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Prayer

 

Rebels with a Cause

 

For Class Discussion

 

Enter the Essay on Life Contest

Christian Guidelines - Pro-Life Choices

Perpetual Rosary for Life

 

Peer Pressure and Pro-Life

 

St. Philomena - the Patroness of Youth

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By Fr. Jim Whalen

Youth are called to fight on the front lines of the Culture War that is happening in our society today. This doesn’t mean pleasing or impressing others. Choosing Life at all stages of development,at all times, will mean opposition of all kinds. It means swimming against the current of half-truths, misconceptions, and misinformation, and in some cases, outright lies. The enemy is real. One has only to flip on the TV to be inundated with deceptive standards about family living, marriage and life styles. The false flood of promiscuity, immorality, and violence predominates our screens, devaluating love, truth and life itself. It encourages and promotes irresponsibility and selfish stereotypes. What kind of future this forms is quite clear: a world of relativism, Gnosticism and eventually annihilation.

Youth are challenged to make a difference. It doesn’t mean being different just for the sake of being different. It doesn’t mean trying to be like everyone else. It means trying to please the one who really counts, our best friend, Jesus, who clearly asks us to protect and defend human life. If we do things primarily to please others, to be noticed or to be different, we have missed out on what is really essentially important. To be class president, captain of the football team, the best dancer or singer in drama class are all great accomplishments but minor in comparison with what is really important. What makes us so valuable is that we are unique in creation, one of a kind. God loves us for who we are, His sons and daughters. His gift of life should be treated with responsibility and thankfulness.

We are called to be witnesses, rebels for truth for the right reasons. “The only applause I seek is the applause of nail-scarred hands” (A quote on the walls of a Christian teen center). To seek applause and popularity from our peer group is just another way of avoiding making responsible decisions and correct choices.
The basic questions are: Am I willing to accept God’s plan for my life and the lives of others? Am I willing to do what is necessary to carry out my personal Mission, to do my part in building a Culture of Life and a Civilization of Love based on Catholic teachings and principles? Jesus calls people of all ages to come forth to carry out their mission: “Do not say, “I am only a youth”, for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak” (Jeremiah 1:7).
We must never compromise the truth, or who we are, to win popularity. It is not worth it. To be true to ourselves, to promote and live pro-life principles requires courage. Sticking to the whole truth, to our convictions, is the way to grow in self-worth, in faith and happiness. It can be tempting at times to sacrifice almost anything to ‘have an image’ with friends. We all want to be liked and make others happy, but it must not be done at the expense of truth or respect for life or who we are. We are not being true to life or to ourselves when we reject God’s creation or God’s plans. When we accept God’s love and plans for life we discover more and more what it is to love others and to respect life.

We live God’s will through our choices. God speaks to us through all our choices and through the events in our lives. Choices are opportunities to grow and to bring more life and light to the world. We are all entrusted with a personal mission to accomplish in this world. This mission includes a call to a life of chastity, a call to real love. At times it means taking a leap of faith in regard to His plans for Life.

Life is too important to live it in a lukewarm or mediocre way. God’s awesome plan for your life means we must not settle for anything less than a life of truth, a life of meaning, a life lived to the full.

It means being ‘REBELS WITH A CAUSE’, a Mission of upholding human life with courage, standing and walking tall with our leader, Jesus Christ. We are called, like Peter to come to Jesus, “Lord, if it is You, bid me to come to You on the water”. He said: “Come. So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus” (Matthew. 14:29). +

FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

Situation #1:
At lunch hour, Joe is sitting with a group of his friends (boys and girls). Joe says that “chastity is for losers”.

For Class Discussion: Discuss how you might react to such a statement if you were in the group.

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Situation #2:
Mary, who is fifteen years old and going to school, indicates she is pregnant. Her boyfriend, and her parents, have told her to have an abortion.

For Class Discussion: What can your class do to support Mary and her baby?

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  Birth control pills frequently cause abortions!
   

  
  

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