What Do You Believe? Video: The Apostles’ Creed

The Apostles' Creed [LifeTeen] from Life Teen on Vimeo.

“I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father; He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.”

Desert Dwellers: Finding Life in Lent

(LifeTeen.com)

Cool Breeze -or- Suffocating Heat

Rain -or- Drought

Rich color contrasts -or- Brown

Lady Bugs -or- Scorpions

Garden -or- Desert

Given the choice, which one would you choose?

I’ll go with the garden.

In Scripture, the imagery of gardens and deserts provides for us a vast contrast of settings, themes and spiritual undertones. Many great moments in Scripture happen in gardens: creation, the fall, Jesus’ agony and arrest and the Resurrection. There are also great moments that happened in deserts: the exodus and exile of Israel, the Ten Commandments, John the Baptists’ preaching of the coming Messiah and the temptation of Jesus. During the season of Lent, the Church in her infinite wisdom calls us out into the desert for a time to draw near to the Lord, but do we willingly go?

When I think of the desert a few things come to mind: hot, barren, desolate, miserable, extreme weather, drought, death…and camels. So why is any of this appealing? Why would I want to go to a place like that? For the same reason Jesus did and the same reason the Church calls us out during Lent: purification and preparation for the journey ahead. What I love about the beginning of Jesus’ formal ministry is that the first place He went after his Baptism was to the desert. He could have jumped right into the business of healing and miracles and raising people from the dead, but instead He was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1).

Often we think that the desert is a fearful place. We’d much rather stay in the garden where we can bask in the cool breeze, stay comfortable in the shade and enjoy the beauty of the flowers and trees. But if we always remain in the wellspring and comfort of garden, how easily we forget that the desert is just as necessary for our spiritual journey.

The desert allows us to be stretched and tested in a unique way. It takes away all our distractions and leaves us vulnerable. We are left with our broken hearts and the choices we’ve made. No mountains to hide behind. It is just God and me. For many of us that is very uncomfortable and scary. We don’t want God that close. We’ve become experts at the “if I don’t think about, it is not a problem” mentality, and when the areas of our hearts and lives that need the Lord the most are exposed, we quickly try to cover them and run and hide from God.

During Lent this year when you find yourself in the desert, your first instinct, like mine, will most likely be to immediately find a way to get out of the harsh conditions and extreme temptations, but what if this year we let the Lord find us? What if we stopped doing things our way, we give up running from God, and let the Lord bring us out of the desert His way (Isaiah 55)?

Although the Spirit leads us into the desert, we have the promise that Jesus will not leave us there. We have the promise of the coolness of the garden. We have the Resurrection. We are a hopeful people, and our hope is the Good News that Jesus conquered the grave.

So my prayer for you this Lenten season is that you would let the Spirit lead you out to the desert, face those struggles and temptations with courage, purify your heart, repent of your sins, and let the God of unconditional love find you ready with a heart fully alive to celebrate the Risen Christ.

A Plan for Your Lent

(LifeTeen.com) Here we are, on Fat Tuesday – and if you’re like me, you’re scrambling to decide what exactly you’re giving up for the next 40 days. Will it be candy – no, procrastinating… or maybe you’ll finally tackle that missing prayer time. The possibilities seem infinite and overwhelming. Before you know it, there are going to be ashes on your forehead and all your Catholic friends will be asking, “So what did YOU give up this year?”

Don’t worry too much. I’ve been thinking about it, and I have some rock-solid advice on how to make this the most productive (and rewarding) Lent ever.

In Luke 10:27, Jesus is talking with a lawyer about what it takes to get eternal life. The lawyer says “You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus tells us that’s the right answer; “Do this, and you will live.” For me, this verse is the foundation of all my Lenten ideas and sacrifices. A lot of times, we try to do one HUGE sacrifice that seems like the most impressive thing we can think of… but the point isn’t how big our sacrifices are. Lent is about learning to love God better, and he gives us a few different areas to work on in the Gospels.

Heart, soul, strength, mind, neighbor; here are five different ways we can grow closer to Christ.

1. Heart: Where are you emotionally with God? With your parents? Are there grudges or unresolved problems in your relationships? Do you need to break free of an unhealthy infatuation with someone or something?
2. Soul: Be honest – how much prayer time are you getting daily? When was the last time you went to Confession or a daily Mass? Do you have a patron Saint or a particular part of Church history you want to know about?
3. Strength: Pope John Paul II always talked about how our bodies are linked into our spiritual lives, and it’s very true. Are you living an active life? Do you spend time with others? It’s amazing the freedom that comes from the small accomplishment of just getting off the couch and out the door for a game of pick-up basketball or a jog.
4. Mind: Where’s your willpower at? Can you resist that extra-large order of French fries – or the extra ten minutes you know you shouldn’t be online at night? Even in the smallest things, growing in willpower helps us resist temptations in all areas of life. Try sleeping without a pillow, getting up 10 minutes earlier, or remembering to brush your teeth (and floss) three times a day. Discipline is a great weapon against the occasions of sin.
5. Neighbor: How do you love those around you? Do you sacrifice for others? Do you listen when they need to talk? Something as simple as a word of affirmation or emptying a full dishwasher can serve as a huge statement of love for those around you.
   

At this point you might be thinking “Dang, that’s a lot of stuff to do! I can’t even handle ONE thing for Lent.” Worry not. Pick one area from those five, and then pick one small, attainable thing from that category. Maybe it’s getting up ten minutes earlier to pray, maybe it’s trying to stop calling your siblings names. It’s up to you. As Lent goes on, if you’re doing well, you can add in something from another category too. Just remember to keep focused on why you’re doing this – to love Jesus better. Walk the road these 40 days and you’ll be that much more united with Him when he walks the road to Calvary this Triduum.

Have a powerful Lent.