I'm not going to be able to do LT

After much thought about my life and what I can realistically do, I realized that committing to Life Teen isn't someone that I can do at this point in my life.  When I do something I like to do it 100%, and I would have only been able to commit to one Life Teen mass per month.  The whole reason for my wanted to do LT was so that I could get to know the teens well, and one time a month just isn't going to cut it.  HOWEVER, I would still love for this blog to continue on and for any core members or teens to share writings.  I think this blog could be extraordinary, and a true reflection on what the teens and core think and feel about God, faith, Life Teen, the mass, readings, retreats etc. etc.  Please please keep sending your writings to me.  Once again, my email is colleen@jeffladino.com

Blessings to all!!

Puzzles - By, K Shannon (teen, Plymouth MA)

I believe we are all like puzzles. We have many different pieces to our lives and eventually they will fall into place and create a beautiful masterpiece. No ones life (puzzle) is completed until death, but throughout life little pieces slowly fall into place. We aren't able to see the whole picture but we get glimpses that allow us to see how amazing the finished product will be.  

Little Light - By, K. Shannon (teen, Plymouth, MA)

Have you ever heard the song "This Little Light Of Mine"? It goes "this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine". Well I heard a little bit of it today and it struck me as odd. We all have the light of God inside of us. It shines brightly for all to see. However I wouldn't call it a little light. I think that the light you and I have inside of us is more like a bonfire. I think that we are the ones who turn it into a little light.

Looking for more Posts :-)

Hello out there! I was just wondering if anymore of the teens or if any of the core members, would like me to post something you've written. All you have to do is send it to my email and I'll proof-read it for you, and unless any corrections need to be made, I'll post it. My email is:
colleen@jeffladino.com
I would love to hear from more people :-)
Blessing to all, Colleen

Forgiveness - By, Colleen Ladino

My very first Core meeting was a tough one. It wasn't because Jason or the other core members were mean to me, or because they didn't make me feel welcome, it was because of me. Before the meeting I had been particularly hard on my kids, they're little and can be challenging (and totally overwhelming at times), and I just felt like I wasn't being the mom I wanted to be to them. I had been yelling at them, scolding them and getting pretty angry at them (I may have even slammed a door.... or two :-). When I left the house I was just down, down on myself, down on my life, down on my kids...down.
When I got to the meeting the atmosphere was SO upbeat and happy (and loud at times :-), and I was the complete opposite. I just wanted to cry. I was trying to smile and be upbeat, but was having a tough time doing it. I was like, "how can I be all upbeat and smiley and happy here, when I've just been a total witch back at home?" Well, as the meeting went on I began to come around and I began to realize that I had to forgive myself and move on. I started to make peace with myself, and I vowed to apologize to my kids when I got home. I find that it's so important for me to apologize to them when I've acted in the wrong because, 1. I need to ask them for forgiveness and be forgiven, and 2. I need to tell them what I did wrong and use it as a teaching lesson so that they won't do the same thing (i.e., tell them, "You really shouldn't slam doors like mommy did, because it can break the door." :-)
As the meeting progressed and I forgave myself things started to get better, and then things got really great at mass. Why? Because all the readings were about....forgiveness. (It's amazing how God works in our lives, isn't it?). All I could do was smile and sing my heart out at mass, because God is SO good!
If you're struggling to forgive someone else, or forgive yourself (which can be even harder), I would like to offer this statement a priest made at a mass I was at a few years ago. He said something like this: God's mercy is like an ocean, a giant ocean. And ALL the sins, of ALL the people, of ALL the earth COMBINED, are but ONE drop of water in this ocean of HIS mercy. It doesn't matter how big we make our sins out to be, as long as we forgive, and ask for forgiveness (and take part in going to regular confession), it's all going to be okay. It really is.

Welcome!

If this is your first time viewing this blog I suggest scrolling down to the very first post to see what it's all about! I'm looking forward to more followers and more contributors!
God's blessings to everyone! Colleen

Who ARE We? By, Ryan Nash

Why is it that sometimes we feel like raising our hands & screaming His praise, but then what feels like the next moment we don't even feel like knowing Him. How can this be? How is it possible for us to not acknowledge Him, to not listen to Him, to not thank Him? After everything that He has done for us, we decide to not give back? I know that we hear it all the time but Jesus gave us EVERYTHING that we need.

Every day there are hundreds of people who are persecuted for their faith & are tortured and killed for not denying Jesus as their Savior. (Don't believe me? Look up this site, look around it and decide for yourself). These people give up their own lives on earth because they know of the trust that they have in God. But when it comes down to our reputation or our addictions, Jesus isn't worth it?

We tell ourselves that what people think & that our sins are more important than God. Who are we to do that? Jesus carried our sin & was killed on a cross so that WE, sinners, could make it to Heaven. But when it comes down to it, we act like Heaven's not worth it? It is. Every single person on this planet needs to realize this. Are we just gonna sit back & wait & watch our own & everyone else's souls suffer? Can't we do something about it?
That answer lies within what truth means to you...
Let's all take a Reality Check.