Flowers or Thorns: Sin

 

What is "sin," and is it a flower or a thorn?

Fundamentally, sin is a disordering of what is good. The word itself is derived from an archery term, meaning to miss the mark.

Everything that God created is fundamentally good, and the devil cannot make his own "bad" things. Satan can only misuse and twist what is good and tempt us to do the same. The very first sin was a disordering of many things, namely trust in God's goodness, love of God, the use of free will, the desire for wisdom and human identity.

But what are we aiming for? And why would it be wrong to "miss the mark?" Really, the question which we'd all like an answer to is who are we hurting when we sin?

Our aim is for what we've been created to desire: God. And although we do hurt our brothers and sisters when we sin, the first answer is that we are hurting God.

We were created in order to be in relationship, and sin ultimately harms the relationship between God and people. We know that He loves us; He has demonstrated this in countless ways, not only by creating us and offering us life but also by taking our sins upon Himself and dying for us. 

The crucifixion was an extremely painful way to die, but He did it anyway because He doesn't want us to be separate from Him eternally, no matter what we've done.

And with each one of our sins, we are crying, "crucify him!"

This is what St. Francis of Assisi said: "Nor did demons crucify him; it is you who have crucified him and crucify him still when you delight in your vices and sins."

This sounds really heavy, and it is. But here's the good news: we don't have to bear the weight of the offenses we've committed against the eternal, loving, personal and almighty being who is God.

He's already brought that upon Himself instead of us. He is the lamb who was slain.

All we have to do is accept His love and sacrifice and be baptized, dying and rising with Him.

Although, by itself, sin would be a horrible thorn to think about, we can reflect with so much joy on our salvation, which comes through Christ! And that's a flower.

Understanding Hard Teaching: Flowers or Thorns?

 

Some of the Church's teachings seem hard to accept. Are they flowers, or are they thorns?

Some of the "flaws" I perceived in Catholicism when I began to research it in 2023 have now become my favourite things about the Church.

What I saw as thorns on the rosebush turned out to be some of the most beautiful flowers. I thought they were limiting, but in truth, they are freeing.

However, I needed to develop at least a good understanding of the Catholic faith in order to fully comprehend these teachings in the fullness of their beauty. If I had no good base to build upon, everything would seem like it was unstable.

In this "series" of posts, it's my goal to provide a simple way to grow in understanding without having to read a whole book (although I have some I'll recommend!).

I'm obviously not a doctor in theology, or a philosopher, but sometimes, explanations from simple people are, well, the simplest.

Every week (or more often...I might be inspired), you can look for a new blog post which I will write concerning some of the most controversial topics.

I'm looking forward to seeing the comments area! Please don't light it one fire.

What St. Faustina Taught (....is teaching) Me About Suffering

 

Okay, Steph, we all know what suffering is - and is that a wreath of roses?

I thought roses would be a good way to show any readers the beauty of suffering.

Beauty of suffering?

I know, I know - it's taken me by surprise. I thought suffering was only a result of sin in the world, and was something to be tolerated simply because one must in order to get anything done here on earth. 

However, I've been learning that, while pain, illness, and weakness are symptoms of a broken world, they're so much more than nuisances.

As I was reading St. Faustina's diary, it surprised me how much joy she got out of suffering for Jesus.

Let me show you what I mean:

"Great love can turn small things into great things and only love endows our deeds with value; the purer our love, the less the fire of suffering will find in us to consume, and suffering will cease to be suffering for us - it will turn into bliss. By the grace of God, now I have received a disposition of heart, such that I am never so happy as when I'm suffering for the sake of Jesus, Whom I love with every tremor of my heart." -St. Faustina (first notebook.)

Pain can be an offering to God, and it can help make our souls beautiful.

Think about this. Imagine it's your mother's birthday, and you love your mother very much. You know that she simply adores roses. The petals, the smell of them, and their beauty...it's her favourite flower. You could just go and buy some roses from the local shop, but you know from experience that those ones will soon get wilted and droopy. So instead, you go into your garden and you pick a bouquet of roses.

Roses may be pretty, but they have sharp thorns that can prick you and draw blood. Before you're done gathering the roses, your hands are all marked up with scratches and little cuts. Is that suffering a nuisance? Is it to be scorned, pushed away, or prevented? Not really. Why? Because it adds so much more meaning to your gift. You love your mother so much that you were willing to go through pain for her sake.

St. Faustina not only tells us how the gift of happiness through suffering has rooted itself in her heart, but she gives us an example.

"Once, when I was experiencing a great suffering, I left my duty and fled to Jesus, asking Him to give me strength. After a short little prayer, I returned to my duty, full of enthusiasm and joy. Then one of the sisters said to me, 'You must have received many consolations today, you're beaming with happiness. Surely God never sends you any suffering, only consolations.' I replied, 'No, you're very wrong, because my joy is all the greater precisely when I'm suffering a lot; and when I'm not suffering so much I have less joy.' But that soul showed that she didn't understand me. I tried to explain it to her: when we suffer a lot we have an excellent opportunity to show god we love Him; when we suffer a little we don't have such a good opportunity to show our love of God; and when we're not suffering at all, our love is neither great nor pure. By the grace of god, we can come to the point where suffering is turned to bliss for us, for love can work such things in pure souls." -St. Faustina (first notebook.)

(That was a long paragraph to quote; perhaps you can offer the pain of reading it to Christ.)

Of course, not many of us have come to the point where we can be considered "pure souls" through which God can work the grace of suffering/bliss. But we can offer the inevitable sufferings and pains of life to Christ, and go through them in love for Him, imagining that we are picking Him a lovely bouquet of roses.

So We're Supposed to Evangelize. How?

 

How should we go about spreading the good news?

Recently, in religion class, the teacher told me that it's never acceptable to tell someone that their religion is false or that their god isn't real. This raised important questions for a Christian such as myself, since,  necessarily, evangelization requires us to proclaim the gospel as the truth--and therefore imply, at least, that other religions aren't real or are at least partially false.

After a good deal of reflection, I've come to some conclusions about the ideal methods of evangelization. I've come up with three, but let me know in the comments below if you think of any that would be just as effective, or even more useful!

1. Simply saying the truth without directly condemning the lies

People are naturally curious, but at the same time we don't usually like our own views to be confronted. We like discovering things and being right about it.

Simply telling someone about Christ in a positive way might get them asking questions and seeking more information, or just trying to understand. In contrast, telling them that they are wrong in a negative way might cause them to get defensive. Of course, these are broad generalizations, but that's how it goes most of the time.

2. Asking questions

Another broad generalization is that people like talking about themselves, their beliefs, etc. Unless the person is an introvert. (In that case, I've found that they'll get me talking despite my efforts to ask them questions.)

Say you're talking with a friend and the topic of religion comes up. Here's an example of what you can say:

You: What do you believe about religion?

Friend: Oh, I'm atheist.

You: I'm curious; what does that mean to you?

Friend: I don't believe in any god or supernatural being; that would be ridiculous.

You: Hmm. Why would it be ridiculous?

Friend: Well, science explains more than religion does. And besides, there's no concrete proof for religion.

You: What would you consider to be proof?

And it goes on. Potentially, you could get your friend (or teacher, or classmate, or colleague, or anyone really) to reflect on their beliefs and perhaps question themselves. This could lead them to Christ. At least it allows them to open up their minds and think about why they believe what they do, and, in any case, it makes for good conversation.

3. Through good actions

The beautiful hearts and actions of the parishioners at my church are what converted me to Catholicism. At the time, I wasn't too keen on the Church; to me, it was (as it seems to many in modern day times) an instrument of oppression. But when I started going with my family to church each Sunday, I began to realize that the people there were not interested in condemning me or hurting me at all.

About five months after we began going to my parish, I was baptized and had my first communion, and during Lent that year, it was as if my eyes were opened to all the lies I had previously believed. Gently, Christ guided me towards the light.

If not for the happiness and the kindness of Christians around me, I might still be lost today.

You can also use your actions in order to spread the good news simply by acting in love for God and others! Sometimes, that's all someone needs.

And that concludes my three-point list of ideal ways to evangelize! Of course, that's not all the ways to spread the gospel, and free speech allows for most of us to proclaim the good news without fear. 

Don't forget to comment on the ways you like to spread the good news to others!

Idea Island: Where do you get Ideas?

Where do ideas come from?

When I asked my youngest sister where ideas came from, she rolled her eyes and said, "they come from your brain, Stephie." My other sister specified: "They come in through your eyes, ears and nose."

Well, that lovely piece of wisdom concludes this blog. See you next week!

Just kidding. Ideas are much more complicated than they might seem--at least, to me they are. They can be intimidating sometimes. They can be scary. Sometimes, as in the case with one of my current works in progress, it can be necessary to set them aside when I'm not ready for them yet. 

But the biggest question regarding ideas seems to be: "Where do you get them?"

Unfortunately, there is no magic idea shop where you can walk in, pick a few creative and genius concepts off the shelf, pay for them, and walk out. But you do live in a very interesting world, from which you can pluck little observations to write about, or to paint, or whatever you'd like to do.

Our lovely middle sister had a point when she said that ideas "come in through your eyes, ears, and nose." She likely meant that we can find ideas through our experiences in everyday life.

If I look around me right now, I can see a few interesting things:

1. My dad playing the guitar

2. My sisters watching a movie

3. A painting that my great-grandfather made

Any of these could be a "baby idea."

If I build upon number one, I can find a decent story to write about. The first thing I have to figure out is the main character. Perhaps I'll write about a guitarist who's trying to pursue his dream of becoming a rock singer. (None of this stuff actually applies to my dad, by the way. He's just playing the guitar.)

Next, I would need to invent obstacles to the character's dream or desire. Maybe he has to take care of his mother, whose health is failing, as well as work full time, so he doesn't have much time on his hands. In addition--because we have to make things difficult for the main character--his girlfriend hates the sound of guitars. Or maybe he lives in an apartment building, so he can't do anything loud because the people living next to him will complain.

Of course, that idea is still only a "baby idea." But it's something, and if I continued to build on it, it could become something truly great. (Remember...some of the most amazing books aren't about amazing things. Little Women is literally about four girls growing up.)

If you're ever searching for ideas, and can't find any, remember that all you need is a character, a desire, and an obstacle.

That's it!

So...does writing just come naturally?

 

Is writing instinctual?

When I asked my younger sisters the first thing they would like to know if they started to write, they gave me two similar answers:

1. How do you make your writing feel less awkward?
2. How do you get good grammar and spelling?

The truth is that there's no formula except to write more and write often. Of course, it's also important to read, but your writing will not improve unless you write. There's no magic and there's no secret.

When I started writing, there was nothing beautiful or spectacular about my little stories. My dialogue didn't even have quotation marks. Capital letters were rare. My handwriting was all over the place. 

When you dive into the vast and beautiful craft of story-making, you're going to be bad at it for a while. It's the same as if you started to play the piano. You can't expect yourself to be able to sight read fifty pages of advanced classical music as soon as you sit down on the piano bench, can you? But eventually, you'll be able to do things you could never have imagined.

The problem is that a lot of people don't have the confidence or the determination to stick with it until they get past the "awkward awful horrid writing" stage. Instead, they stop after a couple tries and brush themselves off as untalented.

In order to prove my point, I will provide a brief excerpt from a story somebody I wrote as a child:

Once thair was 3 chillgren, a mom and a dad. theiy had a cat But it got vary sick and we had to put her down. But! p.s (the cat was 19. so the family soon got bored.) at not having a pet. so they started looking at dogs But all the dog plasis (unintelligible) that. theiy had kid's and the poo's wer big. But this famaly was serprised becas theiy had lot's of expereins so theiy (unintelligible).

Even if you ignore the obvious spelling and grammar mistakes, this story doesn't even make sense.

That story was probably written when I was about eight years old. Now, here is an excerpt from another story that I wrote at thirteen years old:

A smile danced at the edges of Miriam’s lips. She lifted the lid gently off of the box and took out the foam which covered the Shoes. For a moment, there was pure joy on her face. Then it crumbled: it was as if she was an aluminium can, and somebody had crushed her. She held up the specially constructed shoe, the lightning bolt along the side glowing faintly, the scarlet laces tied up in a perfect bow. It was brand new: the most coveted style that year, and by far the most beautiful.

I don't know about you, but I think that's a huge improvement. (Unfortunately, that story was written for an assignment in English class, and the plot had to be based off of a short story we'd read, so I'll never be able to publish the whole thing.)

In order to get that much better, all I had to do was read more and write more.

(And pray. Don't forget to pray. That's like forgetting to breathe, and you can't write for a long time without breathing, can you?)

If you're doubting that you could ever be good at writing--or anything else, for that matter--remember that we all start out really, really awful at whatever we do. All we have to do is keep going.

Who are you?

 

What is your identity?

During a conversation with my dad, he remarked that a lot of people ask "what do you do for a living" instead of asking about a person's identity. What a person often means when they ask about my school or my hobbies is who are you? 

The reason people say that is likely because they don't know what qualifies as an identity. Is your name your identity? What about your gender? None of those feel right; they're only an aspect of who you are. Your occupation is where you likely spend the most time, so it becomes the default question.

However, there's a problem with finding oneself in a career. Your identity is like your definition. If you define yourself by your job, you will find yourself unfulfilled, because a mere job--although healthy--cannot define or fulfill you.

Another identity might be found in family. Last names are passed down, and a woman will generally take the last name of her husband. This reflects the truth that a person's family is a huge part of who they are. I know that my family has shaped my personality. My likes and dislikes are surprisingly similar to those of my parents and siblings. And, after all, a married couple become one: they can be found in one another.

But a person's family isn't everything. After all, people grow apart. People move away. People are orphaned and widowed. Some children have never known their parents.

The only identity that really holds water is an identity in God. He is eternal and perfect, and His love never fails. 

When I attended a Steubenville Youth Conference (they're incredible!), I remember one speaker saying that, in Ancient Rome, a child could be thrown away. Infants were abandoned on the streets because their parents didn't want them. That was considered lawful. But if somebody adopted a child, they could never abandon that child. Why? The logic is as follows: biological parents didn't ask for a rebellious or ugly kid, but parents who adopted knew exactly what they were getting into.

Most early Christians lived in Rome, so they were familiar with Roman culture. That is why so much emphasis was put on being the adopted sons and daughters of God. It means that God knows exactly what He is getting into--and He could never abandon His children.

When a person becomes a Christian, God adopts them and makes them His own. The old is shed away, and a new life begins: a life with a new identity as a child of God and a brother or sister to Christ. 

An identity like this is rooted in something unchanging and beautiful. It can never be shaken. It is like a house which is built on solid ground.

I'm a daughter of the Lord God!

Who are you?