Teen Corner

TEEN CO

ORNER

by Natalie Sutton and Kateri Foos

It is February, and that means Lent is coming up shortly. Lent is a time for everyone to reflect, repent and give something up. People can usually give up things like food, or an activity they do often. Giving something up for Lent is a great way for us to detach from things of this world and, most importantly, remember what Jesus did for us during his 40 days and 40 nights in the desert. Giving things up for Lent is difficult and it is extremely easy for us to be faced with temptation. This is when we can look at Jesus as the ultimate model for resisting temptation. During his time in the desert, Jesus was not only fasting and praying, but the Devil himself came and tempted Jesus three times. The first temptation was to turn stones into bread. This was especially hard for Jesus to resist since he hadn’t eaten in a very long while. The second temptation was for Jesus to throw himself off a mountain and “test” God to see if He would save Jesus from the fall. In the third temptation, the Devil asked Jesus to bow down to him and if Jesus did so, the Devil would give Jesus power over all the kingdoms of the world. Jesus had the strength to tell the Devil to leave and He resisted all the temptations. While we may not be as severely tempted by the Devil as Jesus was, we must remember that if Jesus was able to resist temptations that harsh, it should give us the courage and strength we need to resist temptations.

During Lent, we also have the option to do more of something, instead of ‘giving something up’. This can include going to adoration more, going to mass more often, and praying more rosaries. Having a deeper prayer life during Lent is the perfect way for us to prepare for Easter, which is the most significant day the Church celebrates. We can pray to have a deeper faith and increased hope to assist us in our. Lenten journey.

Giving up things or praying more during Lent also helps us to maintain or start good habits. . For example, if someone has been going to mass more often during Lent, they don’t have to stop going to mass more often once Lent is over. Or if someone gave up an activity such as watching TV, it is something that they can continue to carry out. Lent is a time to really focus on a joyful spirit of

sacrifice and increasing our prayer lives.

February is also the month of the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. This is when Our Lady came down from heaven and visited Saint Bernadette and instructed her to build a beautiful church over the place that Bernadette saw her. Our Lady also asked Bernadette to dig a hole and from the hole came a spring of bubbling water where many physical and spiritual miracles of both body and soul have taken place. Many of us may have had the opportunity to visit Lourdes and go for a pilgrimage there. But if not, it is something everyone should have on their bucket list. I, Natalie, had the opportunity to visit Lourdes in the summer of 2011. It was an experience I will never forget even though I was so young. It was surreal to be standing in the exact place that Our Lady had appeared and the exact same place a saint had walked. The water from Lourdes was unbelievably refreshing and it was an amazing experience to touch and drink the water.

Both of us went to FIAT camp, a camp for girls thinking about religious life or wanting to learn about religious life.The camp takes place at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary which is dedicated to Our Lady. In fact, anyone can go and visit the grotto. There is a rock there that is embedded into a replica of the grotto of Lourdes, and the rock was taken directly from the actual grotto in Lourdes, France. During one of the days at FIAT camp, we all go up to the rock in the grotto and each of us have the opportunity to touch the rock and place any rosaries or holy cards to it so they can be blessed. One of the best parts of visiting the rock is that anyone who does so is granted a Plenary Indulgence, which you can learn more about from this link: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/conditions-13362 . So if one is unable to visit Lourdes, visiting the grotto at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary is a great alternative.

We both hope you have an impactful Lent that is full of prayer and graces to make you stronger and resist temptation. And remember, a fruitful Lent helps prepare us for a holy and Happy Easter.