Talking to young people..

I was recently asked to go into a High School and give a talk to the 15/16 year old students. I was nervous beforehand but it was a rewarding experience and hope I got at least a few of them thinking about faith. Although it was a Catholic school none of them admitting to attending Sunday mass and the worry is once they leave school they will have no spiritual input at all. Here is a summary of my talk:


Both my parents are Catholic, I've been brought up Catholic, I went to a Catholic School,  I go to mass every week and just on the outside probably looked like a good catholic boy with no problems or issues.

But there have been times I wasn't happy and when I was about 15/16 I got bored with my faith. It’s something that had always been around me and maybe I just didn't appreciate what it was doing for me. I kept going to church because I knew my mum would be angry with me but I didn't feel I was getting anything out of it. Mass seemed long and boring and it always seemed to get in the way. If I went out of a Saturday night it was hard to get up the next morning to go to church on a Sunday.

When I left school and got a job I had money and started going out a lot, met new people and spent a lot of time out in Manchester or at friends’ houses. During this time I didn't think about God or my faith much at all, I was embarrassed to tell people I was a Catholic. This time was hard because it pushed me further from God, I felt that I wasn't good enough for the church. When I went to mass I felt I didn't belong there amongst all these good people. I thought they all had perfect little lives with no struggles and that they didn't understand me. I felt like the church wasn't for me, God wasn't for me.

One year my parish priest invited me to go to Lourdes with the youth of the diocese to help sick people on pilgrimage. I was very nervous about it because I thought it would be like a holiday with a nursing home, bathing and feeding sick people all week. I couldn't have been more wrong it was brilliant, I met lots of great young people my age and had a really good laugh. It was hard getting up for a shift with a hangover sometimes but it was worth it. What it showed me was that Catholics can be normal, they can drink, and swear and have a laugh and still be good people. Being a good catholic doesn't mean you have to be boring and go to mass 12 times a day and say 20 rosaries.

After this holiday to Lourdes I started to get more involved with a youth group in my parish, we met up and went out together. I realised that I was good enough to be a Catholic. God doesn't expect us to be perfect, God made us and knows us and he loves us with all our faults. He knows we gossip, he knows what we look at online even if we delete the history, he knows when we shout at our parents, he knows when we drink, when we smoke, when we make fun of the teachers. He knows all of our sins, but that doesn't mean we can’t ask him for guidance. In the bible Jesus didn't go to all the good people, he went to the prostitutes, he went to murderers, he went to the tax collectors who were taking peoples money, he went to liars, he went to the poor and homeless people in the streets. Being a catholic isn't about being perfect, it’s about knowing that we aren't perfect.

I used to go to confession with the youth group and I wasn't always honest with the priest. I’d say the sins that I wanted him to know but I’d keep the really juicy stuff secret. This priest helped with the youth group so I didn't want him to know what I got up to when I wasn't being a good boy in mass. I guess I just didn't want him to judge me. Then one day I went to confession with a priest I didn't know, I decided I was going to have a real confession because he didn't know me and I’d never see him again. I told him everything, things I’d done when I was younger, girls I’d been seeing, things I’d done wrong, times I’d really hurt people. I got it all of my chest, then he gave me some advice and said Jesus forgives you of all your sins. I felt amazing. Like a weight had been lifted off, I didn't realise it but all these things I’d been doing had been weighing me down. I thought in that moment I never want to sin again, that lasted about 5 minutes. But that isn't the point. Going to confession isn't about being perfect, it’s about saying I'm only human. I am a sinner and I know I'm going to sin again but I'm genuinely sorry for what I've done. It’s a very powerful experience and it takes a strong person to go to confession and be totally honest.

I used to pray for selfish things, God please get me a fit girlfriend cos I've been really good and deserve one. If I fancied a girl I’d pray she fancied me back, like a divine love potion. God please make me win the lottery, I promise I’ll give some to charity so really by letting me win I’ll feed to poor like you told me to. God I want some new trainers, can you make my mum give me £100 otherwise I’ll have to rob them and you don’t like stealing. Obviously none of these prayers were answered so I thought God wasn't listening to me. What I realised later is that God does answer prayers, if we ask for the right things he always answers them. Rather than ask for that fit girl in my class I prayed that I’d meet the right woman. Rather than loads of cash straight away I prayed for a good job so I could work hard for the things I wanted. Now when I pray I ask God for things that I think he wants for me, if you are praying for God to help you fulfil His plan for you then why would He say no? Pray for development, ask to be a better person, and if you really want it then it will happen.

People say God has a plan for all of us and that’s hard to think sometimes, I was hoping God’s plan for me was to be a footballer so I could have fancy cars and houses. It didn't work out that way. Probably because I'm terrible at football. We can’t know what God’s plan is for us, he won’t text us with an update on what’s going to happen. We just have to be open to it, if you say to God I am open to whatever you want me to be. You will find you will be guided the right way. If you are closed to God and don’t let him in then you could very easily end up in bad place like I did. Temptations are very subtle, it’s very easy to be led along a dangerous route and by the time you realise it it’s very hard to back out of it. But you can, if you ask for help you will be given help.

We've all got dreams of what we want to be, what jobs we want, where we want to go, who we want to be. If your dreams are achievable and you think God would be happy with them then there is no reason you can’t achieve them. When you look back you will be amazed how God clears the obstacles to help you to end up where you are now.

It’s sounds sad to say yeah I go to prayer group it’s great. But its actually just a social group with like minded people. I guarantee you’ll meet better friends at school and in a youth group than in a night club or at the park. If you can get involved socially it’s easier to ask God what he want’s for you. God has a plan for you but you have to ask for guidance on how to fulfil it. If you can then go to Lourdes, it’s for young people like you and it’s a great way to get your parents to pay for you to go on holiday. Just say it’s a pilgrimage for helping sick people and don’t mention the pubs and staying up all night. It is hard work during the day but it’s a really good laugh.

When I look back at what I wanted, my fit girlfriend and loads of money. I realised it was selfish but actually through praying and working hard I've got where I wanted to be. I'm with a girl I met at Lourdes. I'm about to be a qualified surveyor and with Gods blessing I'll going to get a good job and the salary to go with it. But I only achieved these things through my faith. I opened myself up to God and said I will do whatever you want me to do. Please give me the strength and guidance to achieve your goals. And it happened, it’s not always easy and I'm nowhere near perfect but I'm happier and I'm getting there.

Just remember, you are good enough for God, being a good Catholic doesn't mean you have to be boring, going to confession will make you feel like a better sinner and help is always there when you need it. If you’re ever stuck just ask God to help you through it and ask for guidance.

YCM

Catholic New Years Resolutions..

Another New Year, another 'new start'. A time when most people aim to change their ways, out with the bad habits and in with the new and improved version of themselves. It's a good way to get a fresh start mentality but can be hard to maintain beyond January. We start the year with high expectations that we are suddenly going to change completely and become that perfect person we know is lurking beneath the sin. Unfortunately it doesn't always work like that. To start with I find it is good to look back on the year gone and see what we can learn.

When looking back on 2012 don't focus on the negatives, God knows us through and through, he made us and loves us just as we are. We don't need to improve to be good enough for God, we already are good enough for Him. Jesus didn't mix with self-righteous, holy know it alls. He came for us sinners, the murderers, rapists, liars and cheats of the world. If he can love people like that unconditionally then who are we to reject his love? He will always be there for us wherever we are and no matter how detached we feel.

Psalm 139:1-8

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.

You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

A good way to wipe the slate clean is to go to confession, if we want to improve then most important thing is the fact that we do want to change, keep your ambitions for the year realistic and it will help improve your sense of achievement. If you want to stop judging and gossiping then rather than lie and say you'll never do it again, make a conscious effort to think next time I'm having negative thoughts about someone I'll keep them to myself. If you want to get fit don't spend £40 a month joining a gym if you aren't the type of person to use a gym, just go for more walks, play an active game you enjoy like football or badminton.

If you want to improve your relationship with God just think of small things you can do that you weren't doing last year, attend mass more often, give more time in prayer, talk to others more about your faith or read the bible more. Set realistic achievable goals for 2013 and write a list of where you want to be in your life at the end of the year. Write a letter to yourself marking out your aims and ambitions, not just ambiguous short terms fads, but long term changes of attitude and self-improvements. Then next year you can see what you did well, where you went wrong and how you can improve again in the future. Constant evaluation is essential in building self-belief.

May God bless you and all you do in 2013. May you let God into your heart to guide you to do His will and fulfil his mighty incomprehensible plan!

YCM

Micropraying, the future of prayer..

We live in a fast moving, frantic and busy world. Our generation has smaller attention spans than our parents and grandparents. We lose concentration and get lost easily. It's hard to find time to pray so I've been practicing a new type of prayer. Microprayer. Twitter is a microblog, people love it because it is quick and easy. A quick thought can be sent out into the world without need for expansion and effort. Blogging can be a laborious process, having something to say, the time to write and publish it. In the same way praying can be difficult.

A priest once told me after confession that I should start everyday with the prayer:

'Jesus I know that nobody loves me more than you love me, please help me to be the best that I can be today'

It's simple. quick and easy. It's also very effective, I go out the door knowing I can face whatever is thrown at me. I am armoured and ready to go. When we're down, when we're in a rut, when we're upset it feels like we are in a hole. Sometimes it's a hole of loneliness, grief or despair. It is very hard to have a conversation with God in these times, we feel numb, unable to gather any cohesive thoughts. We distance ourselves from God because we don't have the energy to pray.

We want to be happy, full of joy, feel on top of the world. So we can praise the Lord and give thanks for all that is good. We want to smile, skip and infect others with our faith and love of God. But how can we get out of our holes and on top of the world. We need to ask God.

When you don't have the time or the energy we just need to say a Microprayer,

'Lord please bless and protect me, help me get through the day'

'Jesus I know nobody can love me more than you love me, please help me be the best I can be today.'

'Spirit please grant me the gift of wisdom so I can say the words God wants others to hear'

'Mother Mary thank you for your help, I love you, need you and dedicate my life to you'

Microprayers can be said while having a wash, walking to the bus, driving to work, making a drink, during the adverts on TV, lying in bed. They are so quick and easy I find myself praying more now that I ever have.

Try it this week, start saying your Microprayer's and I promise you will start praying more and be full of the joy of God. Your blessings will be abundant and you will be full of the Holy Spirit.


May God bless and protect you all.

YCM

What does God want?..

There's an old saying that you don't know what you've got until it's gone. I feel this applies to all aspects of life and the lesson is we should try not to take anything for granted. My faith seems to come in waves, externally I'm always involved and will never shy away from what I believe. But internally there are times I feel distance from God, not intentionally it just happens. Like all relationships we have in life our relationship with God is not always growing at a constant rate there will inevitably be ups and downs.

The best thing about periods of distance in a relationship is the rediscovery of how important the relationship is to you. I recently attended a talk on how knowing what God wants for us and releasing his will is the essence of being holy. The simple test being that if we want what is the same as what God wants for us then our God's will and our will become ones.

This made me realise that to live my life as a practicing Catholic I don't need to walk around preaching or trying to convert everyone I meet. To be holy my aim is to live my life the way that God wants me to live it. With the help of my friends and with guidance from others I can become a holy person. To do this I must consider God's will whenever I make a decision. At first this might sound difficult but I think with practice I should be able to live my life as God wants me to. We've all heard of the saying 'What Would Jesus Do?', I am going to develop my own relationship with God by thinking 'What Does God Want?' whenever I have a decision to make.

May God bless you all with his abundant love

YCM

Why does God let bad things happen...

There is pain, suffering and unfairness in the world. Sometimes people use this fact to disprove the existence of God. This may sound like an old and childish argument but it is actually one of the main reasons people stop practicing their faith. People who come face to face with suffering can take their anger out on God. If God loves us why are so many people dying in the world, or in constant pain due to a terminal disease. Even the most devout Catholics will ask why God didn't prevent the death of a loved one, or why he lets a loved one suffer.

God loves us so much and made us in His image, God loves us so much He sent His son to die for us, God loves us so much He gave us free will. God does not control everything we do in our lives, he gives us support when we ask. God does not make our decisions for us, He guides us when we are lost. God does not prevent bad things happening, He gives mercy and comfort to those who are suffering.

Bad things happen because we live in a world of bad people but at the same time good things happen because we live in a world of good people. To focus on the negative aspects of our lives is to ignore all the wonderful things that we have been given. There is evil present in our world, evil forces that manifest themselves in addiction, vanity, selfishness, lack of compassion, envy and all manner of negative traits. God will help us to rid ourselves of this evilness if we ask Him, but the only person we have complete control over is ourselves. If we want a better world, we need to be better people. If we want peace, we need to live peacefully. If we want a world of goodness, we need to be good people.

Most of the time those who blame God for bad things are those who have already turned their back on God. They cut Him out of their lives and then ask why he abandons them. They say they don't need His help, and they ask why they are alone. They leave a hole where God should be in their lives and search for ways to fill it with sin, they become bad people and ask why bad things happen. The only way to true goodness, true peace, true joy in the world we live is to give our lives to God. Jesus made this perfectly clear and gave us the simplest and most powerful commandment:

'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind'
Matthew 22:37

My final thought on this point is how do you know that God isn't stopping disasters every second? How do we know what our lives would be like if He abandoned us the same way we abandon Him? We are the lucky ones, we are the chosen ones, our lives are full of Love. Let us praise God and the Holy Trinity for saving us.

This weeks blog was inspired by a discussion I had at a prayer group. Our planned speaker wasn't able to attend so instead we all wrote a discussion point that we were struggling with ourselves such as 'Should priests be allowed to marry?' or 'Why is it important to abstain from meat on Fridays?' and then put them all in a hat and pulled a couple out. It was a fantastic meeting and along with being inspired by others it also made me examine more closely my own faith. Some of the topics were controversial and these led to really good, interesting and sometimes heated discussions. I would highly recommend this exercise as it helps concrete personal belief to openly discuss our faith.

May God bless you all and stop bad things happening ;)

YCM

Judgement..

We are all guilty of judging people, intentionally or subconsciously. Sometimes we act on our judgements, sometimes we change our behaviour towards people who do not fit into a mould we are comfortable with.

We ourselves are judged, on our appearance, our beliefs, our ethnicity, our social abilities, our wealth or lack of wealth. Being judged isn't nice, and being attacked is even worse. As Catholics we are an easy target, there are many people who disagree with the church and its teachings, people who do not like the fundamental beliefs or our religion and take pleasure is undermining it whenever possible. We have to try not to be intimidated by this, I always try to show my faith to those around, with rosary beads, religious bracelets, pin badges or abstaining from meat on Fridays. We can't repress our own beliefs for the opinion of the few, I get into many discussions started by people noticing my badges or asking why I'm not eating meat. These discussions help my own faith to grow and sometimes give the inquisitor something to think about.

One thing we should try not to do however is automatically assume all atheists are bad people. This goes totally against what Christ teaches. We are all Gods children and we should not form our opinions based on another's beliefs just as we hate being judged for our own. I try to treat everyone equally regardless of their faith, gender or nationality. I'm not always successful but I would not be a true Christian if I wasn't giving everyone to same respect.

I tried an exercise recently that helped me to curb my own judgmental side, I went out of my way to have a conversation with someone who had previously annoyed me with an anti-religious sentiment. I did not do this to start a debate, I did not do this to try and alter this persons views, I did it to prove to myself I can still have a genuine friendship with someone even though our fundamental beliefs are different.

Another example is Richard Dawkins. He is an anti-religious, critical and condeming person. But he is also intelligent, witty and probably a really nice man. He isn't evil, he isn't a vicious dictator, he is simply an academic with an opinion that he shares with others. We can debate with people and have differing opinions but we should not criticise others based purely on their beliefs. Not all my friends are Catholic but I do not favour those that are over others. I would hope my friends know I respect them all on individual merit, sometimes some of them will disagree with that but I will always try my best to be fair.

Judgement should be left to God Almighty, we should not try to inflict our own human karma or wish anybody harm based on their opinions. God made all of us and God does not make mistakes. He knows us all inside out and is especially fond of each and every one of us. We should always concentrate on what we can change.. ourselves:

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?"

Matthew 7:1-4

May God bless you all and send his spirit upon you

YCM

Passion Poem...

 

Passion

On the floor beneath the heavens, our Saviour cries in pain,

Calling to His father, calling out his name,

Tempted by the devil who slithered out of a hole,

Agony in His body, agony in His soul.

‘Father please save me, take my pain I pray,

Father please have mercy, take this cup away.

We can bring these souls to heaven in another way,

I’ll spread your name worldwide, starting from today.’

The sky was dark around Him, the trees themselves were still

‘Then let it be done Father, according to your will.’

With the fear within Him, God’s child began to cry,

To save the souls of the living, Jesus Christ must die.

The guards would come to get him, the traitor would succeed,

For 30 pieces of silver, Judas has done his deed.

His disciples were close at hand, but his disciples were asleep.

He said ‘Your spirit is willing, but your flesh is weak.’

The elders of the Jews, took Him to be tried,

His followers were useless, Peter thrice denied.

Pilate put it to the people, who shall we crucify?

The crowd chanted Jesus, Jesus Christ must die!

Disfigured from His beating, blood matted in His hair,

Barely able to stand, He was given His cross to bear.

Falling every step, whipped to keep His pace,

Kind Veronica came to Him, wiping blood from His face.

Watching her son suffer, with the rest stood His mother,

He couldn’t go on any further, He needed the help of another.

Who would dare help Him, the guards they had to choose,

It was reluctant Simon of Cyrene, who supported the King of the Jews.

They reached the place of death, where thousands before had died,

The path before Him had ended, he was to be crucified.

Stretching out his hands, the nails they went straight through,

Jesus said, ‘Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do’.

Suffering on the cross, dying with common thieves,

On the floor below Him, His mother Mary grieved.

Giving up His spirit, bowing His blood stained head,

Darkness fell across the land, Jesus Christ was dead.

His disciple and mother waited, contemplating words spoken,

Now watched His side being pierced, while criminals legs were broken.

The child that God himself created, conceived within her womb,

Now taken down, wrapped in cloth, and rested in a tomb.

His disciples now scared of the Jews, the Romans they also feared

Afraid of persecution, His disciples disappeared.

All who were frightened, retreated to the upper room,

It was the women who discovered, Jesus had risen from the tomb.

Jesus appeared to all of them, to put any doubts to rest,

Filling those who heard his words, with love and happiness.

Persecuted here on earth, now sitting on His throne,

The stone that the builders rejected, became the corner stone.

Let’s use Christ as our example of how perfect we can be,

God sent His only son, He came to set us free.

All of mankind’s sins, he promises to forgive.

Our Saviour died on the cross, so the rest of us can live!

YCM