DAY 4: Why are Priests called Fathers?

     What I was always taught was that the priests who stood up at the front of the church were called Father out of respect and because they are a link to God. Here is what one site said on the subject...."The spiritual fatherhood of the priest is intended to be a sign of the depth of intimacy and relationship which those in the life of the Church have with their leaders, a relationship based on the priest's role in our second birth, our birth in the Gospel - our baptism. Just as our biological father has an important role in our birth and continuing nurture, so the priest - as the one who baptizes us - has an important role in our second birth, our birth "from above…of water and the Spirit" (John 3:3-5)." That website was http://www.stpaulsirvine.org/html/father.htm
    Now, I know that the Jesus says in the Bible "Call no man on Earth your father, for you have one Father who is in heaven" but if he meant it that literally, then why did He also say "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died."  Even the Apostle Paul talks about fathers in the Bible. Calling a priest "Father" is "a term of endearment, of intimacy, and love." That's all.    :  )

DAY 3: Priestly Education

     Last week, a dear friend of mine told me that he thought it was interesting that priests could get their education online for $35. I sat there and asked myself..." Is that the truth? I don't think so, but almost everyone can get some sort of schooling online... hmmm" So on Sunday, I asked the priest at my church. His answer was "No." He went on to tell me that to become a priest, he had to be ordained (basically to have authority in the Church) through the Bishop. He then proceeded to explain that he had to have about six years of study: two years of philosophy, four in a seminary (school for priests) and a BA before the Bishop would even consider him worthy of the title "Priest."

     I just wanted to pray for all of those affected by the earthquakes in Japan. I want to ask God to protect them and keep them safe and help their country have a quick recovery. I pray that if we ever have an earthquake like this, foriegn countries will come help us. Lord, I ask that you heal those whe are injured and comfort those who have lost loved ones. In Jesus' name we pray...

God Bless

DAY 2- Are Catholics Christians?

     One of the biggest things I want to focus on is that Catholics are Christians. If you learn nothing else from my blog learn that even though we may worship God differently doesn't mean Catholics aren't Christian. It just means we worship differently. :) The point is, all Christians believe in Jesus Christ, we believe he died for our sins, and we believe that He is the only way to heaven. Those three basic truths are what unite Christians....
     One of the things I’ve learned so far from Al Kresta's book (Why do Catholics Genuflect?) is that the term Catholic comes from the Greek word catholikos meaning universal, the whole world. “Catholic” describes “the scope of the Christ’s saving mission,” today and in the past. Jesus died on the cross for everyone around the world, from every nation.
      God has made us all brothers and sisters. So, why is it Christians always seem to fight over who is right and wrong? Is that the way to show God’s Love? 

     So, before I go I just want to sing a song with everyone…
./` “ Why can’t we be friends, why can’t we be friends, why can’t we be friends, why can’t we be friends…. " ./`    

DAY 1 - Ash Wednesday

     Ash Wednesday is a tradition of the Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian,Catholic and Anglican churches at the start of Lent. According to http://www.catholic.org/clife/lent/story.php?id=40609  "Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of church congregants as a sign of repentance" I was always taught that the ashes were a reminder that we are made from ashes and to ashes we will return, from dust to dust (Gen 3:19)  I fasted and abstained from meat as well as went to church today. My Priest told us during mass that the tradition of the ashes is an ancient tradition that started with the Jewish people... it was, as I have said, a sign of penance.  
     Now, I don't want any one thinking that the ashes are those of dead people or something. No, the ashes put on our foreheads are the ashes of last year's palm fronds from Palm Sunday, but they can also be bought online at religious supply stores. (Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter... celebrates Jesus' journey through Jerusalem for Passover the week before he was betrayed.)  At the end of the day, the fronds are burned and then blessed again as ashes. You may be asking why the Chruch burns the fronds.... Once they have been blessed, the palms become sacramentals, or sacred signs instituted by the Church. Since these sacramentals should be treated with respect, the only way to get rid of them is to either bury or burn them. Thus, the ashes.

     This was one of the prayers we said at church tonight: "God our Father, you create us from the dust of the earth. Grant that these ashes may be for us a sign of our penitence, and a symbol of our mortality."

   Fasting Rules for Lent: Practicing Christians must fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday along with every Friday between now and Easter. If you are between the ages of 18 and 59 you must fast and are permitted to consume only one full meal, but that can be supplemented by two smaller meals for your fast. You can fast all day, but the two smaller meals are for those who need the extra nutrients to make it throughout the day.... we don't want people passing out around the world...

Party Time!

      Happy Mardi Gras! Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday on the Lenten Calander and the last day of the Carnival Season. (http://www.gotquestions.org/Mardi-Gras-Fat-Tuesday.html ) The Carnival (carne vale- Latin for farewell to meat) Season is a 2 week period full of festivities, dancing, and partying. Fat Tuesday also goes by the name  Pancake Tuesday and Shrove Tuesday. (http://www.catholic.org/clife/lent/story.php?id=40600)  Mardi Gras/ Fat Tuesday is a way to "indulge before the fast." Although this is the case, Catholics (and any other denomination that celebrates Lent) should consider Fat Tuesday as a day of anicipation and a day of farewell. A goodbye to our sins....  So, Goodbye sins!

Tomorrow starts The Challenge.... Happy Mardi Gras.

The Purpose.

      Hello, World Wide Web! This is my first post! Can you believe it? So let me introduce myself. My name is MRose. I am a junior in high school and I am 16 years old.  I AM A CATHOLIC AND (Let's get this straight) A CHRISTIAN!!!! Because CATHOLICS ARE CHRISTIANS... and I'm proud of it. My goal in writing this is not international recognition or my own movie (Julie and Julia,) but to inform and learn.

       God has a plan for each of us and I think this may be the first step towards my vocation (my calling.)  Last year (2010) God gave me so many blessings... It was a good year and I thank Him for that, but now I think He wants me to grow in my faith. Why else would He introduce people into my life that don't respect Catholics or hate them or misunderstand them? The problem is, I am still a baby in my faith. How am I to refute the misconceptions my friends and the world have about Catholicism if I don't know the answers myself? Thus the blog.     

      The Lenten season starts on March 9th this year. Now, for those who don't know, Lent is practiced by the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Protestant denominations of Christianity. It is the tradition of preparing for Christ's Resurrection on Easter. But is is more than that. Lent is a yearly renewing of the baptismal commitment (not the actual baptism itself...)  in our hearts. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday.  It is a 40 day challenge during which these Christians commonly "give something up" such as candy or cussing. (You can also add  something to your daily routine such as prayer or giving at least one compliment a day.) It's not just giving "something" up, however, it is about giving up a sin. According to http://www.catholic.org/, "The goal is not just to abstain from sin for the duration of Lent but to root sin out of our lives forever..... Our journey through these forty days should be a movement ever closer to Christ and to the way of life he has exemplified for us."  

      Fasting, Prayer, and Alms Giving are the " 3 pillars of Lent." These "pillars" are supposed to bring us back to God after our wandering throughout the past year. And those are the basics of Lent...This year, along with giving up desserts and some bad habits, I have decided to add a challenge- to grow in my faith- as God seems to want me to do. Of course, I could simply learn on my own, but I have a couple of friends who have confronted me about Catholicism as of late and I wanted to share my findings with them.  :  )

      So, this is my 40 day challenge: every day of Lent, I will post a common misconception of the Catholic Church or something I might not quite understand and attempt to give the truth. I am warning you now; this may go further than the 40 days, but it is a start. This will help me learn, while allowing others to learn with me. 

     These will be my main sources:  http://www.catholic.org/, my Priest, Father Phillip,  Why Do Catholics Genuflect? And Answers to Other Puzzling Questions About the Catholic Church by Al Kresta and of course the Holy Bible (Mine is the New Revised Standard Version.)  

      Wish me luck, and God Bless,

            MRose