my family

[cgirl4ever]

i’m only 16 so of course I still live with my famile. I enjoy being catholic. My mom is catholic and she says she loves it but she doesn’t always follow it. DOn’t get me wrong she’s great most of the times but she doesn’t seem to take it personally enough and doesn’t agree with a lot that the church teaches. My sister doesn’t really have any spirituality that much and my other sister is really into this non denominational church and my aunts and uncles don’t really do much with their church Therefore my cousins don’t know much about it. How do I let my family see mainly without words how I love it?

Thank you

 

[Mirror_Mirror]

i’m only 16 so of course I still live with my famile. I enjoy being catholic. My mom is catholic and she says she loves it but she doesn’t always follow it. DOn’t get me wrong she’s great most of the times but she doesn’t seem to take it personally enough and doesn’t agree with a lot that the church teaches. My sister doesn’t really have any spirituality that much and my other sister is really into this non denominational church and my aunts and uncles don’t really do much with their church Therefore my cousins don’t know much about it. How do I let my family see mainly without words how I love it?

Thank you

I would first of all say that I admire you for your love for the faith at age 16, that right there is a blessing. I know that I was not at that position in my life when I was 16. If you want them to see how much you love it, actions speak louder than words. It is how you live your life. If you bow your head before eating to say a prayer. If you make Church on Sunday a priority, which it is, but you are excited about going, you leave for mass early. You get involved with Church activities, youth group, volunteering, etc. You take time out of your day to go to adoration. You have a rosary visible, either in your room or in your car.

As the song says “they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” Your love for your faith can shine through you brighter than any light that you can imagine. Let you light shine. "This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine…okay sorry, too far, God bless you! Stand tall, stand proud!!

 

[Truly_Beloved]

Your love for your faith can shine through you brighter than any light that you can imagine. Let you light shine. "This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine…

I LOVE this song!! I sang it all the time to my DD when she was still in my womb.

Anyway, to the OP: I agree with Mirror. Do your best to be the best Catholic you can. Cheerfully go to Mass (I don’t like, “I have to go to Mass now,” instead I like, “I get to go to Mass now.”), try to be kind to everyone, and decorate your room with objects that reflect the love of your faith.

I enjoy wearing my Celtic crucifix along with a medal of Our Lady of Perpetual Help/St. Gerard around my neck, and I have a crucifix ring and a Trinity knot ring that I adore wearing, too. These are little reminders to me that God is with me (especially wearing the jewelry on my hands, since I can see them all the time). It’s nice knowing that whenever I think to pray, the crucifix is a built-in focal point around my neck. I don’t think anyone else notices them because I hardly ever get comments, but I wear them for my own sake. I think I’ll start wearing my crucifix again (I stopped because it was too tempting for the baby to yank on)!

 

[ltbpoe43]

God Bless you and keep you.

Agree with others here. Lead by example, deeds, and actions. Enjoy going to mass - try to go with your Mother if you can and invite your non spiritual sister as often as you can.

The Good Shepherd will watch over you and your family. Good luck.

 

[BlestOne]

Cgirl4ever,
When my kids were little I made a big deal about going to church. I showed them how happy I was and I often told them how mass is a celebration… my kids don’t give me any problems about going to mass now, in fact they get mad if I am sick and can’t go. These kids used to walk to church if I was too sick…about a mile away. Now that they are old enough they drive (20yo, 17yo, 15yo). Showing them how happy I was to go to mass has certainly paid off… I hear other parents complaining about their kids not wanting to go… mine actually don’t mind going a few times a week. I agree with the others… be the best Catholic you can be, and be happy about it…they will see it! It was a big surprise to me when I passed my dd bedroom door and heard her and her brother talking about different books in the bible!!! Blew me away!!!

 

[cgirl4ever]

thank you

I would first of all say that I admire you for your love for the faith at age 16, that right there is a blessing. I know that I was not at that position in my life when I was 16. If you want them to see how much you love it, actions speak louder than words. It is how you live your life. If you bow your head before eating to say a prayer. If you make Church on Sunday a priority, which it is, but you are excited about going, you leave for mass early. You get involved with Church activities, youth group, volunteering, etc. You take time out of your day to go to adoration. You have a rosary visible, either in your room or in your car.

As the song says “they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” Your love for your faith can shine through you brighter than any light that you can imagine. Let you light shine. "This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine…okay sorry, too far, God bless you! Stand tall, stand proud!!

 

[cgirl4ever]

that’s beautiful. I hope my kids are like that

Cgirl4ever,
When my kids were little I made a big deal about going to church. I showed them how happy I was and I often told them how mass is a celebration… my kids don’t give me any problems about going to mass now, in fact they get mad if I am sick and can’t go. These kids used to walk to church if I was too sick…about a mile away. Now that they are old enough they drive (20yo, 17yo, 15yo). Showing them how happy I was to go to mass has certainly paid off… I hear other parents complaining about their kids not wanting to go… mine actually don’t mind going a few times a week. I agree with the others… be the best Catholic you can be, and be happy about it…they will see it! It was a big surprise to me when I passed my dd bedroom door and heard her and her brother talking about different books in the bible!!! Blew me away!!!

 

[cgirl4ever]

I LOVE this song!! I sang it all the time to my DD when she was still in my womb.

Anyway, to the OP: I agree with Mirror. Do your best to be the best Catholic you can. Cheerfully go to Mass (I don’t like, “I have to go to Mass now,” instead I like, “I get to go to Mass now.”), try to be kind to everyone, and decorate your room with objects that reflect the love of your faith.

I enjoy wearing my Celtic crucifix along with a medal of Our Lady of Perpetual Help/St. Gerard around my neck, and I have a crucifix ring and a Trinity knot ring that I adore wearing, too. These are little reminders to me that God is with me (especially wearing the jewelry on my hands, since I can see them all the time). It’s nice knowing that whenever I think to pray, the crucifix is a built-in focal point around my neck. I don’t think anyone else notices them because I hardly ever get comments, but I wear them for my own sake. I think I’ll start wearing my crucifix again (I stopped because it was too tempting for the baby to yank on)!

thank you

 

[nana3]

i’m only 16 so of course I still live with my famile. I enjoy being catholic. My mom is catholic and she says she loves it but she doesn’t always follow it. DOn’t get me wrong she’s great most of the times but she doesn’t seem to take it personally enough and doesn’t agree with a lot that the church teaches. My sister doesn’t really have any spirituality that much and my other sister is really into this non denominational church and my aunts and uncles don’t really do much with their church Therefore my cousins don’t know much about it. How do I let my family see mainly without words how I love it?

Thank you

I understand. I was like you when I was your age. My sisters all made fun of me and called me “too holy” but all I did was pray the Rosary and taught them, even though I did not teach it as it is suppose to be prayed. I had just learned it at school and loved it and came home and taught them. My mother is like your mother and still is and I am 42 now. Just today I was trying to get her to understand that going to this Wednesdays’ morning Mass doesn’t take care of her All Saints Day obligation on Thursday. She did not want to go Wednesday night for her soaps are on. She made many excuses. She also doesn’t believe all the Church teaches. She sees nothing wrong with Birth control and encourages two of my non Catholic sisters to prevent having kids in this “bad world.” I worry for her and pray for her for that is all I can do, but my parents did something right for I found the Catholic Faith interesting at a young age and always said I wanted to be a nun. My dad is very humble and gave me my first Bible at 15 yrs. old.

One of the ways that I showed my faith without words at your age was by having a little area in my room where I had a statue of Mary and a candle and a crucifix. I had the normal teen idols on my walls, but that slowly went as my faith and spiritually increased. Just having that little area in my room and reading the Bible and praying the Rosary, gave me the title of “religious” among my siblings. They did not make fun of me all the time, but did at times. I didn’t mind and prayed for them. I remember a time when my older sister brought home a movie and it was to me at that young age a Rated X movie. I told my sisters to turn off the TV and tell my parents that the video store mixed up the movies. They were curious, but they listened to me and my parents took the movie back and complained. Needless to say they did not rent any more movies at that place for they did carry pornography.

I will keep you in prayer and I too think that it is great that in today’s noisy world for teens and with so many choices, not all good, that you choose to be faithful to your Catholic Faith. Trust me, you already are an example to your family without knowing it. They will look up to you and call upon you for advice, you wait and see. Keep growing in your Faith and go visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament as much as you can. You already are the Light of Jesus in your family and sometimes it will be very difficult, but remember Jesus is with you always and you are never alone. For now, all you can do is pray for your family and witness the love of Christ to them by your example. If you do need to correct, as I had to with my mother, I did it with love and respect. I still do this today, but now I can show where this or that is in the Bible or in our Catechism of our Great Church. I learn too from them and their faith and one thing I have learned along the way is that God calls us at different times and patience and perseverance will pay off.

 

[cgirl4ever]

I understand. I was like you when I was your age. My sisters all made fun of me and called me “too holy” but all I did was pray the Rosary and taught them, even though I did not teach it as it is suppose to be prayed. I had just learned it at school and loved it and came home and taught them. My mother is like your mother and still is and I am 42 now. Just today I was trying to get her to understand that going to this Wednesdays’ morning Mass doesn’t take care of her All Saints Day obligation on Thursday. She did not want to go Wednesday night for her soaps are on. She made many excuses. She also doesn’t believe all the Church teaches. She sees nothing wrong with Birth control and encourages two of my non Catholic sisters to prevent having kids in this “bad world.” I worry for her and pray for her for that is all I can do, but my parents did something right for I found the Catholic Faith interesting at a young age and always said I wanted to be a nun. My dad is very humble and gave me my first Bible at 15 yrs. old.

One of the ways that I showed my faith without words at your age was by having a little area in my room where I had a statue of Mary and a candle and a crucifix. I had the normal teen idols on my walls, but that slowly went as my faith and spiritually increased. Just having that little area in my room and reading the Bible and praying the Rosary, gave me the title of “religious” among my siblings. They did not make fun of me all the time, but did at times. I didn’t mind and prayed for them. I remember a time when my older sister brought home a movie and it was to me at that young age a Rated X movie. I told my sisters to turn off the TV and tell my parents that the video store mixed up the movies. They were curious, but they listened to me and my parents took the movie back and complained. Needless to say they did not rent any more movies at that place for they did carry pornography.

I will keep you in prayer and I too think that it is great that in today’s noisy world for teens and with so many choices, not all good, that you choose to be faithful to your Catholic Faith. Trust me, you already are an example to your family without knowing it. They will look up to you and call upon you for advice, you wait and see. Keep growing in your Faith and go visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament as much as you can. You already are the Light of Jesus in your family and sometimes it will be very difficult, but remember Jesus is with you always and you are never alone. For now, all you can do is pray for your family and witness the love of Christ to them by your example. If you do need to correct, as I had to with my mother, I did it with love and respect. I still do this today, but now I can show where this or that is in the Bible or in our Catechism of our Great Church. I learn too from them and their faith and one thing I have learned along the way is that God calls us at different times and patience and perseverance will pay off.

wow, thank you so much. Your words really mean a lot. It gets hard everyday. SOmetimes I don’t get made fun off for it I get yelled at. it’s hard for me to be as confident as you were but God bless you for it.

 

[nana3]

wow, thank you so much. Your words really mean a lot. It gets hard everyday. SOmetimes I don’t get made fun off for it I get yelled at. it’s hard for me to be as confident as you were but God bless you for it.

You are welcome. I never got yelled out though and that has to be very difficult. My parents never made fun of me, only my sisters, but it was difficult at times. I will keep you close to my prayers, especially my rosaries. I am so sorry that they do yell at you. Remember that your reward will be great in heaven for you are being persecuted for your Faith. I am it is so hard to keep your spirits up, but I am sure the Lord is giving you the graces and strength you need.

Your in my prayers.

 

[cgirl4ever]

You are welcome. I never got yelled out though and that has to be very difficult. My parents never made fun of me, only my sisters, but it was difficult at times. I will keep you close to my prayers, especially my rosaries. I am so sorry that they do yell at you. Remember that your reward will be great in heaven for you are being persecuted for your Faith. I am it is so hard to keep your spirits up, but I am sure the Lord is giving you the graces and strength you need.

Your in my prayers.

I think you probably thought I meant that they just torture me. No, sometimes they get a bit annoyed and yell but that is usually when my mom is in a bad mood and doesn’t happen that often. Thank you thogh