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There are hundreds of Christian denominations in the world, and thousands of non-denominational churches. When we live in a world with such division between Christians, it's reasonable to ask yourself, "is this what Christ intended?" No. The answer is no. Jesus wanted unity. Jesus wanted love. Jesus wanted his children to be united in one Church- the one that He began. Jesus even prayers for the unity of His people in the Gospels! John 17:23 "...I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity." John 17:21 "so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us..." Jesus formed one Church, not thousands of them. The word "unity" comes from the Latin word "unitas" which means, "oneness, unity; state of being one or undivided." Thousands of different churches with different beliefs and styles of worship are not one, united, or undivided. Yes, we are all united by our Baptism, but Jesus doesn't just want us to be united in one thing, He desires that we are united with one another just as He and His Father are one. Jesus and God the Father are not split into thousands of pieces. They are one. And we, as Christians, are called to be the same. Christians, up until around 1054 when the Orthodox Christians split off from the original Christian Church, were unified. After that the next largest split was in 1517 when Martin Luther, an ex- monk broke off from the one, holy, catholic (meaning universal), and apostolic Church that Jesus Christ created and decided to start his own because He was not happy with a couple of the practices going on in the Church at his time.(Please read my comment at the bottom of the blog post). The thousands of protestant communities in existence today have splintered off of the ecclesial community that Martin Luther began, which split from the Church that Christ started while still on earth. The early Church was unified. Acts 4:32 says that "All the believers were one in heart and mind." St. Paul told them, "I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought." (1 Corinthians 1:10) and " Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:1-6) St. Paul and Jesus both make it pretty clear that Christians are supposed to be unified. From the very beginning that was the deal. Christians were meant to be united in all things. So, we know that Christians were supposed to be united from the very beginning, and we know that in the majority of denominations and practices of Christianity unity is not happening, so is there really any Christian Church that has preserved their unity all these 2000 years since Jesus founded it? The answer is yes. The Church that Christ founded is still in existence and united as one body- the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ! The Church that Christ founded, the Church that Christ intended for all Christians to be a part of, is still alive and well today. And it's known as the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is the only Church that has preserved its unity, by the power of the Holy Spirit, since the year 33 A.D. when Jesus Christ founded it. There is one Theology, one Baptism, one Faith, one Body, one Spirit, and they are the ones that Jesus created and desired to be exemplified in His Church. Some Catholics might want to hold their own viewpoints and it's okay to have an opinion, but if we're really Catholic, we must follow what the Church Christ set up for us teaches instead of believing what we want to believe. So, is Christian unity still possible even though Christianity is so tragically splintered? Yes, it is! And Jesus knew that it was, which is why He created one Church for His people to be united in that the gates of hell will not prevail against and that will exist for eternity! Unity is possible. Unity is happening in the Catholic Church. And no, The Church is not perfect. This is to be expected, as the Church is a hospital for sinners, not a club for saints, but sinners, which we all are, are no excuse to break away from the Church. After all, if the problem is with sinners, why leave Christ behind? He did nothing wrong. As Catholic Christians we always need to be prepared to defend unity, Truth, and the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church that Christ founded and to tell others about it with love! It is love and Christ truly present in every Eucharist that has held the Church together these last 2000 years. So while so many people celebrate reformation Sunday today, (the Sunday before Oct. 31 when Martin Luther broke away from the Catholic Church) let's pray for unity among all Christians, so that we truly may be one once again as Christ wishes us to be. Comment on Martin Luther: Certain actions of certain people in the Church during Luther's time were not okay. The Church does take action to correct those who mistreat power. However, if your faith is in God and not in men and if you trust Jesus' words that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it", there's no reason to revolt against over a thousand years of Church teaching and do your own thing. Sources: https://www.wordsense.eu/unitas/

There are some quotes that seem to be EVERYWHERE! They are so popular and so widely used that they almost seem cliché. Here are some amazing quotes from saints and other holy people that you might not have seen before! Maybe you can find a new favorite... You could use them on bookmarks, write them on sticky notes and hide them for friends and family, or even just write them down in a notebook to look back on when you need some "holiness inspiration!" Saint Pope John Paul II “It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is He who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is He who reads in your heart your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle." ~“The future starts today, not tomorrow.” ~“Do not be afraid. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” ~“Ask yourselves, young people, about the love of Christ. Acknowledge His voice resounding in the temple of your heart. Return His bright and penetrating glance which opens the paths of your life to the horizons of the Church’s mission." ~“What really matters in life is that we are loved by Christ and that we love Him in return. In comparison to the love of Jesus, everything else is secondary. And, without the love of Jesus, everything is useless.” ~“Dear young people, let yourselves be taken over by the light of Christ, and spread that light wherever you are.” St. Catherine of Sienna ~"If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!" ~“What is it you want to change? Your hair, your face, your body? Why? For God is in love with all those things and he might weep when they are gone.” ~“God is more willing to pardon than we have been to sin.” St. Thérèse of Lisieux ~"You cannot be half a saint; you must be a whole saint or no saint at all." ~"If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness." ~"Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love." ~"Let us love, since our heart is made for nothing else." ~“Do you realize that Jesus is there in the tabernacle expressly for you- for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart… don’t listen to the demon, laugh at him, and go without fear to receive the Jesus of peace and love…” St. Padre Pio ~"Our Lord loves you and loves you tenderly; and if He does not let you feel the sweetness of His love, it is to make you more humble and abject in your own eyes." ~"Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer." ~" Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother." ~"If you have the courage to imitate Mary Magdalene in her sins, have the courage to imitate her penance!" St. Gianna Molla ~“The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for all that He, in His goodness, sends to us day after day.” ~“Our body is a cenacle, a monstrance: through its crystal the world should see God.” ~"What is a vocation? It is a gift from God, so it comes from God. If it is a gift from God, our concern must be to know God's will. We must enter that path: if God wants, when God wants, how God wants. Never force the door." St. Teresa of Calcutta ~“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” ~“Peace begins with a smile..” ~“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” ~“A life not lived for others is not a life.” ~"If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway." Blessed Carlo Acutis ~“Continuously ask your guardian angel for help. Your guardian angel has to become your best friend.” ~“The Eucharist is the highway to heaven.” ~"To always be close to Jesus, that’s my life plan”." ~"All people are born as originals but many die as photocopies” ~“Sadness is looking at ourselves, happiness is looking towards God.” Blessed Chiara Badano ~“For you Jesus. If you want it, I want it, too!” ~“I have nothing left, but I still have my heart, and with that I can always love.” ~“I care only about doing the will of God, doing it well, in the present moment.” Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati ~"Jesus is with me. I have nothing to fear.” ~“Learn to be stronger in spirit than in your muscles. If you are you will be real apostles of faith in God.” ~“The times we are going through are difficult because cruel persecution of the Church is raging. But you bold and good young people should not be afraid of this small thing; remember that the Church is a divine institution and cannot come to an end. She will last till the end of the world. Not even the gates of hell can prevail against her.” ~“There is nothing more beautiful than love.” Venerable Fulton Sheen ~"There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be." ~"God does not love us because we are valuable. We are valuable because God loves us." ~"It's impossible to lose your footing when you're on your knees." ~"The greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny white Host." St. Faustina Kowalska ~“The past does not belong to me; the future is not mine; with all my soul I try to make use of the present moment.” ~“Have great confidence; God is always our Father, even when He sends us trials.” ~“And fear nothing, dear soul, whoever you are; the greater the sinner, the greater his right to Your mercy, O Lord." Do you have a favorite that's not on this list? Feel free to comment and let me know what it is!

Chiara was 19. Thérèse was 24. Maria was 11. Imelda was 11. Francisco was 10. Jacinta was 9. Philomena was 13. Carlo was 15. Our Church is full of young saints. These are just a few of them! Yesterday, Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager, was beatified by the Church. He is an extraordinary example of love and devotion for young people everywhere! You can find out more about Carlo's life here. All of these Saints and Blesseds were very young when the entered Heaven. They are extraordinary examples of virtue and love, but they were also just normal kids! Chiara loved sports and singing. Carlo was a computer genius (and he's also buried in a hoodie, which is amazing) None of these young people lived their lives doing extraordinary things. Their holiness was attained by their everyday lives, by works of charity, and by surrendering everything to Christ. So what do these amazing people have to teach us? Holiness is possible. It's possible for you, for me, for everybody. We can't be afraid of the world. Yes, it's crazy sometimes, but God is bigger and better than that. Life with Christ should be our biggest goal. Everyday life is not an excuse to not pray and not live out our faith, rather, it's an opportunity to do so even more!! Extraordinary virtue does not have to be only for the mystics and the theologians. We can become saints by sitting in a classroom, by playing soccer, by laughing with our friends, by doing chores. When Christ is the center of our lives, everything we do becomes a prayer. Every single action of our lives is helping us to become saints! These young people knew that and lived it out, which is why they are the Blesseds/Saints that they are today! Holiness is possible. Sainthood is possible. Yes, we are young, but our age does not define who we are! Jesus does. Our culture often looks down on our young generations as immature and irrational, but those assumptions do not need to be true. If you are a young person reading this blog right now, just know that You can be a saint! You can be holy! Jesus will help you to do both of those things! Do not let another moment go by without doing something to show that Sainthood is your goal. You are capable and you are worthy of becoming a saint. Offer your life to Jesus as a gift. God created us. He loves us. If we could not become saints, we wouldn't have been placed on this earth. So, in the words of Saint Pope John Paul II, "It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives!!" This desire for sainthood that you are feeling is real! Jesus wants it for you too! None of us, no matter our age, are too young for sainthood. Blessed Imelda Lambertini, Blessed Carlo Acutis, Blessed Chiara Badano, Saint Therese of Lisieux, Saint Maria Goretti, Saint Jacinta, Saint Francisco, Saint Philomena, All the amazing young saints, PRAY FOR US!!

In researching blog post ideas, I frequently come across blog post prompts. These can be anything from " You won't believe how easy it is to make_________!" to "Do these 5 things every day and you will__________" One of the most common types of blog posts is "(number) steps to _______" So that's what this blog post is all about! Just 9 steps to becoming a saint.* We are not too young to become saints! With God, all things are possible! Just look at Venerable Carlo Acutis, the modern Italian teenager and computer whiz who is going to beatified in 6 days! He was a normal teenager with an extraordinary faith, and we can be just like him! 1. Be open to grace. Being open to grace is arguably the most important part of becoming a saint. If we are not open to God's working in our lives we are never going to make it to Heaven. Without Him, we are nothing and we can do nothing. Without the grace of God, there is absolutely no possible way that we can make it to Heaven. We can't do it on our own, which is why God gives us grace! Are you open to God's grace and His working in your life? Challenge: Tell God that you are open to His grace in your life. Learn more about God's amazing grace here! 2. Frequent the sacraments. The sacraments and prayer are the closest we can get to Heaven while still on earth. In the Eucharist we receive Christ's body and blood, soul and divinity and our hearts are united with Him. In the sacrament of reconciliation, God wipes our souls clean when we confess our sins to Him through the priest who is in the person of Christ. In the sacrament of Matrimony, we see Christ's marriage to His one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. In the sacrament of Baptism our sins are wiped away and we are welcomed into the family of God. These are only 4 of the seven sacraments, but what they all have in common is that they more fully unite us to God and give us even more grace to get to Heaven! They help us to remain united with Jesus so fully that we become one with Him. Challenge: Come back to the sacraments! Even if you were just at Mass last weekend, go again as soon as you can! Get to confession! If you're not baptized, go to your priest and ask how he can make that happen! 3. Pray, pray, pray!! As I mentioned before, the sacraments and prayer are the closest we can get to Heaven while still on earth. As St. Teresa of Avila said, "Prayer is a friendly conversation with the One we know loves us." That's what prayer is. Simply talking with someone you love nd who loves you in return. God is our friend, He's our lover, and He's our savior. Just as a friendship can't survive without god communication, our relationship with God cannot survive without prayer because prayer is our communication with God! Challenge: Use the P.R.A.Y. (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) acronym to talk to God. You can write out your prayers in a journal. Just write letters to God like you would to friend. 4. Stay close to the Blessed Mother. Mary is amazing. She is the Mother of God and our spiritual Mother too. She cares for us and loves us and wants more than anything for us to be in Heaven with her Son. She is also a wonderful example of accepting God's will for your life, which is another essential part of sainthood. Ask Mary to intercede for you and help you to become a saint! If there is a certain sin you are struggling with, ask Mary for help. If you are in a rough situation, ask Mary for help. If you don't know what to do, ask Mary for help. She will always lead you closer and closer to Her son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Challenge: Pray the Rosary! Talk to your Heavenly Mama! 5. Ask your Guardian Angel and Patron Saints to help. Along with the Blessed Mother, the saints and angels are wonderful in helping us get to Heaven. They are there to help us! "Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life." (St. Basil, Adv. Eunomium III, I: PG 29,656B.) Our Guardian angels are shepherds leading us to life. This means that they are here to protect us in this life and lead us to eternal life in the next. (yay!!) Challenge: Pray the Guardian Angel Prayer and look up a prayer to your favorite saint. 6. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid! Remember that "...neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." And because of that, we have no reason to be afraid. God is in control. As St. Therese says, “A soul in the state of grace has nothing to fear from the devil, who is a coward, and will even fly from the gaze of a little child.” Challenge: Step out of your comfort zone- do not be afraid! Do something for God that you would not ordinarily be comfortable doing. 7. Read the Bible. Simply stated, the Bible is God's love story. Reading and praying the Bible will help you to come to know and serve the Lord more fully in this life so that you can be happy with Him in the next. Challenge: Read 1 book of the Bible. Start with one of the Gospels! (Don't try to read it from Genesis to Revelation) 8. Love. Love your neighbor. Love your friends. Love your teachers. Love your parents. Love that homeless woman on the street. Love the political candidate that you don't agree with at all. Love that little girl on the playground. Love Jesus. Love everybody. Love is willing the good of another. Love is sacrificial. Love is complete. God is Love. Challenge: Read John 13:34-35 9. Acknowledge that it's difficult. Becoming a Saint is not going to be easy. The saints follow in the footsteps of Christ, and while Christ walked a way of love and truth and light, He also walked to the cross. Be open to suffering. Embrace it, just as Jesus did His cross. We will be persecuted for our faith, people might not like us or understand us. But they didn't like Jesus either. All the saints that have gone before us have had numerous crosses which they bore with grace and dignity, relying on the mercy and love of God to give them strength. Challenge: Help someone else who has a heavy cross. Thank someone who has helped you carry yours. Jesus loves you immensely and He wants you to be a Saint. To achieve sainthood, all you have to do is get to Heaven. Becoming a canonized saint, well, that's a topic for another blog post :-) Know that we, by the grace and power of God, can become saints!!We can do it! I believe in us, the Church believes in us, and most of all, God believes in us. We shouldn't be afraid. These times that we are living in are giving people tons of crosses to bear. Know that it is in these times of tribulation and struggle that God raises up the next generation of amazing saints! “Do not be afraid. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” - Saint Pope John Paul the Second

This month's saint is St. Therese of Lisieux whose feast day is October 1st. Therese Martin was born in 1873 to a loving family. She grew up with 4 older sisters. When her mom died when she was 4, Therese's sisters took on the role of her motherly figure. Therese grew up as a normal child for her age but was very sensitive. At age 9 after a spiritual experience, Therese decided that she wanted to become a Carmelite nun. After receiving Jesus in Holy Communion for the first time, Therese was struck with a bad case of scrupulosity. On Christmas eve in 1886, Therese had another conversion. She described it as having all the tears of her childhood dried up! She then poured herself out in loving others and making little sacrifices for souls until she could enter the convent at 15 years old. Therese spent the rest of her short life praying for the world and making sacrifices for souls. Her "little way" spirituality has inspired thousands of people and is described in her autobiography Story Of A Soul. There was nothing very special about her, and she was just seen as another nun. But it was what was inside that counted. Therese felt that she could not do great things on earth, so she instead trusted in the mercy of her beloved Jesus, and believed that He would do it for her. This was her "little way". "It is impossible for me to grow up, so I must bear with myself such as I am with all my imperfections. But I want to seek out a means of going to heaven by a little way, a way that is very straight, very short and totally new. I wanted to find an elevator which would raise me to Jesus, for I am too small to climb the rough stairway of perfection. I searched then in the Scriptures for some sign of this elevator, the object of my desires and I read these words coming from the mouth of Eternal Wisdom: 'Whoever is a little one let him come to me.' The elevator which must raise me to heaven is your arms, O Jesus, and for this I have no need to grow up, but rather I have to remain little and become this more and more," In living her "little way" Therese accepted the little sacrifices that God sent her way. If an older Sister was being grumpy, Therese smiled and dealt with her in love. It was little things like this that made her so great. On September 30, 1897, Therese entered Heaven where she was immensely happy. She said 2 years before her death, "I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will let fall a shower of roses." And she certainly has! St. Therese is a powerful intercessor and a wonderful example of holiness for all. Millions of people are inspired by her story to live their lives in the "little way" of coming closer to Jesus and standing at foot of the cross as a little child. The rose has been seen as a gift from Therese, a sign that she is watching over you :-) She is a Doctor of the Church (only the 3rd woman ever!!) and was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1925. She is the youngest person ever to become a Doctor of the Church. (Go young people!!) If you'd like to learn more about St.Therese, you can find her autobiography on Amazon as well as at many religious and secular bookstores. St Therese, pray for us that we may learn to be little, just as you were little. Hear our prayers and intercede for us before God! Show us how to trust and love him completely as you did. St Therese of Lisieux, pray for us!! Source: https://www.littleflower.org/ Story of A Soul: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/story-of-a-soul-the-autobiography-of-st-therese-of-lisieux_thrse-de-lisieux/253034/item/1753236/?mkwid=%7cdc&pcrid=450663950280&pkw=&pmt=&slid=&plc=&pgrid=104669221093&ptaid=pla-929394388770&gclid=Cj0KCQjwtsv7BRCmARIsANu-CQeOn_CMAL3qFoSVJa7YoS3iw9AhQJgcCpCTNjW-CEfDlds5h-fBuf8aAu6tEALw_wcB#isbn=0895555484&idiq=1753236

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

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

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

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

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

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

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