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I went to Mass this morning at the local basilica by my college and was astounded by the number of families with small children. It's led me to reflect on the Vocation of families. Parents are called to reflect the Father's love to their children. Children are called to learn and grow under their parents' instruction, guidance, and love. Together, they show the world the life and love of the Holy Trinity! Everything about our faith is familial. The Mass is a Divine Wedding Feast between us, the Bride, and Christ, the Divine Bridegroom. At the end of Mass, we are told to "Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life." Our love and unity with Christ is made fruitful by living with and for Him and spreading that love to all we encounter! This is why I think it's so beautiful when families come to Mass and practice their faith! They're a beautiful symbol of the Divine Life with Christ that we are called to. And also, I love when there's a baby that shakes her rattle while the organ is playing. That happened today. It was really nice. 🤣 It's so refreshing to see new life, young, life in the Church. I encourage you, friends: if you believe God is calling you to be married someday, reflect on the immense responsibility you will be given in your marriage and life as a parent. You are called to lay down your life for your family and to reflect the love of Christ to each of them. You will be entrusted to care for, nurture, and protect the souls of your spouse and children! What a beautiful and immense responsibility to be gifted with. Have a wonderful week, everyone! In His mercy, Catholic Teen

An excerpt from my journal when I saw this image tonight... (scroll down to see it! I was praying in the chapel at St. Francis University tonight and saw this beautiful shadow from the crucifix, perfectly reflecting onto the Blessed Mother). "Mamma... The cross... You're crucified too. Yours was an emotional cross. It's real. Its a cross. You were certainly afraid, but you chose to trust. Fear isn't the sin, it's the lack of trust that is sinful. You were afraid! But you trusted!! The 'Why, God?'; the 'How is this gonna work out?!'; the 'I'm scared, Lord' all went through your head. You cried, I'm sure. You felt. You know what this feels like. <3 Let me suffer well in my sufferings, like you, and unite my cross to yours and to your Son's." Friends, if there's anything the Lord (and my campus minister...) have been showing me since the beginning of college, it's been that emotions aren't sinful. Being sad, angry, homesick, scared, or anxious isn't a sin. It's how we can sometimes handle it. No one likes feeling any of those things, but please, friend, do not be afraid. You are not bad because you're feeling these things. Jesus is inviting you to surrender to Him more deeply. Let Him hold you. You console His heart when you do this! This Summer, I became a Marian missionary of Divine Mercy. This picture in this post is, I believe, a beautiful image of what it means to be a Marian Missionary of Divine Mercy. Suffering with our Mamma Mary... simply being with Jesus. Knowing that though sorrow and pain are real and will happen, we need not despair. Jesus continuously holds us and invites us to unite our sufferings to His. In our sorrows, we must simply be with Jesus. Imitate Mary in her trust, even in our moments of emotional suffering. Simply, Trust.

Imagine you're in a dark room. Completely dark. But there are whispers all around you. Telling you you're not enough. Saying you'll never be forgiven. Saying God doesn't love you anymore. Telling you lie after lie, wanting you to doubt God's mercy. In your hands, you're holding a candle. It's unlit, and it will do you no good. You see someone in the distance, and you somehow know that it is Jesus. You see Him walking in front of you, turning around, looking all around Him, and calling your name. You don't say anything. You just feel relief. He locks His gaze with yours. And the candle gets brighter. He walks closer. Even brighter. He reaches out, grabs your hand, and pulls you to Himself, hugging you. You fall limp in His arms for a moment and then return his embrace. You look up. The candle you were holding has become so brightly lit that it has illuminated the entire room! You look back at Jesus, and He looks into your eyes, smiles softly, and says, "Come, follow me." He leads you out of the room, and you are blinded by the light of the candles people around you are holding. They are all together, laughing, and praising God! Jesus nudges you towards them, and you go and join them! You heal. Being with the light- in the light- helps you to heal from the lies that have been whispered into your soul. You feel loved. You feel like you belong. You know you are forgiven. You stay there for a while. You're not sure how long. And then Jesus catches your eye. He motions to you and mouths, "Come." and you do. He leads you out into a dark hallway. He brings you to the first doorway. You can hear the same whispers a you had heard before. Jesus knocks on the door, and says, "Go. I'll come soon." and you (somewhat hesitantly) enter the room. In the corner is a person. Crying. At the end of their rope. They look up. Your candle is bright- as bright as it was when you were the one trapped in the dark. The room is illuminated by your candle. The person in the corner stops crying- is just sniffling now. You embrace them and reassure them that the whispers are wrong- They ARE loved. God WILL forgive them. They do NOT have to be afraid. And slowly, very slowly, the flame of their candle lights up. Jesus opens the door. The person with the newly lit candle looks to Him, and peace fills their face. Jesus smiles and says to them, "Come, follow me." As the person follows Him out of the room, Jesus turns to you and whispers, "Well done!" You walk out of the room behind them and turn to the next doorway, your light even brighter than it had been before, and you begin again. Friend, in today's second reading, St. Paul writes: "This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these I am the foremost. But for that reason I was mercifully treated, so that in me, as the foremost, Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life." (1 Timothy 1:15-17) Paul was a great sinner. Through Him, through His ministry, He brought so many people to know the love and mercy of God. You are called to do the same. Please, don't believe the lies that are whispered in the darkness. Please allow Jesus to heal you, to light your candle! Those of us who have know the darkness of sin, the darkness of the world, the darkness of grief and sorrow are the ones who Jesus is specifically calling to bring the light of mercy to His children who are still living in the darkness. You are loved; you are forgiven. The Sacrament of Reconciliation has wiped your soul completely clean! Your candle can shine ever brighter in the darkness because it is so bright now. Bring your candle to the darkness. Find those who need the light, and spread the light of God's mercy to the world! "I was mercifully treated... so that... Christ Jesus might display all his patience..." Patience, in this case, is another word for mercy. God wants to use you, like St. Paul, to spread His message of mercy! Will you say yes and help Him?

How do we prepare for the rest of our lives? How do we prepare and train for what God will ask us to do? In preparing for careers, people go to college or trade school. In preparing to have a child, parents gather resources and supplies to care for the baby properly. But how does one prepare for their Vocation? Sure, some people just know they're called to be a Sister, and others know they're meant to get married. But how does someone prepare in between? What if you're unsure whether you'll be a mom or a nun? A husband or a priest? No matter how drastically different these Vocations may look on the outside, they all have one thing in common: radical, self-giving love. The more we know how to give of ourselves, the more of ourselves we will have to give when we enter into our Vocations (i.e., get married, enter religious life, are ordained, etc.). So how do we do that? How do we practice this radical self-gift in our everyday lives? What does it look like as a teenager? Let's think about it. Who are you being called to love right now? First of all, God. And how can you give yourself totally and completely in love to God? A simple answer is prayer. In any relationship, you must communicate to grow in love. Prayer is communication with God! If we are going to give ourselves totally in love to God, we must be devoted to prayer, making intentional time for it and for God each day. Another way we can totally give ourselves in love for God is by receiving Him, body and blood, soul and divinity, in the Eucharist. When we receive Him, we should also be giving ourselves to Him, giving over everything and letting Him have control. Saint Francis of Assisi captured it perfectly: "Hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves so that He who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally." Self-giving love is also fruitful. Just as the self-giving love of husbands and wives in marriage can come to produce children, so our communion of self-giving love with God should be fruitful. This looks like the graces we receive growing and being present in our everyday lives! The closer we come to God, the more we resemble Him, and the more we can share His love with others. The fruitfulness of self-giving love to and with God is love itself. Who else are you called to love right now? Is it your siblings? Your classmates? Your friends? How can you give yourself to them? Are you willing to pour yourself out in love and service to them, even when it's difficult? What is the fruit of this love? Maybe they will not reciprocate, but your love will draw them closer to God because you love them as He does. By practicing this self-giving love, you will be more fully prepared to give yourself totally in love in your future Vocation. If you are called to enter religious life, you'll be giving yourself totally in body, mind, and soul to Him and receiving His love in return. You'll give yourself to your spouse if you are called to married life. If you're a priest, you'll give yourself, body, mind, and soul to God and the people you serve. More specifically, if you know your Vocation, how can you prepare for it NOW? If you think God is calling you to be married someday, pray for your future spouse! You could start a journal writing letters to them, include them in your rosary intentions, and overall, in your dating process, recognize that the goal in dating is marriage. If you think God is calling you to be in religious life, explore communities, connect with Sisters or Brothers, and ask them about their lives. Go on discernment retreats! The same goes for anyone discerning the priesthood... explore your options! Make connections! But the most important thing to prepare your heart, mind, and soul for any Vocation is love. Love God, and love those around you. After all, what is a Vocation but the total gift of self in love with another?

What is He trying to say to you? Look at your life. What are the blessings? Where have you seen God working? When have you felt full of life and joy? What or who has made you feel alive? Ask Jesus... "What are you saying to me?" and "What are the common factors here?" Then ask Him to show you where you've sinned, where you haven't lived as the Son or Daughter of God that you truly are. When have you felt empty? What happened to make you feel that way? How can you remove that from your life and replace it with things that make you feel more fully alive? Now ask Jesus to embrace you with His love and mercy. Ask Him to be merciful to you and show you exactly what He's trying to say to you. Rest in His arms. Gaze up at His face and marvel in His gentleness. Lean your head on His chest and listen to the beating of His heart. You are safe, and you are cherished and loved. Show Him your wounds, and let Him show you His. Now listen to Him... Is He whispering gently, His breath tickling your ear? Is He looking you in the eyes, gazing at you as He tells you gently but firmly what He wants you to hear? Does He have tears in His eyes as He asks you to come closer? To just listen? Is He smiling down at you? What is He saying? Daughter, you are beautiful. I've forgiven you. My son, don't you see that you are STILL good? When will you trust me? Love, when will you say "yes" to me? Son, you can let it go now. I'm in control. I won't let you go. I am close to you always. It's okay. Don't be afraid. I'm here. Just rest with me. Whatever it is... rest in it. Rest with Jesus. That's all He wants. He thirsts for you! Let yourself be loved, and, in return, resolve to embrace what Jesus told you and love without reserve. Stay with your Jesus. Let Him hold you. Just listen. Just rest. *Inspired by the BAKER Examen method

Hi friends! Is there something you've always thought the world needed to know about Catholicism? Something you believe if other teenagers heard, they couldn't help but be inspired to live their lives for Christ? Do you have a fantastic story- or even your testimony- that you'd like to share with other Catholic teens but aren't quite sure how? Do you have a piece of advice for others? A Catholic small business, book, or blog recommendation? A prayer intention? An essay relating to the Church that you wrote for school? Something else?! If you said yes to any of those questions, I need your help. I leave for college this week, which unfortunately means I (most likely) will not have much time to blog. However, I still want to keep this blog as a resource for YOU. And for that reason, I'd like you to consider helping me, and many other Catholic teens, by sharing what you think the Catholic Teen world needs to know. If you are a Catholic teen (or young adult, or adult, youth minister, parent of a teen, or just really love being Catholic...) and you have something you'd like to say to Catholic teenagers, please message me through the "contact" tab on the home page of the blog with: What you'd like to tell Catholic teens! Your first name (or a nickname or be left anonymous) and/or Instagram account name Anything else you'd like me to know or about which you have questions! There is no minimum or maximum word count for the writing and no deadline for submission. I also cannot provide any monetary compensation as I do not get paid for my blog! Your writing submission is simply a chance for you to give other Catholic teens your words of wisdom. 😉 I'll preview and proofread everything before I post it :-) If you are a fellow Catholic blogger, do you have any tips for fitting in time for your blogging ministry when life gets super busy? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please keep me in your prayers as I prepare for and begin this next step in my life! I'm attending a Catholic college and am excited to see what the Lord has in store. I'm so excited to hear all of your great ideas and words of wisdom to share with the Catholic Teen world! May God bless you always! In His mercy, Catholic Teen

This novena is a collection of prayers, both traditional and original, to help prepare the young Church for the upcoming school year! It's meant for you to begin the novena NINE DAYS BEFORE YOUR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. So, for example, if you begin school on August 29, you'll begin your novena on August 20 so your last prayer falls on the day before school begins. We'll call upon some amazing Saints of the Church to help us prepare our hearts and minds for the upcoming year. Our faith needs to permeate every aspect of our lives- education included. I hope that this novena will help and encourage you to bring your faith into the school year, no matter what it looks like. Please note that the prayers in this novena are (unusually) short. This is to keep our prayers short, sweet, and to the point so that we can focus on them without feeling too overwhelmed in the busy days before school starts. Feel free to add on any extra prayers you'd like- it'll be like a mini-retreat before school!! 😉 Please like and share this post with other Catholic Teens! I'd love to hear if you pray the novena on your own or within a group. May God bless you and keep you as you begin this school year! In His mercy, ~ Catholic Teen DAY ONE (Insert name of patron Saint here), I ask that you would be with me and guide me to Jesus in a special way as I begin this school year and this novena. Please intercede for me and bring all my intentions to Jesus. Thank you for your intercession and witness to Christ. Our Lady of Studies, please pray for me! Amen. DAY TWO Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati and Bl. Chiara Badano, I come to you to ask for your intercession as I prepare my heart for the school year. You both were young people who had to juggle school, sports and activities, and social lives, all while trying- and succeeding- to keep your faith first. Please help me keep my dear Jesus at the forefront of my mind and heart. Intercede for me as I try to shine His light, glorify His mercy, and offer up my sufferings to Him. I want to be an instrument of God's mercy, a light to all that I meet, and be fully open to the will of God! Thank you for your intercession and witness to Christ. Our Lady of Studies, please pray for me! Amen. DAY THREE St. John Baptist de La Salle, you were a great teacher and had a notable influence on modern education. Please intercede for my teachers this year. I pray for their health and safety and that they'll always keep TRUTH as the focus of their lessons. Please ask our Lord to help and guide them through this year and help them teach clearly and with impact, keeping their students' best interests in mind. Please also help me to be open to the will of God for my life. Thank you for your intercession and witness to Christ. Our Lady of Studies, please pray for me! Amen. DAY FOUR St. Isidore of Seville and Bl. Carlo Acutis, I ask for your intercession in my technology this year. Please help all of my technological issues to be quickly solved. Guard my eyes against anything evil or impure on my devices. Please protect me and all those who take part in social media and help us regulate our use of it. May all we do bring glory to God! Blessed Carlo, please also guide me to our Eucharistic Lord and help me to recognize His true presence. Thank you for your intercession and witness to Christ. Our Lady of Studies, please pray for me! Amen. DAY FIVE St. Gianna Molla, you were a doctor and a mother, I beg you to intercede for me before God and keep me healthy and protected from all illness and disease this school year. If I do get sick, please help me to be brave and have a speedy recovery. I surrender myself to the will of God. Thank you for your intercession and witness to Christ. Our Lady of Studies, please pray for me! Amen. DAY SIX Saint John the Beloved Disciple, I ask that you, the patron saint of friends, would intercede in my friendships this year. Help me recognize and accept who my true friends are and kindly and gently let go of unhealthy friendships or those that are leading me away from Christ. Please help me be a beautiful example of friendship with Christ, just as you were. Thank you for your intercession and witness to Christ. Our Lady of Studies, please pray for me! Amen. DAY SEVEN St. Thomas Aquinas, we pray the prayer that you wrote so many years ago and ask that you'd intercede for us and bring our prayers to Jesus as we pray: "Creator of all things, true source of light and wisdom, origin of all being, graciously let a ray of your light penetrate the darkness of my understanding. Take from me the double darkness in which I have been born, an obscurity of sin and ignorance. Give me a keen understanding, a retentive memory, and the ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally. Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations and the ability to express myself with thoroughness and charm. Point out the beginning, direct the progress, and help in the completion. I ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." Thank you for your intercession and witness to Christ. Our Lady of Studies, please pray for me! Amen. DAY EIGHT Pope Saint John Paul II, I rely on your love for youth and ask that you'd intercede for me! Please beg Jesus to make me holy and transform my heart throughout the school year. Help me to"be taken over with the light of Christ and shine that light wherever we are" (JP2 World Youth Day 2002). We love you! Thank you for your intercession and witness to Christ. Our Lady of Studies, please pray for me! Amen. DAY NINE Our Lady of Studies, I ask for your intercession as I begin this school year tomorrow. I pray: "O Mary, Seat of Wisdom, so many persons of common intellect have made through your intercession admirable progress in their studies. I hereby choose you as guardian and patron of my studies. I humbly ask You to obtain for me the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that from now on I could understand more quickly, retain more readily, and express myself more fluently. May the example of my life serve to honor you and your Son, Jesus. Amen." (Written by St. Thomas Aquinas) Mamma Mary, I love you and I give myself totally to you for your Son's glory! Amen.

"How do I keep praying when it seems like God isn't listening?" All of us have asked this question at some point in our lives. I certainly have. Sometimes life gets hard and it doesn't seem like anything you do makes it better and you're not getting any comfort or answers from prayer. So how do you keep praying? And WHY should you even bother? Friend, Jesus went through this exact same thing. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before He died, Jesus felt abandoned. He KNEW in His head that His Father was still with Him, but in His Heart, He felt alone. When we are in situations in which we feel like God is far or isn't listening, we have the unique opportunity both to run to our Father and console Jesus' Heart. It all comes down to TRUST. When you pray and pray and pray, and it seems like nothing's happening, maybe the best thing you can do is just stop. To pray means "to ask." So maybe, for a moment, stop asking. Stop asking and just be with your Father. Run to Him. When a child is afraid of something, they simply run to their parent to be protected and held. No, the fear doesn't go away immediately, but the embrace of the parent comforts and consoles the child while the parent resolves the problem and takes away whatever the child is afraid of. The child then TRUSTS their parent and can be at peace. The only thing we need to do when we are unsettled and begging for answers is to run to God. Be still. Let Him hold us and TRUST that He is. The fear and pain might not go away immediately, but we can rest in our Father's embrace. We also have the opportunity to console Jesus' heart. His entire mission was to bring us to the Father. Jesus wants us to run to the Father, empty our burdened hearts, and jump into His arms. When we TRUST, we console Him. We can also begin our prayers by saying, "God, I know you're real. I know you're listening to me and working in my life." Then proceed in prayer and finally just run to Him and give everything to Him. The most basic answer to your question is TRUST. Let go and let God. Run to Him. Your problems might not be fixed right away, but you will be consoled and Jesus will be consoled by your trust ❤️

Anyone who's ever gone to a Steubenville Youth Conference will tell you that the weekend brings a full range of emotions and experiences from person to person. This year was my third and last Steubenville Conference of high school. I attended Steubenville Main Campus 4 with a group from my area. The experience overall was a bit different from the previous years, but still a truly spiritually and emotionally uplifting weekend! Side Note: I also officially became a Marian Missionary of Divine Mercy this weekend! Feel free to message me to learn more. I'd like to do another post about it sometime soon. (PS: Were you at Main Campus 4?? Did you find a Catholic Teen Life Blog Rosary?😉) Here are some things I learned... Friday Night: (Keynote Speaker, Adoration, and Small Groups) God has had a plan for our lives- more marvelous than we could ever dream of- since before the beginning of time. Fear keeps us from living the lives we were meant to live. Just like it did for Adam and Eve! "Who told you you were naked" - Genesis 3 God does not TELL us we are shameful, unforgivable, unlovable, unhealable, etc, He HEALS us from those lies! Shame is hiding from God out of fear. Guilt comes from our conscience but can turn into shame if we don't give it to God and confess. It's okay to be broken sometimes. Even Jesus was broken in order to make the world whole again. Saturday: (Mass, Women's Session, Confession, Focus Session about Family, Chastity Talk, and Adoration) To be a Woman of God is to be a woman in love. When women are in love, we literally radiate that love and joy. God is the source of all the love that is in the world. Being a woman, we are ready to fight for and defend those we love. We don't ask, "What will happen to me if I take care of/ defend/ speak up for/ comfort my loved one?" We instead say, "What will happen to them if I DON'T?" It is more difficult for women when they suffer WITH someone than when they suffer on their own. It's a total self-gift. We, as Christians, are called to be a different sort of friend... committed and strong enough to speak the truth in love, even if it means offending a friend. If you don't care what the world thinks you will be less likely to SIN because you are living totally for God, know WHO you are, and WHOSE you are. Give the Lord all of your past, present, and future. That's the most precious thing He could ever desire. Give it all up to His control. Sin is a matter of intention. Trust sometimes means being a child who jumps into their parent's arms when they're afraid... the fear doesn't immediately go away, but they still know they're being held. God sees us. He knows our hearts. He knows that we try to Love. He loves us. JESUS IS THE ONE WHO GIVES US ABSOLUTION IN THE SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION!!!!!! When we trust we are given our true identity back. Unhealed wounds sprout sin. There is healing from sexual sin... It's still just sin. It’s boring. It’s not special. God wants to heal and redeem you- purify your heart. He loves you deeply and endlessly. Your worth and dignity- and that of everyone else- are found in Him alone. God chooses to use families for His purposes. (ie: The Holy Family, Adam and Eve, Noah and His family, etc.) Families are the first place of life-giving and nurturing love. The family is the basis of the church and of society. The family is the DOMESTIC CHURCH! Never choose not to do something out of love because you're afraid of what other people might think. NEVER DISCOURAGE PURE, HOLY, LOVE. Teenagers long for acceptance and love, and to be understood and listened to instead of shut down. YOU do not have to stop doing what is good, true, and beautiful just because it makes someone else uncomfortable. Sunday: (Mass, Music, Vocational Call-outs, Bus ride home) To be in love with Christ is to be in love with His Church. JOY is the fullest expression of Catholicism. As a bride should not be afraid of her husband, so we should not be afraid of God. When you are open to the Holy Spirit, even if you haven't "felt" anything for a while, He will do great things. It's okay to cry. It's okay to laugh. It's okay to let go and let God move. It's okay to pray as you feel comfortable. There ARE still SO MANY young people being called to the priesthood and religious life!! Oh yeah, and Steubenville music is the best. Just Sayin. Any questions?? Want some more info about any of the points listed above? Would you like the link to a FREE Catholic Teen Life Blog online Rosary guide ‌you can share with friends? Feel free to contact me or comment below and I'll get back to you!! I’d love to hear about YOUR Steubenville experience this year! I’m very curious to see what you thought of it compared to other years. “I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” ~ John 16:33

I just finished a book that some would call life-changing. It's one that you read super quickly to see which gold nugget of advice comes next..... And then reread a month later and rediscover each and every word. I Wasn't Dead When I Wrote This (NO! This book is not as morbid as the title makes it sound 😉) was written by Lisa-Marie Calderone- Stewart, a Catholic woman, youth minister, and mother who worked with and mentored youth throughout her entire adult life, specifically focusing on encouraging leadership skills in young people. She died at the age of 53 after battling cancer for over two years. When she was a few weeks from death, Lisa-Marie was asked to write a book for the teens she would never meet or get to encourage on their journey. I Wasn't Dead When I Wrote This is that book. I truly believe that this is one of the most valuable books that anyone could read. Catholic or non-Catholic, teenager or adult, whoever you are, this book will change the way you view living the life that you were meant to live. I'd say this book is for everyone- because it is. But I would especially recommend it for Catholic Teens. Christ came that we may have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). That includes our earthly lives. This book is like a Catholic teen's graduation speech, long conference session at a youth conference, mentorship, and pep talk for abundant life all rolled into one. But it's manageable. And it's beautiful. And it's one book that I will read and read again. It's also unexpected. Lisa-Marie does not mention Catholicism in her book. I believe that's because she wanted to reach everyone. As many teens as possible, no matter who they were. I think she knew and hoped that if any teen who read her book lived their lives following the lessons she shared, they would find Christ and be with Him in Heaven forever. This will now be my graduation gift. So, if you're someone I know who hasn't graduated yet and you're reading this- prepare yourself 😉😊. Here's the link if you'd like to try it out!

We are living in an incredible time of history. This past week has shown us, once again, that despite the pandemic, despite the political strife, and amidst the lies and deception and death, both physical and spiritual, our God is still good. Jesus is still risen. He still has power over evil, and good will always win. Life will always win. What a time to be alive- our generation has witnessed so much evil, but also so much goodness, truth, and life. We are called to be witnesses to God's mercy and love, and the Truth that life will always triumph over death. This week, on June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade Decision. This established abortion laws as decisions to be made by state legislatures and not by the federal government. Friends, this means that in some states in the United States of America, abortion is illegal! There are children who were scheduled to die this week that will live! Those babies will have birthdays. Those moms will not have to live with the pain, both mental and physical, that stay with them for years after they have an abortion. God is so good! Friends, as Catholics, we are called to be pro-life. Pro-ALL life. Every single human being on this earth, no matter their beliefs, circumstances, location, or level of development, is made in the image and likeness of God and thus, is worthy of love and deserves the right to live. The fight for all human beings to have the basic right to live is not over. Abortion is not totally illegal (yet!!). In the states that do still allow abortion, we must keep voting for, working for, and praying that life will win. In the states that have outlawed abortion, our main job is to support the women and their children who will be most affected by this decision and to keep voting for pro-life politicians. It's not enough to simply say we're pro-life- we have to live like we're pro-life. That means supporting the moms who were/are considering abortion financially, spiritually, physically, and just by being with them to listen. It's our job to be the voice of love- of life- and to let them know how precious they, and their babies, are. Mercy is performed by word, deed, and prayer. My challenge for you today is to resolve to show mercy to moms and their babies. How will you show them mercy through your words? It could be in person or through social media. How will you show them mercy through your actions? Will you join a pro-life group? Donate your time or resources to a pregnancy care center? Offer to babysit for a mom in need? How will you show mercy through your prayers? Will you spiritually adopt an unborn child? Pray in front of an abortion clinic? Offer up your Rosary or Chaplet of Divine Mercy for moms and their babies? What an amazing time to be alive. Truth is on our side, love is winning, and LIFE is winning. We can never back down and we must not be afraid, no matter what comes our way. The pro-life generation will continue to work for the safety and protection of all human life until every man, woman, and child, born and unborn, is treated with the dignity and protection they deserve. We ARE the post-Roe generation! *If you (or someone you know) are considering an abortion, have had an abortion, need some help dealing with your pregnancy or getting resources, want to know more about the pro-life movement, or just aren't quite sure what you believe, click here to view Live Action's Resource page! Also, please contact me (click the link and scroll to the contact form) with questions, if you'd like more resources, or if you need some pro-life apologetics help! Also, this is the 200th post on the Catholic Teen Life blog! I'd love if you'd subscribe if you haven't already done so. 😊 God bless!

Isn't confession amazing? At a moment's notice, you can walk into a Catholic Church or walk up to a priest, and He will hear you confess your sins. Then, if you are truly sorry, God forgives you. Through the ministry of the Church, you are granted pardon and peace. You are absolved from your sins. Your soul is whiter than snow. You have come clean. You are pure. You are beautiful. And God loves you the same as before!! But now you can more fully recieve and live that love. Today, let's pray for our confessors. Pray for our priests who minister God's mercy to the world! Pray for anyone in mortal sin, in desperate need of reconciliation. And pray for eachother- we all need forgiveness, mercy, and the pardon and peace of God. Friend, if you haven't been to confession for a while, consider this your invitation. : ) Jesus loves you! He wants more than anything else for you to come back to Him with your whole heart. Give Him all that separates you from His love, goodness, and mercy, and allow Him to penetrate deep within your soul, heal your wounds, and give you peace.