Illuminated By Joy

 Hey guys! So sorry I haven't been posting in the past couple months. I've been busy, and yes, I forgot.   Games are fun, but they can be both fun and educational when you put a Catholic twist on them! So next time you sit down with Catholic family or friends, try challenging them to one of these games and see how well they do! Catholic Taboo    If you're not familiar with the basic game of Taboo, basically there will be a card with a word that you are trying to get the other players to guess, but then there will be five other words under that word that you also can't say. If you say the key word, or any of the other five words, then another player who supervises will "buzz" you, and your team loses a point. So Catholic Taboo is basically that, only the terms are all Catholic. Here's an example: Eucharist Body  Blood  Presence Adoration Revival  Also, you can't do any actions (like point to a picture of the Eucharist, for example), say things like...

Hello everyone!  Sorry for my long absence. It's been difficult for me to write for a couple reasons, but hopefully that's better now.  I know I have exams coming up, and I'm sure some of you do too. So, I thought I would post some encouragement saint style! St Vincent Ferrer:  Do you desire to study to your advantage? Let devotion accompany all your studies, and study less to make yourself learned than to become a saint . Consult God more than your books, and ask him, with humility, to make you understand what you read. Study fatigues and drains the mind and heart. Go from time to time to refresh them at the feet of Jesus Christ under his cross. It's crucial to not overstudy which exhausts your mind. It isn't good for your spiritual, social, or school life. Also, remember that while studying and doing your school well is important, your spiritual life is infinitly more .  St Benedict:  Whenever you begin any good work you should first of all make a most pres...

 Hey everyone! Today is the Feast of my Confirmation saint and her friend: Sts. Perpetua and Felicity.They were two young mothers who were martyred in Carthage, Tunisia, in the year 203. They were still catechumens when they were arrested, but were baptized in prison. Perpetua had an infant son and Felicity was pregnant but gave birth to a daughter two days before the contest. The two young women died with three other men by being scourged, thrown to wild beasts, and beheaded. They are very influential and are mentioned in the cannon of the Mass. These two saints are very special to me for so many reasons that I can't possibly name here. So, in their honor, I would like to share a quote from another martyr: an unnamed pastor from Zimbabwe who wrote this in a letter before he died. It shows how he --and the two saints we celebrate today -- really said no to the things of this world and yes to God: "I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit power. T...

Tomorrow begins the season of Lent: a time to reflect on the Passion of our Lord and turn back to Him through fasting and penance. It is a time to walk with Jesus and strengthen our relationship with Him. However, I know that many people, including me, might not look forward to this season very much. I admit, it is a very hard thing to reflect on the passion of our Lord. We don't want to suffer. We just want to keep life as it is and not think about it. But if we truly wish to follow Jesus, we must be loyal. Even contemplating His passion can show how truly loyal we are. We can be like Mary, John, and Mary Magdalene, who stayed at the foot of the Cross. Even that simple act took tremendous courage. They could have been killed or walked away at any time, but they were so loyal that they stood by until Jesus took His last breath. Are we as loyal as them? Usually not. But even if we haven't been loyal, there is still hope and a call to repent. That was the case with Peter, Dismas,...

Hey everyone! So sorry none of us have been posting lately! I'm going to be talking about a difficult subject today -- telling the truth. Now, to be clear, that doesn't just mean owning up when you do something wrong. It also means correcting other people's errors when it's your job to do it, and even, at times, correcting yourself when you fall into error. This can be very hard. We don't want to acknowledge those areas, so we just stick them in the back of our minds and pretend they aren't there. However, that in itself is a lie. We must be cautious about being kind, but we must admit the truth. If it's in ourselves, we must admit it and work on improving ourselves. If it's in someone else, we must pray for them and, if necessary, tell them. We must find a balance between being too harsh and too soft. This can only be done through the grace of God and much prayer and examination. But when we do find that balance, it is very rewarding. St. Paul tells us:...

 Happy new year everyone! Personally, I am glad to leave 2022 behind, although a little sad too. It had it's good moments, but all in all it was a hard year for me.  At the start of last year things went downhill and I went through a hard time basically the whole year. I'm hoping this year will be a new start for me.  I hope to repeat the good things, a beautiful growing friendship, progress on crafts like knitting, a few wonderful events.  But there are many more things I hope not to repeat. I'm not going to make a few small resolutions for this new year, I'm going to go for a complete overhaul of my life, and hope I can finally summon up the courage to do it.  I'm aiming for change in four aspects of my life:  Family School Spiritual Social I have learned quite a lot about myself though, and also about hope. I'm a very hopeful person. Giving up at something goes against the grain for me. I may be hopeless for a short amount of time, but soon enough hope r...

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a Blessed Advent! Christmas is now less than 24 hours away, and that means last minute shopping and preparations. However, one thing that many of us (including me) often forget to prepare is our hearts. Jesus is coming, and we don't even spend time truly preparing the one thing that he really cares about. But remember, Jesus always accepts a sincere offering no matter how late you start preparing it. So let's start right now. To me, one Christmas theme that always seems to come up is new beginnings. Christ's birth brought an new beginning for the Church, and for you. He wants to give you a new beginning. How can you let Him do that? Maybe you're still holding a grudge against yourself or another person and it's time to let go. Maybe you're struggling with something and still haven't offered it to Jesus. Or maybe, like me, you keep following Jesus halfheartedly and never seem to truly give yourself to Him. Whatever it is, take ...