~ Psalm 91 Today's Mass readings are all about scripture. Living in a fast-paced world with so many distractions can make it difficult to find the time to read the Bible, and when you do find the time, it can seem very overwhelming because of the style of writing, the length of the texts, and the (to be completely honest...) sometimes monotonous and occasionally boring writings. (Uhh, Deuteronomy, anyone? How bout Leviticus? Numbers?) This doesn't have to be the case!! Yes, some parts can be a bit tough to chew through, but that doesn't mean that we have to completely abandon scripture. The Biblical texts are one way that God speaks to us, and it is so important in our journeys of faith that we regularly read and understand this form of God's Word. This post will give you some ideas for ways to do that... 1. Attend a Bible Study. (visual and auditory learners) Try to find a Bible study in your area or online! It's important to find a Catholic Bible study. While our Protestant brothers and sisters do absolutely teach scripture, they are not under the teaching authority of the Church, and therefore do not always teach the Church's interpretation of Scripture (which is the correct interpretation since it is directly inspired by Christ.). I've attended two Bible studies so far, the first using Ascension Press' The Bible Timeline®: The Story of Salvation, and the second led by my youth minister about Proverbs 31, using a book by Kimberly Hahn. Both were very beneficial to me, each in different ways. The Bible Timeline provided me with a good foundation for reading and studying scripture, while the other Bible study allowed me to dive deeper into one particular passage and learn what it was all about. (Authentic femininity and God's design for women.) 2. Read the Bible in order. (any type of learners) When you read the Biblical texts in a logical order (PLEASE not just Genesis to Revelation...) it makes them a whole lot easier to understand, and definitely more intriguing. The typically recommended order is (1) One of the Gospels, usually John. (2) Genesis (3) Exodus (4) Numbers (5) Joshua (6) Judges (7) 1 Samuel (8) 2 Samuel (9) 1 Kings (10) 2 Kings (11) Ezra (12) Nehemiah (13) 1 and 2 Maccabees (14) Luke (15) Acts of the Apostles. There are then supplemental books that go along with each of the main books. While you can, of course, read the Bible on your own, it is very helpful to have a program to keep you on track and correctly interpret what you're reading. I'd recommend The Bible Timeline®: The Story of Salvation or Fr. Mike Schmitz's Bible in a Year Podcast , which happen to be published by the same company and follow the same basic outline. This leads me to my next tip... (Sidenote: I am not profiting in any way by promoting Ascension Press' materials, I just really love them...) (Sidenote #2... I've written two mini- Bible study posts for this blog. Check them out! Mini Bible Study- Proverbs 31 and Reflection on Hebrews 4:12 . Let me know if there are any other specific passages you'd like to read about! 3. Listen to the Bible in a Year Podcast (audible learners) While I personally did not listen to the Bible in a Year Podcast because the Bible study I was in was teaching basically the same thing, I know that it has been a great success and has helped so many people to dive deeper into God's Word. (And, after all, who doesn't love Fr. Mike Schmitz?!) Fr. Mike takes you through the entire Bible in one year with daily, approximately twenty-minute podcasts that include both scripture and a reflection. SO AMAZING! 4. Try Bible Journaling (visual and kinesthetic learners) This has been such a big help to me!! Bible Journaling is useful for so many people because it allows them to interact with the text in a very tangible way. It's fun to (reverently and respectfully) mark up the pages of your Bible with notes, highlighted passages, and sometimes even drawings and prayers. I am in the process of trying to color-code all that I read in my Bible, which makes it easier for me to focus on the particular text that I am reading. There is so much inspiration online (and I'll post some of mine on my Instagram story...) and it's a great way to use your creativity (or for some of us, organizational skills...) to glorify God and dive deeper into Scripture. You can color-code with any type of Bible, but it's really nice to have a Bible with lines in the margins for journaling, drawing, and note-taking. I have the Our Sunday Visitor Catholic Notetaking Bible. But I've also seen and like the looks of the Blessed is She Journaling Bible. 5. Read the daily Bible Readings. This is SOOO important and simple!! Each day at Mass, at least three different passages of Scripture are proclaimed. Usually from the Old Testament, Psalms, and a Gospel reading. They are short and sweet but packed with so much information. Many graces come from reading them each day. They can be found on the USCCB website and then many reflections can be found online. Some of my favorites are the Blessed is She devotions and Catholic Daily Reflections . It's a great way to make sure that you're reading scripture every single day. I hope that these tips will inspire you to dive deeper into your study of scripture! The Biblical texts record an amazing story that we are privileged to be a part of as members of Christ's Church. What are some of your favorite ways to read the Bible?? Do you have any tips for other Catholic teens? Feel free to comment below!

I wrote the following essay last March for a pro-life essay contest and wanted to share it with all of you since January is Respect Life month. Yesterday was the March for Life, and today is the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortion in all 50 states and the national day of prayer for the unborn. I encourage you to take some time today to pray for the protection of all human life. Pray boldly! Our God is a God of miracles. With Him on our side, we can be confident that the pro-life movement will win the fight against abortion. Abortion: The Unnecessary American Controversy Abortion is one topic in American culture that need not be controversial. All evidence provided by science, reason, and faith, point to the fact that the unborn are living, human beings who have the right to life. The American Government claims it upholds the right to life in the Declaration of Independence. This document declares that all are created equal and have been given certain rights, including the right to life. Because of this vital statement, we can see that all Americans, from the moment of conception, are to be valued, and deserve to live. Tragically, today in America, this right is not being upheld as thousands of American children are killed every year due to legalized abortion. The following argument invalidates any argument that one might have in support of legal abortion. The first proposal of this argument is that the unborn are living human beings. This can be proven by basic biological facts. From the moment of conception, the unborn meet the qualifications for life. These include being formed out of cells, growing, changing, using energy, adapting to the environment, developing an ability to reproduce in the future, maintaining homeostasis, reacting to the environment, and being based on a universal genetic code. Based on these qualifications, the unborn are, indeed, alive. Some pro-abortion activists will agree that the unborn are alive but will question if they are human. This question has a simple answer. Scientifically, if a human man and woman conceive a child, there is nothing their offspring can be or change into, other than a human. To prove the second part of our argument, we need to use some basic logic and philosophy. According to Boethius, a Roman scholar of the late fifth and early sixth centuries, the definition of a person is “an individual substance of rational nature.” Catholic and pro-life apologist, Trent Horn, says in his book, Persuasive Pro-Life concerning Boethius' definition of the person: “What this means is that a particular being is a person, or has basic rights, if it is a member of a rational kind.” ( Horn, pg.128 ) Therefore, since all persons have one basic thing in common, human nature, all should be treated respectfully. Though the unborn are not yet self-aware, they are still rational creatures and persons because they are of the human race. This personhood gives the unborn the unalienable right to life. When we prove that the unborn are living human beings who have the right to life, we can then understand why abortion is wrong. The Oxford Dictionary defines abortion as, “The deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy.” From the first part of this definition, we can see abortion takes the life of a human. If something is terminated, it is ended. Pregnancy is the condition of having a child in the womb. If pregnancy is terminated, the child is no longer in the womb. One could argue that birth also terminates pregnancy, so what makes abortion different? Abortion is different from birth because it terminates the life of a human being. This, too, can be proven by science because the child no longer meets the qualifications for life after it is aborted because he or she has been killed. By proving the argument that the unborn are living human beings and have the right to life, we can effectively disprove any arguments in favor of legalized abortion. If one can accept basic scientific facts, widely agreed upon philosophical definitions, the validity of the founding American documents, and use simple logical thinking skills, they can easily see there is no case in which abortion can be justified. Because of this, there is no need for the morality of abortion to be so widely debated in American society. The fact that the unborn are living human beings and have the right to life is undeniable. The children of our country are alive and they deserve to keep their lives until the moment of their natural death. There is no need for controversy on this topic. When one looks at the facts, it is evident that abortion is killing America’s most innocent citizens and violating their right to life bestowed upon them by their country and their Creator. Bibliography: · “Abortion.” Lexico.Com , www.lexico.com/en/definition/abortion. Accessed 26 Feb., 2021. · “Fetal Development.” Students for Life , 18 June 2020, studentsforlife.org/fetaldevelopment. · Lee, Megan. “You Are What You Eat...And Also What Your Mother Ate.” Science in the News , 15 Aug. 2009, sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2009/issue57. · Trent Horn. Persuasive Pro Life: How to Talk about Our Culture’s Toughest Issue . Catholic Answers Press, 2014. · Shiel, James. “Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius | Roman Scholar, Philosopher, and Statesman.” Encyclopedia Britannica , 1 Jan. 2021, www.britannica.com/biography/Anicius-Manlius-Severinus-Boethius . · “The Declaration of Independence: Full Text.” ushistory.org , www.ushistory.org/declaration/document. · All other facts contained in the essay come from biology class notes and notes from former pro-life training. If you or someone you know have questions related to abortion or other pro-life topics, feel free to email me using the contact field on the home page of the blog, or leave a comment below. I will address all questions in an upcoming post. God bless!

The Pro-Life movement is often blamed for being inconsiderate and even hostile towards women who have had abortions or are considering them. Although this is typically fake news highlighted by pro-abortion news companies or even Planned Parenthood, there are certain individuals in the pro-life movement who have lost the idea of what it means to be truly pro-life. When we say we are pro-life, we mean we are pro- ALL LIFE. This means caring for and respecting every single living human being no matter who they are or what they've done. Especially the women considering abortion. She is vulnerable, as is the child that she is carrying. She is susceptible to the lies that are thrown at pregnant women from all different angles, and to the lie that she is worthless because she is carrying a child. She may be asked "How will you take care of this child?" or told that she isn't fit to be a mother. Although she may feel unfit or not have the resources to properly care for a child, it is our job, as pro-life people, to make sure that she is loved, cared for, and valued and that she gets the help and resources that she needs. There are many ways to do that, but different situations require different solutions. This post will highlight why women have abortions and how we can help women in those situations to do the right thing by choosing life for their child. The PubMed.gov website gives some statistics for reasons why women have abortions You can read the full article at the link at the bottom of the page, but I'll summarize it here. The statistics show that the reasons that women have abortions vary, but most of the reasons are that: ~A baby would interfere with everyday responsibilities ~Could not afford a baby ~Did not want to be a single parent/ had relationship problems ~Younger patients said that they were not mature enough to raise a child, were afraid to tell their parents, or their parents wanted them to have an abortion ~Don't want people to know they're pregnant/ Afraid to tell partner ~Partner is forcing them to have an abortion Here are some ways to help women in these situations and get them to the resources that they need. Baby could interfere with everyday responsibilities (school, work, etc.) If a woman tells you that she is considering an abortion because a child would interfere with everyday responsibilities, let her know that there are places and people that will help her out. Many towns have daycare centers and some college campuses even have them to help out women in school with families. If they have supportive parents or friends who are willing to help babysit until she can make better arrangements to take care of her baby, they could ask those people. If none of those options are available, adoption is a possibility. There are so many couples who are unable to conceive a child of their own and would love to have a baby to care for. Adoption relieves the woman of the stress of having a child to care for and gives another couple the chance to parent a child. Local hospitals can help with this process, as well as adoption agencies, both in-person and online. Woman doesn't have the financial resources necessary to care for a child Pregnancy resource centers help with this exact problem. Make sure you have the names and other information of one in your area when praying outside of an abortion clinic or at any other pro-life event. It could definitely come in handy! The main goal of the resource centers is to help moms to care for their children, both the unborn and the born. Many provide resources such as diapers, clothing, baby food, and other essentials for moms to help ease the financial challenges of having a child. Where I live, our pregnancy care center offers women resources in exchange for coming to educational sessions about parenting and caring for children completely free of charge. Most centers also provide support for women who have already had an abortion and are regretting their decision. You can Google "pregnancy resource centers in my area" to find the nearest one. Do not want to be a single parent/has relationship problems If a woman tells you this, reassure her that help is out there and connect her with a pregnancy resource center. They can help her to learn to care for her child as a single mother. Adoption is also an option. Make sure that she is not in an abusive relationship. If this is the case, make sure to get an adult involved IMMEDIATELY . If the woman is under 18 and considering abortion... Get her to a trusted adult that can help as soon as possible. Many teens do not tell their parents that they are pregnant. This is a huge problem. Many teens feel like their parents will not understand or will be angry with them. Reassure them that their parents will most likely want to help them out. They may be disappointed at first, but they will want to help. You could even offer to talk to them with her if you are allowed to. If it does end up that her parents refuse to help, direct the young woman to a pregnancy care center or another adult that will help her. The main goal when helping young women of this age group is to get them to an adult who can help them through their pregnancy. Don't want people to know they're pregnant Being pregnant is nothing to be ashamed of! Life is a miracle and miracles should not be kept a secret. If the woman is not married and is ashamed to be pregnant, reassure her that her baby is still a miracle. Every child, no matter who its parents are, is valuable. Women in this situation may have made a bad decision, but that does not mean that their child needs to die as a result of it. Partner is telling them to have an abortion Reassure the woman that NO ONE CAN FORCE HER TO HAVE AN ABORTION!!!! If their boyfriend or husband is forcing her to have an abortion, then she needs to get out of that relationship as soon as possible, or at least explain to him that she will not have an abortion, even if that means going against his wishes. Tell the woman that she is so brave to stand up to her partner and she will not regret having her child. Other Circumstances: Occasionally you will encounter a woman who is considering abortion because she has been sexually assaulted and found herself pregnant. The most important thing to do in this case is to let the woman know that she is loved and valued and get her to help right away. Make sure that she has told a trusted person what has happened to her and is getting the help that she needs. Let her know that her baby, even if conceived through terrible circumstances, is still a child and deserves to live. This is such a difficult situation, and extremely heartbreaking. Let the woman know that you care about her and that she is loved (and so is her baby!!). (There are hotlines available for people who have gone through this. If you or someone you know has been raped, use this link to find the phone number of a sexual assault helpline: https://www.rainn.org/about-national-sexual-assault-telephone-hotline Praying for you!) Some women will say that they are considering abortion because of health reasons. Know that there IS NO MEDICAL REASON THAT ABORTION IS EVER NECESSARY!!!! Abortion is not a woman's only choice, and if her doctor is telling her this, she needs to find a new doctor because that one does not know their facts. Watch this video made by a neonatal doctor that explains why abortion is never medically necessary: https://prolifereplies.liveaction.org/medically-necessary/ As someone who was born two months prematurely (2 months early) due to my mother's health conditions, I am living proof that premature babies can live great lives! It is so important that women know that there are options for themselves and their children when faced with life-threatening health conditions. Other Tips: -Make sure that the woman you are talking to knows that you care about her and her situation -If you are a teen and talking to a woman in this situation, get her to an adult who can help before you do anything else. This is super important!! -Try not to seem overly anxious or nervous around them. Let them know that everything is going to be okay. -Offer prayers for her and her baby (Bonus points if you pray with her if she's comfortable with that!) -Don't assume that the woman is pro-abortion, even if she is considering one. She may be feeling pressured to have one even if it goes against her beliefs. - Let her tell you how she is feeling and about her situation. Don't make assumptions!! Talking to women who are considering abortion is very likely to happen as a pro-life person. It could be in the grocery store, at school, at an event, or when you're praying outside of an abortion clinic. Make sure that you have the facts on hand so that you can encourage women to do the right thing and choose life for their child. Life is always the right choice in every situation. There are so many stories of women who have chosen life and never ever regretted their decision. It's amazing! We, as teenagers, may not be able to drive, vote, or do other things that adults can do, but we can definitely save lives :-) Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3243347 Students for Life Regional Trainings