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Discover the mystery of the resurrection.

“Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, insincerity, envy, and all slander; like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk so that through it you may grow into salvation, for you have tasted that the Lord is good. Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it says in scripture: “Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a cornerstone, chosen and precious, and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame.” Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone that will make people stumble, and a rock that will make them fall.” They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny. But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were “no people” but now you are God’s people; you “had not received mercy” but now you have received mercy. Christian Examples.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭10‬ ‭NABRE‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/463/1pe.2.1-10.NABRE

The Church is not only a building but a place of worship. A place to worship together, a place the community supports each other. This day and age other forces will try to push us away from a church by replacing it with materialistic values. Television could persuade you to want a purse more than God. I tell you this, the one that is pushes us away from church is not holy! The Church has been around approximately 2000 years. A lot of living has happened in a church, for example celebrating Christmas or Easter Sunday but it's not just for celebrating, it's also a place to go when there is a lot suffering going on in our lives. We all go through things but the ones who seeks the church comes out the strongest. The church will always know better how to heal a broken heart because the church has been healing hearts for approximately 2000 years. We have so much support in a church; The father son and holy spirit, Virgin Mary, and every saint who suffered through their own ordeals. A candle is always lit in a church so we could heal together.

Embarking on a road trip in search of faith can lead us in numerous directions toward the unknown. The future remains uncertain; it is a mystery of faith. At times, faith resembles a roller coaster with twists and turns, making it difficult to tell if we're going in the right direction. I have to admit, occasionally it feels like a wrong turn, but when in doubt, keep trusting your faith. Even though it feels like a wrong turn, it does not necessarily mean it's wrong. It could be your preparation for something bigger or searching for your faith, but sometimes it could be evil trying to convince us to go the wrong way. Not all bad things remain bad; if we trust in our faith, God could always embrace us by making it good. We just need to believe and trust in God; we are His children.

I love celebrating holidays because I love to be festive. Our usual holidays are fun, but the Catholic holidays are even better. Of course, there is still Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, but the Catholic faith has its own set of holidays. For example, saints, and every saint has something different to offer us depending on occupation or hobbies. Every saint is special in their own way, meaning we have many different saints like St. Valentine, the saint of love. Before Christmas is Advent; it's the preparation for Baby Jesus. And before the birth of Jesus, we celebrate our beautiful Virgin Mary. After Christmas, we celebrate Mardi Gras, which comes before Lent. In between Christmas and Easter is the preparation for Lent before Jesus is resurrected, and on Easter, he is resurrected, giving us a new covenant, the forgiveness of sins. It's never a dull moment in church because we are always preparing for the next chance to deepen our faith. Maybe next year our faith will be even deeper than the last.

Our body is God’s temple, and we do God’s work. We are the pencil, and God is the writer. It’s important to know why the temple works for our creator, and in return, God will give us goodness and happiness. As tools, we can do amazing things like give to the poor. It could be that God loves us so much He wants us to love each other.

Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy. 1Corinthians3:16-17

In moments when clarity is elusive and understanding appears to be beyond our grasp, cultivating a profound trust in divine wisdom serves as an invaluable foundation. It is during these periods of uncertainty that our faith is most called upon to guide us.

““No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Dependence on God.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭24‬ ‭NABRE‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/463/mat.6.24.NABRE

““You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬-‭16‬ ‭NABRE‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/463/mat.5.13-16.NABRE

Occasionally, it's very difficult to follow faith because there is so much temptation in this world. Society has developed into something more complex. A simple, plain picture does not cut it anymore. We live in a world that is more evil than heavenly, where our material things have value. There was a time when material objects were just material objects—something functional that provided comfort at home. They weren't fancy or decorated with rhinestones; they were simple yet elegant. These materials had functions that could last a long time. Currently, we live in a society where buying cheap is considered the best way. This style requires us to always have new things because a used-up accessory must be replaced in order to buy something new. This kind of cheap shopping allows our materialism to value what we are worth by how much we buy. Having a new car should not be more important than having a reliable car. We have lost all ability to connect with the real world, the ability to allow our toes to touch the dirt. We have drifted so far that safety is more important than love. When a kid scrapes a knee, it's not kissing it to make it better; it's bringing out the band-aid. Our ability to interact with love is almost gone.

Job Being Tormented by Satan, 1562, Marten van Heemskerck The narrative of Job is a lesson about life. It's a story about the struggle of a blameless man. Job possessed all the wealth in the land and had great fear of God. He was consistently righteous and good. his circumstances drastically shifted when he lost everything and endured significant suffering. Despite his plight, he was unable to comprehend any wrongdoing on his part or the reasons for his suffering. "In the land of Uz there was a blameless and upright man named job, who feared God and avoided evil. Seven sons and three daughters were born to him; and he had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred she-donkeys, and a very large household, so that he was greater than anyone in the East. His sons used to take turns giving feasts, sending invitations to their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when each feast had run its course, Job would send for them and sanctify them, rising early and offering sacrifices for every one of them. For Job said, "It may be that my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Job did this habitually." Job 1 Suffering is an inevitable aspect of life, not restricted to any individual. Satan is perpetually seeking his next target. It could happen to anyone and for no reason at all. No one can escape the torturous effects of Satan's suffering. We all make decisions and ultimately may be misguided. None of us are impervious; we are all fallible. Suffering is not exclusive to the less fortunate; it affects everyone. However, suffering can serve as an opportunity to resist sin in its pervasive presence. Sin does not follow a straightforward path; it is the result of Satan's relentless temptations. Temptation is also very hard to avoid because of all the things around us: the television, cell phones, tablets, society, culture, music, stores. It's extremely tempting but not impossible. Since suffering is an inevitable part of life, it is essential for us to learn how to manage it effectively. Depending on your point of view, it may not be a bad thing. It could provide an opportunity to gain deeper insights into wisdom and strengthen our connection with God. It is important to learn about different events that may peek into our lives. For instance, prioritizing God should always be first, and we should exercise caution in our use of cell phones. Interestingly, the size of a cell phone is comparable to that of the Golden Calf. By comprehending the suffering associated with our salvation and that of others, we become wiser and more adept at making informed decisions, empowering us to overcome evil. Each time we overcome evil, we draw nearer to God. Through suffering, we gain wisdom, which instructs us in combating evil. This is crucial, as Satan constantly seeks new targets. Any form of temptation has the potential to lead us into sin. Therefore, enduring suffering is essential for learning how to strengthen our relationship with God.