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This beautiful morning sunshine quickly turned into storm clouds in the afternoon, coming to a head precisely when Mass was about to begin! Though the rain passed us by, the thunder was rumbling on and off all through Mass. When we finished praying "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say thy word and my soul shall be healed," the priest who was celebrating the Mass consumed the host, and right as he did so, the largest, longest, loudest rumble of thunder I think I've ever heard happened. It was such perfect timing- Heavenly timing. I smiled as I stood to walk forward to receive my Jesus, and was immediately reminded of the childhood tale that thunder just means that "The angels are going bowling in Heaven!" Maybe the angels today were just celebrating a little extra hard because they were so happy that we got to receive Jesus today... So hard that they made all of Heaven shake! 😊 What is our excitement for Jesus like? I know I personally sometimes find it hard to be excited about visiting Jesus in the chapel. I think I know exactly what to expect and honestly, every day is a struggle to stay awake (#chronicillnesslife), but Jesus never disappoints. His love is always enough (even if I can't even stay awake!) Our Lord is always waiting for us. He remains in the tabernacle, and though we see Him alone, He is accompanied by all the choirs of angels who sing His praises constantly and celebrate each time we walk in the door to visit our Jesus. And when we get to receive Him, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity.... well, that's when the party starts! 😆 If you take one thing away from this little story, my friend, let it be that Jesus is waiting for you, and all of Heaven rejoices over you. ❤️ Love, Colleen

"Peace begins with a smile."- St.Mother Teresa One thing that's stuck with me the past couple of years is a teaching I heard about the "ministry of smiling." Your smile might turn someone's day around. Your smile might make someone think of their mom, sister, brother, or child whom they've lost. Your smile might give someone hope. Your smile might make people think, "How could he be so happy?!" Your smile might make them say, "Oh, she's a Christian and she's happy?! Maybe I could be, too." Your smile might be just the thing someone needs to know that everything will be okay. Your smile might be the first time someone has had contact from another person all day. Your smile might bring peace to someone's broken heart. Your smile might change a life. Your smile might save a life. So today, even when you don't feel like it, just smile. It takes so little effort. You don't even have to be happy in order to smile. You don't need to fake it. Just smile because the person you're looking at has dignity and is a beloved child of God ❤️😊

As Christians, we are called to be in the world, but not of the world (John 17:16). In many circles, this can make our beliefs seem outlandish or even foolish to some- and yes, it is so, so important to know what makes our behavior different from others and why it is so good that we behave in a way that is morally correct and pleasing to God! However, it seems to me that sometimes we don't think that our "in the world but not of the world" behavior applies even when we're around like-minded people. Take, for instance, the classic example of the church parking lot: it is not okay to go directly from receiving Christ in the Eucharist to gossiping in the rows of cars outside! We all know this. And maybe for young people, it isn't such a huge issue. But how about other scenarios? Youth group, for instance... Why are some people included in conversation, and others are cast aside? Why are new attendees avoided instead of welcomed with open arms? Why are people gossiping about others? Why are friends bringing drama into friendships? Why are friends pressuring other friends into relationships with other guys or girls in the group? Why are some people learning about and living out their faith on youth group nights, but not living it out the next day at school? Our being vigilant and ready to defend our beliefs and live our faith does not stop at the door of the church building. We are called to live our faith in all areas and all circumstances, no matter who we are with or what is going on. I encourage you, today, to take a look at your relationships and activities with your own church friends, or youth group, and see if your friendships, pastimes, and behaviors are honoring God and His commands. I have had to do this numerous times in the past and distance myself from people as a result. It's not enjoyable, and it's a major sacrifice to distance yourself from people who are not leading you to Christ, even when they are friends from your church community. The Church is not exempt from sin. We're all sinners, and looking to Christ and following Him is our calling in life. How can we transform our relationships with others in our Parish community so that we are all leading each other to Heaven? I pray that you have good, holy, Christ-centered relationships with your church family. It is truly such a great blessing to have friends that lead one another closer to Jesus! And if you don't have any of that type of friends yet... Be that friend to others, and know that there are thousands upon thousands of other Catholic teens out there who would be honored to be your friend! :-)

A Blessed Feast of St. Mary Magdalene to you! The following narrative is one that I composed a year or two ago for a school assignment. It is entirely fictional, though based on the information about the Ressurection contained in the Gospels, and I've used my creativity to come up with the details. Mary is the subject of a great amount of speculation, and so for the sake of simplicity, I've based her character only on Biblical descriptions. Enjoy! How It Began- A short story from the perspective of Mary Magdalene Saturday Evening “What do we do now, Peter? We can’t intrude on these poor people’s lives forever!” “I know, Mary. But it’s safer this way for now. We don’t know what’s going on out there.” “Fine.” He turned and walked away, apparently satisfied by my response. “That’s all he’ll get.” I thought. I walked back to the corner of the room where Joanna, Salome, and Mary, James’ mother, were sitting. “It’s no use. He won’t make a decision.” I sighed as I slumped down against the rocky wall behind us. We’d been hiding in the upper room since Jesus died on Friday. The child in the family downstairs had been healed by Christ on Wednesday, and the family had been kind enough to let us stay in their attic for a while so we could be together while we grieved and figured out what to do next. But we had to do something. We couldn’t hide forever. “Pray for them, Mary.” Joanna said softly, always the rational, supportive one of the bunch. “They have a big decision to make.” “Yeah. I know. But we must do something. We can’t just sit here aimlessly.” I glanced around at the other people in the room. Peter and James sat in the opposite corner, discussing what to do next. John sat with Mary in the other corner by the fire that Matthew had built, holding her hand while she cried softly. The rest of the men sat in groups throughout the room, talking in hushed voices. Andrew had already laid his cloak on the floor and was ready to sleep after a long day of doing, well, nothing. “Let’s go to the tomb in the morning and take the spices with us. You’re absolutely right, Mary, we must do something.” Salome said after a moment. “Yes. That’s something we can hopefully do without making too much of a disturbance. I still can’t believe they actually killed Him. He said they would, but I just can’t believe it." A while later the four of us removed our cloaks and laid down on them on the floor as we’d done the night before. John stood up from the corner of the room where he was with Mary. He brought her over to us and gave her his cloak to lay on, as hers was soaked with tears. “Goodnight, Imma!” John said, kissing her on the cheek. I think it’s so sweet how he already calls her Imma. (Imma means mamma in Hebrew). Since we started to follow Jesus, his sweet mother became ours as well, and we've all taken to calling her our own. She's the strongest woman I've ever encountered. As the room slowly became quieter except for Andrew’s quiet snores, I felt tears dripping down my cheeks. This happened sometimes. I became numb with pain, not even letting myself feel it until late at night when I was sure no one else would know. When I was young and my parents still allowed me into their home, I had to keep my feelings inside of me. My father was a cruel man. When he tossed me out, leaving me to fend for myself once evil took over, I had no one to talk to in my clear moments. I kept all of my emotions bottled up inside, like a grape, overripened and needing to burst forth. Once Jesus healed me I became a new person. I was so emotional for a long time, overwhelmed by the love with which He had treated me. But then He was gone. And I felt like I needed to be strong for everyone else, so I only allowed myself to feel the pain late at night or when I knew they couldn't see. This was no exception. The first person in this world to treat me with dignity had died. I had to grieve but didn’t quite know how. Even now, five years later, living out in the desert, alone, I still need to mourn what happened even though I know how the story ends- or shall I say, begins? Sunday Morning It was so early that the sun had only just begun to lighten the room. Only the four of us were awake. Joanna began gathering the spices that she’d hidden in the folds of her cloak after we left the tomb on Friday. As quietly as we could, only stopping to tell Peter where we were going, (at which he looked me straight in the eyes and said “be careful.” Before rolling over to go back to sleep.) we slipped down the stairs from the room, pulling our veils closer to our faces as we stepped onto the road. The sun dawned in the sky, more beautiful than I’d ever seen it before. About two miles later, as we climbed the hill leading to the garden where the tomb was, I ran up ahead of the other women. They are older and slower than I, and Joanna, though younger, stayed by their side. I was only twenty at the time. I crested the hill, seemingly walking into the sunrise. At the bottom was the garden where the tomb was in which they’d buried Jesus. The tears began to fall, and for once, I allowed them to. I shivered as I crossed the threshold into the garden. As I turned the corner to enter the gate where the tomb was, I stopped in my tracks. The stone had been rolled back. I peered inside. Nothing. I sank to my knees, sobbing. “All of that and now they’ve stolen His body. How could anyone be so cruel?” I heard footsteps behind me. Thinking it was the other women, I did not turn around. A man’s voice came from behind me. He must’ve been standing about five feet away. “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid Him.” I gasped out between sobs. “He must be the gardener.” I thought. “Maybe he knows what happened.” “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take Him.” “Mary!” The man’s voice changed as he spoke my name with the utmost tenderness. My heart stopped. It was the voice of my Lord. “Rabbouni!” I cried out, turning and throwing myself at His feet. His face was radiant with love as it had been, no longer bloodied and bruised as it had been when we'd buried him. He leaned down and embraced me, allowing me to cry in his arms. After a moment He stood, drawing me up along with Him. He looked directly into my eyes and said with a small smile, “Mary, stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘ I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” “Yes, Rabbi! I said, tears filling my eyes yet again, “I will go!” I turned and ran to the gate, glancing behind me as I did. The other women were just arriving. “He’s there! He was right! He said He would rise, and He has!” I cried out through my tears, now of joy. I ran back to the upper room and told Peter and John what I’d seen. They didn’t seem to believe me. I could still sometimes tell that Peter still saw me as that crazy girl who’d been possessed and then healed by the Messiah. Jesus became my life. My everything. And on top of that, I am a woman. Who would listen to me? Nevertheless, the men ran off to the tomb, doubting my testimony but yet with a spark of hope in their hearts. 11 a.m. Sunday When the other women returned, they gathered around me, their tongues alight with happy speech and giggles of disbelief for the first time in a while. “An angel was there! And oh, Mary, it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen!” “He said that Jesus is risen and to come and tell Peter!” I relayed to the rest of the men all that had happened. They also were skeptical of what we had seen. Just then we heard the thunder of footsteps as Peter and John raced up the stairs. “Well, Mary," Peter said as they burst into the room, “There were no angels or visions or anything of the sort, but something strange is happening. The stone is rolled away, as you said, and the burial cloth was folded neatly. Not something robbers would do.” John said softly, “The Jews will think we stole His body and staged this to cause trouble. We must hide. The family downstairs says we may stay as long as necessary.” He locked the door behind him as he said this. The men began to murmur among themselves, only adding to their worry as they discussed possibilities of what may have happened. We women sat in the corner further discussing what we had seen. We all knew in our hearts that it was true and were not afraid. Jesus was alive! He would certainly do something to let us know what to do next. Later in the afternoon, Jesus’ mother remarked, “He said this would happen, did He not? If they only believe they will be at peace.” 6 p.m. Sunday Thomas had gone out to beg for some bread in the marketplace, spreading ashes over his face from our fire to make himself seem dirty like a beggar. The men continued to worry while we waited for him to come back with whatever morsels he could find. They were so afraid of what might happen to them. They looked at us as if we were crazy when we laughed, and once, we even began singing as Joanna tried to recall the song the angels had sung as they'd praised God! As the men talked among themselves, and John sat with Mary, there was suddenly a flash of light. We all sat up straight, startled. “Peace be with you.” A voice came from the far corner of the room where the family’s old table and chairs sat. We all turned and looked. “Jesus” voices breathed from all around the room. The room filled with light and laughter as everyone tried to comprehend what they were seeing. Peter began to sob uncontrollably. Mary ran to her son. He embraced her and sat her down on one of the chairs, smiling and chuckling as he did, filled with joy as usual. He wordlessly displayed his hands and feet with the nail marks in them. When they’d taken Him down from the cross we had not had time to clean His wounds before the sun went down and the Sabbath began, so He had been dirty and bloodied. Now all that remained were the holes in his flesh where the nails had been and the wound in His side where he had been pierced. He walked to each of us, embracing us one by one and saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” before He moved to the next person. Everyone gathered was either crying or laughing uncontrollably by the time Jesus got to each of us. I'll never forget the feeling of his embrace, and the otherwordly peace that came with it. When he got to me, he grasped my small hands in his pierced, strong ones, and looked directly into my eyes, smiling. I knelt at his feet and kissed the wounds in his palms before he moved on to greet Joanna who was next to me. The whole time he smiled softly- it seemed he had missed us as much as we had missed him. He then turned to the men and, looking Peter directly in the eyes, said, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven. Whose sins you retain are retained.” Jesus remained with us a while longer, about half of an hour, before He disappeared out the door. We peered out the window to see which direction He went, but we did not even see Him leave the house. I was overjoyed. I did not even try to comprehend what had happened. All that mattered was that He was alive. The Messiah, the man whom our people waited for thousands of years, had been killed. But now He was alive. Thomas returned to the room with a small amount of food, startled by all we told him had occurred and refused to believe, saying, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” He became annoyed with all of our babbling and tears of joy and retired to his cloak on the floor hours earlier than the rest of us. About a week later, Jesus appeared to us all and Thomas came to believe, but that is a story for another time. As I lay on my cloak that night, too excited to sleep, I realized that what happened to Jesus had happened to me, too. I was dead. Broken, lost, abandoned, and then He raised me up. He pulled me out of the darkness into the light and life of His love. To this day, five years later, I continue to receive notes from Peter telling stories of how Jesus, even from Heaven, continues to raise people out of the darkness of this world and into the light of His Truth, though He ascended to His Father. The Holy Spirit that Jesus gave to us that night is alive and working. Though the community is still small, it is growing, and I am confident that someday all will know what occurred on that glorious morning and come to believe and find new life in Christ as I, and so many others, have.

I was not always in love. The Bread of Angels had not yet caught my attention. But slowly, through the trials of life, I turned to Him. I was enamored by His presence. He broke through my walls. And I fell in love. The living bread became one with me, the center of my heart. I became saddened at the thought of leaving Him alone, with no one with Him in the darkness of the night; overjoyed at the thought that someday, maybe, these Houses of God will be full at all hours of the day, simply full of His people adoring His most Sacred Heart, present in the Tabernacle. He captured me. And though I turn away. Though I say that I am too busy. Too distracted. Not good enough. He waits for me. He waits for you. The Bread of Angels, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ, present in the most Holy Eucharist waits for you. He wants you to come to Him, to become one with Him. Our precious Jesus waits for you because He is in love with you. Today, when you go to Mass and are there before Jesus in the most Holy Eucharist, remember who it is that you become one with. Think of how He waits for you all hours of the day. Think of the rejoicing in His heart when you come into His presence, and then recieve Him with all the love and devotion in your soul, recognizing that the Bread from Heaven is truly the Son of God. <3

I love podcasts. In fact, it was a quick search for "Catholic podcasts" that led me to the website and radio show that sparked my exuberance for the Catholic faith. The Catholic Answers Live radio show (which I listened to as a podcast) has brought me, and so many others closer to Christ and given us a way to learn more about the teachings and beauty of our faith. This post will give you some podcast recommendations for podcasts that I've enjoyed, and I'm sure that you will, too. Let me know in the comments if you have a favorite Catholic podcast! Apologetics: Catholic Answers Live by Catholic Answers Catholic Answers Focus by Various Catholic Answers Apologists and Guests Daily: Bible in a Year by Fr. Mike Schmitz Catechism in a Year by Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Daily Reflections by My Catholic Life! Daily Defense Podcast by Jimmy Akin Women: Among the Lillies by Cameron Fradd What in the Dang Heck Podcast by Megan Wells and Cecilia Brennan Abiding Together by Heather Khym, Michelle Benzinger, Sister Miriam James Heidland Just Interesting: Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World by Jimmy Akin American Catholic History by Tom and Noelle Crowe General Miscellaneous Catholic Stuff: The Catholic Talk Show by Ryan Scheel, Ryan DellaCrosse, and Fr. Richard Pagano The Poco a Poco Podcast by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal Shameless Popery with Joe Heschmeyer Sunday Catholic Word with Karlo Broussard Pints with Aquinas by Matt Fradd Let Love the Sisters of Life Counsel of Trent by Trent Horn

Truth. What is it? So many messages are flying this way and that. We are told that we must believe this to fit in. We are told that if we don't agree, we are simply rude and stuck in the past. On the other hand, if we choose to love, we are told that we are being to tolerant and not standing up for our faith. What is a person to believe? Well, here's the truth. No matter who you are, what you've done, who you think you are attracted to, what gender you think you are, who your friends are, how old you are, where you are from, where you live, your job, your physical or mental capabilities, your Vocation, or anything else that you think defines you, at the core of it all, you are LOVED BY GOD. God says that you are loved (John 3:16). He says that you are His (Isaiah 43: 1). He says that you are chosen (Ephesians 1:4) God says that you are His Child (1 John 3:1). He says that you are created good (Genesis 1:31). He says that you can be free (Romans 6:6). These are the things that define you. These are the things that make you, you. You were created for love, for intimacy, for friendship. You were created to be delighted in. The truth is, no matter where you look for that love- no matter what type of person you think you are attracted to, no matter who you love- your desire for love will only be fulfilled by a relationship with God. I have found this so true in my own life. While friendship is wonderful and my boyfriend is the greatest man I ever could have asked for, he (and my friends), will never be able to fill the space in my heart that was created to love and be loved. Only God can do that. And He will. He does. And I promise the same applies to you, too. Whether you realize it or not, this is the truth: You were created for true love- the Love that can only be found with God. ❤️

Reflecting on today's feast of Pentecost has made me so grateful for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He has always guided me in my prayer, my interactions with others, and within my ministry, and I know He's guiding me in this quickly changing season of my life. The Holy Spirit wants to do this for you, too. Will you let Him? I want to remind you that you were given special graces at your Confirmation to become stronger Christians and witnesses of Christ in the world. In addition, the Holy Spirit gives us so many gifts that enable us to live our lives as Christians on the way to Heaven! I am fascinated by the gifts of the Holy Spirit that I've been given and those I recognize in others. Through your Confirmation, you have been called to a specific way to serve the Church. I don't know if you've found this way of ministry, but I promise you will. Whether it's being a lector or altar server at your parish, teaching a religious education class, making artwork that glorifies God, or even starting a blogging ministry or small business (like me!), I assure you, you are called for something great for God. The Lord takes our gifts, talents, and interests in mind when leading us to where we are meant to serve. I invite you today to ask the Holy Spirit to begin a new chapter in your life. Renew your resolve to live as a Disciple of Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit and living your life spreading the Gospel. Starting a new chapter might mean you are called to change your lifestyle. You may need to make some changes in your life and relationships. Or not. God might simply be calling you to put Him first. To spend more time in prayer. To serve in a new way. But I have total faith in the Holy Spirit, and I promise you that the Holy Spirit will work if you ask Him to guide you in a new season in your life. Today, on this feast of Pentecost, let's ask the Holy Spirit to make this day a renewal of our faith and a day to strengthen our resolve to live our lives for God!

I am so excited to be able to offer a free trial of the Hallow App to all Catholic Teen Life readers/followers/ MercyLight Designs Customers! Here is the link to get your free three-month premium subscription to the Hallow App!! Hallow has been one of the greatest tools in my spiritual life this past year. College keeps you busy (school generally does!) and Hallow has helped me to fit prayer and spiritual reading into my schedule. Hallow is a Catholic prayer and meditation app that has really grown in the past few years, and is currently the #1 prayer app in the world! It contains tons of meditations, audiobooks, and even music to deepen your faith and relationship with God. All of the meditations and prayers are led by wonderful Catholic role models such as Matt Fradd, Jonathan Roumie, Mark Wahlberg, Fr. Mike Schmitz, Jackie Angel, and many, many more! The app makes it easy for people of all ages and stages in their spiritual life to receive some guidance in prayer- even if you've never prayed on your own in your entire life, try the Hallow App. You won't regret it. One of my favorite things about the Hallow App is the mental health resources. I struggle quite a bit with anxiety and depression due to some chronic illnesses that I have, and Hallow has proved to be an excellent coping skill and resource. Another thing I really love is the ability to form prayer groups. Did you know that Catholic Teen Life has a prayer group of its own on Hallow? You can find the instructions for how to join here. Have I convinced you yet?! I hope so! I promise that Hallow will be a wonderful addition to your "spiritual toolbox" and help you to deepen your relationship with the Lord, as well as grow in your mental and spiritual health. Here is the link to get your free three-month premium subscription to the Hallow App!! Once you try out the app and see, like I did, how wonderful of a resource it is, would you mind leaving a comment about the benefit that it's had in your life? I'd like to share your comments (anonymously!) with the team at Hallow to thank them for their ministry! *I also want to note that I am not being compensated in any way by providing you with this information as well as the free trial. The team at Hallow graciously created a link for Catholic Teen Life readers, and I am so grateful for them!

Sometimes I like to look up what the "national day" is. These days are super random, usually, ranging from National Tweed Day (April 3) to National Sunglasses Day (June 27) to National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day (January 29). There are some strange ones... but today is the International Day of Families! This is a day that definitely makes sense to celebrate. To give you some inspiration today, here are some quotes from Saints and Church documents about the importance of the Family! 😊 “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” Pope Saint John Paul II “When husband and wife are united in marriage they no longer seem like something earthly, but rather like the image of God Himself.” Saint John Chrysystom “Whatever you do for your family, for your children, for your husband, for your wife, you do for God. All we do, our prayers, our work, our suffering, is for Jesus.” Saint Teresa of Calcutta “To maintain a joyful family requires much from both the parents and the children. Each member of the family has to become, in a special way, the servant of others.” Saint John Paul II “The final battle between the Lord and the reign of satan will be about marriage and the family. Don’t be afraid, because anyone who works for the sanctity of marriage and the family will always be fought and opposed in every way, because this it the decisive issue. However, Our Lady has already crushed its head.” Servant of God Lucia of Fatima “If you want to bring happiness to the whole world, go home and love your family.” Saint Teresa of Calcutta "The Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit. In the procreation and education of children it reflects the Father’s work of creation. It is called to partake of the prayer and sacrifice of Christ. Daily prayer and the reading of the Word of God strengthen it in charity." CCC, 2205 “Love begins by taking care of the closest ones – the ones at home.” Saint Teresa of Calcutta How will you love and celebrate your family today? No matter what your relationships look like, we can always pray for each other and thank God for His presence in each of our lives. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, please pray for us! (Check the @catholicteenlifeblog Instagram account for some shareable images of some of these quotes!)

I decided this Summer that I'm going to read the book of Job. I've read it before, but I don't think I was really able to resonate with Job- my life was wonderful, and fairly easy. Let me just say- a lot can change in two years. 2021, 2022, and now 2023 have been the most difficult years of my life so far. Maybe they have been for you, too. We've become more isolated than ever. Depression and anxiety are some of the largest issues of our time. Families have changed, grown, or lost members. Hearts have broken, and are being repaired. School has changed or gotten more stressful. Friends have come and gone. No matter what you're going through, God knows. Though I'm only in chapter 3 of the book of Job, I'm already learning and reflecting on so much. God is here with us. He sees our struggles. They are real, and they matter. They are not caused by God- but sometimes, He will allow them because they help us to grow into the people He's made us to be. And, in the end, the difficulties we face in this life are nothing compared to the reward that awaits us in Heaven. 🤍

Each time I read the part of the Gospel that we hear today, I think of it as a love letter from Jesus and the Father. It's incredible. It's like each word is dripping with meaning and love, like He said each one precisely and intentionally. Sometimes I have to close my eyes when I hear it during Mass, and let it sink into the depths of my soul. It's so, so beautiful. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me." "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be" "In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places" "I am the way and the truth and the life." "If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it." "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." "In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live." "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." These words- as well as the rest of them found in chapter 14 of the Gospel of John- are like a remedy for the pain and the lies that surround us. Yes, we might suffer, but we do it with Him. These words spoken by the Lord are words spoken to a bride. You, my friend, as a Baptized member of the Church, are His Bride. He speaks peace over you. He tells you that He is preparing a place for you! And He tells you not to be afraid. Let your heart be at peace. At the end of the passage, Jesus says some beautiful words. An invitation: " Get up, let us go." He invites you to the Garden of Gethsemane. To be with Him in His Passion. To keep Him company is the greatest gift you can give the One who loves you so deeply. Will you go with Him?