Speaking Out

With the Lenten season beginning and promised sacrifices finalized by the last of the wavering few, I would like to propose an unusual — and perhaps challenging — Lenten promise.

Many of the people we meet influence our lives in some way. But growing up Catholic, I’ve realized that Catholic teens have a hard time finding someone they can look up to.

A few days ago, while glancing through my calendar to plan my schedule for the next few weeks, I noticed March 5: Ash Wednesday. Lent starts in mere days, and I must confess, I wasn’t pleased.

To graduate from high school in Ontario, a student must complete at least 30 academic credits (18 compulsory and 12 optional), achieve the provincial literacy requirement and perform a total of 40 volunteer hours. All this information was given to me when I started Grade 9.

There are two pieces of advice in regards to a healthy spiritual life which my confessor loves to give before bestowing absolution — pray regularly and take a little time each day to read from a piece of spiritual literature. He suggests the Bible. After hearing this, I return home with renewed zeal, eager to put this w h o l e s o m e advice into practice.

Social media is immersed in our lives. Everywhere we look, we see it used by businesses and individuals alike. It has become an important aspect of our lifestyle, which has caused us to slowly overlook its effects on our lives, even religion. It may be odd to think about how our tweets or Facebook posts can relate to our faith, but they have, in a way, affected our relationship with God.

The sound of beating drums grew louder as we eagerly approached the vibrant green, yellow and red gates of 56 Hope Rd. in Kingston, Jamaica. I, along with a group of staff and students from St. Paul Secondary School in Mississauga, gathered with local school groups, friends, families, Rastafarians and fans to celebrate the life of reggae legend Bob Marley. It was on this ground where I participated in one of the most moving world religion classes.

One summer from my childhood, I grew a potted Marian garden of marigolds and morning glories. So when I saw 33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael E. Gaitley, Marians of the Immaculate Conception, at my local Catholic bookstore, I thought of the joy planting those beautiful flowers for Our Lady brought to my childish heart.

New Year’s resolutions. Those three words are on everyone’s minds come the end of December, and even in the first few weeks of January. They are bandied about, handed around like so much Christmas fruitcake, and then, like said fruitcake, are forgotten or thrown away the moment the year actually gets going. But yet, so much angst and hand-wringing goes into the making of these resolutions.