March ’10A Catholic Magazine for Girls

Hello, again and welcome to the March ’10 issue of Faithful!

This time around we have Saint Space: St. Dominic Savio, Ask Miss Faithful, reconciliation and of course some fun stuff. I hope you enjoy it.

I must apologise for the smallness of this issue, I’ve just not been been working on the magazine as much as I should have!

Please help me out by sending in your articles or ideas for the magazine to faithfulmagazine@googlemail.com

Anna

ContentsPage 3 - Saint Space: St. Dominic

Savio

Page 4 - Ask Miss Faithful

Page 5 - A Lenten Prayer & iPhone/iPod Touch apps

Page 6 - The Sacrament of Penance

Page 7 - Fun Stuff

Page 8 - Heaven’s Tears

Page 10 - Music

Dominic Savio was born in Italy in 1842.

Once, when he was only four years old, he disappeared for a while and his mother found him praying. When he was five he was already an altar boy.

At that time most children received their First Holy Communion at the age of twelve, but Dominic was allowed to take his aged seven as he already knew the catechism and understood the Eucharist.

At the age of twelve, Dominic entered the school run by St. John Bosco.

Everyone at the school could see that he was different from the way that he prayed. He often worried that the other boys would lose God’s grace by sinning.

One day one of the boys brought in a magazine full of bad pictures. Many of the boys crowded round to see it so Dominic went to have a look too. When he saw what it was he grabbed the magazine and tore it up.

Another time Dominic stopped a stone-throwing

fight between two older boys by stepping between them and holding up his crucifix. He told them to throw their first stone at him. The two boys were then very ashamed and promised to go to confession.

One day he began to feel ill and went home to get better. Whilst at home his condition worsened and he received the last Sacraments.

He did not fear death, but instead was overjoyed at the thought of going to Heaven.

He murmured “Goodbye’ to his father and then exclaimed with joy “I am seeing such wonderful things!”And those were his last words for he had gone to be with the Father in Heaven.

He was only 14 or 15 when he died and is the youngest non-martyr to be canonised.

Pope St. Pius X said "A teenager such as Dominic, who bravely struggled to keep his innocence from Baptism to the end of his life, really is a saint,"

Saint SpaceSt. Dominic Savio

Dear Miss Faithful,Hi, I am a 10 year old Christian... at least I think I am. I'm so confused! I think I believe in God, but than it seems so unreal because of everything people say about him... but who created the planets then? And who created God?   And whoever created God, who created him? I feel like God just doesn't want to answer my prayers.Sarah

Dear Sarah,

Don't worry, we all go through times in our lives when we are confused about our faith, just keep praying and exploring your faith. It's also important to go to Church and meet other people who can encourage you in your faith. 

People will always say bad things about God, but try to educate yourself about your faith. Find out more about what Christians believe and you will find that many of the things people might say about God are not true. Christians believe that God created the planets, or certainly made it possible for the planets to be made. God is not a created being so therefore He has no beginning and no end because he is outside of time. I know this can be really hard to understand, but God created time, just as he created the universe, so he is not limited by time and so he is eternal. 

Keep at it and keep praying. Even if it doesn't seem like God is answering your prayers at that time, he is always listening to you and you have to be ready to listen to Him. Answers may not come in the ways which you expect them to, in fact they can often come in the most unexpected ways. Also many things take time and after a while you may realise that, yes, in fact God did answer your prayer, just slowly and over time.

May God bless you,

M!s Fai"ful

Ask Miss Faithful

Catholic iPhone/iPod Touch Apps

Holy Rosary Catholic Calendar

Lord Jesus Christ, You know what it is like to be temptedFor you were tempted in the wilderness;You know how easy it is to do wrong thingsAnd much harder to do it the right way;You know, too, what it is like to be disappointed,To be misunderstood,To be let down by friends,

To be cruelly treated and put to death,Yet able to forgive those who wronged you.Please help usNot to give in when we are tempted,Not to be hurt by what others do.Forgive us if in any way we have wronged you;Help us to forgive those who wrong us;And help us to follow your example.Amen

Liturgical calendar for every year.

Feasts and celebrations according to

the General Calendar and the local

calendars of many countries.

Also, you can download the Liturgy

of the Hours and the Mass readings

for yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Price: Free!

FrEe!

A really great virtual rosary app.

It includes

Price: £0.59 / $0.99

or £1.79 / $2.99 for the Deluxe

version

Forgiveness was at the heart of Jesus’ teachings. He taught us the Lord’s prayer which says ‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.’ Jesus told many stories about forgiveness, and was often criticised for spending so much time with sinners, but he replied saying ‘those who are not sick do not need a doctor’. Jesus dies so that our sins may be forgiven.

Forgiveness is a two way process which has for stages. These four

stages are: contrition (being truly sorry); confession (admitting your sins); absolution (being forgiven); and

penance (putting things right). Forgiveness is not about letting someone off the hook, or letting them getting away with it. It is healing hurts between two people, or between you and God.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is also known as the Sacrament of Penance or Confession. It is usually celebrated in a small room. The penitent (the person making their confession) may kneel behind a screen or sit on a chair opposite the priest.

In confession the penitent confesses to God in the presence of the priest and the priest gives God’s forgiveness. For this reason confession is absolutely confidential. The priest cannot tell anyone what is said – even if a serious crime has been committed.

The Sacrament usually follows this order:

• The greeting. The priest welcomes the penitent.

• Confession of sin. The priest may also give advice to the penitent.

• A suitable penance is given. This act makes up for the sin. It is usually a prayer.

• The Act of contrition is said by the penitent

• Absolution. The prayer for forgiveness is said by the priest.

• The final blessing is then given by the priest.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is important because it is a chance to examine the way we live and to become better people. It removes sin, and also the feeling of guilt and although it can be difficult to admit to our sins, there is a sense of relief after doing so.

The Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation

Fun Stuff

R R I E G C A E J B X K

E A S T E R E S M E L J

S O S B M O T J H S F E

U P A N B S H F S E I R

R J E S U S G A T D S U

R C F A S T I N G F N S

E D R L C R M I Q K L A

C R U C I F I X I O N L

T N E L H G Y P M R T E

I O Q A U A I J Q I O M

O P I P R E P A R E F U

N J H P S X N G A P O S

LENT

EASTER

CROSS

SPRING

RESURRECTION

JESUS

JERUSALEM

TOMB

CRUCIFIXION

ASHES

PREPARE

PRAY

FASTING

A man was talking to God and he asks God, "God, since you

made everything, what is money to you?" God answered, "Well,

one million dollars to you would be one penny to me."

The man thinks and asks, "God, since you have been around

forever, what is time to you?" God replies, "Well my son, one

second to me would be one million years to you."

The man thinks some more and asks, "God, can I have a penny?"

God replies, "In a second."

Joke:

"Thank you for saving me," Ali lisped through six-year-old lips. "Jesus, I love you!"

"Ali, look-it's raining. I think Jesus is crying for joy," her mother said.

A bundle of giggles embraced Maggie Jensen and danced about the room in delight. Ali never forgot Jesus' tears of joy. She remembered Him every time it rained, and as a resident of the too-soggy Long Beach Peninsula in Washington State, she thought of Him often.

Ali's family attended church and homeschooled. They watched movies, ate dinners and celebrated birthdays. Ali grew in the knowledge of her Lord and His Word.

Rain fell steadily the day her mother sat down at the kitchen table and said, "Ali, we need to talk about something important."

"What, Mommy?" What did I do? she wondered. Her mother's tone boded no good.

"Daddy isn't coming home anymore, Ali. He loves you very much, but we aren't getting along and we feel it will be better if we stop being married."

"What?"

"You heard me, baby. Please don't make me tell you again."

Everything changed. Ali went to school and her mother went to work.

"Mom, aren't we going to church again this week?" she asked abruptly one Sunday morning ten months later.

"Baby, I'm sorry. I know you love church, but the people there think I'm bad because Dad and I got divorced. They don't understand."

"Me either."

"I know. I wish I could help you. I don't completely understand myself."

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, Ali."

Ali went outside. The cold, misty winter rain chilled her, but she looked up at the grey sky and prayed, "Dear God, please help me and Mom. We miss Daddy. I miss church" A warm feeling welled up inside her. She knew God had heard her prayer. "Thank you, Jesus! You will bring my Daddy home. We'll be like we were before, I just know it." Ali hugged a pine tree and danced around the yard in the mist.

Heaven’s TearsBy Debbie O’Connor

She grew wiser in the ways of the world. Frequently alone while her mother worked, Ali spent hours watching soaps, reading romances, and gossiping on the phone with girlfriends. Junior high brought kissing parties and slam books.

"What's your perfect guy/girl like?" the question read. Ali scribbled her fondest dream. "A handsome, dark-haired, blue-eyed guy who will love me forever."

"Oooh, I'll take one of those, too," Stacey laughed, as she read Ali's response. "Hey, Josh," she shouted across the cafeteria, "You're perfect for Ali! Will you love her forever?"

"Shut up, Stacey!" Ali cried, grabbing the book. She ran, red-faced from the room. Ali had nursed a semi-secret crush on Josh for six months.

Ali met Jeff when she was seventeen and his family transferred in from California. His blond hair, green eyes and broad smile did something strange to her gut. They became friends-then more. It rained the night Ali gave Jeff her virginity in the cab of his pickup on a secluded beach. The stick shift dug into her back and Jeff's partial beard burned her skin. She cried with Jesus as she dressed, knowing she would never be the same.

Jeff dropped Ali quickly. He went through the girls of her class the way she went through tissues crying over him. One grey, empty day Ali decided to visit her old church.

The foyer smelled the same. Sweet memories cascaded through her mind as hope surged in her heart. She didn't know what she expected, but she felt her heart might pound through her chest.

A new pastor looked at the small congregation with the love of Christ in his eyes. His voice was choked with passion, "It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done-Jesus died for you. His blood can make you clean, as if you had never sinned. God longs to save you. He'll love you forever. All you have to do is believe."

Tears of joy rained down Ali's face as rain drummed against the windowpanes.

Debbie O'Connor lives just north of New Orleans with her husband, Jim, and their two children. Jesus has been her savior for 18 years. Contact Debbie at debjimo@bellsouth.net.

Copyright 2008 Debbie O'Connor

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

Music

Vicky BeechingVicky Beeching started writing songs aged just 14! She has a new Album Eternity Invades (pictured above) coming out on April 6th. She already has several albums out including Yesterday, Today & Forever and Painting The Invisible.

www.vickybeeching.com

Matt MaherI am a huge fan of Matt Maher’s music. I love both of his most recent albums. Empty and Beautiful came out in April 2008 and Alive Again came out just last year in September.

www.mattmahermusic.com