Why Teen Masses Should Cease to Exist

I’m totally serious, by the way. Wherever there is a youth group, chances are there’s going to be a youth/teen centered mass somewhere nearby. At first it sounds like a good idea; I’ve been to many a teen mass in my youth group days. Why not bring youth closer to Christ in a setting designed specifically for them? What could possibly be wrong with that? Like I said, on a surfacey level it sounds alright, but after digging deeper it’s not something to be admired.

The problem with the idea of focusing mass around a specific bracket is that it sets the stage to start believing and thinking that mass is about you, and about us. (It’s not.)

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is already universal; you literally cannot get any more universal than what it already is. We don’t need to set up masses specifically for a certain group of people, in this case for the youth. Of course we should always encourage our young people to go to mass, I’m not saying we shouldn’t. The problem with teen masses is that they tend to lose the sense of the sacred for the sake of appealing to the youth. For one example, the music will change. What ends up being played is cheesy (and heretical) Protestant songs, because they’re nice and they feel good to listen to. 
Nice, warm, and fuzzy for the teens. Not too intimidating and not too Catholic. 

Riddle me this; if we are Catholics at a Catholic mass, preparing to receive Christ in His True Presence as He instructed us to do as Catholics, then why oh why are Protestant worships jams being played to honor and recognize the sacrament? Especially when their teachings deny and reject His Church and His True Presence? 
It doesn’t and won’t make sense, because there is absolutely no reason for it, with or without youth. 

Highly emotional music doesn’t set up the proper foundation for firm faith. I know this because I experienced it as a teen. When the emotions faded and I longed for something more tangible and concrete, I was plunged into an existential meltdown, which was followed by a major crisis of faith. The emotional foundation I had set up came crumbling down, and I was ready to not be Catholic anymore. My skewed way of thinking was this, “I don’t feel good anymore, and if faith is about feeling good and high on the Spirit, then why I should keep being Catholic? What’s the point?” I did come out of it, but it was first by saying goodbye to youth masses. 

It usually doesn’t end there. More often than not teens will be encouraged to take up unnecessary roles in the mass. “Inclusion” and “community” are important, you know. This could be in the form of being Eucharistic ministers, or even taking part in skits during mass, I’ve seen it all. I personally think we’re having a vocation crisis to the diocesan priesthood because priests are not being allowed to do their jobs with all of these liturgical ministries and whatnot intercepting and trying to act like they’re the consecrated religious souls. My theory is that because boys and young men are not witnessing their parish priests be the priests these unnecessary ministries and committee’s are allowing them to be, the said boys and young men are not inspired to the priesthood. Why should they be when it’s usually a bunch of older women and their peers running the show? Sure it sounds harsh, but it makes sense. Leave it to the priests and (male) altar servers to prepare for mass, not anyone else who isn’t absolutely necessary. And be masculine while you’re at it, examples of masculinity inspires masculinity.

You could read this and think I’m a crazy traditionalist who hates teens. The former might be slightly true, but I don’t hate teens, or bringing them closer to Christ. I’ve been a youth leader for years; I jumped at being a youth leader the first chance I got. Save your ad hominems for later, friends. 

The point is to encourage teens to attend mass, but let them inspired by the sacred, not the silly. I can guarantee you that a sacred mass will inspire teens to follow and live their lives for Christ in ways superior to any youth mass. There’s something just so inherently beautiful and inspirational about sacred masses, it touches your soul, not just the heart. If you haven’t figured it out, I’ve been referring to the Latin mass. Go ahead and try it if you haven’t yet, you’ve literally got nothing to lose. 
  

Source: Giphy

It's Rose, Not Pink

One minute I'm prancing around in my Lady of Mount Carmel costume, the next I'm panicking over black widows hiding behind the Christmas decoration boxes. True story. Unlike most of America, I didn't forget good ole' Thanksgiving, but the transition from October to December was fast. A little too fast, but we all say that every single year, don't we? Anywho, in my blogging absence* I've been busy with homework (aka penance), being continuously sick, and somehow hanging out with lots of brothers and seminarians. Cue the #CatholicGirlProblems. God truly does have the greatest sense of humor, praise be to Him. But in all seriousness, continue to pray for an increase in vocations... not to forget holy matrimony, because that's where religious vocations are fostered. Priests, brothers, sisters and nuns don't pop out of thin air, you know. Don't get me wrong, it's great that so many young men and women are courageously answering the call, but holy marriage is also a very important vocation that isn't to be forgotten. However, in the end of it all, whether or not these men and women become religious or not, the Church still gains a more faithful and stronger Catholic; win-win situation.

Moving along, we're all aware that it's Advent! Deo gratias, baby Jesus is on His way. On the third Sunday of Advent, we wear pink. I mean rose. In all honesty, at the Latin mass I went to this past Sunday, I was interiorly geeking out over the rose colored chasuble. So. Cool. With Christmas season comes the Christmas trees, Nativity Scenes, assortment of treats and pretending that empty wrapping paper tubes are didgeridoos. Aside from the preparation for the festivities, are we really ready for Christmas? I'm not talking about it in a material or decorative way. 

Are you really and truly ready to welcome baby Jesus into your heart? 

On Christmas Day we're remembering how Christ came to us in the utmost innocence and vulnerability; as a newborn baby. The little King of kings, lying in a manger wrapped up nice and snug by the Blessed Mother, with dear St. Joseph protecting the both of them. This is the analogy I gave my confirmation class: if you were to invite Christ into your home, would you want it to be spic and span or dirty and cluttered? Chances are, you'd want it to be immaculately clean. With that in mind, the best way to prepare for the coming of Christ is a good, sacramental confession. It might be scary or daunting, but by confessing all of your deepest and darkest sins, you're only opening up your soul to the love and mercy of Christ. You can either shut Him out like the inkeepers of Bethlehem, or make room from Him in the manger of your heart. 

I pray you all have a blessed Christmas season, filled with love and peace of Christ. Not happy holidays, or happy Festivus for the rest of us, but merry Christmas to each and every one of you, from the bottom of my heart.

* Just as a side note, since I'm not able to blog as much as I would like, you can follow me on Twitter, @AlwaysYvonne , to keep up with my Catholic shenanigans and whatnot. 

To Love and Be Loved

For the past few days, setting and keeping high standards has been mulling over in my mind. I have a list of 40-something non-negotiable standards that I  expect in my future spouse, if that is my vocation, God willing. Don't get me wrong, they're not anything fantastical, outlandish or impossible to live up to. Who knows, as time passes, I may even add more. The standards that I keep are my rock; if a guy doesn’t meet even one of them, out he goes. End of story. Ain’t nobody got time for anything else! It’s not that I’m asking for perfection, because I’m not perfect myself, but I know exactly what I want, and I won’t waste my time on someone I couldn’t see myself marrying. Yeah, I’m that kind of girl, praise the Lord most high.
Is having high standards hard? Yup.
At the end of the day, with my empty inbox in the morning and at night, is it even worth it? You bet.

I've never had one serious boyfriend, and that truly doesn't bother me because I'm content knowing that I'm saving my affections and the like for one man, even if I haven't met him yet. If anything, it saddens me that our society ambushes girls with the idea that if they don’t have a boyfriend, or multiple ex's, they're failing at life as a female. Not true! I’m no feminist, so I’m not going to hate on men, but you don’t absolutely have to have a man in your life, 24/7. In order for yourself to grow spiritually and emotionally, there needs to be a time of singleness, and there is nothing wrong or embarrassing about that, because you’re discovering who you are, and finding yourself before you find someone else. 

I’m constantly stressing that just because a guy is nice and says sweet things, it doesn’t mean you’re suddenly obliged to date him. In my book, being nice and smelling good aren't anything to be praised. Firstly because everyone should be genuinely nice, without ulterior motives. Secondly, no one should purposefully stink. Crazy, I know. However, if he can lead you to Heaven and ultimately closer to God than to himself, then that is to be praised. You go, guy.  

If all girls could see their true worth, there would be a change in the tide. My sisters, you are worth so, so much more than a guy who doesn't care about your soul, or respecting you as a whole person, instead of a collection of body parts. There's no such thing as the perfect man (at least on Earth), but the right man will be perfect for you. In the meantime, you don’t have to be bruising your precious heart over and over again. Patience is key.
In part, we girls are so eager for love, we can easily cling to the first thing that foggily resembles an ounce of love, and lie to ourselves that it’s the real deal. But I am begging and pleading you, from the bottom of my heart, to be strong and hold out for the true, chaste love that you deserve and desire. Why specifically chaste love? Bl. John Paul II put it perfectly when he said, "Only the chaste man and the chaste woman are capable of true love." Along with pure friendship, chastity is the foundation of authentic love, which I've talked about numerous times in previous posts. It's not bad that we long for love. I repeat, it is not bad or shameful that we long for love. It’s good. It shows that we desire to be unselfish, and give ourselves to another. It’s been wired into all of our dear hearts by our Heavenly Father, and the same goes for men, mingled with their desire to protect. 

To put it this way, what good ever comes out of impatience? Look at the Israelites in Sacred Scripture. God had the Promised Land laid out for them, yet they were increasingly impatient to get there. To parallel, think of yourself; are you trusting that God has a perfect plan for your desires of love, or are you taking the matter into your own hands and rushing it? 
God is good, and He has perfect plans for each and every one of us, but we are the ones who grow impatient and anxious. I won’t sit here and preach that I’ve never been tempted to settle for less, or have never grown anxious and lonely, or have never felt forever alone. The struggle is real. Despite the occasional rough patches, my desire for authentic love is stronger than the fleeting emotions and those are the times where I remind myself that God isn’t done yet. For all I know, it's only the beginning. At the end of the day, I have joy in the knowledge that Christ loves me much, much more, a million times more than any man ever could or can. This goes for everyone. If I've learned anything during this period of (technically, aside from family and friends) being on my own, it's that we will never be content with anything, until we allow ourselves to love and be loved by Christ. There is nothing on this Earth, that will truly and fully satisfy our yearning for love, but His. 

So my sisters, first love and be loved by Christ alone. Everything else will fall into place. It takes courage, but be those women of courage and trust Him completely, and give Him your heart. I can promise you that it will be the best decision you'll ever make. While you're at it, embrace your God-given femininity. No matter what the world says, it's beautiful and has the power to inspire men for the better. 
And for you manly men out there, continue to be true gentlemen, and don't be afraid of your masculinity. It's also God-given, and this world desperately needs masculine fathers, priests and men who aren't afraid to be men. Your future families, (or parishes) will thank you.

The One about the Seminary

Being a Catholic girl is hard. I'm not complaining since there's beauty in difficulties, I'm just stating the obvious. To be a Catholic girl in today's world is to go against the machine, and live for something way beyond ourselves. Most of the time it's great because we have all of Heaven on our side, cheering us on. Aside from the hassles of finding modest clothes, keeping up a consistent prayer life, randomly wondering if we're called to religious life and so on, I've found that there's one small, extra problem to add to the mix. It seems like all of the best Catholic guys either take off to the seminary, or have their hearts set on the priesthood. Sometimes it's both. What's a Catholic girl to do with this? But here is the catch. Note that I say "seems" and "problem." Now let's debunk these two. Although it seems that way, have no fear my sisters, because even if it seems that the best ones are hiding in seminaries or elsewhere, trust that our loving and generous Lord will provide your Mr. Right in His time, not yours. His timing is perfect; never too early and never too late. In the meantime, if you haven't met your Prince Charming yet, focus on God and He will be the light to your paths. (Ps. 119:105)

St. Gabriel Possenti,
patron of seminarians,
pray for us.

The second catch is the word "problem". Is it truly a problem that young (and sometimes older) men are interested in the priesthood? No way! Instead of lamenting or brooding, we should be rejoicing! Easier said than done, trust me, I know. But nevertheless we should be happy that the very best of men bravely decide to pursue the priesthood, because it requires just that; the very best. That's exactly what Holy Mother Church deserves. However this isn't to say that those who are not called to the priesthood are irrelevant or are the worst. Again, no way! While the priesthood isn't for every single man out there, that's okay. Remember Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati from my last post? He showed us that to be holy, you don't necessarily have to be called to religious life. It's common that most men who enter the seminary, don't end up becoming priests. Either way it's a win-win situation. As my friend said (you know who you are), we still gain a better Catholic. 

In my own opinion, I think the idea that the Church is gravely short on vocations is a little over dramatic. Just as many of us are not called to religious life, there are also many who are. The Church also needs holy families. Without holy families, we will definitely have an even more serious shortage on religious vocations. Fathers, Brothers and Sisters aren't made overnight, but our future ones are indeed on their way. The more passionate young people become about the Church, the more religious vocations we will have. But like all good things, it will take time and lots of prayer. With that being said, pray for our seminarians. Discerning can be difficult enough by itself, not to forget the spiritual warfare attacks that always come whenever we are working toward something holy or spiritually beneficial. While not all seminarians will eventually hear confessions or baptize adorable babies, it is imperative that you still pray for them in their priestly endeavors. Pray for their perseverance to their state in life, vocational clarity, chastity and docility to the will of God. Most importantly, pray for their courage to faithfully fulfill whatever God is calling them to do. 

Holy Mother Church needs good, holy priests who have the desire to save souls. I applaud and give my utmost respect to all men who give this wonderful vocation a solid chance. When discerning the religious life, you have nothing to lose, but all to gain, no matter what the final outcome is.

Until next time.

Mater Dolorosa, ora pro nobis,

-Yvonne Gemma