Catholic Teens 9-26-06

Hey All—

On September 17th, an Italian sister was killed in Somalia. She had spent her life in Africa helping the sick and vulnerable. How amazing it was that with her last breaths she spoke of forgiveness for those who had shot her. Click on the link below to see the full story.

Murdered nun asked forgiveness for killers as she lay dying, colleagues say The Associated PressSister Leonella, a nun who devoted her life to helping the sick in volatile regions of Africa, used to joke that there was a bullet with her name engraved on it in Somalia. When the bullet came, she used her last breaths to forgive those responsible.http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/18/africa/AF_GEN_Somalia_Nun_Killed.php

As our Lord said, “There is no greater love then for one to lay down their life for another….” May Sister Leonella pray for us in heaven!

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Question O' The Week:

“Why was Peter hung upside down on the Cross?”
-He requested it. He did not feel worthy to die in the same way as His Lord did. So he asked that he be crucified upside down. The Romans, happy to get rid of him, had no problem honoring his request.

Now Crucifixion is a painful enough way to die---in fact it’s one of the most painful ways period. Crucifixion upside down is even more painful.

What amazing love Peter had for Jesus!

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Intentions:
-For our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.
-For peace in the world and an end to terrorism.
-For the continued recovery of Fr. Dennis Worzella
(He is now out of the hospital and recovering at his sister’s in D.C. Although his kidneys are still not working.)

-For all the other intentions you hold in your hearts, we pray to the Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
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Announcements:

The Youth Group, Generation JPII will be picking up full-steam ahead in September.
The next meeting is Sunday night, October 1st 6-8PM. We’ll be sharing stories from the summer Peru Mission Trip. Mark your calendars!
Look for meetings to be held the 1st & 3rd Sunday of each month

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 in

Catholic Teens 9-19-06

Hey All--

You may have read about or seen on the news the controversy in the Muslim world over Pope Benedict’s recent remarks.

Some comments:
-Anybody with even a minimal understanding of Pope Benedict knows he was not trying to provoke a conflict.

-Very few people appear to have read the whole of his speech, which once again denounced any connection between God, religion and violence. This is not a new theme. In fact, when he last visited Germany for World Youth Day in the summer of 2005 he actually met with various Muslim leaders. One of his key exhortations to them, in addition to continuing dialog, was the need for them to denounce violence in the name of Islam. Unfortunately, too often this has not been carried out. (Simply follow the daily news reports).

Finally, Jimmy Akin, an excellent Catholic writer and commentator, hits the nail on the head with this statement:

From Jimmy Akin via: http://jimmyakin.typepad.com/defensor_fidei/2006/09/b16_clarifies.html

He is strong and resolute in his defense of the truth and willing to say unpleasant things when needed, but to deliberately provoke this situation is simply not Benedict's way of doing things. His way is the one described above, of promoting a dialogue that seeks to de-couple religion and violence.This is an intense time of suffering for him and for all those Christians who are at risk of Muslim violence.
Amen to that.

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Question O' The Week:

“What is the best way to get closer to God?”

Pope Benedict XVI recently answered this, “Be with him.” The best way to get closer to God is to spend time with Him. It’s the same way we get close to friends—we talk, we enjoy each other’s company, we spend time together.

How do we spend time with Him? There are all sorts of ways. Prayer—talking to Him. Eucharistic Adoration is about the best way. Just sitting in His Presence. You know when you’re with a good friend, how you can have fun whether you have formal plans or whether you’re just “hanging out”? It’s that way with God too.

Reading the Bible is another excellent way. Start with the Gospels or the Acts of the Apostles and read what God has to say to you.

Of course the Sacraments are a real encounter with God. You want to get really close to Him? Go to confession—and then you’ll have any roadblocks removed from the path to Him—and you will really feel and experience His love for you.

Finally, learning about God. As I’ve said before, “To know Him is to love Him.”

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Intentions:
-For our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.
-For peace in the world and an end to terrorism.
-For an end to violence in the name of religion.
-For all the other intentions you hold in your hearts, we pray to the Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.


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Announcements:

The Youth Group, Generation JPII will be picking up full-steam ahead in September.
The next meeting is Sunday night, October 1st 6-8PM. We’ll be sharing stories from the summer Peru Mission Trip. Mark your calendars!
Look for meetings to be held 2 Sundays a month! Watch for more info!



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 that.

Catholic Teens 9-12-06

Hey All--

Do Catholics regularly read the Bible? We’re supposed too! J

St. Jerome, who first translated the Bible in the 300’s, called “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” Strong words, but true. Similarly, the Church encourages all people to prayerfully read the riches contained in the Word of God.

Below are some jokes from the Bible…in order to “get” them you need some knowledge of it. How many did you “get:”? Start reading J

Smiles from the Bible Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth? A. Ruthless. Q. What do they call pastors in Germany ? A. German Shepherds. Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible? A. Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation. Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible? A. Pharaoh's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a little prophet. Q. What kind of motor vehicles are in the Bible? A. God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden in a Fury. David's Triumph was heard throughout the land. Also, probably a Honda, because the apostles were all in one Accord. Q.. Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible? A. Samson. He brought the house down. Q. What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no longer lived in Eden ? A. Your mother ate us out of house and home. Q. Which servant of God was the most flagrant lawbreaker in the Bible? A. Moses. He broke all 10 commandments at once. Q. Which area of Palestine was especially wealthy? A. The area around Jordan The banks were always overflowing. Q. Who is the greatest babysitter mentioned in the Bible? A. David. He rocked Goliath to a very deep sleep.
Q. Which Bible character had no parents? A. Joshua, son of Nun. Q. Why didn't they play cards on the Ark ? A. Because Noah was standing on the deck. (Groan...) PS... Did you know it's wrong for a woman to make coffee? Yup, it's in the Bible. It says . . . "He-brews" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question O' The Week:

“How long did Jesus suffer before he actually died?”

-His ‘Passion” began following the Last Supper on Holy Thursday. After the meal He went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where the Bible says he literally “sweated blood” because of the stress He was under. After that He was arrested and, over the next roughly 16 hours, He was tried in court, scourged, beaten, spit on and carried the Cross. Traditionally we hold that He was on the Cross from Noon to 3PM when He died.

So one can estimate 19 or so hours of physical torment. Who knows how much mental torment He suffered. He knew what was going to happen, well before it actually happened.
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Intentions:
-For peace in the world and an end to terrorism.
-For all the victims of 9/11 and healing where hurt remains.
-For all students as they return to school.
-For all the other intentions you hold in your hearts, we pray to the Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.


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Announcements:

The Youth Group, Generation JPII will be picking up full-steam ahead in September.
The first meeting is Sunday night, September 17th! @ 6PM. Mark your calendars!
Look for meetings to be held 2 Sundays a month! Watch for more info!

We’ll be back next year!

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 that.

Catholic Teens 9-5-06

Hey All--

Last Friday I was standing in line for confession behind my wife and holding my son. I was rocking little William back and forth and I looked over at Patty. She was also rocking back and forth, except she didn’t have William. J It’s become such a habit, that she rocks back and forth whether she has William in her arms or not. It was kind of cute to see J Yet, since she does it so frequently, since she holds William so often that it has become second-nature.

Our Faith is supposed to be like that. Second-nature. It should be automatic that we pray before meals (whether at home, at school, or at a restaurant). It should be second-nature that we pray before going to bed each night. It should be automatic that we go to Mass each Sunday. All these are good things, and the more we do them the more the habit takes root, and in fact the easier it becomes to live the Faith. So much so, that like rocking little William, we do it because it is part of who we are.
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Question O' The Week:
“What is sin of omission? If we are with someone and they sin, do we have to tell them? If so, HOW?”

-A sin of omission is not doing/saying something that you know you should. For example: If you were to not tell the full truth "omitting" some of the details. Or if you were to witness a crime, but didn't say anything about it. Or a more extreme example, if someone were to come to you and say she was going to have an abortion and you didn't say anything..like how wrong that it is.

True Christian friendship asks us to let our friends know when they sin...and they should do the same for us. That's helping each other get to heaven. But few friendships are that good. In most circumstances, we're with people that we know, but aren't necessarily real good friends with. What do you do then? It depends on the situation. It usually does more harm then good to frequently be pointing out people's sins. Besides, we need to focus on ourselves anyway. At the same time, if it is a serious matter, we have an obligation to try and help that person.

In everything, always remember to pray to God, and especially the Holy Spirit, whom you received at Confirmation. Call on Him and He will guide you to when and what you should say!


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Intentions:
-For peace in the world and an end to terrorism.
-For an end to all forms of violence, especially to the elderly and unborn, we pray to the Lord.
-For Fr. Dennis Worzella who has further tests scheduled in Washington DC (he has family out there).
-For all the other intentions you hold in your hearts, we pray to the Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.


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Announcements:

The Youth Group, Generation JPII will be picking up full-steam ahead in September.
The first meetings is Sunday night, September 17th! Mark your calendars!
Look for meetings to be held 2 Sundays a month! Watch for more info!

We’ll be back next year!

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 that.