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You can find out about this incredible day in the Church here. Our Lord's mercy is so unfathomable and amazing, especially on this beautiful day! Jesus told Saint Faustina, "The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity." *(Please read my note on private revelation at the bottom of the post) God desired to be so closely reunited with us that He will restore our soul back to us back to the state it was in at the moment we were baptized, and all we have to do is trust in Him, be merciful to others, and go to confession** and receive the Holy Eucharist. That is so incredible!! No matter what you've done, no matter who you are, Jesus loves you. He wants to forgive you even more than you want to be forgiven. Do not be afraid of your past sins, entrust them to our Lord, and trust in His unfathomable mercy! He loves you immensely. He wants you to trust in Him. He wants to envelop you in His grace and love and wants you to belong to Him forever. Our God's greatest attribute is mercy. He will not turn souls away if they are truly contrite for their sins. Please pray for mercy for our world, that all may experience God's inexhaustible mercy and love. God bless you, and may you have a very happy and blessed Divine Mercy Sunday, filled with the unfathomable grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! *I am hoping to do a series on Private revelations in the upcoming months, including the revelations of Jesus to St.Faustina as well as numerous other revelations. Though the belief in Jesus' revelations to St. Faustina is not a requirement for belonging to the Church, the Church has supported and celebrated them for many years, and they have been deemed worthy of belief. ** It is not necessary to go to confession on Divine Mercy Sunday, just in a time that is relatively close to the day. So if you went to confession during Lent, that is just fine according to the Divine Mercy website.

Happy Easter!! Catholic Teen Life has also been resurrected on this marvelous Easter Sunday, but that's not the big deal, Jesus is! Our Jesus, our lover, and Lord, our all-powerful God, rose from the dead, and in doing so, saved us from our sins. There is nothing that could possibly be more amazing than that! One thing that I realized for the first time this Lent was how many people went to Heaven on Easter Sunday. Just think about it, when Jesus died, he opened the gates of the Sheol (the place of the dead, not hell, as is commonly mistaken), and all the people who'd ever lived who were not in a state of mortal sin went to Heaven. That's crazy. Millions of people went to Heaven on that first Easter Sunday. Millions of people saw God as He is, in the Beatific Vision, for the first time. God's promise was fulfilled. The son of David saved His people from their sins. In resurrecting He redeemed us, He redeemed death. Death is not the end. This world is not the end. "In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” -John 16:33 This is our God. This is the only being who loves us completely and totally, without reserve. He died for our sake, and then rose from the dead and won dominion over life and death. He has conquered the world, and even death itself. Love has won. We must rejoice!

Hello Catholic Teen Life Readers! After some thought and prayer, I've decided to take a break from blogging for personal reasons. I will continue to write about our beautiful faith for future blog posts. Please continue to pray for a culture of life, for our country, and for the Church. Now is a crucial time for we as young people to boldly live out our faith. Our world needs a miracle. Prayer works miracles, evangelizing works miracles, but God is the one who makes all of those miracles happen. You are a miracle. Your life is a miracle, and so is that of every single person in this world. You matter and you are loved. So, in the words of Pope Saint John Paul the Great, "Be not afraid!" Even though our world is a mess right now, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid to share your faith, but most importantly to live it. God is on our side, and with Him, everything is possible. May our Lord bless and keep you, and may His love and mercy give you peace. I will be praying for you! Joyfully in Christ, Catholic Teen “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” ~ Matthew 19:26

Today in the United States we celebrate and remember the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, a remarkable man who worked tirelessly to fight injustice. In his Letter from a Birmingham Jail (April 16, 1963), King says, "To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust." In our world today, so many things are unjust. Of course, this has typically been the case throughout human history, but in the last century, popular culture has lowered itself so far as to say that life itself is replaceable and easily removable. Of all the injustices that have ever existed, the idea that life is not a God-given, unalienable right and can just be thrown away is the greatest injustice of all. Without acknowledgment of this right, all other injustices are excusable. If life itself does not matter, why would anything else? On this Friday, January 22nd, we mourn the 48th anniversary of a United States court case that legalized the murder of millions upon millions of children. Martin Luther King Jr. says, "We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was 'legal' and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was 'illegal.' It was 'illegal' to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany." The violent murder of the most vulnerable, innocent members of our society is tolerated and promoted in today's society. Everything that the Nazis did was largely tolerated. Slavery and segregation were largely tolerated. Evil will not cease to be tolerated until a group of people decides to stand up to the horrible injustice and not be afraid of the consequences. In this day and age, we cannot afford to be bashful about good and true beliefs. We need to be faithful and strong in our defense of Truth and Goodness. Martin Luther King Jr. was a great example of this. Of course, not all of his beliefs were in line with Catholic teaching, but he certainly was influential and a good example of fighting for the Truth. He was placed in jail numerous times during his fight against racism and segregation, and would not deny his beliefs in exchange for his freedom. We, as Christians and members of the pro-life movement, need to be prepared to do the same. We need to be prepared for persecution because of our belief in the Truth, and we can not give up or back down. Many of the world's most influential people are against us and against the Truth. We need to remember that no matter who is against us, God is for us, and He is infinitely more influential than any political leader, businessman, or movie star that has ever or will ever exist. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "I have a dream." I, along with millions of other rational human beings, have a dream that someday the right to life for all people will be upheld and respected throughout the entire world, and I believe with all of my heart that with God on our side, our dream will come true.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. As high as the heavens are above the earth so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. - Isaiah 55:8-9 Sometimes things don't go our way. And sometimes things don't go the way that we know they should go. Sometimes no matter how much we plead with the Lord to give us justice in our time, to send us peace and comfort, things only get worse. It can be easy to say "Oh, God didn't answer my prayer, He must not care." God understands our suffering, He knows our pain, and He wants to heal us even more than we want to be healed. Our plans, thoughts, and ways are not the same as God's. The things going on in the United States of America right now are incredibly wrong. No, violence is not the answer, but people have a right to be heard. The cheating, stealing, and deception that the majority of the world knows is going on right now are not okay and will never be okay. But despite all of this, despite how much we beg the Lord to reveal the Truth in our time, things may not go the way that we know they ought to go in. And that's okay. He has promised that all will be revealed someday, and we will all know the Truth. Yes, we keep working for justice, Truth, beauty and freedom, but we let God handle things in His time. God is not at fault for the sins of people, people are, but He is always there to welcome them home with open arms. He has a plan for our nation and a plan for the world. His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. God sees the big picture, and we can't. He will make everything known in His time. In the meantime, we just need to trust Him.

Saint Agnes ​​ The Story: Saint Agnes was a beautiful, late 4th-century girl and a devout Christian. When Agnes was old enough to marry, she repeatedly refused to marry, saying "Jesus Christ is my only spouse." She was eventually reported to the authorities as a Christian and was martyred because she refused to deny Christ and His authority over her life. She died in January of 304 at the age of 12 or 13. ​ You can read more about Saint Agnes and her life at https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=106 ​ Patron of: young girls, chastity, rape survivors, and the Children of Mary ​ Feast Day: Jan. 21 ​ Quotes: "Jesus Christ is my only Spouse." "I am already promised to the Lord of the Universe. He is more splendid than the sun and the stars, and He has said He will never leave me!" “He chose me first and He shall have me.” St. Agnes is a shining example of sacrificial love and both emotional and physical virginity, all of which are lacking in our world today. Let's ask St. Agnes in this month of January to help us, the young Church, to live out the virtues that she exemplified in her short earthly life so that we can someday meet her in eternal life. ​ Saint Agnes, please PRAY FOR US!! ​ ​ ​ Sources for information, quotes, and picture: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=106 http://catholicfaithpatronsaints.com/prayers-quips-and-quotes-st-agnes-of-rome-feast-day-january-21/

Today on this feast day of the Church we remember and celebrate the lives of the holy and innocent children who were slaughtered in King Herod's search to kill Jesus when He was just a baby. You can read the whole story in today's gospel. The direct killing of children may seem like a thing of the past. After all, humans are more humane now, right? Sadly, that thinking is wrong. Millions of children are brutally killed every single day of our lives. A lot of our government leaders are not trying to stop this from happening, and some of them even promote it. Some people think there's nothing morally objectionable about it and work for their right to be able to do it. What is this awful massacre? What is this thing that is taking so many precious and innocent lives from our world? Abortion. Abortion is the evil act that is killing so many beautiful little people. It is said that history repeats itself. Abortion is not the exception to this. By allowing and even promoting this obvious evil, our societal leaders are allowing Herod's horrid act to take place day after day and year after year. We have the power to change that. We have the power to convince our leaders to change their minds about the killing of the unborn and show them the Truth! All it takes is a little courage to stand up for life. One really good and effective way to do this is to contact your state's governmental leaders. You can do this either individually by emailing, writing to, or calling or contacting them directly by sending them a message through Students for Life Action, the sister organization of Students for Life of America which is the largest student-led pro-life organization in the nation. On this feast day of the Holy Innocents, let's remember all of the souls of those precious babies killed by King Herod, as well as those of the millions of children killed by abortion. I firmly believe that these little saints of the Church are resting in the arms of their Father and Heavenly Mother and can be powerful intercessors for us. All of the Holy Innocents, please pray for us as we work with all of our strength to protect the beauty and dignity of every human life! “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

In the popular Christmas song, "O Holy Night", right before the climax of the song are the words "a thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices..." What is your thrill of hope? What makes you believe that there is more than the sadness that our world seems to be living in a state of? What makes you believe that everything will be okay, even if it's not okay right now? What is the reason that you keep going, keep believing, even when the going gets tough? There is one answer to this question. Other things or people may give us hope, but they themselves are not that hope, no matter how amazing they may be. Jesus Christ, true God and true man, is the only true and everlasting thrill of hope. Despite everything that has happened this year, Jesus is still our hope and gives us reason to rejoice. This thrill of hope, He didn't come as a king, filled with glory and power, he didn't come bearing a sword, he didn't come with a political agenda, He came in a cave, born to a peasant girl and her loving husband. He came as a baby, sweet and gentle. And He came as a thrill of hope for a weary world that was in need of joy. Even though modern celebrations of the birth of the Christ Child only seem to be about flashy lights and sparkles, we always need to remember that our true hope, Jesus Christ, was born in a dirty stable, His parents were unsure of the path ahead, but all throughout their journey with Jesus they just trusted God. God has a plan for them and He has a plan for you. He has a plan for me and He has a plan for this country and for our world. He will not let us down. Our Lord is faithful and He keeps His promises. As we embark on our journey through the Christmas season, let us not forget who it is that we celebrate, who is the cause of our joy, our thrill of hope, Jesus Christ. May God bless you and your families always. Have a very merry Christmas and a blessed new year!

And Jehoshaphat. And Rehoboam. And Amminadab. And Hezron. And Asaph. And all of the other people with awesome names that are found in today's Gospel reading from the book of Matthew. Today's Gospel details the lineage of Jesus Christ and tells of the generations before Him all the way back to Abraham. Traditionally genealogies such as these, when used in Biblical texts, are there to show a jump in time. This one, however, is different, as it details the family of the Son of God rather than simply illustrating that a long period of time has passed. This genealogy just goes to show that every single person that has ever lived on this earth matters and is loved and cared for. All those people were part of a greater plan, and most of them probably had no idea that they would be the family that would bring the son of God into the world, but they were. God has a bigger plan for you and for me than we can even imagine. He is in control and He has an amazing plan of which we are vital players. Just like all those people didn't know that God was going to make their nation and family one that would never fade into history, sometimes we don't know where God is leading us. Sometimes we have absolutely no idea why we are going through what we are going through in our lives. Sometimes we can't see where God is leading us. The path ahead might be bumpy and maybe you've taken so many turns that you're not even sure how you got to where you are. Even though it's uncertain, even though we don't understand, even though nothing seems to be going right, that's okay. God is in control. Just as He was for all of those people in Jesus' genealogy, He has always been there and He always will be there for His people. So even though Biblical genealogies can seem monotonous and we may be tempted to rush through them, let's always remember that each and every person mentioned, and those not mentioned, matter in the eyes of God and are loved immensely and part of a larger plan. And so are we. Fun fact: We too are part of the lineage of Jesus! Even though Christ never married, the line of Christ's family continues on through the Church (Us!)

This month's featured Saint is Saint Nicholas! The Story: Saint Nicholas was a 4th century Bishop who is more commonly known today as Santa Claus. This comes from the translation of his name"(Santa Claus = Sint Klaes = Saint Nicholas)"* and his reputation of giving gifts! The most famous story that illustrates his remarkably generous spirit is this: "Both of his (Nicholas') parents tragically died during an epidemic when he was a young man, leaving him well off, but to be raised by his uncle - the Bishop of Patara. Nicholas was determined to devote his inheritance to works of charity, and his uncle mentored him as a reader and later ordained him as a presbyter (priest). An opportunity soon arose for St. Nicholas and his inheritance. A citizen of Patara had lost all his money, and needed to support his three daughters who could not find husbands because of their poverty; so the wretched man was going to give them over to prostitution. Nicholas became informed of this, and thus took a bag of gold and threw it into an open window of the man's house in the night. Here was a dowry for the eldest girl and she was soon duly married. At intervals Nicholas did the same for the second and the third; at the last time the father was on the watch, recognized his benefactor and overwhelmed Nicholas with his gratitude." * You can read more about Saint Nicholas and his life at https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=371. ​ Patron of: Bakers, Pawnbrokers, Children, Sailors, and numerous Parishes and Dioceses. Feast Day: December 6th Saint Nicholas was an incredible example of cheerful giving and selfless generosity. During this Advent and Christmas season, as well throughout the whole year, we, as Christians should strive to be generous with the blessings that God has given us, just as Saint Nicholas was. Saint Nicholas, please PRAY FOR US!! * All quotes, as well as other background information used in creating this post comes from the link to Catholic Online provided in the "The Story" section of this blog post. ​

It's the most wonderful time of the year..... Almost. We have to get ready for it first! Beginning today (or last night if you went to a vigil Mass), we are in the liturgical season of Advent. From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Website: "Beginning the Church's liturgical year, Advent (from, "ad-venire" in Latin or "to come to") is the season encompassing the four Sundays (and weekdays) leading up to the celebration of Christmas. The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas. The final days of Advent, from December 17 to December 24, focus particularly on our preparation for the celebrations of the Nativity of our Lord (Christmas)." While the rest of the world is well into their Christmas season right about now and will continue to be until around December 26th, we as Catholics, as well as many Protestants, have just begun our preparation for the Christmas season, and our celebrating doesn't end until at least January 6th (Epiphany)!! Advent is a time of preparation. We prepare our hearts, minds, and souls for His coming again, for the celebration of His holy Birth at Christmas, and for the little moments in which we meet Him throughout our day. The following are a few ways to get the most out of this Advent season and truly experience the preparation for Christ's coming. And just like Lenten practices, our new good habits don't need to stop when the liturgical season ends :-) Preparing for His birth: Go to Confession (or if you can't get there because of COVID-19, confess your sins to Jesus in prayer and say an Act of Contrition with a resolve to get to sacramental Confession as on as possible) Receive Christ in the Holy Eucharist Make a Jesse Tree (This is a wonderful explanation) Use a scriptural Advent Calander Read or listen to an Advent devotional each day. (There are some nice ones online or on Youtube. Make sure you find a Catholic one!) Do something nice for someone who's going to have a baby Read the Nativity story (Matthew 1:18-25 or Luke 1- 2:20) Set up a Nativity scene in your Home Preparing for His Second Coming: Go to Confession (or if you can't get there because of COVID-19, confess your sins to Jesus in prayer and say an Act of Contrition with a resolve to get to sacramental Confession as on as possible) Receive Christ in the Holy Eucharist Keep your soul in a state of Grace! Don't get sucked into all the end-time prophecies and people on Youtube who think that Jesus is coming back soon just because there's a pandemic. I'm sure that they mean well, but Jesus said that we will not know the day, nor the hour at which He will return in His glory. Presumably, that includes the people on Youtube as well as us. Pray the Rosary Encounter Christ in the everyday moments of your life so that when He comes back again, you will know Him and He will know you. Pray for the world! Preparing for encounters with Christ in everyday life: Go to Confession (or if you can't get there because of COVID-19, confess your sins to Jesus in prayer and say an Act of Contrition with a resolve to get to sacramental Confession as on as possible) Receive Christ in the Holy Eucharist Form a prayer routine. Pray in the morning, before bed, throughout your day, at school, at home, right now. (Seriously, go pray and come back to read this later!!) Go to Adoration as frequently as possible Seek Christ in those around you Serve Him by living a life of Love Pray, pray, pray! Read a devotional Love everyone, no matter who they are or what they've done, because Christ lives in each and every one of us. Remember that even though our world has already gone wild with lights, Santa, glitter, shopping, and reindeer, the true joy of Christmas and of the Advent season lies in Jesus Christ, and not in the things of this world, no matter how wonderful they are! It is He who we prepare to celebrate on Christmas during this liturgical season. We can't truly enjoy the gift and joy that Christ brings at Christmas unless we have prepared our hearts to receive it. That's what Advent is all about :-) Have a very blessed and happy Advent season!

Happy Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe! Today we are reminded that Christ is our ultimate King. No matter how big and powerful we are in this world, at the end of our lives, we will stand before the Father and King and give an account of how we loved. And that can seem scary, as we are fallen creatures. But God is love, and we are loved by Love. The remarkable thing about our King, the True King, is that He loves each of us intimately and completely and he wants us to and gives us the chance to live with him forever in His kingdom. And He doesn't just tell us this because He wants to gain our votes or support. (He's God, He doesn't need to be voted for!!) Christ tells us that we will be with Him in His kingdom, not by doing amazing things, being a celebrity, having a lot of money, but simply by loving those around us. When we love people, we are loving Christ who lives inside their hearts (whether they know it or not!) No matter who our political and societal leaders are wherever we live in the world, we always need to remember that Christ is the ultimate King and He alone is powerful. Sometimes our leaders don't act the way that they ought. Sometimes they say that they are one thing and then act completely different. Sometimes they believe in killing children in the name of "choice". When we see these people acting so contrary to everything that faith and science and basic logic teaches us, we don't need to be afraid of them or discouraged. God is in control. Every single one of us, at the end of our earthly lives, will get to face our ultimate King, Lord, Lover, and Judge. It's very important to remember that we are obligated to follow Christ's rules, not those of the "kings" of this world. This is not to say that we shouldn't follow governmental rules. We should always follow the laws of our country to the extent that they are morally acceptable. (St. Thomas More is a great example of this). If a government is decent, its rules and laws will help people follow God's law, not help them to break it. If a leader is telling us to do something that is contrary to faith and science and basic logic, we need to say no, and we need to let them know that what they are doing is wrong. This can be difficult, but we can ask Christ for the strength to do what is right in His eyes, no matter what others may say, or think, or do. So, in the midst of all the political turmoil, confusion, and deceitfulness so much present in our world today, let's remember just one thing: Jesus Christ is the one, True King. His laws are our laws, and we should do what He says, not necessarily what other leaders want us to do. We thank God for those who are doing what they can, whether directly or indirectly, to help build up His Kingdom. For those who are not doing their best in promoting a culture of life, of peace, and of simple common sense, we need to pray for them as well, that the Light of Christ will outshine the darkness of their lives. Jesus Christ, in your mercy and power, please transform our country and bring us back to you!