This morning, Kyle began his talk by telling us about a trip that he once took to the Grand Canyon. He talked about how when he hiked to the Canyon he stood near the edge and was able to see the incredible view, without actually going into the canyon.

He then compared our faith to hiking the Grand Canyon.

“Our faith is the same way as hiking the Grand Canyon,
we want to be good Catholics but we often want to do the bare minimum.”

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When we ask our “Humans of SteubySTL” what their favorite part of Steubenville is, almost universally the response is, “Adoration on Saturday night!”

When reflecting on Adoration, I’m tempted to write, “something special happens.” But that’s not true. We can’t simplify this into a simple cliché.  It’s not something– it’s Someone.

Adoration on Saturday is never the same. As a youth minister, I’ve had numerous conversations with teens who, after a profound prayer experience, come to me disappointed when they don’t have an equally-profound, life-changing, overwhelming experience the next time in prayer. Continue reading

Tonight, before Adoration, Katie challenged each of us to respond to Jesus’ question to each of us:  “What do you want me to do for you?”

Jesus first posed that question to Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus was a blind man without a future, sitting on the side of the road, when he heard that Jesus would be passing by. He had the courage to abandon any fear of judgment and simply cried out to Jesus. He begged the Lord to come to him, to help him see. When Jesus came to Bartimaeus, He asked the blind man what he wanted.  Bartimaeus’ response was simple: “Master, I want to see.” Immediately, Jesus healed him.

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This afternoon Sean talked to us about the battle that many are facing in regards to pornography. He discussed the addicting power of pornography and the affect that it can have on our brain, and more importantly our relationships.
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In this afternoon’s breakout session on prayer, Fr. Crisman shared about God’s desire to have a personal relationship with each of us. Many today are paralyzed in prayer. Perhaps it’s our lack of trust that God really wants to – and will – communicate himself personally to us in prayer leads us to fill the time of silence with words or actions. Maybe we’re afraid of failure. Or maybe still, we feel that we have something to earn, or prove to God. All of these impede our ability to pray, but, even worse, they reveal that we really don’t know what prayer is in the first place.

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