Same-Sex Marriage

First and foremost, the Church is against homosexuality, meaning that it is also against same-sex marriage. Scripture writes describes how homosexuality is immoral. In Genesis 19, there are two angels that visit the city of Sodom, and they are invited by a man named Lot to be his guests. The men of Sodom demand that he hands his guests over so that they may take part in homosexual actions, but Lot refuses. The angels blind the men of Sodom, and the city is burned due to the sinfulness of the men. Homosexuality is unnatural, for it is not natural for a man and a man or a woman and a woman to be together in marriage. The only marriage that follows the divine and natural law is the marriage between a man and woman. In Judas 7, it is written that Sodom and Gomorrah "acted immorally and indulged in unnatural lust." Marriage is meant to be permanent, faithful, and life-giving. Although a same-sex marriage can be faithful and permanent, it cannot be life-giving, for life comes from the union between a man and a woman. And, if a same-sex couple that is married adopts a child, the child will not experience life the way it should really be experienced. He or she is lacking either a mother or a father, and that can really affect the way a child is brought up and raised. It is necessary for a child to have the input from a mother and a father, and where one of them is not present, there is a deficiency that is inerrant.

Living in Holiness

As a Catholic, I find it very important to live as Christ taught us to. Christ is the perfect model of holiness and    as he is fully divine and human. We can also look to the saints as models to help us live this life filled with holiness. But, we can be models ourselves and show others around us how to live a life according to God. Every action that is seen by others can affect them, either positively or negatively. And, by simply doing what we are supposed to be doing, we can make the world a better place. Those little good deeds that you do can really make an impression on someone who was watching you. For example, I began to pick up trash from the ground when I saw a buddy of mine doing the same thing. The way I treat people and react to certain situations also seems to have an effect on the others that see me. The way you tackle hard times in life, by finding solutions to your problems and never losing faith, really shows others how emotionally and mentally strong you are, and it can inspire them to follow your ways, which should be an imitation of Jesus' actions.

College students are often looked up to by younger people that often want to be just like them. So, the actions of college students can really have an effect on the younger generation, and hopefully you portray yourselves as positive role models. Although there may be very hard times in college, you should never lose your faith in God, for, with him, nothing is impossible. You should also treat others very nicely and kindly, making sure that you follow Christ's Commandment of Love, which states that you should love your neighbors as he has loved you. And, Christ loves you infinitely, for you are made in God's image and likeness and were given the gift of life to fulfill his will.

Track Meet

          Yesterday was the final track meet of the season for those who are not competing in districts, which includes me. It was a truly beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and there was an ever so slight breeze that felt nice and refreshing. As I waited for my event and watched the other high schoolers compete, I realized different track is in terms of the crowd. When you go to a football game, the crowd cheers for their team and is silent when the other team scores or does well. At times, the audience may even boo the other team and things can get pretty nasty. During track, everyone cheers for each and every single competitor, and there is a great sense of liveliness and joy in the crowd. For a time I was watching pole vault, and whenever someone made it over the pole (which is very difficult, especially once it gets to about 7ft high for the girls) everyone from all schools cheered. Even if you did not make it over, everyone would go to that person and tell them congratulations anyway because they tried their best and that is what matters. During the actual track running events, people cheer the entire race, and the people that get cheered at the loudest are those in first and those in last. Even if you perform poorly, you never feel like you are bad and I believe that is why so many people join track. In other sports, if you are bad you get humiliated during a game, while in track there is a great sense of commadery between all the competing high schools. Track and field is also a great way to make new friends since everyone there has a similar interest in track and there is no hostility between other schools.
          While at the final track meet of the season, I made a connection between track and the Church. There are many people who are very holy and go to Africa to help the children, establish schools in third world countries, run charity organizations, and many other things. At times, the most someone can contribute is just a couple of hours at a local Church, homeless shelter, etc. That person may not feel as good as those who go all the way to live like Christ, but they may have a family, be in college or high school, etc, and just not have the time to do so. God greatlly "cheers on" those who contribute their life to God, but just like in track, God will not "cheer you on" depending on how well you are doing, but rather how much effort you put in to what you do. If you do what you can and compete with others in the run for becoming Christlike and seeking holiness, the crowd will always cheer for you, and you may just end up making many new friends along the way.

This blog reaches out the Catholic college students struggling to maintain a strong relationship with God and the Church. At times, especially in college, there are many tempatations to sin and at times it may not seem that God is present. This blog will show how to live as "man fully alive" and how to seek holiness in all things.