Yesterday we began our soul training for this Lenten season.
We discussed getting back to basics. We watched a video of Marine recruits
during their first hours of Basic Training. They didn’t have freedom, they were
stripped of their hair and personality, and they were beginning a reprograming.
To train a recruit in the military that recruit has to go back to the basics.
Even the psyche of the recruit is retrained. During Lent it is a good time to
get back to the basics of our spiritual lives and perhaps even reset ourselves.
In order to get back to the basics, we chose 24 topics to
discuss over the next few weeks using Life Teen’s “100 Things Every Catholic
Teen Should Know” as a guide. To discuss these topics, we will dig into the Scriptures
and catechism. We began our journey discussing how we take our faith seriously (“God’s
not playin’ games”), whether Christ rose from the dead (“Did Jesus really rise
from the dead?”), and the death penalty. We incorporated current events such as
seeing people fall from their faith and the recent Florida school shooting.
When it comes to being serious, being a witness is a key way
to be serious for Christ. Answering our call to love those who are hardest to
love (like the school shooter) or entering a frightening situation with courage
are powerful ways to display our seriousness for the Gospel. Regarding the
validity of the resurrection, we discovered the historic accounts outside of
Sacred Scripture about Jesus. Knowing the truth of the resurrection should embolden
us to live lives for Christ. We also discussed the death penalty and what the
Church teaches regarding state sanctioned executions. We discovered that the
Church actually teaches that it should be only used as a last resort when
protect the public is impossible. It turns out that in our society it is
possible, and so we should find ways to eliminate it.
Next week we will continue our journey through Lent as
partake in Soul Training: On the Edge. We will discuss what it means to be on
the edge by analyzing minimalism, risk taking, and near occasions of sin.
Following the training session, we will continue our catechesis by discussing
more of the topics we chose. I pray your Lenten journey continues well and that
your relationship with our Lord continues to grow.
Pax.
