My Response to Amendment 6 and Abortion in General

This statement is in response to Amendment 6 and the issues surrounding abortion. The contents of this statement are brought upon by the basis of John Locke’s “state of nature” and Abraham Lincoln’s argument for slavery.  For those reading, I am strongly opposed to abortion and despite my journalistic integrity, I cannot remain unbiased in the matter.

            In John Locke’s Second Treatise of Civil Government he states, “ TO understand political power right, and derive it from its original, we must consider, what state all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons, as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature, without asking leave, or depending upon the will of any other man…But though this be a state of liberty, yet it is not a state of licence: though man in that state have an uncontroulable liberty to dispose of his person or possessions, yet he has not liberty to destroy himself, or so much as any creature in his possession, but where some nobler use than its bare preservation calls for it.” 

            One might argue the latter that by being in a state of perfect freedom, women have a right to their body, and can also choose when to conceive.  To argue being in a state of liberty, as Locke puts it, would suggest that while they have not the liberty to dispose of any creature in their possession, a nobler cause can justify it. I tend to disagree.  If one such noble cause is the quality of life for that woman, it would ignore the very state of nature for which it argues.  To suggest the issue on abortion is solely based on privacy rights and not under the premise of sexual irresponsibility and the state of life would be to ignore the basis of our Constitution. Below is Abraham Lincoln’s argument against slavery.

            “If A. can prove, however conclusively, that he may, of right, enslave B. -- why may not B. snatch the same argument, and prove equally, that he may enslave A?—

You say A. is white, and B. is black. It is color, then; the lighter, having the right to enslave the darker? Take care. By this rule, you are to be slave to the first man you meet, with a fairer skin than your own.

You do not mean color exactly?--You mean the whites are intellectually the superiors of the blacks, and, therefore have the right to enslave them? Take care again. By this rule, you are to be slave to the first man you meet, with an intellect superior to your own.

But, say you, it is a question of interest; and, if you can make it your interest, you have the right to enslave another. Very well. And if he can make it his interest, he has the right to enslave you.”

If I were to change the issue to abortion it would sound like this:

If A. can prove, however conclusively, that she may, of right, end the life of B. – why may not B. snatch the same argument, and prove equally, that he may end the life of A?

You Say A. is alive, and B. is not, it is the state of life, then; the one who is alive, has the right to terminate someone not considered living? Take care, by this rule, you are to kill the first man you meet, who seems to be in a lesser state of life than your own.

You do not mean the state of life exactly?—You mean that one has a right to life but not to be saved, and, therefore one has the right to not save a life?  Take care again. By this rule, you have the right to kill the first man you meet, whom cannot live without help.

But, say you, it is a question of interest; and, if you can make it your interest, you have the right to decide when someone is alive.  Very well. And if he had the capacity, and can make it his interest, he has the right to determine whether you are living.

Matthew 7:16

I recently got a job at Subway.  Around my third day working, I overheard my manager talking about the bible to another employee. I jumped in and told them I was Catholic. The other employee stared and said "Catholic is Christian?" The manager  replied "haha...no..Catholic isn't Christian.".

Don't get me wrong, he is a really great guy and a darn good Christian (he is an Adventist), but the mere thought of such a misconception about Catholicism really got to me. I prayed about it and this is my response to that argument.

"You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather  grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?" -Matthew 7:16

I like to believe you will know a Christian when you see one. If a self-proclaimed Christian goes around spreading a message of hate then how can he be talking about a God of love?

Virtues

The Catholic Church teaches us about the 7 Cardinal sins: Lust, Gluttony, Wrath, Greed, Sloth, Envy and Pride.  However, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we have the capability to counter these desires.

"I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." -Galatians 5:21-23

Humility- This is the most important virtue because it counters pride. It is also important because without humility, we can't receive any other virtues. Just as pride was the downfall of Satan,  pride was also the downfall of man. To be humble before God is to recognize his power and love.

Generosity- The counter for greed. This is to give up desire for worldly things and to freely give without expecting something in return.

Chastity- The opposite of lust. This is the desire to remain unblemished, until marriage, and treat sex with holiness and respect.

Patience- This is the opposite to wrath, or unjust anger. To be patient is to be kind and to be gentle.

Temperance- This is the opposite of gluttony. Gluttony is the opposite of self-control. It is the over-indulgence of something. For example, alcohol or food.

Kindness- The counter for envy. Envy is jealousy for another's well-being. Envy is the opposite of love because it is self-serving. To be kind is to be selfless.

Diligence- The virtue that counters gluttony, or laziness in matters of faith. It is important to remain zealous in faith in order to live it out.


On a side note, here is some practical dating advice for men:

 The next time you see a girl you are interested in at Church, just casually sit next to her in the pew and whisper in her ear, "I like the fruit you're bearing." You might as well stop at a men's apparel store after church because you're getting married.

Parable of the Vineyard-owner's Son

“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

If you didn't understand that parable, the Vineyards son is Jesus, the tenants are the Pharisees and the grapes in the vineyard are us (the good fruit and the bad fruit).

"I am the true vine, my Father is the vine-dresser Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear fruit...I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from him you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in Me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the blades are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned." -John 15:1-6

Now the reason that Christ is the Vineyards son in one parable, but the vine in another was to prove the point that no one can bear good fruit but through Him.

That being said, I don't believe all other Christian religions can't bear good fruit, for all who believe in Christ are part of the true vine. I do, however, believe that Catholicism makes us more fruitful.

If Christ is the vineyard-owner's son, then the Pope and all the clergymen are like the newly hired tenants of the vineyard. Catholic doctrine and scripture are like the fertilizer because they are useless without their application through the tenants and under the breath of the Vineyard-owner and His son.

Other forms of Christianity are then like different types of fertilizer; they can also bear good fruit. I just think that Catholicism, under the proper care, is the fertilizer that makes the harvest most fruitful.

So the next time I am faced with the never-ending question "Is Catholic Christian?" I will respond in my best sassy black girl voice: "Look at my fruit!"

Faith vs The Faith

What does it mean to have faith?  I'd always assumed to have faith was to seek.  To seek answers; to seek truths; to seek a personal relationship with Christ.  Others say having faith is to believe.  Believing something to be true without any evidence.  I always hear from some of my friends and even from myself, "I wish I had more faith."  During my RCIA class, a priest was talking about this very subject.  He said that whenever a student goes up to him and says "I wish I had more faith" he just scoffs and says "as if it belonged to you in the first place!"

Hold up, what?!  He just flipped the whole concept of faith right back into my face!  Faith isn't mine. Faith is given to me.

Donum Dei

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" -Ephesians 2:8

"Donum Dei" means "a gift of God" in Latin.  It is better described as God's Grace. They are a given to us, despite having not deserved them.  They are also permanent.  Other graces described in the New Testament are Christ of course, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the gift of eternal life, the gift of love and the gift of personal talent.   These were given to us through no effort of our own, but because "God so loved the world".

We are also given the gift of faith.  The biggest problem is people need to learn to put a little more trust in God.  They always think "me,me, me, me, me" like its all on them.  This is more of my own opinion, but I think that is why people confuse faith vs the faith.

The Faith

The faith, to put it more bluntly, is religion.  For example, the purpose of apologetics is to learn about the Catholic faith.  Why we do the things we do.

One of the things I like about Catholicism (and Christianity in general) is that it is a religion based on faith and not of itself.  Any other religion you see is the opposite; that by doing certain acts more faith is obtained. Sadly, many Christians who do not understand this think that by following what their religion tells them, they will somehow gain more faith.  I think this is also why Protestants believe in their "faith alone" doctrine.

Getting More Faith

The priest that spoke to my class explained how faith works in an easy to understand manner.  He said that it is much like a bank.  When we run out of cash we go to the bank and get more right?  Well, if we are running low on faith we just need to ask for more.  

This didn't make much sense to me at first.  The reason it didn't make sense was because of our free will to accept this gift. If that were the case, someone who doesn't believe in God could say "give me faith" and most likely nothing would happen.  In that light, faith really is about believing.  That in some sort of way, faith really is on us. To say "I wish I had more faith" would then mean "I wish I believed a bit more."  How can you measure belief?  Is there some sort of empirical value that can add or subtract our belief?  That would be like trying to measure happiness; it just doesn't work.  I couldn't wrap my head around it until I deconstructed what the word "belief" means.

What we need to do is stop looking at God in a completely objective manner.  If I say "I believe in something" it would mean I have confidence it is true.  However, if I said "I believe in you" it would actually mean "I trust you."  Belief in God is trusting in Him.  Trust is to rely on someone.  To get more faith all that is needed is putting more trust in God.  Learn to stop thinking in "me's" and learn to start thinking in "Him's".

Why I Am

When I was younger I was so put off by Christianity I made my highly religious neighbor cry because I told her I was an Atheist.   I remember we were walking home from where our school bus dropped us off and while we were talking, I nonchalantly proclaimed to her that I didn't believe in God.  And she just started crying.

I was so put off by it.  I immediately felt guilty when I realized she cried because of the statement.  So I did what probably any other 11-year-old kid would do in that situation. I made a fool of myself to try and make her laugh (I ended up running though the sprinklers).  Her tears confused me because I knew that Christianity was important to her, but she was crying for me.  When I look back on how I viewed Christianity and how I view it now I always think how?  How did I end up totally opposite to where I thought I would end up?

I recently read a small book called "Made For More" by Curtis Martin and in the introduction, Curtis was talking to students about why they go to school. One person said to get an education.  Then Curtis asked them "why do you want an education?"  And another answered so that they could get a job.  And he asked them "why do you need a job?" And that person replied, "to get money."  And finally, Curtis asked them "why do you need money?"  And another student said "in order to be happy."

Happiness.  Everyone likes to be happy and no one likes to be unhappy.  It is the driving factor for why we choose to do anything.  I didn't just wake up one day and think "man, I could really praise some God today".

When I was 11-years-old I didn't know what the concoction to happiness was.  The only thing that made me happy was not doing my homework. But as I got older, I started to realize that life was stressful.  I would wake up days and just feel tired of it all.  

My interest in the Catholic faith stemmed from the fact that my best friend grew up Catholic.  My final push was the fact that the girl I was into in high school was Catholic as well.  I thought to myself "man this girl is the real deal.  Let me look into this Catholic thing.  I wanna know more of what she knows".

I honestly didn't know what I was getting into.  The first few times I attended church I would dress-up in full business attire (which isn't a bad thing) and I would sit in church and not understand a thing.  The only thing I new about Christianity was it made people happy.  In all honesty, I didn't go to church to worship I went with the hope that it would make me happy.

I know I sound selfish, but if you think about it isn't that why anyone chooses follows Christ?  The promise for something more; a place of refuge were we can rest our tired hearts.  Despite the initial discomfort, I decided to keep going.  I started to realize that these people didn't seem very brainwashed. In fact, they seemed pretty loving.  I saw firsthand how God was changing lives.  And I wanted that lovingness, that generosity, that happiness for myself. So I learned, I'm still learning, how to develop a relationship with Christ.  I learned and my knowledge of His plan became more complete. And I appreciated His promises and his power more deeply.

My brother never liked the idea of me being a Christian.  His policy in life is do what makes you happy.  Which is understandable, but if I did what made me happy I would probably be doing drugs and having sex or binge drinking every night.  They would satisfy me for the moment, but then I wouldn't be happy again and I would want more.  Happiness would then just be an imitation; something incomplete.  What he doesn't understand is I am seeking something more long-term.  I am seeking comfort and finding it.  I am holding on to the hope that my prayers will be answered.  

Proving God

How can we prove God exists? Despite the years of controversy that has faced this question, I have taken it upon myself to try and logically prove God. I've tortured my brain all week and the only conclusion I can come up with is, God exists because we can perceive beauty.

Our ability to know what is beautiful is a mystery.  How can we look at a vast, foreboding dark sky and tremble as it canvas's the Earth?  How do we take a bunch of different sounds and put them in such a way that it creates harmonies?  Even self-proclaimed Atheists cannot help but wonder about the ambiguity of the universe.

What is Beauty?

Ancient Greeks recognized that beauty didn't just exist.  They understood that beauty resulted from order.  Much of Roman architecture came about from Greek concepts of shapes to achieve sound structures.  They took simple shapes such as circles and rectangles and created magnificent structures.  The early Greeks knew that beauty resulted not just from a simple shape; but,by the way they were organized and how they complemented each other.  In that light, beauty doesn't just "exist" per se; it is created.  It is order to a seemingly random array of mediums.

If looked at from that point of view, it is no wonder people relate the universe to God.  That somehow, the stars and galaxies worked together in a way so that a planet was created that could sustain life.  A place where cellular life could work in such a way to sustain itself and biological organisms could live off of each other.

Try and look at it in a different way.  If a ship was out at sea, but it had no Captain to steer it, what do you think would happen to that ship?  It would probably hit rocks and sink.  So doesn't it makes sense that the universe has a Captain?  Someone steering it in the right direction and giving it order?

An Atheist's Arguement

A common rebuttal to the theory of God and beauty is that God and beauty are subjective.   That beauty can exist without God.  We simply live in a universe in which beauty can be perceived.  Let's imagine for a second that we lived in a universe in which we couldn't recognize it. Does that make things any less beautiful than they were before?  The mountain scenery didn't change nor did the way the sun reflects off the water.  Our ability to perceive beauty is not relative to beauty in itself.   God can exist with or without our knowledge.

 Despite that, we are given knowledge of beauty.  Recognizing beauty is a direct reflection of God.  We are granted the ability to recognize beauty so we have the ability to recognize God.

"The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas"

Imagine a perfect place.  This place has no crimes, no slanted government officials, no one walking the streets.  A town were everyone is happy and no one ever has a need to complain.  However, "'In a basement under one of the beautiful public buildings of Omelas, or perhaps in the cellar of one of it s spacious private homes, there is a room.  It has one locked door, and no window.'  And in this room sits a child.  The child is feeble-minded, malnourished, and neglected.  It lives out its days in wretched misery."  The residents of Omelas know that the boy is there.  They also know that the minute this boy is saved, the very moment his body touches the sunlight, all of their happiness will be taken away.  Everything they ever owned and anything that ever brought them pleasure will be taken, so they pretend the boy doesn't exist.

What do you think is the right thing to do?  Would you leave the boy for the sake of everyone else?  Or would you save this boy and as a consequence have everyone else suffer? 

This scenario is from a short story called "The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin.  It is basically about the people in town who suddenly become aware of this boy's existence. These people are tortured with the guilt of not saving the child, but they are fearful of the consequences.  Rather than living with the guilt, they leave town.

The story is basically a clash between ethics.  If looked upon from a utilitarian point of view (the greatest happiness for the most) then leaving the boy there is the right decision.  If looked upon from Aristotle's virtue ethic (doing the right thing will give the greatest happiness) then helping the child is the right thing to do.

If you apply a Christian world view into this equation is is fairly obvious which ethic we would most agree with.  It is simple to conclude "well, I didn't directly cause their unhappiness so no sweat off my brow."  But, if thought about more closely you are essentially stealing their happiness away.  You wouldn't want someone else to make you unhappy would you?

Now, lets take these principles and add human lives into the equation.

Lets say there is a suspected terrorist in our custody.  It is fairly certain he has bombs located in populated areas, but he won't disclose their locations.  Is it right to torture this man to save thousands of lives?

Imagine if the Pope was the interrogator.  I can't imagine he practices his back-hand or has much experience in water-torture, but if he were the person to make this decision do you think he would be able to?  Or would he be like the few from Omelas and walk away from the situation altogether?

Should the Pope have a moral obligation not to harm the terrorist despite the consequences?  Or is his moral obligation to save those people despite the cost?

In those types of situations the difference between right and wrong is in a grey area.  Believe it or not, this issue is involved in more issues than you might think, including abortion in America.

Catholics take the position of the virtue ethic: it is never right to have an abortion. They believe they are morally just. While everyone else generally agrees that it is right to have an abortion because the mother's quality of life would be damaged, the baby isn't really alive, or because it is a woman's right to have control over her body.  They too, believe they are morally just.

Think back to the short story about the boy for a minute.  Imagine that the boy is the decision to make abortion illegal.  The people in town are enjoying the freedom that comes with allowing abortion.  Figuratively speaking, lets say you make the decision to bring this boy into the sunlight.  No longer can the people of Omelas enjoy the benefits.  They've been cheated. 

If you asked a pro-choice man why he is that way he will most likely say "because it is a woman's right".  We can conclude he is pro-choice because it benefits other people.  If you asked a pro-choice woman why she is that way she will probably say "because I want the freedom to choose when I have a baby."  She is pro-choice because it benefits her and other women.  They chose the utilitarian ethic on abortion.  "Allowing abortion makes me and others happy and it is what society agrees with, so I will be pro-choice too."

If you asked a pro-life man or women why they are that way they both will say "because it is never right to kill a baby in the womb."  They choose a virtue ethic.

The issue has never been about right and wrong.  People from both views think they are morally just.  The question I want to ask is, can a Christian worldview ever dominate a society bent on utilitarianism?  Is what Christians believe to be right the decision best for everyone else?

Confessions of An Addict

I have an addiction.

You may have noticed my lack of activity with my blog this summer. This is do largely because of one thing; video games.

I have come to a point where it has strained my relationships and affected my well-being.  When they say porn and games is a Christian man's worst nightmare believe me, its true.

I moved southward around the end of April. Shortly after, I went to visit my parents up through June. It has been a month since I came back to my new place and I still haven't found a job. I haven't even been to church since I got back nor have I contacted a new church about RCIA.

How lame.

It's funny because I went through the same cycle in my first semester of college. Twelve hours a day is nothing for me. I conquer  bad guys, slay dragons, the works.  While at the same time nothing gets done that I need to do.

It seems every time I hit a low-point in my life I always look for something.  Something more than mediocrity.  Something special.

 A life of "not big enough", "I don't feel that way about you" and "you need better grades" can really take a toll. Haters.

One good thing about me though is I love to love. I always look for the good in the bad and I always drink the half glass cheerfully.

I think that is part of the reason I got so drawn to Christ.  With Jesus it isn't about standards. "You're enough." I smile whenever I think about that in my head.

Why do I get addicted to video games? I thought about it. Is it a self-fulfilling desire to be good at something for once? who knows and frankly I don't care.

I have dwindled my gaming hours down to about 3 hours a day now. I have applied places and even had two interviews. Now, I think it is time for a relationship change.  With my parents and more importantly with Jesus.

"I pray for the strength to change the things I can change, the endurance for things I can't, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Mass Symbolism

I've been reading up a bit about how the mass parallels the book of Revelation and how mass is heaven brought to earth. There are so many references to the Old and New Testament that I could spend forever trying to find them. What I think some people often miss is that the book of Revelation is not just God's will fulfilled. It is our grace renewed. Did you know the place John describes as heaven is just like the garden of Eden? And this "garden" is now opened to us? Did you know that every time you attend mass you are getting married?

Garden of Eden




"The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil." - Genesis 2:9

"So he drove out the man: and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life." - Genesis 3:24

I think what is often missed is that the tree of knowledge was not the only tree in the garden. There was also the tree of life. The tree of life was, for Adam and Eve, their source of everlasting life. God only prevented them from eating from the tree of knowledge. The tree of life is actually symbolized in the book of Revelation. It does not go out and say "this is the tree of life". I will explain more later, but the description is parallel to the tree.

I also noted the cherubim that were placed to guard the entrance to the garden and the flaming sword guarding the tree of life. These are also referenced in the book of Revelation.

A Garden Before the Throne


"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." Revelation 2:7


"Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front in back." -Revelation 4:6

"And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals." -Revelation 5:1

The first quote makes a direct reference to the tree of life. The Spirit is telling the early churches that those who overcome the earthly trials have the right to eat from the tree, which is with God.

Okay here is where the symbolism gets tricky. Imagine God on the throne as a tree. His right arm is a branch. And in his right hand is the fruit of life. Look at the third quote. The scroll with the seven seals is the fruit of life. The scroll is the word of God, the new source for life. The only person deemed worthy to unseal God's word was Jesus. Jesus was given responsibility over our source of life by His father.

The four living creatures with a bunch of eyes on them are cherubim. They are seen dwelling "among the throne, and around the throne". If you look back to the quotes about the garden you will notice that God placed cherubim at the entrance to the garden as guards.

Four Cherubim

The flaming sword is a little more tricky. In Hebrew it can mean a supernatural weapon that brings forth destruction. It is seen guarding every way of the tree of life.  There is no mention of a "flaming sword" in the book of Revelation, however there are many references to god sending forth fire (see Lev 10:1, Num 11:1, Num 16:35).

So here we have Cherubim and the throne of God and between them is a garden described as a sea of glass.

"And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing on the glass sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name. They held harps given to them by God." -Revelation 15:2

So here it is; victors of God standing in the garden before God's throne, the same place Jesus stood as a slain lamb.

God Got Divorced


Let me make that more clear. When Adam betrayed Him, God essentially divorced with man. He cut man off from His grace.

This is what Jesus did; He got married to us again.  Let me begin explaining this with a video:

By accepting the cup of his new covenant we are saying "I do!" Mass is then like a vow renewal.
We are drinking from the cup of his blood and partaking in his body. We are saying "I do" while uniting with him physically and emotionally. Sound a lot like a relationship between husband and wife? It is. Marriage between a man and woman is symbolic of this relationship. That is, Christ's marriage to the church.

That is why in marriage, a man's role is like God's while a woman's role is like the church. One willingly submits out of love while the other leads out of love.

So the mass is like the doorway opened up to heaven. We are renewing our vows as we prepare for the marriage ceremony. Our marriage altar is in the garden. We will stand before God's throne, be united with Christ and eat from the tree of life (excluding the harps hopefully).

Four Things I wish I Could Tell My Younger Self

Four Things I Wish I Knew

1. You are not alone. In fact, there is a man who died for you.

He took your sins to the grave and even now shoulders the weight of your burdens. All you have to do is let him. Your body was made for more than just you. It is a tent for two and it houses your spirit and also His. Face it; there are things you just can't do. But, He can. Invite him into your tent. Give him control. He is your general who draws up the battle plans for your life. You only have to humble yourself. This man is God. You can't be God. But, He can. He lives through you, but only if you're willing.

2. No one on Earth will ever fill that space in your heart

That space is reserved for God. A girl is not that big and she probably won't fill the seat. God will. It seems weird right? You can't fall in love with an asexual being. That is where you are mistaken. Love is not an outcome of sex. Don't fret though. God leaves room for another person in your heart.  Even though he is enough.

3. Don't let other people shape your reality


What I mean is, don't give in to peer pressure. I found the best you is the one modeled in Christ and not by everyone else. You may think religion is full of it and you could be right. Remember that religion is an outcome from man. Men are not perfect. Christ is perfect. Don't judge anything until you try it. And things like sex, smoking and partying don't make you cool. They don't liberate you or make you a man. If anything, not needing that stuff is even more liberating.


4. Don't let your lack of love today keep you from loving tomorrow

Life can be hard. Believe me, I know. You try to keep up with school and friends, try to live up to the expectations of your parents and try to live up to your own expectations. Still, you will find that you always come up short. And that life becomes more about "me" and less about everyone else. None of the yesterdays matter. Take your daily bread as it is. Life is too short to worry about what couldn't be done or just how obsolete you think you are. Christ thinks you're perfect. There will be people you love who reject you. Don't let that dictate your life. Instead of thinking about how alone you are today, think about how much more you can love tomorrow.

Fishers of Men

"'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men." -Matthew 4:19

I often wonder what I would say if a stranger said something like that to me. If I was like anyone else in their right mind, I would turn him down then call the police. Yet, Peter, Andrew, James and John did the opposite.


They chose to drop everything and follow Him.  James and John even turned from their father to follow Jesus! That is some serious faith right there. Faith that I think is often misinterpreted by the world today.

After Jesus died and was risen and the Holy Spirit descended upon the people of earth something happened. Something so influential it changed the lives of millions of people today. It was the early Church preaching the gospel.

In America, I have noticed apprehension and even hatred towards the Catholic Church. Priests are somehow involved in a sex scandal and suddenly the Church is just a hypocrite like the rest of us. All I have to say is I agree. Let me make it more clear. Religion is not God. The Church that makes the religion is not God.  The men that make up the Church are not God.

Peter and his disciples didn't say "follow the Catholic Church. We are the way." No, they cast a very different net; the word of Jesus. It was very simple what they had to say. "Christ has died for you and is risen! Repent and follow the Lord!" It was more believable for Jews, but just imagine how confused the Romans felt.

The people in America are very much like the Romans. They are ignorant of Jesus and protect their identity under the guise that the Church is what makes God, when in reality,God is what that makes the Church!

 I blame it mostly on our own failure to preach the gospel properly. Who is more responsible, the person receiving the message or the person who gives it?  Our way of thinking is very Church centered. "Protestants are wrong." "The Catholic Church is the true religion."

We need to go back to the apostolic days and preach the word of Christ how it was meant to be preached. That it is Christ and not the Church we need to follow.

I am not saying the Catholic Church is the wrong way, I think it is the true church that is recognized by Jesus. I like to think of it as more of a guide. They lead me to Christ, but they are not Christ.

Pope Benedict XVI arrived at a similar conclusion as me. In his message for World Mission Day 2012, he urged every Catholic to become a missionary. Meaning we should dedicate ourselves to preaching the good news. Similar to early Church history.

He wants Christ to be known. He wants us to become fishers of men.