We had a blast the other night (and so did some gingerbread houses!)  Lots of icing sugar and candy and creativity flying around at the Life Night: Welcome Home.  Here are a few photos of the fun we had! (You may have to go to a desktop computer to view the photos if they don’t show up below.  Sorry!)

(Photos courtesy of Derek Juneson)

Slideshow can also be viewed from here: http://www.flickr.com//photos/iclifeteen/show/with/8284205457/

We also talked about our Archdiocesan initiative: Catholics Come Home.  Have you seen the commercials on TV yet?  Yeah, you read that right: Catholic Commercials ON TV!  They are being shown during key primetime spots on Global TV, CTV, and CityTV.

Here’s the commercial we watched… This one, and a few others will be aired several times over the next few weeks.  You can find the rest of them at the Catholics Come Home Vimeo channel.

Epic Vancouver :60 English from Catholics Come Home on Vimeo.

So when you’re relaxing, watching your favourite show, news, or Christmas movie, on TV, don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation with your family about welcoming your Catholic family and friends back to the church if they’ve been away.  Remember, it might be awkward so prepare yourself by reading this article called “That Awkward Silence: Sharing Your Faith With Your Family” by Mark Hart.

Click on the link/photo below to get to the article!

http://lifeteen.com/that-awkward-silence-sharing-your-faith-with-your-family/

Let’s all work together and welcome home our Catholic family and friends in a loving and caring way. Oh yeah, and continue praying!

Prayer for Evangelization

O God, who wills that all should be saved and come to the knowledge of truth, 
pour out your Spirit upon us and grant that we may respond zealously to your urgent call to lead back to the Church those who have strayed.
Prepare their hearts and minds to be receptive to the saving Gospel of your Son.
Send us as workers to gather in your abundant harvest, so that all your people, obedient to the Word and sustained by the power of the Sacraments, may advance in the way of salvation and love.  

Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Mary, Star of Evangelization, pray for us.

Happy Feast of St.Nicholas! Check out this link and read more about this guy we call like to call “Santa”!
http://lifeteen.com/do-you-believe-in-santa-the-real-story-of-st-nicholas/

Christmas Decorations have been out since after Halloween. In some places (<ahem> Costco!) they’ve been out since July!  Whoa! Back up the “one horse open sleigh”!

Last Sunday, we talked about Hopeful Anticipation and how Advent helps us to prepare for Christmas.  With mystery gifts in hand, the anticipation grew throughout the night as no one was allowed to open their gift until the end. Advent is a waiting period where we are given the gift of time to reflect on where we’ve been in the past year and look at where we want to be in the upcoming year or so.   

To help put Advent in perspective, check out this video:

Advent in Two Minutes from Busted Halo on Vimeo.

Thank you Dylan for sharing your witness of “Hopeful Anticipation” and how you and Cristina have been preparing/waiting for the birth of your child!  (Please pray for the Dregos as they round off the last month of their pregnancy!)

Last week’s Life Night: “Fight!” was great!  If you weren’t there, you missed seeing an epic light sabre battle between Dylan and Sean and Allan in his military outfit. 

Did you know that the armor of God is on you automatically if you choose to wear it?  It doesn’t chaffe, and it isn’t cumbersome.  We talked about this armor, as described in Ephesians 6:10-17:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of TRUTH around your waist, and put on the breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the GOSPEL OF PEACE. With all of these, take the shield of FAITH, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of SALVATION, and the sword of the SPIRIT, which is the word of God.

We were reminded that we must stand firm against the very real evil that lurks in our world.  WE MUST STAND FIRM IN OUR FAITH in God and his holy angels.  in particular, we have St. Michael the Archangel to protect us and of course our very own guardian angels.  We also have our Holy Mother, Mary to help protect us and to turn to when we are in need.  Our Catholic faith has given us many “weapons” to help support us and fight against evil.  Some of those include the sacraments, the rosary, and praying.

More importantly, we turn to Jesus, who God the Father sent as His only Son, to save us.  Through His suffering and dying on the Cross, we are connected.  By His rising from the dead, he has conquered evil.  Ultimately, Jesus has already won the battle. There is no need to strike back, no need to be on the offensive. But, when faced with evil, we can take comfort in knowing that the victory has already been claimed for us by Jesus. Thus, we must continue to stand firm in the whole armor of God and defend against evil.  St. Fidelis Sigmaringen said it best:

“Woe to me if I should prove myself but a halfhearted soldier in the service of my thorn-crowned Captain.”

Here’s the video we watched (in case you missed it or want to see it again!): 

Armor of God from Life Teen on Vimeo.

 Want to read more about spiritual warfare?  Check this out:

Scripture:

• Revelation 12:7-17
• 2 Peter 5:8-11
• Psalm 91

 YouCat (Questions) 51, 54, 55, 66, 68, 289

Pray the St. Michael the Archangel Prayer!

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.  Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly prayl and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host - by the Diveine Power of God - cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits who roam throughout the world seeing the ruin of souls.  Amen.

Hey teens! The new school year is coming!  From some of you, we hear ”uugh!”, from some we hear “SQUEEEE!”, from others we hear “What?! Where did the summer go?” Whether you like it or not, it’s happening! Do you have all the supplies you need?  Do you know your class schedule? Who are your teachers? Did you get a new backpack and new clothes? Are you ready for another year of High School? More importantly, are you spiritually ready?  Here’s a reminder that spiritual preparation is just as important as physical, emotional and social preparation. 

Here’s a helpful list of ways to prepare yourself for a spiritual new school year:

• Look at your school schedule and put in time for prayer.  It doesn’t have to be a huge chunk of time, or it could be.  Purposely setting time aside with God can help remind you in your busy every day life that He is there to support you.
• You have enough to worry about with a new routine, new things to learn, new teachers, etc. Relieve yourself of the burden of sin and go to confession.  Here’s a great reconciliation video to motivate you.

I Confess from Life Teen on Vimeo.

• We all need help and what better way than to invoke our heavenly family (aka the Saints)!  Here are a couple patron saints of Students to read about: St. Gemma, St. Thomas Aquinas.  Don’t forget about your own patron saint, the one you were confirmed under or your favourite saint!  They’re all there to support you!

There are many other ways to prepare your spiritual life as you embark on a new school year.  IC Life Teen starts up again in full force this September too and we want to be part of your spiritual growth strategy!  Stay tuned for new and exciting Life Nights which can definitely help you grow closer to God throughout the school year.

The IC Life Teen Core team is praying for you!

 
So we’re off to a great start with Life Teen at IC, Delta!  We’ve had awesome turnouts with 30+ teens at every Life Night so far!  We’ve learned some things about each other and have met some new people.  The Core Team is especially excited to have made connections with the teens and have learned some interesting things about them.  For example, a few teens like building with Lego.  Others really enjoy cookies and a lot of teens already know so much about their faith, especially about the Sacraments!  There’s a lot more where that came from, so teens, we encourage you to continue coming out and bring your friends.  Don’t forget, join our Facebook group and “Like Us” and follow us on Twitter!

Oh yeah and if you’re looking for something funny to watch, check out Drag and Gary!

Drag & Gary “Special Guest” with Matt Maher [Life Teen] from Life Teen on Vimeo.

How did everyone feel about James’ Performance as Nervous Guy at Mass?  Was he really nervous or just acting?

“We have come to worship Him” (Mt. 2:2)

Hey Teens!  Happy feast of the Epiphany! Like the Magi on their journey to Bethlehem, let us all seek our Lord, Jesus Christ and follow the star that beckons us.

We’re off on a new journey in Youth Ministry at our Parish… we officially start Life Teen on January 15th, at 7pm in the Youth Room.  Come, bring your friends and enjoy an evening of “Brick Blast!”  We promise a fun time building community, meeting new friends, and learning more about our Catholic faith.

Did you know you can follow us on Twitter(@iclifeteen) and Facebook (icdeltalifeteen) too? We’re not exactly that bright shining star that shone over Bethlehem, but we can sure help point you in the right direction!  Follow us but more importantly, follow Jesus!