Catholic Teens - February 22, 2005

On Tue, 22 Feb 2005 12:23:03 -0600, pwxsevere wrote
> Hey Everyone,
>
> Today is the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. What? A "feast" for
> a "chair"? Strange. Allow me to explain :-) In ancient Roman
> times there was a day set aside in February to remember the dead.
> They'd set the table for a meal with an extra chair for Uncle Jim or
> Aunt June who was no longer with them. Additionally, in this time,
> a "chair" was a symbol of authority. Picture a king sitting on his
> throne. The early Christians knew these things and they wanted to
> honor St. Peter, the first pope, as well as pray for the current
> pope. So they "Christianized" this Roman tradition. Hence, today,
> we remember St. Peter, and how Jesus Christ made him the first Pope,
> "the rock on which he would build the Church. "Peter" in Greek
> literally means "rock". And Jesus promised Peter that "the gates of
> hell would never prevail against the Church." (See Matthew 16:15-19)
> . And we pray as well today for our current pope, Pope John Paul II,
> for his health, intentions, and leadership.
>
> Remember, Jesus didn't leave us to fend for ourselves here on Earth--
> He gave us lots of help on our way toward Heaven. Perhaps the biggest
> help is the Church, which acts as His representative on Earth.
> Guiding, teaching, praying, and leading us. Pretty amazing concept,
> but that's what He did. :-)
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Question O' The Week
>
> "Does the devil tempt people who aren't Catholic?"
> --Yes. The devil's goal is to get as many people to hell as
> possible. Recall that the devil was driven out of heaven because he
> was jealous of us and envious of God. The devil is still mad, but
> is not powerful enough to challenge God. So how does the devil get
> back at God? He tries to take what is most precious to God, us.
> The devil tries to corrupt what God has created as beautiful, every
> human being, and turn it into something bad. Think about what drugs,
> alcohol, unmarried sex, and other sins end up doing to people--they
> end up hurting them and pulling them away from God. And the devil
> is happy.
>
> This can and does happen to all sorts of people, Catholic or not.
> Now, what does happen is that a person who is really trying to live
> a holy life, ends up being tempted more then someone who isn't.
> Some of the saints had literal fights with the devil. This makes
> sense, as the devil really doesn't like people who are trying to
> follow God strongly--so he will try extra hard to tempt them. But
> always remember that God is stronger! :-)
>
> God bless you!
> Phil

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa