For your reference, below is a copy of the cyberbullying presentation:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2LFU5VR80k5MG5sai1yQWJEUUU/edit?usp=sharing
Additional Resources:
http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/
For parents:
http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/prevention/
http://cyberbullying.us/
In Spanish:
http://espanol.stopbullying.gov/acoso-por-internet/10sb/
ttp://espanol.stopbullying.gov/acoso-por-internet/prevenci%C3%B3n/128m/
Last night at La Luz, we had a nice little discussion about the Bible and I mentioned some tips for reading and studying the book. (You can read these tips here: How Do I Start Reading the Bible? | LifeTeen.com for Catholic Youth.)
I forgot to include some great electronic references. There are a number of Bible apps out there for both Android and Apple users. But you don’t want any old Bible app. It’s important to make sure you have a legit Catholic version of the Bible. (One approved by the Bishops). I’ve compiled a list of good apps below.
For Android (they’re all free!):
Catholic Study Bible App by Ignatius + Lighthouse (for Apple too!)
This app is awesome!
Jesuit Prayer App by the Jesuits
I use this app every day.
Catholic Bible by Just1Word, Inc
Don’t know where to start reading? Choose from the list below!
Old Testament:
Deuteronomy 31:8: The Lord will never forsake you
Psalm 37:3-4: Trust and delight in the Lord
Sirach 6:6-7; 14-15: Faithful friend
Isaiah 40:30-31: Hope in the Lord renews strength
Jeremiah 1:4-8: Not too young
Micah 6:8: Requirements
New Testament:
Matthew 6:19-21: Where your treasure is
Matthew 6:25-34: Do not worry; trust in God
Matthew 7:7-8: Answer to prayers
Matthew 16:24-28: Take up the cross
Matthew 6:5-15 and Luke 11:1-13: Teachings on prayer
Mark 12: 30-31: The greatest commandment
Mark 10:17-31: Who can be saved?
Luke 6:12-16: Night in prayer & the 12 disciples
John 3:16-21: God sent Jesus to us
John 15:5: Without Jesus, you can do nothing
Romans 8:31-32: God is for us, no one can be against us
Romans 12:1-2: Do not conform to this age; seek will of God.
Philippians 1:9-10: Increase love
Galatians 5:19-26: Guided by the Spirit
1 Timothy 4:12: Youth
2 Timothy 1:6-8: Power, love, self-control
Stories & Parables:
Luke 4:1-13: Temptation of Jesus
Luke 10:38-42: Martha and Mary
Luke 15:11-32: Prodigal Son
John chapter 11: Raising of Lazarus
(Disclaimer: Beware of taking verses of the Bible out of context. This is a list of verses that I thought were especially good. Even through the focus is sometimes a single verse, read the text around the verse to get a better understanding of its meaning.)
Hot topic: Confession.
Why do we have to go to confession?
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is not my favorite sacrament. I used to have a mini-breakdown every time I had to go to confession. I go more frequently now, and I think that makes it a bit easier. But I think what helped me the most is the realization that God does not want us to be ashamed. When the priest hears us confess, he does not judge us. He’s rooting for us. God is rooting for us; he is in our corner. When we confess, we are turning away from sin, and turning towards God. This is a wonderful thing! And God loves us for it. Remember, he loves you more than you can possibly understand.
Okay, I realize that doesn’t quite answer the question “why do we have to go to confession?” So why do we have to tell a priest all the darkest, scariest, things we’ve done in order to receive forgiveness? Short answer: priests have the ability to grant absolution and remove sin from our souls. And then we are given new life! How freeing!
Click the link below to read a more thorough answer provided by LifeTeen. (I’d copy and paste their response here, but I can’t afford to be sued over plagiarism. I’m on a stipend, after all.)
Why Do Catholics Confess Their Sins to a Priest?
This is Good Friday. This is the day when the whole world stands still.
Behold the wood of the cross. On which is hung our salvation.
Today is Holy Thursday, the beginning of Triduum. If you go to mass tonight (and you should–it’s at 6:00pm, St. Mary, Aberdeen) you will witness an extraordinary act: the washing of the feet.
During mass, the priest washes the feet of the parishioners, just as Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.
This event, which takes place only in the Gospel of John (chapter 13 verses 1-20) is not something to be taken lightly. Jesus took off his outer garments, tied a towel around his waist, poured water in a basin, and washed the feet of his disciples.
To grasp the magnitude of this scene, we must first understand some history.
People in those days didn’t have cars or even bicycles. They walked everywhere. And they wore sandals. The roads weren’t paved, they were made of dirt. Consider how filthy feet would have been in those days. Washing another’s feet was something that not even the lowest of slaves could be asked to do.
But Jesus washed the disciples feet. The King of Kings, God of the Universe, washes feet. He performed an act that was so humble, so lowly, that it was considered beneath the dignity even of a slave.
Why? What is he trying to teach us?
I think Jesus was teaching us humility. The first shall be last and vice versa. People get all wrapped up in the idea of power, and gaining status. Jesus, God incarnate, came to serve us, and to die for us. We ought to serve one another, regardless of status. We need to look at the world in a different way.
“You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master’ and rightly so,” Jesus says, “for indeed I am. If I therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet.”
