Keep Christ in Christmas

            It’s December and you know what that means, Christmas!!! As we all know Christmas was a holiday originated to be a day of giving. Last month was November, and what's usually associated with November? That’s right, Thanksgiving, a day to give thanks to the Lord. However, as years and years go by, the more these two holidays, and other Christian based holidays, are being disregarded for their religious significance.

            Hello y’all (that was not meant to be a stereotypical Kansan slang term, but to be a gender neural salutation (and now you might be wondering why I included this brief explanation, but honestly I don’t know (for the record I use the terms “y’all” and “you guys” interchangeably (I would like to apologize for starting out like this, but I promise I think that this post gets better))))! My name is Corbin Sedlacek, and I represent the East Vicariate all the way in Manhattan (KS). I am 17 years old, and I am junior at Manhattan High School. I am involved with many extracurricular and co-curricular activities; such as NHS (National Honor Society), BPA (Business Professionals of America), Student Council (Student Body Vice President), as well as a few others. And I am very actively involved in Seven Dolor’s CYO and the church as a whole.

            Thanksgiving always falls on the fourth Thursday of November. It is a day to give thanks to the Lord for family, friends, opportunities, all the little things we take for granted, and for just about everything else. The day is, usually, filled with family, food, and football (or whatever your family likes to watch or play). The day that follows is almost a complete opposite that we know as Black Friday. Black Friday brings low prices as well as the news stories about people getting trampled, various accidents, and many statistics over the numbers of arrested shoppers. This “holiday” is all about paying the, lowest price for material items. It is bad enough that this day follows a day to give thanks, but Black Friday has been starting closer and closer to midnight. This year, Walmart, and a few other stores, had special Black Friday sales ON Thanksgiving. This is sickening how a day to give thanks is be overlooked by the materialistic society that we live in. Eventually, Black Friday will probably turn into Black Week, and Thanksgiving will be a thing in the past.

            The true meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus. But if you were to ask any little kid “Who does Christmas celebrate?” or “What is Christmas all about?,” the odds them saying “Jesus” for either is very slim. The answers you will most likely hear are “Santa Claus” and “presents.” We all know that Santa is an old man with a white beard who lives in the North Pole with his elves, and they make and deliver toys for all the children in the world. Stories about who Santa really is go back from Saint Nicholas to a Norse god. The modern Santa figure we all know was created by Thomas Nast during the 1880’s and was derived from St. Nicholas. However, some children could care less about Santa and only care about getting presents. But hey, at least Santa is based off of St. Nick right? Our society started materialized Christmas in the 1880’s when St. Nick became Santa Claus, and kids began focusing on what they were going to get as presents. We need to trade receiving for giving, Santa Claus for Jesus Christ, watching holiday special for Mass. We need to return to the true meaning of Christmas which is the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

            It is sickening how both of these holidays are becoming more and more materialized and commercialized when, in reality, we really need to be going back to their Christian roots. I firmly believe that we desperately need more religious values in our society. Although it may sound cliché, we need to remember “Jesus is the Reason for the Season” and to “Keep Christ in Christmas.” 

   

Just Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

 

Hello from the West Vicariate! My name is Olivia Wetter and I’m from Sacred Heart Parish in Colby. I am currently a senior at Colby High School. At school, I’m involved in tennis, band, NHS, StuCo, Cosmic Crayon, and Young Humanitarians. I am also involved in many church activities including CYO. I have been raised Catholic, but I wasn’t until high school that I really started learning about my faith.

    I was confirmed as an eighth grader and when my freshman year rolled around, I decided to continue going to faith formation on Wednesday nights. However, this was really the extent of my faith. I wasn’t really in it and by sophomore year I had stopped going to almost everything. This decision took a toll on my relationship with God. Which means there really wasn’t one. That summer, my friend Morgan convinced me to go to Prayer and Action. Prayer and Action was definitely the turning point in my faith. I saw people who loved God and I wanted that too. I knew I needed to change. My junior year brought me back to my Catholic faith. I made sure to attend Mass, as well as CYO events. We met on Wednesday nights as a small group of junior and senior girls. Along with this close relationship with the other girls, my relationship with God grew stronger too. Now, I am in my senior year of high school and still trying to strengthen that relationship.

    During this last year I rediscovered a story in the third chapter of Daniel in the Bible. The story goes like this: King Nebuchadnezzar built a huge gold statue. He ordered everyone to bow down and worship the statue when music was played. Anyone who disobeyed these orders would immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. Now, Daniel had three friends: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Due to their Jewish beliefs, they refused to bow down to the false idol. The king brought the men before him and told them if they continued to refuse to worship the statue, they would be thrown into the furnace. Then he asked them, “Do you think there is any god that can save you?” (Daniel 15) They answered, “Your Majesty, we will not try to defend ourselves. If the God whom we serve is able to save us from the blazing furnace and from your power, then he will. But even if he doesn’t, Your Majesty may be sure that we will not worship your god, and we will not bow down to the gold statue that you have set up.” (Daniel 16-18) With this statement, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered the men be thrown in the furnace.

These guys were incredible!!! They had so much faith in God and because of this faith, they were going to worship Him no matter what happened. They knew God had the power to save them, but even if He didn’t, they would still praise Him. Isn’t that how we need to be? Trusting in God, no matter what circumstances we are in. These men are the perfect example of how we need to live our lives. They led their lives the way God wants us all to. He knows we may face hard times, but He hopes we turn to Him and trust in His plan for us regardless. Personally, I like to turn to this passage when I’m struggling in my life. It helps reassure me that God has a plan and I just need to be patient and trust in that plan. He has a plan for all of us. Whatever may happen, just remember to trust that God will help you through it.

God Bless!

Olivia

Also, if you’d like to find out what happened to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, open your Bible and turn to Daniel 3:19!

Expecting the Unexpected

Hello readers of our Gentle Wisdom blog! I am Mika Ptacek from Ellsworth, KS. I am a senior at Ellsworth High School who participates in tennis and a lot of music activities! I am also a part of St. Bernard's CYO and I represent the East Central Vicariate. As most of you probably don't know me, I will tell you part of how I've come to be the person I am and one of the important lessons I've learned.

I have lived in Ellsworth all of my life and have gone to the same church for all of those 17 years. The crazy part of this though is that I have grown to love this church and our universal church more and more as I've grown older. As a kid, going to church was just something I had to do every Sunday. When I got to middle school though, I finally started to change my tune. I went to Jr. CYO Camp for the first time ever and was exposed to all of those holy people. I had never really thought about what I could do for God. I had always thought of Him as a guardian over my shoulder, someone I didn't really need to think about because they were always there. However, I saw my counselors leading lives full of devotion and love for God and it made me realize something.....I wanted more from life. I wanted what they had.

Sometimes though, we get glimpses of what we have yet to do but are not ready for it. And that is what happened to me. I wasn't quite ready to take the steps I needed to make my leap of faith. However, I didn't just stop growing in my faith. I continued to learn more about our catholic faith in my religion classes and still went to church every Sunday. I took part in all of the church activities and ministries that I could, and I think that is what helped prepare me for the experiences I would gain as a catholic in high school.

Now there are people who have wonderful stories of how they had their specific 'come to Jesus" moments, but I don't really think I am one of them. In fact, the way God revealed Himself to me was not contained in a moment. It was over time, extremely beautiful, and in a way I had not expected. When I became a high schooler, I automatically joined the high school CYO and loved it from the git-go. It was the perfect way for me to practice my faith and meet others who share the same faith. I got to experience CYO convention and meet some of my catholic friends that I have today; people who inspire me and whom I love dearly! I kept going to CYO throughout high school and all the activities involved, but it would take NCYC my junior year for me to finally understand part of the message God had been trying to send me.

As I previously explained, I had learned so much about the catholic faith from the people around me and all the things I had been a part of, but NCYC just blew all that I thought I knew out of the water. I had finally matured enough to understand what the speakers I listened to were talking about, and I started to realize that I didn't really know what I was supposed to be doing after all. I realized that I had been sharing my life with God in all the things I did, but I wasn't sharing all of my heart. After reflecting on this for awhile and going to confession, I started new and decided from then on that I was going to step back and let God take the reigns of my life, because let's face it. He has the reigns anyway so why not watch Him work His magic? 

At the next group session in the Lucas Oil Stadium where the whole convention was gathered, I saw how many young catholics were there and thought of all the similar experiences we must have in common and all our experiences that are different. There are people who have had rough lives, who come from nothing, and rose to the occasion and turned their lemons into lemonade. There are people who are blessed specially to be God's handmaids and just don't know it yet. And there are so many more who don't know what's ahead, but what all of these people had in common was that they took the time and spent the money to come to NCYC. They made the extra effort to grow closer to God. I thought of all of this in that one session and realized that each and every one of the people there was inspiring to me. I realized that in opening my heart to God, I was opening my heart to love so much more and appreciate all of the people around me.

After this experience at NCYC, I began to pray more to God and to really participate in celebrating my love for Him in the mass. I got to experience CYO convention as a whole new catholic and I am now experiencing a whole new side of our diocese's youth program as part of the DYC. It's super exciting to spend  more time with my fellow council members and plan things for our diocese's youth!! I know none of this would have been possible if I had kept myself closed off from God. I now see the world with a new set of eyes that have really helped me to continue to grow even more in my faith. I can honestly say my life is so much more rich now that I have taken a step back to let God lead me where He will. (although that is not to say that I don't sometimes try to take back some control hahaha) At the end of the day though, I have learned that part of growing as a person of faith is to let God do what He does best and to understand that you can't always expect the unexpected. God's will will find you when you're ready.

I hope this made sense to you readers and that you continue to grow on your journey towards Christ!

Here's to expecting the unexpected! :)

-MIka

A Call To Serve

"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace"  

-1 Peter 4:10

Hi everyone! My name is Matea Gregg and I represent the West Central Vicariate(: I am 17 years old and am a senior at Thomas More Prep Marian Jr Senior High School. I was born and currently live in Hays, KS and go to St. Nicks where I am an active member in our CYO and other church ministries. My family and friends would tell you that I never stop talking, am always smiling, and that I am extremely outgoing! I am involved in SO many clubs and activities at school but to name a few  would be STUCO, Pop Singers, forensics, the plays and musicals, and I am also an ambassador(:

I am a cradle Catholic and have always been involved in my parish, but soon after I started school at TMP, the catholic high school in Hays, I found that I didn't know as much about our faith as I thought. I had just been going through the motions.  I would sit in religion class every Wednesday and not really get a lot out of it.  In church I knew all the prayers and responses and when to sit or stand, but what I didn't know were the important things. I don't think I was doing what God wanted me to do, because I never wanted to share my gifts with others, and was afraid to show my faith. I needed to get excited! I needed to let people know how much I LOVED being Catholic! That was when I realized that maybe I should stop sitting back...I needed to be active and listen and ask questions. There was SO MUCH more to our faith than just going to church every Sunday and I wanted everyone around me to know that.

When CYO started that year I had a new mind set about learning more and getting involved.  We did service projects and other activities throughout the year that I was always more than ready to be a part of. I loved the feeling I got by helping others and found myself volunteering to help out all the time! At school, in my parish, or in the community I was all over it. Over the years I have continued this love for helping others and I received the service award as a Freshman and as a Sophomore. It took that one step of going out of my way to help someone, asking nothing in return to finally realize that what I really need to do to show others our faith..was to help them and share my talents with them!

I think one way we can grow closer to God and the people around us is through acts of service. We know that God wants us to share our time, talent, and treasures so why wouldn't you want to sign up to greet at mass, help your elderly neighbor with their yard, or even help around school. There are SO MANY kinds of service opportunities all around you every day. The feeling that you get from helping people is one that will give you a happiness that you can't get anywhere else. Simply going out of your way for someone will help you grow not only as a person, but also grow more like Christ. 

At TMP we are required to have 10 hours of service every quarter. To me this is as simple as riding a bike because I am involved not only in my church but in my school and community. I know sometimes when I am out doing my part in service there are many people there who are just sitting around waiting for the time to pass. They don't even try to help and are often more of a burden than a help. Taking part in projects and volunteering teaches us many things like how to be compassionate and understanding. I want to briefly touch on the 4 ways you can be involved in service.

One way is in your church. Helping with mass is one of the easiest ways for you to be seen in your parish. If you are like me and have a love for music then you should be up there cantering, playing piano, or helping with the music planning. If you are tone deaf and have no music abilities DON'T WORRY(: You can always be a greeter, an alter server, a reader, or even take up the gifts! There is no reason for us to keep our talents hidden from our parish. Along with helping with the mass you should try to be active in your CYO. You will have the chance to do service projects all year long and even get to meet some new people along the way!

Another way is in your school. You might not think of it as service to help set up for a school dance or with other school activities, but it is! Sharing your time and being a helping hand is most definitely service. It might be the easiest way to serve others because so many of you are probably involved in many activities and clubs. So sign up to help out around school, be a part of fundraisers, or even help your classmates who struggle in a subject that you excel in! Always be looking for a way to make your school a better place(:

        All of my second graders that I helped during Totus Tuus this summer

Next we have your Community. From helping with the food pantry, to mowing your neighbors lawn, or even shoveling off driveways when it snows there are many ways to help out in your community. One simple act of kindness can be service. Open the door for people when you are entering a building, donate clothes to the coat drive, buy angel tree gifts around Christmas, or pick up a piece of trash on the sidewalk! My favorite way to do this kind of service is Prayer and Action! I have gone to P&A 3 years in a row and it is by far my favorite part of the summer. Its an amazing program and I hope that many of you get to be a part of it sometime in your life! Through this kind of service I have learned that the smallest things can make the biggest difference.

 Paining a house during Prayer and Action 

Lastly we have your family. This one is really important. Chores....We all have them don't we? Why not do them without being asked? Or even go above and beyond and do extra just so your parents don't have to do as much! While you're at it you can also help out your grandparents or other family members. Family is forever...make sure they know that you care(: Be there to help if they are asking you to or not!

As I get older I will always be involved in service. Not just because I think it is important, but because it is something I enjoy and look forward to. I hope that I gave you some ideas on how to get involved and be of service to others and hope you learned a little bit about me! I'm not very good at the whole writing thing...BUT hope you all enjoyed my blog and I CAN'T WAIT to see you all at convention(:

 I want to leave you with this quote from Mother Teresa- "Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." 

God Bless, go out and share your TIME, TALENT, and TREASURES!

-Matea

The Birthday Girl

So we would just like to start this off with that it is Becky Meagher's Birthday today!! what better day for her to post a Blog! Happy Birthday we hope you have a wonderful day!! and God Bless!

- Salina Diocese Youth Council 2014-2015

She also loves our Mother Mary! 

Becky and her sister ran a 5k recently! some of you may know her
sister Mel as a counselor at Jr. CYO camp

My name is Becky Meagher and I am a member of the youth council this year!  I was born and live in Hays Ks and am a senior at Hays High School.  I attend mass at all four of our parishes but my home parish is Immaculate Heart of Mary.  I am the youngest of 6 children and was brought up in the Catholic Faith.  Though I am a “cradle catholic”, that doesn’t mean I didn’t choose the religion for myself.  I fell in love with every aspect of our religion and find true beauty and comfort in it.  There are many times in my life where I know without god and his love I would not have made it through.  My faith is so important to me because it is where I can find true, pure happiness.  There is no greater reward than doing Gods will and striving to become closer to him.  I am very excited to be a member of the council and can’t wait to get activities started in our diocese. 

Do Not Be Conformed

 Many problems that face the average teen today don’t really seem like true problems to me. Problems such as;  cell phone cords not being long enough, no Wi-Fi connection, and maybe even having to drive a minivan to high school like I do. Aren't there so many more problems we should be concerned about it in our lives? My answer is yes.

Hello to all of you reading this post to the Gentle Wisdom page for the Salina Diocesan Youth Council. My name is Macie Frakes and I proudly represent the East Vicariate.  I am seventeen years old and currently a junior at Rock Creek High School. I technically live in the Kansas City Diocese, but I mean the Salina Diocese is so much better so I can’t help but going to Seven Dolores a parish located in Manhattan, the farthest city east for the Salina Diocese. Also, home to the greatest college football team. EMAW!

From Kindergarten till 8^th grade I attended Manhattan Catholic Schools and then started attending the public high school I am at now. The transformation from a tiny private school to a huge public school was very difficult. Meeting new people and trying to find out what “group” you’re in, is quite possibly one of the hardest things to do for a freshman. So hang in there all you who are freshman, everything will play out.

In playing three sports, working, participating in school clubs, and of course CYO events, can result in a very busy schedule for someone. I’m sure this would describe mostly everyone, always doing something to keep you busy and not giving you enough time to just relax. Maybe even more importantly not giving the one who gives you life enough of your time. Wait? Did she just say that we needed to add God into all of those things in our lives? That’s right, I sure did.

I struggle with it as well, spending too much of my time on Twitter or Instagram instead of simply reflecting on my day and giving time to just talk to God. Sure I pray to God, I even pray to God often, but usually it’s over something that I want instead of telling him thank you for something he has given me.

Lord, please help me get an A+ on this test. God, I really would like to get that cute guy’s number. Can I just have those clothes, if only that then I would look fabulous? The only one of these that might be okay is the one about a test; God wants you to do well on a test. The other two are not very good ones.

Granted teenagers,we are faced with many challenges today, it's hard being a teen! Having to dress a certain way, having to be in a relationship, and one of my new favorites is having to have an iPhone. I mean, what has the world come if you’re only cool by having a certain type of cell phone? Pretty disappointing if you ask me. 

God tells us in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” God is telling us to think outside of the box, in a new and holy way that nobody else is thinking of! He continues in Romans 12:9 by saying, “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.”

Through these Bible verses God is telling us how we should be living out our mission as Christians. In everything we do it should be good and acceptable and perfect. By loving our neighbors and not putting them down, by suffering as humans should, by being genuine, by hating what is evil and turning away from what is bad, and above all in everything we do let it be for Him.

One of my favorite songs Words by Hawk Nelson relates well to our culture today. Below will be a link that you can listen to the song and enjoy!

I’ll be anxiously waiting to meet you at the CYO Convention in Salina in March, until then, I encourage all of you to spend more time thinking about the things in your life that truly matter rather than spending it on silly things here on Earth.

God bless,

-Macie

Words ~ Hawk Nelson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5V8_k70KnI

ASAP - Always Say A Prayer

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7

I guess I am the lucky contestant to go first. My name is Alex Stenberg and I represent the East Vicariate. You will probably hear me say that in a few months at our Diocesan CYO Convention!!! We have an amazing council this year, filled with great ideas and the Holy Spirit, and we hope to bring you one of the best conventions this spring! but I think I am supposed to talk about myself. Just to let you know, I am not very good at that. so here goes nothing.

I grew up in beautiful Clyde, KS with my brother Jacob, who is a freshman now, and my sister Erin who is in 8th grade.  In middle school we moved to the city. ( okay maybe not a big of city as you are thinking, but from a town of 700; 45,000 seemed like a lot) I now live in Manhattan, Ks ( manhappenin) am a Senior Manhattan High School. I go to St. Thomas More Parish and am an active member in our Youth Group. I am involved in everything that goes on in the church it seems like. From youth group meetings, to youth choir, to cantering at mass, and doing service projects,  my schedule seems to be centered around the church. I am also involved a lot in school. I am in a small group show choir called POPS as well as the large group choir called chamber. I am and FCA officer, and help lead a bible study at school with my friends, as well as a bible study outside of school. I  like to think of myself as athletic. I don't do the usual high school sports, I stick to gymnastics and Pole vault. I love my sports, and thank God everyday I have the ability and the opportunity to compete and be apart of them. If you talk to anyone other than myself, they would say I am "accident prone". I disagree. They say I am always hurt or on crutches, and really I'm not.  its just these last 2 years I have had a broken bone, a torn ACL, 2 surgeries, and a total of 15 weeks on crutches. But I am NOT accident prone. It has just been a rough 2 years. God has put these last years in my life to remind me that I can't rely on just myself, no matter how much I want to.

If you ask any one about me, they would probably say that I am not shy. I don't think I have a “comfort zone”, and when people say to step out of it I am like well this is easy. I love meeting new people! And if you are shy, well I'm sorry, I will help you step out of your comfort zone whether you like it or not! I know Lots of people from the diocese.... so I probably know someone you know. I have participated in Prayer in Action, Jr. CYO camp ( 4yrs camper, 1 year counselor), NCYC, and of course CYO convention! I was on Diocesan Youth Council lasts year, so some of you may remember me from that... But If you don't know me, I would love to meet you! If you ever see me just come up and introduce yourself, I love meeting new people!!

My faith is so important to me. I cant say I've had some amazing story, or a specific moment that I came to Christ. I grew up Catholic, my parents where the CYO sponsors in Clyde, we went to church every Sunday, and to me it was never boring to go to Church. I loved learning prayers and I knew my Hail Mary, Our Father ,and Angle of God by age 2 and I knew my Hail Holy Queen by age 4. I don't say this to brag, I just want you to understand that my faith has always been something that comes easy to me.  Now I'm not saying I haven't had struggles in my faith, because I have. Its not my struggles though that I want to share with you. Its the fact that even through my struggles I look to God, and that is how I make it through. My favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:6-7, its the verse at the top of the page. It says to pray to God about EVERYTHING. Pray in bad times, in good, in thanksgiving, in despair; pray about anything and everything. The more you pray, the more you know God, and the more He knows you. The more you pray, the easier it gets, and the more you recognize times to pray. The more you pray, the more you want to pray, and the more you have to pray about. Prayer is an amazing gift, and there is no right or wrong way to do it. God is all knowing, He knows when you need help, when you are struggling, when you are stressed. But He wants you to want Him, He doesn't want to push His way into your life, He wants you let him in. And when you let Him in, wow, its truly extraordinary. Like it says above in Philippians, peace will guard your hearts, and minds. There is no need to stress. Give it to God and not only will he help you get through it, but he will give you peace, that will help you not get stressed next time. What I have learned is that Prayer is a never ending. You can pray all the time! Now, it doesn't have to be deep prayer, where you are on your knees, or a rosary, it just needs to let God know you are thinking about him. “ God, I have a test next hour, help me retain the information I know, and do my best. Help me get a grade that shows how hard I work, and the effort I put in.” or you see someone in the hallway on crutches ( usually I am that kid in school on crutches) “ God, help that person heal quickly.” or driving to school you see the sun rising ( we start school so early...) and its beautiful do a *RUB, SNAP,CLAP and a “GOD is GREAT!” simple prayers that are just a second. It doesn't distract from taking notes, or a conversation with your friend on the way to class, but it keeps God in your mind. You still need deep prayer, and you know what is great? Adoration.

Medjugorje- Youth Festival

 Last summer I went to Medjugorje, and it was during the youth festival. There were 80,000 youth there representing 60 countries. The first thing I did when I got there, was go to adoration. Never had I been to adoration where I couldn't find a seat. There were so many people praising God, and I could feel His presence ( there were definitely more than 2 or 3 gathered in His name). It was outside and everyone was kneeling. You think its hard kneeling for 30min on the hard gym floor? These people were there for an hour kneeling on cement and gravel. And while you were kneeling, you didn't focus on your knees, because you were praising Jesus next to someone that didn't speak your language, but had the same faith as you. Guys, our Faith is UNIVERSAL! That's something other religions, and denominations can't say. It was beautiful to see so many people adoring Christ, truly beautiful. The different countries flags were blowing in the breeze, and you could hear a pen drop it was so silent. And when the hour was done, and the host was taken out of the monstrance, nuns came out and started singing and dancing! Everyone started singing along in their own language! We were all dancing and praising God... because you know what? Having the opportunity to praise God in Adoration is something to sing about!!

Now I'm not sure if I did this “BLOG” thing right.... But I hope you learned something about me, and didn't find my Blog completely boring! Good Luck out there my fellow Saints in Training! LETS BE SAINTS!