Podcast (talkin-faith-with-catholic-sis): Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | RSS

First Segment: 8 Saints That Every Teen Should Know:

As teenagers, we all love to have friends. Sometimes it can be hard to pick friends, or sometimes the friendships just don’t work out. So here’s a thought, how about making some heavenly friends? Say what? How do you do that? Well, why not be friends with the saints? Yes, that is possible. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of saints, some that you and I don’t even know of. It can be a bit overwhelming – so tonight I want to tell you about the eight saints that every teenager should know and be friends with.
St. Thomas Aquinas  – He is the patron saint of students. He was nicknamed the “Dumb Ox” by his fellow classmates when he was in school because he struggled in his lessons. This name didn’t suit when he grew up because he became one of the Doctors of the Church and one of the smartest theologians ever. He wrote the hymn Tantum Ergo.
St. Rita of Cascia  – She is the patroness of impossible cases. No matter who you are, at one time or another, something can come along that seems impossible – you know, like there is no way that it can ever be fixed. True?
St. Maria Goretti  – She is one of my favourite saints ever. She is the patroness of purity and young girls. In this day in age, I think that there is so much promotion of an impure life, what do you think?
St. Anthony of Padua – Not just teenagers should be familiar with St. Anthony because he is the patron saint of lost things. I can’t count the amount of times that I’ve asked his intercession.
St. Dymphna  – A lot of people might not familiar with this saint, but she is one of my favourites to recommend to teenagers. She is the patroness against mental health problems. That means that if you are suffering from depression, suicidal thoughts, you should ask her intercession.
St. Jude – He is also the patron saint against impossible cases, but he is the patron saint against illness as well.
St. Padre Pio  – Oh my gosh, this saint is like a superhero. He could bi-locate, read people’s hearts, and had the stigmata. When he heard people’s confessions, he could actually tell them the sins they didn’t mention. That would be awkward, don’t you think? He is the patron saint of adolescents, and well, I just love him!
St. Therese of Lisieux – I think that every girl wanted to be St. Therese at some point in their lives, and really, I don’t see why not. She’s an awesome example to girls across the board. She is responsible for the Little Way, which basically says to use small things that you have to do in life that you don’t want to do to help others.

Second Segment: How Going to the Dentist Can Have Spiritual Benefits:

I know I’ve kept some of you in suspense this week with that title. So where am I going with this? Well, as we were talking about earlier, St. Therese believed in doing little things for the Kingdom in order to save souls. You might have sometimes heard the phrase “offer it up” thrown around. It means basically the same thing; taking your discomfort, annoyance, etc, and offering it for someone else who is in need of it. This helps the Holy Souls in Purgatory who can’t pray for themselves, and rely on our prayers to help relive them.
So what are some examples? Well, going to the dentist to get a filling is a prime example. That’s why I said it has spiritual benefits; because you are using your discomfort to help someone else, and in the case of the Holy Souls, get them to heaven faster. In return, they will pray for you eternally. <Image #9>
Some other examples include not getting the big size slurpee, turning off your phone for an hour or so, or taking your younger sibling somewhere, even if they are really little and annoying.
Kent, when we say offer it up – what are some things that you think of doing?
Do you think that is less overwhelming to do several small things for someone else instead of one huge thing?

Third Segment: How You Can Be Like Mother Mary:

The Blessed Virgin Mary is one of my biggest role models, and I think rightly so. She has so many admirable virtues, and overall is everything that a godly woman should be. What is a virtue? Do you think that this is a true statement Kent? What are some main virtues that you think a godly woman should have?
One of Mary’s virtues is obedience. She was obedient to God and His will for her and gave Him her Fiat. Now Kent, we’re on the Fiat Ministry Network, and I know we’ve talked about it before, but can you tell us what a Fiat is?
Another Marian virtue I admire is Mary’s eternal love for both her Son Jesus, and all of us. We are all her children; this happened on Good Friday when Jesus gave her to St. John to be his mother. I think it is a blessing and a comfort to be able to go to Mary as our heavenly Mother. She can petition to Christ on our behalf, and as I like to say, allows us to rest in the safety and comfort of her mantle.
While we are talking about Motherly love, Mary is also very devoted to us, just like she was to Jesus during His time on earth. She followed Him everywhere to support Him, just like our mothers show us their love for us by being there for us and supporting us. (Shout out to my mum who I know is watching.) I think that as youth we sometimes wish that we could do whatever we want and be our own boss, but we need the support and love of our parents, right? We need a cheer squad who follows us around until we are old enough to take care of ourselves and are ready to catch us if we fall.
Finally, Mary is an example of strength. She stood at the foot of the cross on Good Friday because that was her vocation; to be with her Son until the end. There are many occasions when we might need to be strong in the face of adversity and I think that asking the intercession of Mama Mary might just be the key, do you think?