A Non-Catholic's Perspective on Confession

Why do I need to confess my sins to a priest when I can just confess them to God? -- This has been a commonly asked question by non-Catholics since Reconciliation has been incorporated into the world. Yes, it is a beautiful thing when you confess your sins truthfully to God in remorse and ambition to do better, but what a sinner needs is the presence of a priest to guide them and convert God's calling to something that is easily understood. During confession, a priest acts almost as an escort to the Truth of God. There are many benefits when confessing to a priest rather than just on your own. These benefits consist of: a priest fully absolves you of your sins in the name of the Lord if you are truly sorry and want to be cleansed, a priest hears you out and is someone you can vent to and ask for guidance, a priest gives you penance to really make up for your sins, and a priest is open to anything, literally anything, if you are sorry from the heart. He will not judge, think down upon you, or scorn you for your wrong doings. Instead, a priest brings you closer to God than you ever will be on your own.

Theology in Schools

Today I feel the need to touch on Religion in schools. Religion should be taught world wide so that the American youth can grow in their faith, and have a strong theological foundation incorporated in their lives. It is truly a shame that public schools outlaw such teachings, because that is just denying the works and teachings of God to the students. That is why attending Strake Jesuit is such a blessing. God is entrusted into our lives so thoroughly that we are capable of experiencing knew things to grow in our faith. Theology should also be taught world wide because though it can be a very complex and in depth subject, it is actually quite simple. Despite the memorization of facts in theological history such as dates or people, Theology is actually just a subject of simple common sense. That is why it is so easy for everyone to learn, but to truly dedicate ones life and follow in the footsteps of Jesus is a big step in the lives of Catholics. Anyone can learn Theology, but it is what you do with it and how you use it in your own life that defines you as a Catholic and follower of Christ.

Early Church Mass

     Mass in the early Church was very important to the early Christians, and Catholics. In the early church, these Christians gathered every Sunday, and celebrated Jesus Christ. The main activity that they performed was the breaking of the bread. However, they also performed 7 common acts during the mass. These consisted of readings from scripture, a homily, prayers of the faithful, an offertory, a Eucharistic prayer, and receiving the Eucharist. These are very common to the mass today. This is a great example of how the Church has stayed consistent with its beliefs, which has led to such a strong foundation for our faith. As members of the Catholic Church we need to remain holy by participating in each of these acts during mass. All of these facts are from St. Justin the Martyr, they have been passed on through scripture. Most of his scripture has been lost, but this was found. From the early church, through today, mass has been a very focal point of the Catholic faith, and will remain to be in the future.

Ronald Davis

Ronald Davis is a homeless man that says he has been trying to get a job for his whole life. However, when he goes to his interview he does not look presentable because he does not have the right clothes, so he looks bad. Also, he doesnt own a phone so he cant receive the calls from the company to see if he got the job. The thing that made him really sad is when people call him a bum. He said in the interview that he gets called a bum frequently, and he is really saddened by that. As members of the Catholic Church, it is our call to help others. We need to give more of an effort to help homeless people by giving them food, or money. It is probably better to get them food because if you give them money, you dont know exactly what they are going to buy with it. For example, in this interview, the homeless man is smoking a cigarette. So part of the money he got begging, he spent some of it on cigarettes instead of food, or needs. That is why I believe the teens in the catholic church should take this call of holiness and participate more in food drives, go to the food bank, or directly give homeless people food, or things they need.