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Hey Catholic Teen Life readers!! Do you have questions about the Catholic faith? Have family or friends who do? Want to know how to answer objections to Catholicism? I'd love to know what your questions are and give you some resources to help answer them. If you have a question about anything relating to Catholicism, this blog, or living life as a Catholic Teen, please comment it below. I'll do my best to answer in an upcoming blog post and give resources for further information regarding your question topic! Thank you so much for your participation! God bless you. 😊 ~Catholic Teen

Today's Gospel is the Wedding Feast at Cana passage (John 2:1-11) . In performing the miracle at the wedding by turning water into wine and by simply being present at the wedding, Christ sanctifies marriage. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says it this way: "On the threshold of his public life Jesus performs his first sign - at his mother's request - during a wedding feast. The Church attaches great importance to Jesus' presence at the wedding at Cana. She sees in it the confirmation of the goodness of marriage and the proclamation that thenceforth marriage will be an efficacious sign of Christ's presence." ~ CCC 1613 In the Catholic faith, we believe that marriage is a Sacrament, which is " an efficacious sign of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. " (CCC 1131) . The unity and sacramental bond between a husband and wife symbolize the bond between Christ and His Bride, the Church. As Catholics, we know that marriage is very different from how it is portrayed in secular culture. It's a sacrament. It's the unification of two souls, bodies, hearts, and lives. For a marriage to be valid in the Catholic Church, it must be free (not forced by one partner or the other) total (permanent and only dissolved by death), fruitful (open to life), and faithful (one man, one woman, for life). According to the Catechism, the purpose of marriage is for the mutual good of the spouses, as well as for the procreation and education of children. (CCC 1601) . Marriage is a Vocation, a state of life to which one is called by God to fulfill their ultimate Vocation of Love. It is the total gift of oneself to another. God makes it very clear that Marriage has been holy from the very beginning of time- Adam and Eve were married. God gave woman to man as his helper. This is the ultimate Vocation of each woman: to live a life of service and of love. (Read my post Mini Bible Study- Proverbs 31 to hear more about all of this! ) God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suited to him." (Gen. 2:18) In a marriage, the wife gives her life in service to her husband, not in a way that permits him to be cruel to her, but in a way that shows him that she loves and respects him and their children, and helps him to become the husband and father that he is called to be. The husband's role is one of protection and leadership, guiding the family toward Christ as the spiritual head of the household (the Domestic Church, which is an image and symbol of the Church) and providing for his family as best he can. I love this quote from the Catechism: "God who created man out of love also calls him to love the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being. For man is created in the image and likeness of God who is himself love. Since God created him man and woman, their mutual love becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man. It is good, very good, in the Creator's eyes... " ~ CCC 1604 Love is good. Marriage is good. Marriage is holy. Sadly, traditional marriage and family values are under attack in our world. "Unions" between people of the same sex are labeled "marriages." The tragedy of divorce seems to be more normalized each day. Cohabitation is common, and so is adultery. Marriage is seen as a contract, not as the covenantal relationship that it is. The Catechism states it this way: " The consent by which the spouses mutually give and receive one another is sealed by God himself....The...covenant between the spouses is integrated into God's covenant with man: 'Authentic married love is caught up into divine love .'" Marriage is a covenant, which further shows that it is a microcosm of the relationship for God with His people. We are sealed in a Covenant with God, pledging our love and devotion to him alone (The New Covenant). A married couple does the same for one another and to God through their sacramental marriage. As Christ gave His life for the salvation of His bride, the Church, the spouses give up their personal lives and desires for the other and for their children. These articles are also really good for understanding the Catholic view of marriage: Catholic Answers- Authentic Christian Marriage USCCB- Matrimony Overview and Resources I'd also encourage you to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs on marriage, which is in Article 7, paragraphs 1601-1658 , and is summarized in paragraphs 1659-1666 . Also, a quick side note: All Catholics are canonically required to be married in the Catholic Church by a priest or deacon, even if their spouse is not Catholic. If a marriage is not blessed in the Church it is not a sacramental marriage, though it may be a marriage in the eyes of the state. A marriage can be dissolved in some circumstances, allowing for civil divorce, through a process called annulment. Read more about it here. I hope that this post helps to give a bit of an overview of the Catholic understanding of sacramental marriage. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below, and I will try to find you an answer!

A few weeks ago, I got a very sweet email from a subscriber. She asked: "I was wondering if you had any advice or tips on praying to know what your vocation is, from one teen to another?" I wanted to answer her question and share a bit about my Vocational discernment. I've already made several posts on Vocational discernment (because I LOVE talking about it 😊) and don’t want to be too redundant, so the links to those posts will be at the bottom of this page. However, this post contains some tips for discernment as well as a bit about my own experience so far in discerning my vocation. Vocation comes from the Latin word "vocare" which means "to call" in Latin. In the broadest sense of the word, each of us is called by God to love Him, and our neighbor, and to obey His commandments. In short, we are each called to love. We all fulfill our vocations in our day-to-day lives when we do the will of God in each moment, choosing again each moment to obey Him and to love. These are "little v" vocations. What our subscriber is asking about is a bit different. (a "big V" Vocation!) God calls each of us to fulfill this vocation to love in a specific state of life, taking into account our needs, strengths and weaknesses, personalities, and desires. God knows us better than we know ourselves, and as a loving Father would, leads us to the state of life in which we will best be able to fulfill our vocation to love (this is the "big V" Vocation). In Catholicism, there are three main Vocations: The priesthood, religious life, and marriage. Each involves the total gift of oneself to another. Priests give themselves totally in service of the Church; Consecrated Religious give themselves entirely to God; Married couples give themselves entirely to their spouse and live as laity in the world to build up the Church. Tips for Discernment: Be open to whatever God wants. This is the best piece of advice I was given, and I can't stress it enough!! Once we can recognize that sometimes God has a better plan than we do, we will gain so much peace. Remaining open to God's will, even if we have a preference for one Vocation or another, is crucial. Don't worry!! This one's big too. You do NOT need to worry about your Vocation. You will not miss the call from God. You will not spend your entire life alone waiting for God to show you. God's got a plan and His timing is AMAZING. If you are remaining open to whatever He wants and praying to know His will, you are doing all that you can. Once you discover which state of life in which you are called to love, you may have doubts, but overall if you are where you are supposed to be you will have peace. God is not going to lead you to a place you are not called to be in. And when you do realize where God is calling you, you don't need to doubt it! God will not show you your Vocation, only to change his mind and decide He wants you somewhere else. Pray, pray, pray. Pray. Pray to know your vocation; pray for your possible future spouse; pray for your possible future parishioners or religious community; pray to remain open to God's will; pray for acceptance of your Vocation; pray for peace; etc. Prayer is your relationship with God. Communication is crucial in any relationship. If you don't talk or actively listen to someone, you won't know what they want from you. The same is true with God. Listen to God. So, you know you've got to listen to Him. That makes sense. But how? In Joel Stepanek's book True North: A Roadmap for Discernment, he lays out some different ways of knowing the will of God. (Note: These apply to all types of discernment, not just with Vocations.) "Clarity beyond doubt"- This is when you know without a doubt where God is calling you by an unexplainable sense of joy and peace. (Or where He's not calling you by just the opposite...) You just seem to 'know" what you're supposed to do. This is rare, but definitely not impossible... God can do anything! (This is what happened to me!) Your soul is presented with an option, and you almost immediately know that it's what you have to do, not needing any further discernment. One does need to be careful to make sure that they are truly open to the will of God and not attached to one decision or another. You can do this by sitting with the decision for a day or two and seeing if the clarity is still felt, and by talking with a spiritual director, parent, or friend who knows your circumstances and has your best interests in mind. Be attentive to consolation and desolation- I personally am just learning about this and am not the best at explaining it... But this awesome video does it very well and is only a couple of minutes long. If you are discerning anything- not just your Vocation- I'd highly recommend it: https://youtu.be/Z-mAkkLTlqQ Basically, when you are discerning the will of God, you are choosing between good options. If it's going to lead you to sin, it's not what God wants. When you are choosing between good options, you can first be assured that neither option is wrong! But ultimately, there is one decision that God wants for you. If you think about the different options and one gives you a sense of peace and joy, while the other makes you anxious, that's a good sign that you should probably pick the one that comes with the peace and joy 😉 (There's more to it though, so definitely watch the video.) Get the opinions of other faithful people who have your best interests in mind. - It's always good to get multiple opinions. Other people may see strengths in you that you may not even be able to see in yourself. Ask your parents to help you in your decision-making, talk to your pastor, and maybe a teacher or different adult mentor. Sometimes if you present others with your options, they can help you to see them more clearly and without bias. God speaks to us through other people as well! Explore. Explore your options!! It's okay to talk to Sisters AND boys. Trust me... (Note: If you are specifically discerning a Religious Vocation, it's not wise to date. You will only confuse yourself and the person that you're dating.) If you call a religious community and ask them for some more information or to talk to one of their members to see what it's all about, they're not going to try and rope you into joining them!! They will be happy that you're discerning your options and will help you in whatever way possible. If your parents allow it and if you're mature enough, you can be open to discerning marriage with someone by dating them (but if you're not discerning marriage with someone, or if they're not the type of person you think you would, or should marry, then why enter into a dating relationship? That's the whole point...). Make a decision. At some point, you'll have to make a decision. Discernment is an active process, which means that it has a clear ending. You can't spend your whole life in your parents’ basement waiting for God to tell you whether you should be a nun or get married... It just doesn't work that way! You can be consoled by the fact that God is not going to leave you hanging. You will figure it out. Sometimes it just takes a while. And once you've discerned that you're called to one state of life versus the other, a whole new discernment process begins! If you believe you're called to religious life, you discern which community. If you believe you're called to marriage, you begin dating. If you believe you're called to be a priest, you discern whether you should be a diocesan priest or a priest in religious life. I hope these tips can help you a bit. Basically, to discern your Vocation, you need to be open to what God wants, pray, and explore your options. When you feel drawn to one option or another and experience a sense of peace and joy when thinking about it, you can reasonably assume that that particular Vocation is what God is calling you to. Sometimes what you originally thought was your Vocation is really not it. That is certainly what happened in my case…. Long story short, I thought for a long time that I was called to religious life, then realized that I had mistakenly believed that my desires were God’s will. I was on a retreat and finally let God have control, and in a moment of “clarity beyond doubt,” realized that I am called to be a wife and mother someday. (If you’d like to hear the whole amazing story, please comment, and let me know!! I’d be happy to share. I'd love to hear your discernment process as well! 😊) The moral of my (still- in the process!!) story is, I suppose, the following: God has a plan. You don’t need to worry about or obsess over it. Be open to whatever He wants, and just go with the flow. Everything happens for a reason. To my subscriber who asked for this post... THANK YOU!! It is wonderful to know that the Church has Her share of teens, open to God’s will for their lives, who are going to be the next generation of wonderful Catholic Parents, Sisters, Monks, and Priests. Don’t be afraid. God’s got a plan and it’s going to be okay. 😊 Links to my other Vocation Posts: Vocations Resources An Interview with a Priest An Interview with a Religious Sister Prayer to Know My Vocation from a prayer card that I have: Lord, I want to be happy with you in this life and spend eternity with you in the life to come. From the first moment of my existence, you knew my Vocation. Please help me discover your plan for my life. Help me to know myself. Help me to overcome my fears. Help me to want what you want. Help me to trust You completely . Send your Holy Spirit into my mind and hearts so that I can see the gifts you've given me and hear Your call to serve the Church. Increase my desire to bring others to you and to help them reach Heaven. Mary Most Holy, Mother of God, pray for me, that I can discover my Vocation and have the courage to respond in faith.

LifeTeen prayer books- LifeTeen has numerous prayer books that cover topics such as going to Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, Confession, praying the Rosary, and the Divine Mercy chaplet. They explain the topic you're reading about in an engaging way and make you want to learn more and participate in it. All of these books can be found on the LifeTeen website or you can ask your youth minister about getting them for your entire youth group! Here's the LifeTeen website: https://lifeteen.com/ Check out LifeTeen's blog too!! Pure Faith- This prayer book is my absolute favorite! It's published by Catholic Answers (so of course it's amazing!) and is very popular in the Catholic Teen world right now. The book includes guides to praying the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Stations of the Cross, and going to Confession. Along with these, the book gives many prayers for during Mass, to Mary and the Holy Spirit, and for all sorts of special intentions. There are quotes from saints and popes all throughout the book as well. It would make a great Confirmation gift if you're looking for ideas :-) https://www.google.com/amp/s/shop.catholic.com/amp/pure-faith-a-handbook-of-prayer-for-teens/ A Daily Defense- This book is by very famous apologist, Jimmy Akin, from Catholic Answers. The description on the front of the book is "365 days (plus one) to becoming a better apologist). The book is an excellent resource for those of us who love to defend our Catholic faith, or have questions about it and want to learn more. The book is set up in a way that for each day there is a common objection to Catholicism and Jimmy Akin's explanation on how to defend the Church's teaching on the topic. It's easy to understand and definitely worth the 5 minutes per day that it takes to read. This would be a great read for someone going off to college or just for anyone who is often put in situations where they need to defend their Catholic faith. https://www.google.com/amp/s/shop.catholic.com/amp/a-daily-defense-365-days-plus-one-to-becoming-a-better-apologist/ Of course there are many more devotionals and prayer books out there for teens, but these are just a few of my favorites. I'd love to hear your suggestions! Let me know in the comments section of this page.

In the Church, today marks the Baptism of the Lord, the end of the Christmas season, the beginning of ordinary time, and the start of Christ's public ministry. Baptism in traditional Catholic theology is seen as a sacrament that releases us from sin, makes us children of God, members of Christ, and members of the Church. (CCC 1213) Today, we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, which was different. Jesus received the Baptism of John. Besides cleansing the sins of the people, the Baptism of John also prepared their hearts to recognize the coming Messiah. Jesus did not need for either of those things: He was sinless and, of course, already knew that He was the Messiah. When He was baptized, Jesus sanctified water for regeneration and the beginning of the Christian life, and He also started His public ministry. By the Spirit coming upon Him in the form of a dove, the Proclamation of the Kingdom began, and Christ was "reborn" in a sense, leaving behind his hidden years and beginning his public ministry. Let's focus on one specific part of the Gospel. (These words are near and dear to my heart. 😊): “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” I was in a tough time in my life, feeling far from God and struggling with scrupulosity. As I sat in a Holy Hour, the priest guiding us through Lectio Divina of the Woman at the Well scripture said the words, "imagine Jesus saying to you: "You are my beloved, do not be afraid. With you I am well pleased." I that God was working through my priest and speaking directly to me. My Vocation had been on my mind, and at the time, I believed I was being called to religious life, so I took this as both a comfort to my suffering heart and a confirmation of my Vocation. Now, looking back and knowing I am not called to religious life, I see that God was claiming my heart for Himself, showing me my true Vocation- His beloved daughter- and that I don't need to be afraid of my sin. I invite you to hear those words that the Lord spoke to Jesus in today's Gospel after His baptism. "You are my beloved. With you, I am well pleased." Hear those words and take them to heart. Yes, friend, God is speaking the same to you. You are so loved by God. Nothing you ever do will take that away. By the nature of your Baptism, you are forever a child of God and forever loved. Jesus' Baptism paved the way for His public ministry- a ministry of healing bodies and restoring souls. Your Baptism paved the way for Your life in service to God and was just the beginning of your sacramental life in Christ: the start of a lifelong journey and ministry of radical love. Wherever you are on that journey, know that that is your mission- to love like Christ. Maybe you're just now realizing that Baptism is a higher calling. Or maybe you've known it for years. Wherever you are, know that You are a child of God by the virtue of your Baptism. He is pleased with you, simply because You are His.

Saint André Bessette ​ Saint Andre Bessette, born in 1845, was a Canadian member of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. He first was appointed to be the doorman for a college run by the community. Later, he was found to have the gift of healing and many people came to him and were freed from their ailments. He attributed all cures to Saint Joseph. Saint André (and others in his community) had dreamt of building a chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph on the mountain outside their windows. After trying unsuccessfully to obtain land to build it, Saint André and some others buried Saint Joseph's medals in the ground and soon were able to purchase the land. The chapel opened in 1904. After 50 years, the magnificent Saint Joseph's Oratory on Mount Royal was complete and is a popular pilgrimage site to this day. Many, many miracles are attributed to Saint André and have occurred at the oratory. He died on January 6, 1937. Feast day: Jan. 6 Patron of family caregivers. Saint André, thank you for living your life in humble, practical service of others and of Christ. Please pray for us and for all family caregivers. Ask our Lord to be with them in a special way as they fulfill their calling to care for others, just as you did.

"Perfect love drives out fear." Perfect love drives out anxiety. Perfect love drives out unjust anger. Perfect love drives out unrest. Perfect love drives out strife. Where there is Perfect love, there is only joy. Where there is Perfect love, there is Truth. Where there is Perfect love, there is light. Where there is Perfect love, there is patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, selflessness, and forgiveness. Where there is Perfect love, there is protection, trust, hope, and perseverance. Love will never give up on you. Love never fails. In today's first reading, we hear from Saint John the Beloved Disciple that "There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear." What is this perfect love? We, as humans, all love imperfectly. We love half-heartedly, not wanting to make sacrifices or suffer for the sake of another person. We have fear in our love: fear of loving improperly or too much or too little. The truth is, we cannot achieve perfect love here on earth. (There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love . - 1 John 4:18) Perfect love is not an action. God is perfect Love- Love without fear, without limits. Without God, we cannot truly love. "I agree that perfect love drives out fear, but then why do I still have fear, anxiety, depression, emotional pain, etc.?" When one knows that Jesus loves them and is with them always, they do not have to feel any of these things. Of course, as humans, we all do anyway, and that is normal- it's human nature. However, our faith allows us to trust in God and to have hope that things will get better and that He is with us, because He is perfect love, and in perfect love, there is no fear. Fear, anxiety, depression, pain, etc., are not from God. He may allow them but He doesn't send them on purpose. He is there to help you get through them and grow as a result. Love (God) is bigger than all those feelings. When you, "let Him into the boat" as is discussed in the Gospel today, He tells you to not be afraid. He says that He is here, and He loves you more than you could ever fathom, and finally, He "makes the wind die down" and brings peace to your heart, even if your problem isn't solved right away. (If you're not understanding where I'm going with this, click here and read verses 45-52. 😉) How do we give Perfect Love to others in this life? Saint John also answers this. He says, "Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us ." When we love others- not just our families, friends, boyfriends, or girlfriends, but EVERYONE to the best of our ability, we are loving God, and God is loving others perfectly through us. ( God is love , and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world . - 1 John 4:16-17) We ourselves can experience receiving this Perfect Love by participating in the sacraments, reflecting on the goodness and sacrificial gifts of God, and by recognizing and appreciating the love that others have for you and for God. Ultimately, Love is the path to Heaven: Jesus saved us by Love; We are contributing to our salvation by loving others; and we will be saved when we are judged favorably by our loving Father, who will "judge us on love alone." (St. John of the Cross). And how do we love? We love by being patient, being kind, humble, truthful, selfless, forgiving, and by protecting, trusting, hoping, and never giving up. (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8) Perfect love drives out all fear. Love never fails. God never fails.

A blessed feast of the Holy Family to you all!! The Church is reflecting on the Holy family today. What made them holy was their love, obedience to God, and devotion to one another. Today let's pray for all of our families, past, present, and future, and ask God to make them holy. Prayer for departed loved ones from the lay Cistercian of South FL: God our Father, Your power brings us to birth, Your providence guides our lives, and by Your command, we return to dust. Lord, those who die still live in Your presence, their lives change but do not end. I pray in hope for my family, relatives and friends, and for all the dead known to You alone. In company with Christ, Who died and now lives, may they rejoice in Your kingdom, where all our tears are wiped away. Unite us together again in one family, to sing Your praise forever and ever. Amen. Prayer for my family from @usccb: We bless your name, O Lord, for sending your own incarnate Son, to become part of a family, so that, as he lived its life, he would experience its worries and its joys. We ask you, Lord, to protect and watch over this family, so that in the strength of your grace its members may enjoy prosperity, possess the priceless gift of your peace, and, as the Church alive in the home, bear witness in this world to your glory. We ask this thought Christ our Lord. Amen. Prayer for my future spouse: O Jesus, I know you have created me to love all people. If I am called to the Vocation of marriage, I ask that you bless my future spouse-the person who you've created for me to love in an exclusive and special way. Allow s/he to know your love and mercy. Assist them in their trials. When we meet, let us know that our relationship is guided by and stands firm in your love. Show us your will, Lord. Help us to draw close to you and in the process to find one another. Saint Ann, Mamma Mary, Saint Joseph, and Saint Gianna, please pray for us! #saints #holyfamily #catholic #catholicteenlifeblog #futurespouse #family #prayforsouls

Wishing you all a very merry and blessed Christmas!! Last year I wrote a post called "A Thrill of Hope". You can read it here. In that post, I wrote: "Jesus Christ, true God, and true man is the only true and everlasting thrill of hope. Despite everything that has happened this year, Jesus is still our hope and gives us reason to rejoice." My message to you this year is ultimately the same. Our hope- the reason for our joy- Jesus Christ, knows what it's like to be in pain, to suffer mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially. He knows what it's like and, He wants to help you. Our Lord desires more than anything else to enter into and be born again into the stable of your heart. But... "I'm such a mess." "My life is going horribly." "I'm not in the Christmas spirit." "I'm sick." "I just lost a loved one." Yes. You are a mess. And so am I. So is your neighbor. So is that very holy lady who goes to daily Mass. And so is the stable that Christ was born in. God, the King, and creator of the universe became man and was born in a barn full of dirty straw, animals, and probably poop. He can most definitely handle you and me and our problems. In fact, that's what He was born to do. Jesus Christ was born in order to die, enter into our places of sin and death, and raise us to new life. This Christmas, would you give Christ the gift of being born again in your heart? That's all He wants. He just wants you. He wants the messed up, broken, beautiful you. When you let Christ in, your circumstances most likely won't change very much. Your life will continue to include suffering. But there will be a difference. You will gain a thrill of hope, and your weary soul will begin to rejoice once again.

I love looking at prayer closets on Pinterest. It's so amazing! An entire little room in your house devoted to prayer. But if you're like me, you can't afford to give up your precious storage space. Fortunately, there are many ways to create a small (but largely effective!) prayer space in your home. This post will take you step by step through setting up your own prayer space and give you some examples from other Catholic Teen Life Readers. Step 1: Find a Spot Some people put their prayer space in a corner with a kneeler. Some have a whole table devoted to it. I've used a shelf on a bookshelf in the past, and am currently using the top of a cabinet that holds my prayer books, journals, and spiritual reading. The ideal spot for your prayer space would be in a quiet area of the house (if possible!) such as your bedroom, and it will probably help if it's at your eye level in a spot where you will frequently see it. My own is positioned where I can sit on my bed when I pray in front of it. The following are some ideas of surfaces you could use: A bookshelf A nightstand The top of a dresser or chest. The corner of a desk If you REALLY don't have a lot of space you could hang pictures up in the corner of your room and sit/kneel in front of it when you make use of your prayer space. An end table near a chair The top of a cabinet It's very helpful to have a comfy chair or kneeler (or in my case, bed) nearby, so you don't have to stand up the whole time you're praying. Step 2: Collect your Materials This is the fun part!! Collect materials that you'll want to use in your prayer space. These could include: Holy cards Pictures of Jesus, Mary, and the Saints Catholic artwork Crosses or Crucifixes Candles (I found mine at Dollar Tree!) Small statues A candle/room spray/essential oil diffuser (if you have a certain scent that you only use during your prayer time, over time your brain will begin to associate that scent with prayer and it will help you to relax and focus on your time with God.) Prayer intentions list Bulletin board (for pinning up your pictures, holy cards, etc.) White or chalkboard (for writing prayer intentions, quotes, etc.) Doily or cloth for underneath your statues. (Some people change the color of their cloth depending on the Liturgical color.) Flowers (I use dried flower petals and put them at the feet of my statue of Our Lady. Basket/ container/ box with a lid to place nearby to put Bibles, journals, spiritual reading, etc. in. Rosaries or chaplets Fairy lights (or at least a lamp) for near or on your prayer space surface if you function better with as much light as possible. Holy water or oil Pictures of people or circumstances that you want to pray for A speaker or earbuds for listening to worship music or meditations Whatever else you use to pray! It may be helpful to have a separate drawer or container where you store all of your materials that are not in use. You don't want to make your prayer space so cluttered that it's distracting, so an alternate space for some of your items may be useful. It's also very fun when you get to switch it up once in a while! Want to make your own prayer space but aren't sure where to find some items for it? Check with your parish office. They will most likely have a table (or even just a box) where people have discarded their own or a loved one's no-longer-used religious items. You can find some pretty neat stuff!! You can also shop online or in bookstores for Catholic artwork, books, candles, and more. Step 3: Use it! Since you've put all that effort into creating a beautiful prayer space, you should use it! It can be helpful if you commit to praying for a certain amount of time each day or at a certain time in the day. You could have a priest come and bless your prayer space and invite your family to come and pray with you (or on their own) in your space. Maybe they'll be inspired to create their own! One Last Note: If you REALLY don't have enough empty space for a dedicated space for prayer, then make it a mobile space! Fill a container with your rosary, Bible, and whatever other books you need, and a crucifix, and voila! You've got your own prayer space. Just sit the crucifix in front of you (wherever you are) and spend some time with the Lord. :-) Some examples from CTL readers: (if you have your own and would like a picture of it to be added to this post, feel free to subscribe and reply to the confirmation email with a picture of your prayer space.) Here's my own prayer cabinet:

What are you waiting for? We're all waiting for something from God. I know for me, most recently, it's been waiting for Him to show me His plan for my life. But maybe for you, it's waiting to be restored to health. Perhaps you're waiting for God to lead you to the person who you're supposed to marry or the Vocation you're supposed to be in. Waiting can bring up so many emotions, sometimes more negative than positive. It's hard not knowing what's coming next. Waiting seems so monotonous. So boring. So pointless. But, guess what?! It doesn't have to be!! How can you, in whatever your situation is, give your waiting to God? God takes every situation we give Him and redeems it. He has a bigger plan. If you're like me and you were discerning God's path for your life, don't just say "I'm discerning" and then do nothing about it... pray for God's guidance! Explore your options! Speak about your options with people from different backgrounds! God DOES have a plan, and He WILL reveal it to you. But you do have to cooperate. When we give our season of waiting to God, He can use it for good. Just because you seem to be stuck in a holding pattern, not quite knowing what the next step is, doesn't mean that God can't use you. Think of the Israelites. It's easy to imagine how they felt since we are currently in the Advent season and waiting to celebrate Christ's coming. They spent thousands of years waiting for this Messiah that they had heard about for so long! There must've been times that the Israelites were so discouraged because everything was such a mess that it didn't seem like God could possibly be working in their lives. We can get the same way. It's hard to see God in the waiting. It's hard not knowing what's coming next or how God will work it all out. But those Israelites, all along, when they tried to stay faithful to God (even though they frequently failed, as do we), God was using them to bring about the coming of their Messiah. When we give our waiting to God and ask Him to use it, to use us, and to be in that time of waiting with us, we can rest assured that He will and that eventually, the waiting will be over, and His plan will be revealed.

Hi everyone! I apologize for my infrequent posts. I'd ask that you please pray for the soul of my aunt, who passed away unexpectedly this week at the age of 47. Please also keep in your prayers my uncle and 9 year old cousin, as well as the rest of our family. Thank you all for your prayers!! I will try to post again soon. God bless you all!! ~ Catholic Teen Advent Reminders: - Make your heart a manger for Christ to dwell! - Pray the Rosary. Especially the joyful mysteries. -Go to confession -Pray a novena with a friend! (There are so many good ones happening right now!) -Love everyone. No matter what. Saint Gertrude Prayer Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen. Read more at: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/prayer-st-gertrude-great-souls-purgatory