What does our religon tell us about how to spend our time?
Today has been a busy day for me. I got up at 7:00 and didnt get home until about an hour ago. I did all sorts of thing like taking a Chemistry test at University of Houston and building flowerbeds as part of a friend's Eagle Project. In reflection of all this I started to wonder. Does God approve? Does The Catholic Church approve of hard work? Does it cloud our priorities or speed us too them faster? This is what I have come to.
It depends on what you are working towards. hard work goes in one of two directions, for better or for worse. Mother Teresa spend her whole life working hard to help the poor. Hitler, on the other hand, worked tirelessly for the extermination of an entire people. Needless to say, hard work is not inherently and always good because it depends on what a person is working for. Granted that as long as ones goals are focused towards the greater glory of God in one way or another, any work done towards that goal should be good as well.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Self-Sacrifice
Are we called to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others?
As a child, My mother taught me to love three things in order. First, to love God above all things, then to love yourself, then to love others. This was a great way for me to justify doing things for myself over doing things for others, but that is because I was misreading what I was being taught. While God does expect us to love ourselves, he also expects us to hold others above ourselves when it comes to giving. Jesus' greatest command was to "love others as I have loved you", so we are expected to give ourselves up for the good of others. Today in Theology I read about a women who who decided to face her own death rather than abort her own baby. She was willing to give up everything for someone she loved, which is exactly what Jesus did. Only Jesus did not die for one person, he died for all of us and he would do it again. Now remember what Jesus said, we have to love like he loved, and he loved enough to die for it. SO HOW SCARY IS THAT? Are we all expected to give our lives for each other? Well, sometimes I think the answer is yes, but I don't think we are all exactly called too it.
I am lying down here with my brother realizing all of this. realizing that I may be called to give my life for another person, but at the same time, I already am. Granted all I am doing right now is lying down next to him to scare the "monsters" away, I am sacrificing myself. I'm giving up my own interests for his, and its not so bad. I'm actually kinda happy here. This is what God is calling me to do right now. So no, we don't all have to go get ourselves killed for each other in order to love like Jesus did. Some of us might, but the reality is many of us will fulfill our sacrifices through the little things, through those little wonders we do every day if we just choose to do so.
Its not all that hard to love like Christ did.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Going to Chruch with a friend
Bringing a friend with you to Church, does it hurt you or help you?
I've often wondered about this and tonight I am going to come up with both sides of the arguement and let you decide for yourself.
Going to Church with friends is bad. It distracts a person from being able to truly focus on what is going on and it prevents the person from fully engaging in what is going on during the Mass. Although the intentionns are good, bringing a friend to Church distracts you from what is really important. This is because the act mixes two parts of your life that are, for a teenager, mostly incompatable; the social and the religious life. How can one truly focus on God when their good friend is sitting their next to them. How can you truly be alone with God in company? You can not. Go to Church alone or with your family.
Going to Church with friend is good. I mean, isn't that what basically what we are supposed to do anyway. The Church is, after all, the PEOPLE of God, not the person of God. We are supposed to consider every single person in the Church with you a friend anyway. That being said, what could be wrong with bringing a close friend along with you. Isn't this only better? Furthermore, how much easier is it to feel God's love when we are feeling it with a friend? When we connect with eachother we connect with God. Jesus' greatest command was to treat eachother as we wish to be treated. By doing this in Church, do we not become closer to Christ? Our friends support us in our faith, bringing us closer to God. This does come with certain conditions however. Make sure that all contact you have with your friend is directed towards the furtherment of eachothers faith: make certain that all other matters wait until after Mass. As long as you do this, you should be fine! So take a friend, an aquaintance, a girlfriend, whoever you want, as long as you feel that it will help.
Personally, I think going with friends to mass is definantly a positive.
I've often wondered about this and tonight I am going to come up with both sides of the arguement and let you decide for yourself.
Going to Church with friends is bad. It distracts a person from being able to truly focus on what is going on and it prevents the person from fully engaging in what is going on during the Mass. Although the intentionns are good, bringing a friend to Church distracts you from what is really important. This is because the act mixes two parts of your life that are, for a teenager, mostly incompatable; the social and the religious life. How can one truly focus on God when their good friend is sitting their next to them. How can you truly be alone with God in company? You can not. Go to Church alone or with your family.
Going to Church with friend is good. I mean, isn't that what basically what we are supposed to do anyway. The Church is, after all, the PEOPLE of God, not the person of God. We are supposed to consider every single person in the Church with you a friend anyway. That being said, what could be wrong with bringing a close friend along with you. Isn't this only better? Furthermore, how much easier is it to feel God's love when we are feeling it with a friend? When we connect with eachother we connect with God. Jesus' greatest command was to treat eachother as we wish to be treated. By doing this in Church, do we not become closer to Christ? Our friends support us in our faith, bringing us closer to God. This does come with certain conditions however. Make sure that all contact you have with your friend is directed towards the furtherment of eachothers faith: make certain that all other matters wait until after Mass. As long as you do this, you should be fine! So take a friend, an aquaintance, a girlfriend, whoever you want, as long as you feel that it will help.
Personally, I think going with friends to mass is definantly a positive.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
The Catholic Church
The church established by Christ on the foundation of the apostles, possessing the fullness of the meaning of salvation which he has willed; The pilgrim Church on earth ,in which the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church subsist. Literally, "Universal," in the sense of "according to the whole." The Church is Catholic in the dual since that it (1) possesses the fullness of the means of salvation and (2) has been sent by Christ to the whole human race.
Apostolic
The fourth mark of the Church, indicating that the Church was founded by Christ and given to the Apostles. The Church is Apostolic in three ways:
- Apostolic foundation- Have been built and remaining on the foundation of the Apostles.
- Apostolic Faith- this faith guards and transmits the teachings of the Apostles with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells in her.
- Apostolic Succession- through this, the Church continues to be taught, sanctified, and directed by the Apostles in the persons of their successors in the pastoral ministry: the College of Bishops, presided over by St. Peter’s successor, the Pope.
The Church in Our daily lives
What can the Chruch do for us?
On a day to day basis, what does the church do for us? Well, for starters, it offers us salvations and a connection with God that would otherwise be unattainable. but lets look beyond the obvious, what can the Chruch, in all its vastness, do for us?
For starters the Church is more than just a certain kind of building. It is a living and breathing community that makes up the body of Christ. Each one of us is called to be a certain part of the Church and to work together to be one with the rest of its members. The Chruch works to fulfill the physical and material needs of many of its members as well. The Church is known for feeding and clothing its poor. Finding homes for the homeless, and support for the overwhelmed. The Church is a friend and a helper to all its members.
The Church can also offer moral support. Feeling lost? Go talk to a priest. Find out what God wants you to do with your life. Go to confession when you have done wrong. Take in the mercy that God offers to all of us and feel better about it. There are few problems that cannot be solved or made insignificant by the awesome power of the Holy Spirit througtddh the Church.
On a day to day basis, what does the church do for us? Well, for starters, it offers us salvations and a connection with God that would otherwise be unattainable. but lets look beyond the obvious, what can the Chruch, in all its vastness, do for us?
For starters the Church is more than just a certain kind of building. It is a living and breathing community that makes up the body of Christ. Each one of us is called to be a certain part of the Church and to work together to be one with the rest of its members. The Chruch works to fulfill the physical and material needs of many of its members as well. The Church is known for feeding and clothing its poor. Finding homes for the homeless, and support for the overwhelmed. The Church is a friend and a helper to all its members.
The Church can also offer moral support. Feeling lost? Go talk to a priest. Find out what God wants you to do with your life. Go to confession when you have done wrong. Take in the mercy that God offers to all of us and feel better about it. There are few problems that cannot be solved or made insignificant by the awesome power of the Holy Spirit througtddh the Church.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
A Service Reflection
What did I learn from serving others?
During my service experience this year I discovered a few things. Basically, My service was split up into two parts, the resale shop, and the Forum retirement community.
I worked with the CCSC (Christian Community Service Center) to help raise money at their resale shop. There, I reorganized picture frames. Lots and lots of picture frames. So many picture frames did I organize that I became an expert on a great variety of frames. Big frames, little frames, wide frames, tall frames, and all sorts of broken frames. Great heaps of frames! All piled up and organized by yours truly. But the real lesson I learned at the Sunshine Resale Center was not of frames. I learned about self sacrifice. The other workers at the shop were all volunteers. They were all elderly and retired: that had all the freedom in the world really, but they chose to spend it helping people. They were some of the most friendly and happy people I had ever met. They smiled with customers and laughed with each other in a sort of wise and worldly way. They were happy, And feel that it was because they new what they were doing was good. The resale center sells donations brought to it by generous people. The profits (usually from one to two thousand dollars daily as I saw on the records) are donated to the CCSC relief center which provides food, clothing, and support for families and persons in need. Knowing this, all the volunteers are more than happy to do their work because they are satisfied with the knowledge that they have done a very good thing. That is the kind of person I hope to be when I am that age, someone who can find joy in helping others.
At the Forum I learned about two things, the importance of tolerance and living your life in a way that you can be proud of. There were many different kinds of old folks at the retirement home. I was assigned to the section reserved for those in the most disabled condition. Those that couldn't remember anything, who couldn't speak, who couldn't eat normally. But they were very much still people. They all had personalities and traits that made them all unique. The activity director that I worked with was well suited for her job. She was very kind and understanding. She helped all these elderly men and women participate in games and activities. Things that keep them thinking and operating, she explained, they help them stay alive longer. Some of these people were very hard to work with however. But this lady never became frustrated. She understood the problems that age can bring, and all the frustration that comes with it. She put herself in their shoes and used that knowledge to cooperate with them. she was tolerant, and very well respected for it. I also learned something about the way that I would like to go through life. You see, many of these old folks were kind and friendly, they had obviously gone through their lives as happy people, content with many of the decisions they made. However some of these people were not that same way. Their was one lady who I particularly felt bad for. She was grumpy and negative, and from what I could tell, she had always been that way. I have no right to assume that really, but if I had to guess, I would say that she had gone through life the way she wanted and when she was done, she was unsatisfied by it. I do not want to be consumed with regret when I am old and tired. I want to be able to be happy and kind to the volunteers that come and help me when I am in a retirement home. That is why I want to make good decisions in my life that God would approve of. Because in the end, does anything else really matter?
During my service experience this year I discovered a few things. Basically, My service was split up into two parts, the resale shop, and the Forum retirement community.
I worked with the CCSC (Christian Community Service Center) to help raise money at their resale shop. There, I reorganized picture frames. Lots and lots of picture frames. So many picture frames did I organize that I became an expert on a great variety of frames. Big frames, little frames, wide frames, tall frames, and all sorts of broken frames. Great heaps of frames! All piled up and organized by yours truly. But the real lesson I learned at the Sunshine Resale Center was not of frames. I learned about self sacrifice. The other workers at the shop were all volunteers. They were all elderly and retired: that had all the freedom in the world really, but they chose to spend it helping people. They were some of the most friendly and happy people I had ever met. They smiled with customers and laughed with each other in a sort of wise and worldly way. They were happy, And feel that it was because they new what they were doing was good. The resale center sells donations brought to it by generous people. The profits (usually from one to two thousand dollars daily as I saw on the records) are donated to the CCSC relief center which provides food, clothing, and support for families and persons in need. Knowing this, all the volunteers are more than happy to do their work because they are satisfied with the knowledge that they have done a very good thing. That is the kind of person I hope to be when I am that age, someone who can find joy in helping others.
At the Forum I learned about two things, the importance of tolerance and living your life in a way that you can be proud of. There were many different kinds of old folks at the retirement home. I was assigned to the section reserved for those in the most disabled condition. Those that couldn't remember anything, who couldn't speak, who couldn't eat normally. But they were very much still people. They all had personalities and traits that made them all unique. The activity director that I worked with was well suited for her job. She was very kind and understanding. She helped all these elderly men and women participate in games and activities. Things that keep them thinking and operating, she explained, they help them stay alive longer. Some of these people were very hard to work with however. But this lady never became frustrated. She understood the problems that age can bring, and all the frustration that comes with it. She put herself in their shoes and used that knowledge to cooperate with them. she was tolerant, and very well respected for it. I also learned something about the way that I would like to go through life. You see, many of these old folks were kind and friendly, they had obviously gone through their lives as happy people, content with many of the decisions they made. However some of these people were not that same way. Their was one lady who I particularly felt bad for. She was grumpy and negative, and from what I could tell, she had always been that way. I have no right to assume that really, but if I had to guess, I would say that she had gone through life the way she wanted and when she was done, she was unsatisfied by it. I do not want to be consumed with regret when I am old and tired. I want to be able to be happy and kind to the volunteers that come and help me when I am in a retirement home. That is why I want to make good decisions in my life that God would approve of. Because in the end, does anything else really matter?
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