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Today’s readings are all about a call. A call to what, you might ask? Let’s look at part of the first reading from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: “I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace: one Body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Saint Paul says that we are supposed to live like we are worthy of having received our call. How do we do that? By living with humility, gentleness, patience, and love. He calls us to preserve unity and peace. While doing this he reminds us of our call to belong to and believe in one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. Every single human being receives this call. It is a call to believe in and love the Lord of Heaven and earth, adopt the beliefs and practices of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church that Jesus Christ himself founded and still stands strong 2000 years later, be baptized and received into God’s family and have your sins washed away, and believe in and love and be loved by the one true God and Father of all the world! This is the call- the invitation- given to every single human being. It’s is up to them to accept or reject it. Later in the reading, St. Paul states: “And he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the Body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ.“ Now St. Paul is talking about a different type of call. Each person receives this call, but each one in a different and specific way. This type of call that St. Paul is talking about is called a vocation. If you’re like most people, you hear the word vocation and think, “Oh! Priests!” That’s normal. It’s okay. The priesthood is certainly a great vocation! When I first learned about vocations, I remember thinking that they were something just for older people (and really holy people). I soon learned that I was wrong!! Everyone has a big “V” Vocation, the call to be married, a priest, single, or live in a religious community, but we also have different little “v” vocations at different times of our lives. We can be called to be a sibling, a student, an employee, a cousin, and a million other things. But all of us, every single one of us, has a vocation to love. Like St. Therese of Lisieux who said, "At last I have found my vocation. In the heart of the Church, I will be Love!" we are all called to love. From love, true, sacrificial love, flows every vocation that we are given. Without love and a desire to build up and bring together God’s Church, a vocation of any kind will be fruitless. If you’re confused about where God is calling you, what state of life, what job, anything really, just try a little bit harder to love more. Love is the beginning of every vocation. A vocation is where God is calling you to love Him best. God knows your heart. He knows where He needs you to be and He knows even better than you do what will make you happy. To discover your vocation(s), all you need to do is love and ask God that His Will be done in your life. God is in control, He knows you and loves you, and He will lead you to the places where you can best serve His Church with your love. Do not be afraid! You have a purpose and God has a plan.

How well do you love? Let’s find out. Today’s first reading includes this passage from 1st Corinthians, chapter 13: Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. We all need to love more. Every single one of us. And with the help of Jesus, we can. Let’s think about these questions... How patient am I, even with those closest to me? How kind am I, even to people I disagree with? How jealous am I of those who have more than me? How pompous or inflated am I when I do something well? How rude am I when someone does something I don’t like? How often do I seek my own interests instead of those of others? How often do I speak before thinking or immediately jump to conclusions? How much do I support someone’s wrongdoing, even when it seems like it’s for a good cause? How often am I glad when someone tells the truth, even if it’s hard to swallow? All of us need to work on these things. We can all love more. Our loving will help others to do the same. All it takes is one small action of love to get started. Compliment someone, smile at everyone you meet, text a friend you haven’t talked with in a while, send a thank you note to someone, write a letter, draw a picture, say a prayer for someone you don’t like, serve someone more food than you give yourself, forgive someone who’s hurt you, any sort of little act of love. That is a great start. Jesus, help me to be patient with others as you are patient with me. Help me to be as kind as you were to the poor and sick. Help me to be as humble as you were, hanging naked on a cross. Help me to be as loving as you are to me, even though I sin. Help me to think before I speak so that I don’t say hurtful things. Help me to forgive as you forgive me. Help me to rejoice when someone does something good. Help me to believe in, hope in, and live my life with and for you. Jesus, help me to love you more by loving everyone I meet. Amen. “We cannot all do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” - St. Mother Teresa

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. - John 3:16 God so loved the world that He sent His son to love us. God so loved the world that He gave us everlasting love. God so loved the world that He gave us His Blessed Mother to be our Mother too. God so loved the world that He wants us to be with Him forever. God so loved the world that He created the earth and everything in it. God so loved the world that He triumphed over all our fears and anxieties. God so loved the world that He allows us to suffer so that we might grow closer to Him. God so loved the world that He gave us friends who love us and who we love in return. God so loved the world that He wants us to be saints. God so loved the world that He gave us everything we need so that we can be with Him in Heaven. God so loved the world that He gave us the sacraments to make us Holy. God so loved the world that He promised to be with us forever. God so loved the world that He sent us His Holy Spirit To help us and be our advocate. God so loved the world that He gave us Angels to be our guardians and partners in prayer. God so loved the world that He made you specifically for a purpose. God so loved the world that He sent us people who will help us to become saints. God so loved the world that He made YOU to spread His love to the ends of the earth. God so loved us that He sent YOU into the world so that you can fulfill the plan He designed for you. You are precious and loved and a gift from God. No matter who you are, where you are, or what you’ve done, you have a purpose and you are loved more than you can even imagine.

In today's responsorial psalm, these verses are included: You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know. You. Yes, you! The one reading this right now! You are wonderfully made. God designed you in such a way that even before you were born, everything about you was wonderful. Even though you've sinned as you've grown up, God still thinks you're wonderful. Even when you don't see yourself as wonderful, God does. No matter who you are or what you've done, God still sees you as wonderful simply because you are His. You don't need to earn your wonderfulness. It can't be taken away or earned. He created you, and that act of perfect creation made you wonderful. So, maybe you're not convinced that you are wonderful. Maybe you're thinking "I need some more proof." Here's your proof: Remember how in the book of Genesis God spoke everything into being? Well, when He created humans, He said that they were VERY good. All the other parts of creation, He said they were good. But you, you are very good. Everyone else in the entire universe was created very good too. From the tiny baby who was just conceived to the 99-year-old woman lying in her hospital bed, and everyone in between. They are all wonderful and deserve to be treated as such. Their lives matter and are priceless because they were wonderfully created by an amazing God who loves them infinitely. Your creator, your Father, your lover, He is there for you. He knows you. And He will never let you down. Even if you are nothing else in this world, you are a child of God, and you are wonderfully made and wonderfully loved. Come to Him with everything you have and everything you are. No matter how much you've sinned, no matter how the world sees you, no matter what you are stressing over or dealing with, come back to God. He will take care of you. So don't forget to live like you're loved and live like you know you were created by the God who is love and perfection itself. God thinks you are wonderful, and He took the time to create you that way. My challenge to you today is to take a few minutes to think about that... Let it sink into the depths of your soul. It's time for us all to realize who God says we are.

This month's saint is Saint Matthew the Apostle. Matthew (also called Levi) was one of Jesus' twelve apostles and was formerly a tax collector for the Romans. The tax collectors of that time often over charged their tax payers and kept the extra for themselves, so they were disliked by many of the Jewish people living under Roman authority. This is the story of Matthew's call from Jesus as described in the Gospel of Luke. Luke calls Matthew "Levi" because that is what He would've been known as after the apostle Matthias replaced Judas Iscariot. After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him. Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus said to them in reply, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.” St. Matthew is another wonderful example of saying "yes" to God! When He calls, we need to follow. St. Matthew also reminds us that God can- and will- use anyone to build up His Kingdom. And He wants to use you. He is calling you. Now it's up to you to answer Him. St.Matthew, pray for us that when the Lord calls, we, as you did, will have the courage to leave everything behind to follow Him. Guide me to realize that even though I am a sinner, God can still use me in amazing ways and make me into a saint if I let Him. Sources: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/5 https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-matthew/ https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=84

Check out the new themed Rosary for the 2020 school year!! It can be found by clicking into the Themed Rosaries tab in the menu and then clicking on the "Rosary for the 2020 School Year" button. Note to Teachers and school district staff: We are praying for you!! This is a stressful time to be a teacher, but if you trust in Jesus, you will be just fine. You are such a blessing in the lives of your students and we really appreciate all that you do! :-) Note to my fellow students: You are always being prayed for and are so loved. Never forget that. This is going to be a great year for you! Ask God to use it to form you into the saint that He's calling you to be. Check out the "A School Day Prayer Routine" post to find some ideas for incorporating prayer into your school day. Please pray for me too as I start this new school year! I'm going to try to post as much as I can in addition to having school work every day. Have a great year, everybody!! - Catholic Teen

We all need a little laughter right now, don't we?! Sometimes all it takes to brighten up a bad day is a smile :-) I hope that some of these memes/jokes that relate to Catholic Life will bring some joy to you. Let me know in the comments section if you have a favorite! God bless! The Young Church is alive and well! All you have to do is go to a youth ministry event to observe Catholic Teenagers in their natural habitats. Steubenville conferences are an even better place to see large flocks of them all at one time. Get it?! St.Joseph doesn't say anything in the Bible. He's the king of the saying, "Actions Speak Louder Than Words." Nope. Not possible. This one's amazing, and I think I actually laughed out loud when I saw it (lol). But seriously, the real Divine Mercy Sunday is 1000 times better than ice cream. Learn more about it here: https://www.nationalshrine.org/blog/the-significance-of-divine-mercy-sunday/ This one needs no explanation. Jesus is amazing. For the millionth time! CONFIRMATION IS NOT GRADUATION!!!! *Check out the post specifically written Confirmation students: https://catholicteenlife.wixsite.com/mysite/post/a-letter-to-the-confirmation-class-of-2020 Catholicism + Science = Amazing By the way, did you know that our current pope worked as a Chemist before entering seminary?! Yep. It's official. Catholicism and Science go hand- in - hand. Any other Tangled fans out there?!! If you're not, go watch it again. You'll change your mind. But seriously, the Blessed Mother is a million times better than Mother Gothel... Have you? If not, stop reading this and go do it! Pray the Rosary*, and while you're at it, talk to your physical mom or another mom-ish person in your life. Bonus points if you pray the Rosary with her. The bearded man is St.Valentine, by the way. I wonder what he is thinking up in Heaven every Feb. 14... Hopefully, we'll all find out someday!! And last, but certainly not least, my personal favorite. Who doesn't love Veggie Tales?!! If you're not familiar with the reference, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5uujMb_hbo For some extra fun, walk into your kitchen tonight playing the song (with the sound turned up!!) on your phone. I'd love to hear about your family's reactions! Hope these Catholic jokes brought you some laughter! As I mentioned above, comment below to let me know if you have a favorite, or to share your favorite Catholic joke. * Here's a guide for how to pray the rosary: https://dynamiccatholic.com/rosary/how-to-pray-the-rosary Sources:

In these difficult times of disease and general unrest, it is hard to turn on a television or look at social media without seeing more bad news. You may think that nothing good is happening. I'm here to tell you that you are wrong. Good news is all around us, and we can see that in the miracles that are occurring every day! Babies are being born, people are joining the Church, people are getting married, and best of all, Jesus Christ has overcome all of the evil in our world! In John 16:33, Jesus says “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus does not deny that we will have trouble and go through difficult times, but He tells us to not give up, to take heart, b ecause He, the one who, along with His Father and the Holy Spirit, is the very heartbeat of the universe, has overcome the world. Love has won! Evil and sin and death no longer triumph over the world! You are not held captive by your sin! No matter what is going on in your life, no matter who you are or what you've done, the good news today is that you are loved by Jesus Christ. He gave up His life for you and loved you even to the point of dying for you. Through these actions, Jesus lives out the phrase "I would rather die than live without you." Jesus died a horrific death on a cross so that you might have eternal life with Him. This is not just one Catholic Teen saying this, it is what Jesus Christ, Son of God, King of the Universe, is telling you. He loves you, specifically! You were on Jesus' mind when He was hanging on the cross. I want you to do something right now. I want you to read this sentence and then repeat the next one out loud. I am loved by Jesus Christ, son of God, and He has overcome my world. Take heart, dear friend! Jesus Christ loves you and that news is the best news of all. Don't be afraid to open the door of your heart to Him. This is an invitation to all of you, Catholic or not. Do not be afraid. Ask Jesus to overcome your world. Ask Him to heal you and to strengthen you. He loves you and wants to be loved by you. He alone has the power to take away all of your anger, sadness, fear, and anxiety. Nothing and No one else can do that. Without Christ, there is no joy. There is no happiness. Do you want to be happy? Come to Jesus. Do you want to be freed from your sin? Come to Jesus. Do you want to be loved in a way that you've never been loved before? Come to Jesus. You can come to Him first in your heart, but then if you want an even deeper relationship, through the sacraments of the Catholic Church which are given by Christ Himself. Every single human being on this earth is given the opportunity to receive into their soul the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ through the sacrament of the Eucharist. Every single sin ever committed by anyone still on the face of the earth can be washed away through the sacraments of Reconciliation and Baptism. The sacraments are a huge part of the good news that I am sharing with you today because it is through them that Christ gives us physical evidence of His amazing love for us! There can be no better news than what I am sharing with you today because when you realize that it is true, you will have no reason to be afraid of any of the bad news of the world! And nothing, not a pandemic, war, protestors, nor the government, can ever make the Good News false. Jesus loves you and He will for all eternity! He has overcome the world, including all of the bad news in it! If you believe this and trust in Jesus, you will have peace and joy so abounding that no bad news will cause you anxiety or fear because you are trusting that Jesus is in control. Take heart, dear friend. Christ has overcome the world! You are immensely loved by He who sets you free. As you would with any other good news, please share this post with as many people as possible!!!

August's saint of the month is St. Lawrence. He was a deacon and martyr in the first Christian century during a time when the first persecutions of the Church were starting to ramp up. Rome was infiltrated by immorality and even a form of abortion. St. Lawrence's life was much like our own in some ways. He lived in a time of persecution, a time where immorality was normal, and a time where Christianity was not valued or seen as culturally acceptable. During Lawrence's ministry as a deacon, all of the bishops, priests, and deacons of the Church were sentenced to death by the Emperor. One day the Emperor summoned Lawrence and offered him a way to escape the coming executions. The Emperor told Deacon Lawrence to bring him all of the Church's treasure in exchange for his life. Deacon Lawrence asked for three days to retrieve the treasures. When he returned to the Emperor three days later, he brought with him many of Rome's poorest citizens who had become Christians, saying that they were the Church's true treasure. The Emperor then decided that the typical execution was not enough for Deacon Lawrence and that He was to be burnt to death on a grate. When the day of the execution came and Lawrence was being burned alive, he famously said, "Turn me over, I'm done on this side!" to those who were performing the execution. Talk about being joyful unto death! As young Catholic people living in an extremely secular world, we need to be prepared to both live and die for our faith. We also need to recognize that the poor and underprivileged in our society are infinitely more valuable than all the treasures of the world. St.Lawrenceis a wonderful example of someone who realized these things. He knew that His Catholic faith possessed the fullness of faith and of Truth and He was willing to give up his life for it and for Jesus Christ. Sources: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=366 https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=1410

Did you know that there is a solution to all of the world's problems? And it is so simple. It's called prayer. Prayer changes lives. It transforms hearts and forms people into the saints that they are called to be. It averts wars and disasters and it can heal anything or anyone. The Rosary is one of the most powerful weapons of prayer that we have. Join me in praying for the healing of our world using the Rosary for the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rosary can be found under the "Themed Rosary" page on the home page of this website. As always, please contact me using the "contact" form on the home page if you have any suggestions for themed Rosaries, prayer intentions, etc. God bless you!

It can be so hard to find good music. Everything on popular radio seems to have swear words in it or is talking about someone breaking up with someone else. I don't know about you, but that's nothing I would want to listen to. Here is a list of some amazing songs that I absolutely love and that I think you will too :-) They are all performed by Christian artists and are just a few of my favorites. Who knows? Maybe you'll find a favorite too... Check out a playlist with all of these songs (and more) on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4VEzg1QklH6LzhBzYbn2Ry?si=L_r2vytdSkCUxyCz2ROmFA Lord, I Need You- Matt Maher https://open.spotify.com/track/4EHWldZTas5KUyFtT0rQlY Hold Us Together- Matt Maher https://open.spotify.com/track/7IPldKTGN7pssmDl66DrMG Your Love Defends Me- Matt Maher https://open.spotify.com/track/066eFvkQXyR9UIYi65GsSu Adoration- Matt Maher https://open.spotify.com/track/5PfnaRjEsPfNOd7AdJmd2N What A Friend- Matt Maher https://open.spotify.com/track/7ozWDT47HkfCmbNGgMorU8 Alive & Breathing- Matt Maher https://open.spotify.com/track/1nmspIOQLdmBhGfT747dEJ Wild and Untamed- Sonar Worship https://open.spotify.com/track/43W7ujuy3Jy1QR3QYrHcT6 I Will Run- Sonar Worship https://open.spotify.com/track/6pgednD4qG9iB7cbiKsDNH Never Gonna Let Go- Sonar Worship https://open.spotify.com/track/2OKCm3uabGWGskxVVCp4eT?si=VvmiXNHHQQWRuzDv1mZgAg Magnified- Sonar Worship https://open.spotify.com/track/3QxNGjOo7qP17WHWC1SrcA No one Like This- Sonar Worship https://open.spotify.com/track/6xsP8ExRMIPVRPFLvyYTGZ This is Living- Hillsong Young & Free https://open.spotify.com/track/6TCk1yecQRDU5sXG3vjTYj Alive- Hillsong Young & Free https://open.spotify.com/track/2mYreCutf85FtKOUVJOKT4 Real Love- Hillsong Young & Free https://open.spotify.com/track/0epQ2DrozCuhE2Q7ZRtF2h What a Beautiful Name- Hillsong Worship https://open.spotify.com/track/1VwaTGLClgjTDPbew5WebC?si=o4QAfM7GQ8yejSoBBiEJVA Good Good Father- Chris Tomlin https://open.spotify.com/track/1mWdyqs6Zvg8b1lKjDc8yB How Great is Our God- Chris Tomlin https://open.spotify.com/track/0jOSpB2zK2O0SNxj8ZT5lp Indescribable- Chris Tomlin https://open.spotify.com/track/1GoE6xwwZ20NbxCKVA5nz2 Awakening- Taylor Tripodi https://open.spotify.com/track/2xp5BpaR0Z0Gkt2cyUbQyx Lord Have Mercy- The Vigil Project https://open.spotify.com/track/0KXmwUotQSHDxW0LRytCLM Reckless Love- Cory Asbury https://open.spotify.com/track/0rH0mprtecH3grD9HFM5AD?si=ZlzpHi8-Q9OIIzmu7W9jUA My Lighthouse- Rend Collective https://open.spotify.com/track/5AcdaSVQfLcUKMaqchfBie?si=Fyy-8_u7SCacidtNOm_LCw Build My Life- Housefires https://open.spotify.com/track/3BDpn2Vivr1BFhlGsYs5tp?si=c1dkJKVwS8aHiC6O_BuibQ Another in the Fire- Hillsong United https://open.spotify.com/track/5PmHmU5AaBy9ld3bdQkD96?si=xZrXSfKRRUKpkGmMPxf9_w Our God is Here- Chris Muglia https://open.spotify.com/track/5FcLPtXyCv0znIF4P3UlJP We Are Called- David Haas https://open.spotify.com/track/4jEPYO7nXJRl6280XSRk0H Litany of Humility- Danielle Rose https://open.spotify.com/track/2bUmiCiIfgTkx99iKDM0Jx Sonrise- Danielle Rose https://open.spotify.com/track/6p3Qdio1E0BVfDYgrJvV9n Your Bride- Danielle Rose https://open.spotify.com/track/1B6MM1vV0FDfvmqwFxKTmE Pursue Me- Danielle Rose https://open.spotify.com/track/3K8Y4JHBQS2rWyFfeX7vnL The Saint That is Just Me- Danielle Rose https://open.spotify.com/track/2YYnJL0FuISfuimfzW6S80 If I Touch Him- Danielle Rose https://open.spotify.com/track/63Se6FsKATkPVr3wf8e7Wh True Love- Danielle Rose https://open.spotify.com/track/7AhaPwx8LPt8DZQzuReZaL Queen of Peace- Danielle Rose https://open.spotify.com/track/3HYtEQXOqbrjkhvWHGhIbK (Girls discerning your vocation... listen to Danielle Rose's songs!!) Broken Things- Matthew West https://open.spotify.com/track/2SRmoMTKQPwqySNCq0eANT King of The World- Natalie Grant https://open.spotify.com/track/2sHDB7pY43GVTsl0X3ob1B?si=IskAP4deS9COvb2N6rBAow Overcomer- Mandisa https://open.spotify.com/track/5legkLUDyq0qOg4TR7wUAs?si=tyHJ7Jy1TjehUsVatWzpXg Love Take Me Over- Steven Curtis Chapman https://open.spotify.com/track/5inO6pKYQ5Tm4uQ16S9IST?si=w5D_nCsDQV24XLrSHndmYw Everything I Need- Jackie François Angel https://open.spotify.com/track/1fvfd7YnkIx9MP5fS4n9xV How He Loves- David Crowder https://open.spotify.com/track/6WSFMa721PvfnspCRsGOMh?si=73E5hw-xS3uUy9ayF_S5QA Saint Cecelia, patron saint of music and musicians, PRAY FOR US!!

Typically for a Gospel reflection, I would write about how the Gospel passage applies to our daily lives and how we can live out Jesus' message for that day. Today is a bit different. Instead of writing my own, I'd like to share with you a wonderful Gospel meditation from the website "My Catholic Life!." The website gives daily meditations on the Gospel. It only takes a few minutes to read or listen to and really gets your day off to a good start. My family typically listens to it every morning at breakfast :-) Today's reflection on the Gospel was very good and I thought I'd share it with you. Here is the link: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2020/07/12/peace-or-the-sword/ Please let me know in the contact section on the home page if you listened to/ read the reflection or even checked out some of the other reflections on the "My Catholic Life!" website. God bless you! * I did not write or help with the "My Catholic Life!" Website reflections in any way. This blog is not connected to them. Just want to share it as a resource.