Dreaming

Dreaming. What is dreaming? Why do we dream? Do our dreams mean something? Everyone dreams, its a fact. Whether you dream about winning the big game, or marrying the love of your life; it is all dreaming and as humans we all do it. I don't remember most of my dreams, but I woke up this morning and remembered one dream in particular. I dreamed about my baptism. Now, I have had a lot of dreams in my life, but only a few (and I mean a select few) have been religious. Clearly I do not remember anything about my baptism, but during this dream I felt like I was there. I was being held by my parents and they walked me up to the priest and handed me to him. I was crying, for some weird reason I was crying. I thought for a minute and decided that when I got dunked, or when any baby gets dunked, he/she is crying tears of joy. Even though I do not remember a thing about my baptism, it is probably one of the most important events in my life. As a Catholic we are obliged to get baptized. During my dream, as I got dunked under the water, I thought of exactly the opposite thing people think of when they get dunked under water--"I am going to die" or "I need air to breathe." I thought--"Man do I feel alive, its like I am being reborn and am breathing the best air ever." I found this kind of funny, but true. When we are getting baptized we are reborn into Christ and our original sin is taken away from us. This was one of the most relaxing dreams I have had in a while.

Sacraments

An efficacious sign of grace. That is the definition of a sacrament that every high school student taking theology knows. Well, this blog will go into depth a little bit more. If you want some really good information Pope John Paul 2 visited England and Wales and the overall theme for Pope John Paul II's pastoral visit was the seven Sacraments. Check out this link here: http://www.ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/jp2seven.htm
OK, back to the blog. The reason I decided to blog about sacraments is because they were mentioned in my textbook and it was something I haven't blogged about before. The Sacraments are a major part in the Church and participating in them benefits you greatly. Christ would not have just instituted them to be like "ya whatever, do them if you want." He wants us to participate in them. Some people may be called to different sacraments. But in the end they all do the same thing-fill us with grace. These sacraments, which have invisible meaning and signs such as grace, also have visible meanings such as water for Baptism and bread and wine for Eucharist. These visible symbols mean that the sacraments are real, tangible things. They do not just symbolize certain aspects, they are certain aspects. They all stand for something; for example, water in Baptism stands for sort of a new life. We are being reborn into Christ and accepting the Catholic faith. Water is a main aspect of Baptism and is necessary. I hope you guys learned a little bit about sacraments that you didn't know and thanks for reading.

Education

Before you read this blog you must watch the video posted above. This video was sent to me by a friend. And before I was watching it I was studying for two tests, one quiz, and doing some written homework. This video, although probably controversial for school, was one of the most inspirational things I have ever watched. This video is titled "Why I Hate School But Love Education||Spoken Word." Now I am not saying I hate school or anything, but the things this guy (sulibreezy) said really got me thinking. How important is school?

This man points out a bible verse in the middle of his video: "It does a fool no good to spend money on an education, because he has no common sense" Proverbs 17:16. I didn't think this was actually a proper Bible verse so I looked it up in my Bible I have at home, and it is. I sat and thought about this verse for a while. And while I was thinking about it something else also came to mind-God has a reason for everything he puts in the Bible. We know that God is the author of the Bible and the Bible is written truth. So what exactly did God mean by this verse? How did he want us to interpretate it? I read this verse and first think of what he meant by "spend money." Because I don't think he meant spending real hard cold cash. I think he meant time a well. God does not intend for us to sit in a classroom and learn these facts and equations. We were meant to be stewards of this world. So we must go out and explore the world, build up our common sense, because that is the most important sense.

Sulibrezzy mentions a few names: Mother Teresa, Jesus, Malcolm X, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and many more. All these people did not have a higher form of education. And as Catholics we look at Jesus and we look at Mother Teresa and we see how we should live our lives, how wee are called by God. Mother Teresa and Jesus were not unsuccessful and were definitely not uneducated. The ultimate source of knowledge is God. No high school, college, or job should ever convince you otherwise. As Catholics God is the ultimate source of life and through him we can receive the knowledge and grace to be successful. Mother Teresa was home schooled as a child, and besides going to learn English for a few years, she did not have any higher form of education. Yet, she was one of the most respected, successful  and educated people of her century. Why? Because she uses the knowledge that God gives her. She put God above her grades, above her school work, and we all should too. Sulibreezy keeps mentioning one thing at the beginning of the video: "Education is the key." Notice why he doesn't say school is the key or college is the key; yet, people think that is the only place where we obtain knowledge.

I agree with this man on some stuff and I am sure you do as well. But I still think school is important. God wants us to succeed in life and has a vocation for us all. If it is to stay in school and earn a doctor's degree then that is what you should do. But you are not just confined to school. God wants us to think outside of that and to think, really think, why we were put on this earth.

He talks about how everyone's parents want their kids to "make them proud." And I'm not sure about other people but one of the main motives I go to school and study hard and do my work is so that I do good in school, and make my parents proud. But do you think that your parents would hate you or wouldn't be proud of you if you failed at something. No, absolutely not. They will be proud of you if you enjoy your life and live it to the fullest and do what you want to do.

I have shared my thoughts on this video, but that is not what I care about. I would like to hear what you think of this man's thoughts in the comment section below.

"I will not let an exam result decide my fate...
                                 -Suli Breaks, Vanity Fair, 2009.

Abortion

Hello, today i'm going to blog on the very serious topic of abortion. The Catholic Church has always condemned abortion. This is the taking of a life of a defenseless baby. We believe all human life is sacred from conception to natural death. No one has the right to take the life of another human being. We need to let others know about abortion, it is truly the taking of a life. Many people try and say that it is just a clump of skin and organs. Life starts at the moment of conception, and no other human should take away this life.  

Mass

Hello, today I will blog on the subject of going to Church. Many people get bored at Church or feel like it is a hassle. We should want to go and praise our Lord. We need to understand the importance of mass and what it is exactly. We sing and pray to give thanks to God. We receive His body and blood. Not only should we get excited for mass, we should participate. “Singing is like praying twice.” We should sing the mass and rejoice to God. We should pray the whole mass not just during it. As Catholics we need to take part in mass and help other Catholics see the importance of it as well. I found this out when I went to mass this past Sunday. I was tired and I felt like I didn't participate as much as I should've, but I encourage you to, because it is a great experience.