Catholic Teens 7-18-06
Hey All--
“Why can’t we all just get along?”
A general characteristic of young people is their idealism. If something isn’t right, let’s do something to change it. One area where this idealism is needed is Christian unity.
Sadly, with all the different Christian Churches (Catholic, Lutheran, Methodists, Baptists, etc….there are over 32,000 of them) we are not united. Adding further salt into the wound is that Jesus prayed this wouldn’t happen (John 17:20-23).
So what can we do about it? Pray for one thing…that in the words of Christ “they may all be one.” Second, learn your faith. In order to work toward unity, you first need to know what you believe. There’s a religious community of sisters who recently gave up having daily Mass and the Eucharist, while trying to work toward unity. Now as Christians, the Eucharist is our strength…it is, as the Catechism puts it, “the source and summit of the Christian faith.” To give it up, while trying to work toward unity is kind of silly.
And finally, have conversations with your friends who go to other churches. That friendly dialog is huge.
Some of us are doing just that later today at Emy J’s over coffee with some non-Catholic Christians. Together we’ll be looking at a document that works toward Unity, called “Catholics & Evangelicals Together.”
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Question O' The Week:
“How could God send people to Hell for an eternity? Doesn’t that seem a little harsh? Why bother creating them at all?
-Very good question. The answer of course lies in our “free will.”
First off, who ends up in Hell? Those who want nothing to do with God. God grants their desire. Read John 3:16-18. God desires to save all. But He won’t force anyone to go to Heaven. It’s a free choice. (And considering God is Love—isn’t that what love is—freely given?) Can I force someone to love me? Of course not. God gives us the freedom to freely love Him or freely reject Him.
Is it “harsh”? Not really. What is hell? It is simply the absence of God. And when God is not present there is chaos. Yet, if someone doesn’t want God in their lives here on Earth, why would they want to be with God in Heaven? And so hell is what they end up desiring. Although, it is certainly not a pleasant place.
Why bother creating them at all? Because each of us has the opportunity to choose to love or choose to reject God. He knows what we will do, but leaves it up to us to choose. Love by its nature seeks to spread and be shared. God didn’t have to create Adam & Eve—He knew they would fall. Did that mean He didn’t still love them? He still desired to share that love and still went ahead and created them. And I’m glad He did!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intentions:
-For peace in the world and an end to terrorism, especially in the Middle East.
-For Unity among all Christians.
- For Sr. Katie Buss during her 1st week in the convent.
-For all the other intentions you hold in your hearts, we pray to the Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
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Announcements:
-Vacation Bible School is July 24th-28th 845am-Noon each day. We’re looking for volunteers to help out! Interested? Send me an email!
-For Girls: Nun Run! Did you ever think God might be calling you to be a nun? Did you ever wonder what nuns do all day, what the lives of different religious communities looks like? Then join us for “Nun Run”, July 31-August 4. Starting with Mass at Pacelli, Monday, July 31, Fr. Derek Sakowski & Mrs. Mary Beth Meehl will lead 2 or 3 vans of young ladies (ages 14-30) on a 5-day road trip to the Twin Cities, LaCrosse, St. Louis, Rockford and back—visiting 7 different convents. If interested, contact Fr. Derek at 715-252-4396 or by email: frsakowski@spacs.k12.wi.us
-For Guys: Are you a V.I.P? (“Vocation in Progress”) Did you ever think God might be calling you to the priesthood? Spend an enjoyable and prayerful day with some of our finest priests to explore that possibility. There will be a mix of prayer, outdoor fun, witness talks, discussions, Mass, and good food shared with each other and with the priests. Any young men grades 7-12 are welcome! Coming Friday, August 4th, 10AM-6PM, Pacelli High School. To pre-register, call the Office of Youth Ministry at 608-791-0161
St. Peter’s Keys Softball: The Keys snapped their losing streak with a much needed, 9-4 win over Opi’s Sports Bar. Key contributors included Fr. Sakowski in the leadoff spot, showing a great adeptness at reaching base and Alex Sommers with a nice defensive play. Our offense continued to produce with Lindsey Kramer, David Malay, and Joe Piffner all delivering key hits. The “Hustle” Award goes to Chris McKenna, turning a single into a double with some real aggressive baserunning, and later barreling over the other pitcher at home plate to score a run.
Our next game is Monday, July 24th at 6:30PM against Graffit’s, Field 2 at Zenoff Park
God bless you!
Phil Lawson
For more information on St. Peters check out the parish website: www.saintpetercatholic.com
Catholic Teens is a weekly email from Phil Lawson to Catholic Teenagers. To receive these weekly reflections, send an email to lawsphil@gmail.com. On the other hand, if you’d like to be removed from this list, please send an email indicating
“Why can’t we all just get along?”
A general characteristic of young people is their idealism. If something isn’t right, let’s do something to change it. One area where this idealism is needed is Christian unity.
Sadly, with all the different Christian Churches (Catholic, Lutheran, Methodists, Baptists, etc….there are over 32,000 of them) we are not united. Adding further salt into the wound is that Jesus prayed this wouldn’t happen (John 17:20-23).
So what can we do about it? Pray for one thing…that in the words of Christ “they may all be one.” Second, learn your faith. In order to work toward unity, you first need to know what you believe. There’s a religious community of sisters who recently gave up having daily Mass and the Eucharist, while trying to work toward unity. Now as Christians, the Eucharist is our strength…it is, as the Catechism puts it, “the source and summit of the Christian faith.” To give it up, while trying to work toward unity is kind of silly.
And finally, have conversations with your friends who go to other churches. That friendly dialog is huge.
Some of us are doing just that later today at Emy J’s over coffee with some non-Catholic Christians. Together we’ll be looking at a document that works toward Unity, called “Catholics & Evangelicals Together.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question O' The Week:
“How could God send people to Hell for an eternity? Doesn’t that seem a little harsh? Why bother creating them at all?
-Very good question. The answer of course lies in our “free will.”
First off, who ends up in Hell? Those who want nothing to do with God. God grants their desire. Read John 3:16-18. God desires to save all. But He won’t force anyone to go to Heaven. It’s a free choice. (And considering God is Love—isn’t that what love is—freely given?) Can I force someone to love me? Of course not. God gives us the freedom to freely love Him or freely reject Him.
Is it “harsh”? Not really. What is hell? It is simply the absence of God. And when God is not present there is chaos. Yet, if someone doesn’t want God in their lives here on Earth, why would they want to be with God in Heaven? And so hell is what they end up desiring. Although, it is certainly not a pleasant place.
Why bother creating them at all? Because each of us has the opportunity to choose to love or choose to reject God. He knows what we will do, but leaves it up to us to choose. Love by its nature seeks to spread and be shared. God didn’t have to create Adam & Eve—He knew they would fall. Did that mean He didn’t still love them? He still desired to share that love and still went ahead and created them. And I’m glad He did!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intentions:
-For peace in the world and an end to terrorism, especially in the Middle East.
-For Unity among all Christians.
- For Sr. Katie Buss during her 1st week in the convent.
-For all the other intentions you hold in your hearts, we pray to the Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Announcements:
-Vacation Bible School is July 24th-28th 845am-Noon each day. We’re looking for volunteers to help out! Interested? Send me an email!
-For Girls: Nun Run! Did you ever think God might be calling you to be a nun? Did you ever wonder what nuns do all day, what the lives of different religious communities looks like? Then join us for “Nun Run”, July 31-August 4. Starting with Mass at Pacelli, Monday, July 31, Fr. Derek Sakowski & Mrs. Mary Beth Meehl will lead 2 or 3 vans of young ladies (ages 14-30) on a 5-day road trip to the Twin Cities, LaCrosse, St. Louis, Rockford and back—visiting 7 different convents. If interested, contact Fr. Derek at 715-252-4396 or by email: frsakowski@spacs.k12.wi.us
-For Guys: Are you a V.I.P? (“Vocation in Progress”) Did you ever think God might be calling you to the priesthood? Spend an enjoyable and prayerful day with some of our finest priests to explore that possibility. There will be a mix of prayer, outdoor fun, witness talks, discussions, Mass, and good food shared with each other and with the priests. Any young men grades 7-12 are welcome! Coming Friday, August 4th, 10AM-6PM, Pacelli High School. To pre-register, call the Office of Youth Ministry at 608-791-0161
St. Peter’s Keys Softball: The Keys snapped their losing streak with a much needed, 9-4 win over Opi’s Sports Bar. Key contributors included Fr. Sakowski in the leadoff spot, showing a great adeptness at reaching base and Alex Sommers with a nice defensive play. Our offense continued to produce with Lindsey Kramer, David Malay, and Joe Piffner all delivering key hits. The “Hustle” Award goes to Chris McKenna, turning a single into a double with some real aggressive baserunning, and later barreling over the other pitcher at home plate to score a run.
Our next game is Monday, July 24th at 6:30PM against Graffit’s, Field 2 at Zenoff Park
God bless you!
Phil Lawson
For more information on St. Peters check out the parish website: www.saintpetercatholic.com
Catholic Teens is a weekly email from Phil Lawson to Catholic Teenagers. To receive these weekly reflections, send an email to lawsphil@gmail.com. On the other hand, if you’d like to be removed from this list, please send an email indicating
posted by Phil Lawson at 7:45 AM
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