Advent Retreat!!!!

Click the picture to see the bigger easier to read version!!!

Movie Time!!! Tell all your friends!!!

Click for the bigger easier to read version!!!!

Real Men

http://www.spiritdaily.com/realmen.htm

This is a cool article from Spiritdaily.com

Step up Men!!!

IT'S TIME FOR REAL MEN TO RETURN TO THE CHURCH AND DEFEND IT AGAINST ONSLAUGHT
By Michael H. Brown
The other day I was speaking to a priest who'd con-celebrated at our Chicago retreat, and he said he was pleasantly surprised that when he entered through the rear, what he most noticed was the back of the heads of quite a few men. He was happy to see that. So were we. At the Cherry Hill, New Jersey, retreat (near Philadelphia), there were even more: men were about half the audience.
It's encouraging because we are in a time when what folks are used to seeing is an absence of that particular gender.
Women have been the ones who have held the fort. God bless them. We would be nowhere without them. Now it is time for the men to help them, to stand up. I hope the same continues as we move to a retreat in the L.A. area (to be announced shortly) and God-willing elsewhere. If our Church is to survive the current assaults, we need both male and female warriors.
Is it "weak" to be devout? Is it the stuff of women only?
Try telling that to Joe Klecko, the former, four-time pro-bowl defensive star for the New York Jets, who stands 6'3", weighed 260 as a player. He was one of the men in attendance at the Cherry Hill retreat.
Klecko, who is now in construction work, and, we are told, still spars with Gerry Cooney, was converted after his wife went to Medjugorje in former Yugoslavia. He now says 12 rosaries a day. This is a man who spent 11 years in the league, is only one of three Jets to have his uniform retired, and has a son who is a three-time Super Bowl winner. "Jesus is the greatest thing that ever happened to me," he tells Catholic audiences. "Prayer and fasting can change the course of nature, it can end wars. If there's a day that goes by when I don't get the Eucharist, I feel empty." [Listen to his testimony].
During my first trip to Medjugorje, I ran into another football great, Miami coach Don Shula.
Are these wimps? Is former heavyweight champ George Foreman [below, right], who is now a minister?
I remember a lawyer in Sacramento who had been a Green Beret during the Viet Nam war and is now involved in the Marian movement. He told me that spiritual warfare made fighting in war seem tame.
It is the real stuff. It is the right stuff. It is the stuff of real men. Yet they have largely left the scene. My question to them: Do we men really want to see the women fight it out alone? Are we going to remain on the sidelines during the greatest spiritual battle since pagan Rome? Is that manly?
And what does it mean for the Church?
The decline of the Anglican Church in England is most recently noted in the fact that more women than men are studying for the priesthood. In Catholicism, it is women who have to fill in as altar servers, lectors, ushers, and Eucharistic ministers.
They do a great job, but maybe if our youth saw more men active in the Church, there would be more vocations -- and less by way of attack. Maybe, in San Francisco, homosexual activists would not be so prone to mock us -- even during Mass.
Why have so many men left? Perhaps it is because it has become unfashionable for men to rely on God. We pride ourselves on our independence -- apparently, in too many circles, even our independence from Him.
We're materialistic: Our culture is obsessed with making money, and men are still key "breadwinners" (though these days we should say "Lexus-winners"): God does not mix well with mammon.
Men are too "busy." There is -- yes -- football on Sundays. Mass is too long. The homilies bore them, they complain. The words from the pulpit seem lost in some other historical time.
They feel "superstitious." Somehow, we have gotten to the point where "real men" don't believe in fairytales -- are afraid of being teased. A strapping man doesn't even need saints! Or at least doesn't think so.
There is the clergy abuse scandal: for too long, the strong, masculine priests have been marginalized (pray for these heroic souls) while too many homosexual priests have made the headlines. This chases away men -- or at least disinclines some of them.
There has been the feminization of Jesus. Despite all indications of His great strength -- and every indication that He was as masculine as they come (take a look at the Shroud of Turin) -- there has been an attempt, since the Renaissance (when so many unfortunate trends developed), to portray Him as overly meek.
Think of how absurd this is: no man I know of would have the strength, power, and courage to face -- willingly -- crucifixion. Our Lord is a mighty and masculine Lord! The same should be true (and often is, when we let them) of our priests. We need our seminaries to screen for power, for strength, for masculinity. Those with an overly feminine tendency can serve in other capacities (as long as they are not practicing homosexuality).
I recall the words of a psychiatrist named George Ritchie who had a famous near-death experience as a young man and who in fact recently died. It was his near-death episode that sparked all the current research in this realm, and during it he said He encountered Jesus.
This was not the Jesus of his Sunday school books, noted Dr. Ritchie. It was not the Jesus that many artists portray.
"That Jesus was gentle, kind, understanding -- and probably a little bit of a weakling," he notes. "This Person was power itself, older than time and yet more modern than anyone I had ever met.
"Far more even than power, what emanated from His Presence was unconditional love. An astonishing love. A love beyond my wildest imagining."
He was a loving Man. He was a strong man. He had been a carpenter. Have you ever noticed the sinew in carpenters? He meant business. He was a man of physical stature. In many ways, He was daunting. His Presence elicited respect, even during Crucifixion.
It is now time for our men to realize this and realize too their duties and their true strengths, which are spiritual, not in how many games they can watch during a single weekend.
Men, you have an obligation to join your wives and mothers, your sisters, in defending and filling and reviving the Church. It cannot go on forever without you.
It is time for real men to stand up. Do you really want to see the Church destroyed?
It is also time to kneel. It is masculine to love God. It is masculine to love others. It is masculine to fight for Jesus while we are on this battlefield, this playing field, in this boxing ring called earth.
Want real power? Want real masculinity?
Pray. Go the Mass. Fast.
See if you are tough enough for that.
[Audio: Joe Klecko's testimony]
[resources: Prayer of the Warrior and George Ritchie's book Return from Tomorrow]
[see also: Is something about to shake Church?]

Intro to the Bible

A little bit of cool video for you! It's nice to be Catholic.

Remember, the Bible came from the Catholic Church. It's historical. Rome 382, Trent 1546. It's there, it's ours, Don't take stuff out of it 'cuz we put it together with the help of God who gave the Authority to our Church through Peter.

If that isn't enough for you Check THIS OUT!!!

and still more...

Kick Off Night 07

MOVIE UNDER THE STARS

Thursday August 30th

The Princess Bride

Come see it on the big screen!

The movie is free, the popcorn is not :)

Support our Youth going to World Youth Day and bring a friend. The movie begins shortly after sunset.

This Thursday!!!

Bring a Friend!

MOVIE TIME!

Thursday August 23rd and Thursday August 30th

on the Lawn at St. Cecilia's!!!

7:30pm!

Bring cash for pop, popcorn, pie, cookies, hot dogs, and smores. You can rent couches, chairs and blankets too!!

See you there!!

World Youth Day Pilgrim's meeting!!

If you're going to World Youth Day

don't forget the meeting tomorrow afternoon at 5:30 in the Youth Room!!

There's a lot of stuff going on! Where are you?

Just a quick update...

Mondays are for the 18+ crowd with Veritas.

Tuesdays we've got Church History

Wednesdays we've got lunch with Val and Service to the Migrant Workers in Burlington.

Thursday we've got BBQ Fire

Friday you can do whatever God calls you to do :D

We're going to Wild Waves on August 17th so make sure to get your permission forms in asap!

You get $5 off if your parent volunteers to drive!

If you've been to Ascend or if you feel God calling you to be part of the elite group of Youth Leaders at our parish come to a meeting on August 14th at 2pm in the Youth Room!

I'm in the office Monday to Friday if you need anything or have ideas for our upcoming year! I'm planning for September, so the time for input is now!!!

Hope you're all having fabulous summers!!!

Pray for the Soul

Please Pray for the Soul of Joseph Brant one of Stanwood High School's students who committed suicide last week.

Eternal rest grant unto him Oh Lord,

and may perpetual light shine upon him.

May he rest in peace.

May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God rest in peace.

Amen.

If you would like to offer condolences to his Family you can sign their electronic guestbook

Here

Rattlesnake Ridge Hike

St. Benedict

Today is the Feast of St. Benedict. He's my favorite Saint, the Father of Western Monasticism. He wrote the Rule that Monks follow. It's a special day!!! If you want to know more about St. Benedict and his fabulous twin sister St. Scholastica click
Here

and

Here

Today is also the kick off to Lunch with Val at 12:30. See you at Lunch! Today we're having tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, iced coffees and maybe some sort of fruit.

Jr. High Scream!

Fire Fire Fire...BBQ

If it's raining later today we'll be watching Madagascar in the youth room at 7pm!!!

Sacred Heart wishes you Congrats!

It's the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and it's Stanwood High School Graduation!

Novena of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

V. Come, let us adore the Heart of Christ, wounded out of love for us.

R. Come, let us adore the Heart of Christ, wounded out of love for us.

V. Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord; let us acclaim the Rock ofour salvation.

R. Come, let us adore the Heart of Christ, wounded out of love for us.

V. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hands are the depths of the earth, and the tops of the mountains are his.

R. Come, let us adore the Heart of Christ, wounded out of love for us.

V. His is the sea, for he has made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed. Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us, for he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.

R. Come, let us adore the Heart of Christ, wounded out of love for us.

V. Rooted and grounded in love, may we come to understand with all the Saints the breadth and the length, the height and depth, until, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, we may befilled with the utter fullness of God.

R. Come, let us adore the Heart of Christ, wounded out of love for us.

V. Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us.

R. Inflame our hearts with love for you.

Let us pray:

God, through the Heart of your Son, wounded out of love for us, you lavish upon us the infinite riches of your love; grant, we beseech you, that as we offer to him the faithful service of our devotion, wemay also show forth fitting reparation. Through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

Congratulations Seniors!! Time to start a new chapter! Always remember to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and that your purpose in life is to know, love and serve God. UIOGD. Stay close to the Sacred Heart!

Evangelize!!!

Commercials including your very own Middle School Youth Group! Woohoo!! Youtube is awesome! The girls video will be up soon.

If you're coming to the Dinner on Sunday afternoon to celebrate with all the high school students graduating rsvp to the evite! I e-mailed it to your parents or whatever your family e-mail address is. If not, let me know!

The BigFoots, Tooth Fairies, Easter Bunnies, and Santa Clauses of the Catholic Church

Last Week we talked about the myths and misconceptions of the Catholic Church. If you didn't get your question answered, here are the most user friendly solid Catholic websites for figuring out what the truth is in relation to all those myths and misconceptions about the Catholic Church

This is a website that has all the Catholic apologetics you could ever want www.catholic.com

This website provides great scriptural background for Catholic apologetics www.scripturecatholic.com

Church History

Catholic Church History Extravaganza!!

313 Edict of Milan
Constantine makes Christianity the State religion which stops the persecution of Christians. The edict “legalized Christianity. Being that it was no longer a capital crime, Christians were able to come out into the open for the first time.”

325 Council of Nicea
The Pope wanted a general council convened to end the Arian heresy. “The Council of Nicea met, deposed Arius, condemned his heretical teaching, and formulated the Nicene Creed which is said to this day at every Sunday Mass and Divine Liturgy”.

520 St. Benedict – Monasticism, Christianization of Barbarians
St. Benedict of Nursia who is known as the Father of Western Monasticism established the first monastery in Europe at Subiaco, Italy.

1054 Split! The East and West Schism
Eastern Church becomes the Greek Orthodox Church by severing all ties with Rome and the Roman Catholic Church.


1095-1270 Crusades
“In 1095, the Byzantine emperor, Alexius Comnenus, sent ambassadors to Pope Urban II in Rome asking for help to defend Christianity from an imminent attack. The Arab Muslins had overrun the Holy Land, and Christians were no longer free to move about and visit their holy pilgrimage sites.” The Crusades were sent to free the Holy Land. 8 crusades and a lot of victims later, they turned out to be a total failure. It was a total disaster, all sides acted terribly. Some people think that the Crusades at least contained the Islamic expansion into Europe. “To Catholics, the Crusades are a poignant reminder that the ends never justify the means. The Catholic belief is that no matter how lofty the goal or noble the purpose, only moral means can be used. Otherwise, it’s an immoral enterprise. In other words, although the goal of defending and freeing the oppressed was good and noble, the Crusades should’ve stopped when many of the Europeans started making a profit on it and when Christians and Muslims alike resorted to barbaric tactics.”

1200 St. Francis of Assisi and St. Dominic

Beginning of the mendicant orders (don’t own any property and live off of donations). They preached and went outside the monastery unlike the Benedictines who are cloistered.

1309-1377 Avignon Captivity
After Pope Clement arrived in Avignon, France. Other Popes decided to follow in his footsteps, for 70 years afterwards. People were confused, Pope in Rome? Pope in France? There were multiple people claiming to be Pope at the time. St. Catherine of Siena finally said, “Enough!” and Pope Gregory XI listened and moved back to Rome.


1517 Protestant Reformation
Due to corruption of some clergy in the Church angry reformers decided to take action. October 31st 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of a Wittenberg Church. “Only by faith alone can man be saved. Good works are useless.” Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide (Scripture Alone, Faith Alone). There were a few problems among Catholic clergy at this time. The biggest problem was the selling of indulgences, basically asking the lay people to pay their way into heaven.


1541 Calvinism/ Presbyterianism
John Calvin establishes a new Church in Geneva, Switzerland. He said that Man has no power to do good. God chooses to save only some people. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is only for the salvation of those God chooses (not everyone). When God chooses to save someone, they are saved and that’s it, they can’t be unsaved.


1553 Anglicanism / Episcopalianism
Henry the VIII declares himself the supreme head of the Church in England because the Pope refused to grant him an annulment because his wife gave him a daughter and not a son.


1545-63 Council of Trent - Counter Reformation
“During this age, known as the Counter Reformation, men and women who were considered outstanding in their holiness combated the attacks.” It was basically a council to counter the protestant reformation by clarifying it’s teachings and reviving the Church. Abuses were stopped, religious orders were revived, returns to piety and priestly spirituality were brought about. Booyah!


1858 BVM appears to Bernadette in Lourdes



1869-1870 Vatican I
Defined the doctrine of Papal Infallibility.


1917 BVM appears in Fatima


1962-65 Vatican II
“Presenting and explaining a 2000 year old religion to a modern world in contemporary terms was the primary goal of the council. No new dogmas or doctrines were proclaimed or defined bu the old ones were merely restated and re-emphasized with modern vocabulary and context. The content of the faith was not changed, but the context in which is was explained and the manner in which it was communicated was adapted for the modern era.” It allowed for the vernacular to be used instead of Latin, since many schools were not teaching Latin anymore. Latin is still the official language of the Church.

1978 - John Paul II becomes Pope
The People’s Pope. Ushers in World Youth Day. Puts an emphasis on the importance of the youth in the Church. Begins his pontificate teaching Theology of the Body. The most traveled pope in history. Need we say more? He was amazing.


2005 – John Paul II dies.
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger is elected Pope and takes the name Benedict XVI

Barbecue

Thursday Night Fires (ehem...Barbecues) start on May 31st at St. Cecilia's. Bring a Friend, Bring a blanket. Come ready to have fun!

And no...you are not allowed to play with the fire.

Be good to our Earth

If you want to take a better version of the Ecological Footprint Quiz click

Here!

This is a ridiculous video. Hah! There's some good info if you watch it to the end though.

Relativism

I thought this would sum it up nicely. Don't buy into the idea that truth does not exist when it comes to morality. Some choices are wrong. If there was no truth, then Jesus would be a liar. We already established that he isn't at the beginning of the year remember?
Stay away from poison kids.

Check it out

Check out the Announcements on the Sidebar.

Also....Operation Clean Sweep Stanwood is happening again!

Join kids from other Churches and lots of people from the Community on April 28th in the old Thrify Foods parking lot at 9am. I won't be able to make it 'cuz I'll be on retreat with the Middle School, but anyone else is welcome to show. There'll be some food and other stuff after the event at a nearby Church. More details to come!

The Catholic Church and Donuts....those Donuts just keep coming back.

There was a boy by the name of Steve who was attending school in Utah. Brother Christianson taught at this particular school. He had an open-door policy and would take in any student that had been thrown out of another class as long as they would abide by his rules. Steve had been kicked out of his sixth period and no other teacher wanted him, so he went into Brother Christianson's class. Steve was told that he could not be late, so he arrived just seconds before the bell rang and he would sit in the very back of the room. He would also be the first to leave after the class was over.

One day, Brother Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. After class, Bro.Christianson pulled Steve aside and said, "You think you're pretty tough, don't you?"

Steve's answer was, "Yeah, I do."

Then Brother Christianson asked, "How many push-ups can you do?"

Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."

"200? That's pretty good, Steve," Brother Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300?"

Steve replied, "I don't know... I've never done 300 at a time."

"Do you think you could?" again asked Brother Christianson.."Well, I can try," said Steve.

"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I need you to do 300 in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it,"Brother Christianson said.

Steve said, "Well... I think I can... yeah, I can do it."

Brother Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, Brother Christianson pulled out a big box of donuts.

Now these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited - it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend. Bro. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked,"Cynthia, do you want a donut?"

Cynthia said, "Yes."

Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"

Steve said, "Sure," and jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Bro. Christianson put a donut onCynthia's desk. Bro. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe do you want a donut?"

Joe said, "Yes."Bro. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?" Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went,down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut. And down the second aisle, until Bro. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was captain of the football team and center of thebasketball team. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. When Bro. Christianson asked, "Scott do you want a donut?"

Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"

Bro. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."

Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."

Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?"Steve started to do ten pushups.

Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!"Bro. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk. Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow. Bro. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry.Bro. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"Jenny said, "No."Then Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?" Steve did ten, Jenny got a donut.

By now, the students were beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve was also having to really put forth alot of effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved. Bro. Christianson asked Robert to watch Steve to make sure he did ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. So Robert began to watch Steve closely.

Bro. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students had wandered in and sat along the heaters along the sides of the room. When Bro. Christianson realized this; he did a quick count and saw 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it. Bro. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set. Steve asked Bro. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?"Bro. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups..You can do them any way that you want." And Bro. Christianson went on. A few moments later, Jason came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!"Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said,"No, let him come."

Bro. Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you willhave to do ten pushups for him."Steve said, "Yes, let him come in."

Bro. Christianson said, "Okay, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?"

"Yes."

"Steve, will you do ten pushups so that Jason can have a donut?" Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered,was handed a donut and sat down. Bro. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those seated on the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each pushup in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was not a dry eye inthe room. The very last two girls in the room were cheerleaders and very popular. Bro. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda,do you want a doughnut?

Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."

Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?"Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda. Then Bro. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut?" Susan, with tears flowing down her face, asked, "Bro.Christianson, can I help him?"

Bro. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, he has to do it alone. Steve, would you do ten pushups so Susan can have a donut?"As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understandingthat he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Brother Christianson turned to the room and said.

"And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, plead to the Father,"Into thy hands I commend my spirit." With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, he collapsed on the cross and died. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten"

-- Author Unknown

Holy Week

I hope you guys are having a wonderful spring break and Holy Week.

Holy Thursday - 7pm Mass of the Lord's Supper

Good Friday - Stations of the Cross 2pm

Lord's Passion Service 3pm and 7pm

Holy Saturday - Easter Vigil Mass 8pm

EASTER SUNDAY!!!!! - Mass 9am and 11am

Holy Week!

Did you know...that Palm Sunday is also the 22nd World Youth Day? We get to celebrate World Youth Day in our own diocese this Year. Click here to check out Pope Benedict's message to you (...and me) for World Youth Day!

To watch live coverage of Holy Week at the Vatican Check THIS out!

Vatican TV, so rad.

For Online Stations of the Cross to Increase your God time as Holy week approaches Click on the picture!

More stuff about Holy Week can be found....Here! Click for More on Holy Week!

While searching for stuff to do with Holy Week I found this amazing video. This man is such an awesome servant. Check it out.

Your path to holiness.

Hey everyone,

I hope we've kicked up your interest in learning more about why John Paull II called our bodies a Theology. We are in our substance studies of God! So cool. So go live out your sexuality the way God wanted you to.

For more awesome info on Theology of the Body check out www.nccmtob.blogspot.com

It's my alma mater's TOB site.

Here's a recap from last night.

Life Night #16 Vocations

Vocation:
-a divine call to God's service or to the Christian life.
-a function or station in life to which one is called by God: the religious vocation; the vocation of marriage.

Primary vocation - to live in union with God.

Secondary vocation - marriage? religious life? consecrated single life? priesthood?

How are you going to follow God's plan for your life?


Objective: Closing up Theology of the Body.
The world is a nasty place, full of lies about our sexuality and it's function.
In the celibate consecrated life you live out the heavenly ultimate marriage on earth.
Marriage is meant to be the sign post for our ultimate heaven.
If you want to change the world, listen to God’s calling and live out your sexuality the way it was meant to be lived, as redeemed by Christ.

How do you think you can live with your gift of sexuality in a celibate life? – living a celibate consecrated life is to live out our ultimate vocation, which is union with God. Our bodies are used sexually in marriage. In marriage we are pointed towards heaven. Marriage is like a road sign on our way to heaven. It is not our ultimate fulfillment. The destination of heaven and union with God is our ultimate vocation and fulfillment. If you know your purpose in life so well that you will become a “eunuch for the kingdom” you are skipping the road sign and going straight to living out the marriage on earth. Our ultimate fulfillment is to be married (in loving union) to God. If we can marry God while we’re still alive….Kudos!!! This is the celibate life. This is the religious life. The consecrated celibate life.

What’s the first thing you think of when you think of the priesthood?

is it this?

What’s the first thing you think of when you think of a nun?

is it this?

"I will wait for as long as you wish. It's just that I do not want our union to be delayed through any fault of mine. Meanwhile, I am going to do my best to make myself a beautiful wedding dress, all studded with jewels. I am sure, my Beloved, that when you consider it sufficiently adorned, no one will be able to prevent you from coming down and uniting me to you forever."
-St. Therese of Lisieux

(Awesome Bride of Christ. She was a carmelite.)

Why do you think there’s a shortage of priests? - Misconceptions about the priesthood, poor understanding of sexuality, poor catechesis about the Catholic Church, Men are emasculated in the media – portrayed as dumb, weak, beefcakes, only self-seeking instead of self-sacrificing. Being a priest is no cakewalk. If you are to be another Christ to His Bride the Church, you've got to be willing to go all the way and say "This is my body given up for you." To leave everything and follow Christ.


What do you think are some of the attractions in being a religious sister or monk? Living Heaven on earth!!!

Have you ever known a priest or nun that has made a big difference in your life?

What’s your reaction to marriage cannot be your ultimate fulfillment?

Marriage is only the road sign. You don’t stop and say “I’m here!” when you see a road sign that tells you you’re 50 miles from your destination….it points us to our heavenly marriage with Christ, but we cannot expect another human to fulfill our ultimate longing, if we do we’ll smother that person.

What’s your reaction to “God wants to marry you?”

Do you ever think you could be a priest or sister? Why or why not?

Why do you think it’s important for a priest or a nun to also have the qualities of a good mom or dad?

They are spiritual mothers and fathers.

What do you think it would be like to live a cloistered, contemplative life?

A sample
Still confused?

More Awesome Vocations Info

Vocations Office - Seattle Archdiocese

Vocations Office - Vancouver Archdiocese (Yes, Canada)

Vocations Video for girls

Info for Girls:

Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious

Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal

Sisters of Life

Missionaries of Charity

Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart

Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia

Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist

Abbey of St. Walburga this is the one I was thinking of joining :)

Poor Clare Sisters

Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration

Info for Guys:

Vocations Video for guys

Mount Angel Seminary

Seminary of Christ the King (Benedictines)

Franciscan Friars

Dominicans Western Province

Carmelites Western Province (the order that Fr. Matthew, Fr. Charles, and Br. Laurence are from)

Missionary of Charity Fathers

Missionaries of the Gospel of Life

Legionaries of Christ

Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter

Norbertines

Love, Love, Love....Check out this website if you're just overwhelmed and want to read more about Love, Vocations, and Purity. There's a ton of cool stuff on here.

Pure Love Club

Contraception and Abortion

You want to know about Contraception?

to read

Click Here.

or Here

or Here

or HERE

If you Like Listening Better.....

click below

Kimberly Hahn 1

Why Contraception is Wrong: [ReadAudio] or [MP3 Format]

Teaching NFP and Stopping Abortion: [RealAudio] or [MP3 Format part 1 and part 2]

Sorry, I couldn't find any videos for you who like visuals more.

Cool quote....

Here's a neat quote:

Passion is the evil in adultery. If a man has no opportunity of living with another man's wife, but if it is obvious for some reason that he would like to do so, and would do so if he could, he is no less guilty than if he was caught in the act.

- St. Augustine

Chastity

Remember, we are called to love in the image of the Holy Trinity. Father gives Himself eternally to the Son in Love. The Son receives love from the Father eternally. The love that is between them is so real and so strong that it is an eternal person, the Holy Spirit.

So we are made in the image and likeness of God to live in a communion of Love. Men giving their total selves to their wives. Wives receiving all of their husbands and giving their whole selves back to them. This love can sometimes be so incredibly blessed that it brings forth new life!!!

If you're not living God's plan for Sex, which is always within marriage being Total, Faithful, Fruitful, and Free you are not loving in the image of the trinity. You're not loving the other person with your total self. That sex is not total because you haven't given your life to them in marriage and if you're contracepting you're holding yourself back, it's not faithful because there's no commitment, it's not fruitful because you're not growing spiritually because of it and if you're contracepting you're not open to new life. It's not Free either, because you're not choosing the best for you or the other person. If you're going to love someone you have to be able to live in the mindset of Christ

"This is my body, given up for you."

Freedom is choosing the best outcome. License is the ability to choose. Don't get mixed up!

Freedom:

1. The condition of being free of restraints.
2. Liberty of the person from slavery, detention, or oppression.

Don't be enslaved by your desires. Be free to live and love without worrying about disease, hurting each other, objectifying someone, being objectified, etc. etc. etc. God calls us to be free. That's why he died for us.

from Life teen How far is too far?

As human beings, we crave relationships. And in each relationship, we need balance to meet all of our needs: God/Jesus, Our Parents, Our brothers and sisters, our friends, our boyfriends/girlfriends, our spouses. The more we go through life without this “balance” in our relationships, particularly from our parents, the more our needs get left unmet.
These unmet needs lead to poor choices, particularly with our sexuality. The needs create a longing in us for intimacy. Sexual experiences give the feeling of deep intimacy, but many times it is a false sense of intimacy, and not the real thing. It soothes us, helps us feel better, but doesn’t meet the deep need in us.

The danger here is that we are using sexual experiences like a drug – to create a feeling of what we need, rather than getting the real thing – it’s an allusion and can lead us into addiction, just like any drug could.



Here are some things we should consider -


1. Understand that before marriage your friendship is not for sexual pleasure. God wants you to learn to love each other and be best friends. Many marriages break up because they are based on LUST not friendship. Build your relationship on being best friends.

2. Make up your mind to enjoy what God has given you now. Friendships are precious, but can be ruined by the power of Lust. Lust will want you to have deeper and deeper sexual experiences and will never satisfy you. Choose right now to not be controlled by lust, but to enjoy your relationship.


3. If you have decided not to be controlled by lust, you’ll know to keep your hands to yourself. Touching people sexually inevitably leads to something deeper. In your heart you do know what is right, follow the Holy Spirit’s conviction, it is always for the best.


Here’s how Fr. J on www.lifeteen.com replied to someone who asked the question - “How far is too far?” “Burning passion is a blazing fire, not to be quenched till it burns itself out.” This passage from the Book of Sirach 23:16 kind of sums it up, doesn’t it? If you’re getting all hot and stuff with the person you’re with then chances are you’re going to get burned. I mean people can play all the “I can control myself ” games that they want to, but the truth is that its not just the action that makes something sinful, its also the intention. Christ said, “From the mind stem evil designs - murder, adulterous conduct, fornication (this is the one you’re asking about), stealing, false witness and blasphemy. These things are what makes a person impure.” (Matt. 15:19-20)

Now I know that being a teenager means that you're this big wound up ball of hormones, but I also know that the body must be subject to the Spirit. I also know that there should never be anything that gets in the way of you making to heaven, including your own passions. Think about it... is the brief time you’ll be having “fun” worth the chance of missing out on eternity with God? Add onto that, is your “fun” worth risking your partner’s chance to get into the big party God has waiting for us?


Every part of me wants to tell you that it will be real easy to avoid being tempted to give into your sex drive, but the truth is its not easy. Its not easy as a teenager and it doesn’t get any easier when you get older. Still, the message is clear... our bodies (and the bodies of those with us) are temples, are sacred because God made us that way and never should they be used as toys to get us excited. If you’re worried about going too far... answer to you is that you’re already there. Stop trying to push the boundaries of sexual experimentation and do something really cutting edge... actually get to know the person you’re with, because that experience, unlike sexual passion, has no limits.



For more info on Chastity, Dating and Theology of the Body....Click the picture!!

Good Advice

This again, it makes sense.

Shake, shake, shake....okay it's getting old.

The girls are winning the "Which gender is going to have the most attendees at the retreats this weekend?" contest.

So far I have:

14 girls

7 guys

Okay...there's no real contest. But seriously! Let me know if you're coming! It's going to be awesome!

Every single person registered in the youth group has been called......I wonder which team is going to win. :) See you all on Saturday!!! Bring friends!!

Cancelled

In case you didn't get the e-mail or get the message the Snowshoeing trip is cancelled. Sorry for all those who were looking forward to this trip. Maybe next time!

Keep your days clear for February 24th for

Shake your Beauty

and

Virtuous Reality!

Homosexuality

Here's more background info on what we talked about. Click on the underlined large words for the full articles and documents.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church

Chastity and homosexuality

Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

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From Catholic Answers

Homosexuality

Every human being is called to receive a gift of divine sonship, to become a child of God by grace. However, to receive this gift, we must reject sin, including homosexual behavior—that is, acts intended to arouse or stimulate a sexual response regarding a person of the same sex. The Catholic Church teaches that such acts are always violations of divine and natural law.

Homosexual desires, however, are not in themselves sinful. People are subject to a wide variety of sinful desires over which they have little direct control, but these do not become sinful until a person acts upon them, either by acting out the desire or by encouraging the desire and deliberately engaging in fantasies about acting it out. People tempted by homosexual desires, like people tempted by improper heterosexual desires, are not sinning until they act upon those desires in some manner.

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From the group COURAGE

Persons with homosexual desires have always been with us; however, until recent times, there has been little, if any, formal outreach from the Church in the way of support groups or information for such persons. Most were left to work out their path on their own. As a result, they found themselves listening to and accepting the secular society's perspective and opting to act on their same-sex desires.

His Eminence, the late Terence Cardinal Cooke of New York, was aware of, and troubled by this situation. He knew that the individual dealing with same-sex attractions truly needed to experience the freedom of interior chastity and in that freedom find the steps necessary to living a fully Christian life in communion with God and others. He was concerned that many would not find this path and would be constantly trying to get their needs met in ways that ultimately do not satisfy the desires of the heart.

In response to this concern, he decided to form a spiritual support system which would assist men and women with same-sex attractions in living chaste lives in fellowship, truth and love.
Knowing of Fr. John Harvey's extensive ministry experience in this field, he invited him to come to his Archdiocese.

With the help of the Rev. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., and others, Fr. Harvey began the Courage Apostolate with its first meeting meeting in September, 1980 at the Shrine of Mother Seton in South Ferry.

With the endorsement of the Holy See, Courage now has more than 110 Chapters and contact people world-wide, over 1500 persons participating in its ListServs, and hundreds of persons per week receiving assistance from the main office and website. It has become a mainstream Catholic Apostolate helping thousands of men and women find peace through fellowship, prayer, and the Sacraments.

The Courage Central Office operates through the prayerful and financial support of the Archdiocese of New York as well as contributions and volunteer work from Courage members and other individuals and organizations committed to advancing its efforts.
Individual chapters throughout the world are self-supporting and exist with the permission of their diocesan Bishop.

In helping individuals gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the Church's teachings, especially in the area of chastity, Courage extends the Church's invitation to a life of peace and grace. In chaste living, one finds the peace and grace to grow in Christian maturity.

Copyright (C) 2000 Courage

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If you are struggling with Homosexual inclinations or know someone who is feel free to come and talk with me or get in contact with the Washington Chapter of Courage.

TOB Intro Part II

I hope this week was a little easier to digest especially with all that small group time :) Next week we're talking about what the Church says about Homosexuality. Here's the info from last night!
(modified from Life Teen's "Off the Wall" night)

From last week’s talks, would you say that in this world sexuality is viewed as it should be?
No.

But our God is asking us, just like he asked Peter today, to have faith in Him. Have faith in his incredible plan for our sexuality so that we might marvel at the wonder he shows us when we do.

You, are the hope for this world. You, bearing God’s gifts, vision, and promise. Our generation has already started, there is a revival. Teens and young people are starting to wake up to the truth about their sexuality and are realizing that they shouldn’t settle for the lies about our sexuality.

We need to seek the truth about our sexuality and guard our hearts against the disordered messages we’re getting from everywhere. Oral sex, sex parties, petting, pornography…these are not okay. This is not what God had in mind when he designed you, body and soul. And the fruits of abortion, contraception, suicide, STDs, depression, and despair clearly show this. This is not the happiness God intended for you when he created sex.

I don’t know exactly where each one of you stands with your faith life, I wish I did but I’m not there yet as a youth minister, so let’s level the playing field and make sure we’re all on the same page. I hope and pray that all of you are rooted in the belief that the Catholic Church speaks the truth revealed by Christ, but in case some of you are unsure consider this point when listening tonight because everything that we’re talking about is rooted in scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. So consider this…

Is it possible that a rational, intelligent person could accept the teachings of Christianity, and more specifically the Catholic Faith, as Truth? Yes... The world is full of rational, intelligent people who not only believe them to be true, but have been willing to give their lives for what they believe. So, it must at least be something worth investigating right? So please, keep an open mind while we’re talking about the Theology of the Body because for the next 5 life nights, we may be discussing things you’ve never heard and possibly disagree with. And with that….let’s get onto the truth about ourselves.

Beginning in 1979, about after a year of being Pope, John Paul II began a series of teachings at his weekly Wednesday public audiences about the human body and sexuality. These five weekly teachings lasted FIVE YEARS. This collection is now known as the Theology of the Body, and it is revolutionary and prophetic. John Paul II could see even in the late 70’s how broken our sexuality was starting to become with the “sexual revolution” and where we were heading if it did not change.

So let’s look at where we began. We’ve already discussed Genesis a lot. When God created us in his image and likeness, male and female he created us. So realize this, every bit of you, who you are, how you were made, what you look like, from your fingernails, your eyeballs, even down to your genitals, is made in the image and likeness of God. Our bodies image Him and the functions of our bodies mirror and reveal to us the mysteries of God and His love for us.

So undo the twisted ideas that say that the body is dirty, sinful, or unholy, or that your sexuality is unholy. The Catechism says “the flesh is the hinge of salvation”, but remember that is only true when “the flesh” is in line with the design of the creator. Our bodies are beautiful. We need our bodies for our faith. We believe in the WORD MADE FLESH who came to dwell among us and redeem the flesh. It is through your body that you sense and experience your faith. This is why we have sacraments, those outward and physical signs of inward grace being bestowed upon us by God. Holy water at baptism, sacred Chrism at baptism and confirmation, laying on of hands at confirmation and ordination, eating and drinking the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass, confessing your sins with your lips, anointing the sick, becoming one flesh in marriage; these are the sacraments, without your body you can’t receive them!
It is through our human flesh that we encounter the divine mystery.
To fully understand who we are and what we are we must understand in what image we are made and why.

Pope Benedict XVI has started off his Pontificate explaining it all for us, in his encyclical “God is Love”. God is a union of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God the Father is the lover, Jesus his only Son is the Beloved, and this love is so true and consuming that it is the blessed third person of the Trinity the Holy Spirit. When man and woman come together in a nuptial union, it images the trinity. This image is stamped in our bodies. So we are called also to reflect the love of God and love as he loves.

God loves us in many ways and these types of love are described by the scriptures and in much more detail in Pope Benedict’s encyclical. Some of the loves in the Bible describe God’s love as
-The love of an artist for his work.
-The love of a father for his son or daughter.
But the most used metaphor in scripture to describe how God loves us is that of the love between a Man and a Woman. The Bridegroom for his Bride. Our Church is called the eternal Bride of Christ and heaven is called the Eternal Wedding Feast.

Ephesians 5

Men your calling is to love your wives and all women as Christ loves the Church.

Women your calling is to allow yourselves to be loved as Christ loves you.

Submissive = under the mission

Suboordinate = under the order

Therefore....we are to be under the mission of men loving us as Christ loves us ladies. And men you are called to the difficult mission of loving as Christ loves. Corinthians 13 tells us....

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, 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.

Don't settle for anything less, Christ wouldn't want you to.

Neat video.