How to be a Good Catholic Teenager in Today’s World

At the end of Mass in my church, my priest always ends the Mass with the words,
“Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord”. But, I ask myself, as a Catholic teenager
who’s stereotypically destined to rebel against my parents while suffering from
depression as a try and gain my independence and place in this world, “How can I
live this command in my everyday life”

Well, in this coursework, I aim to discuss the many different aspects of life that we,
as teenagers can contribute to in what we perceive as small ways, but in actual fact,
makes a big difference in our lives and the lives of those surrounding us.
I will also compare how we can act today to examples or rules given to us in the
Bible and other religious teachings.

As stated above, as teenagers we naturally rebel with our parents and other figures
of authority, but we also ask them for help at times. Our parents love us but
sometimes we take them for granted or mistreat them, making them feel worse about
themselves and us.
One of the Ten Commandments, the fourth one for us Catholics, says that we must,
“honour our father and mother”. There are many ways we can go about this.

We could show our love for our parents by spending more time with them, even if it’s
just bringing the laptop downstairs to do your homework rather than staying holed up
in your room. Although, of course, the more time you attempt to spend with your
family, the better and you should even be able to reduce the amount of arguing you
do with your parents and siblings if you interact with them more and better.

Mistakes and has accidents seem to become more and more apparent and
important as we age, since we feel that we shouldn’t be making these mistakes at
our age. But don’t fret, everyone makes mistakes and if we clean up after ourselves
and contribute to keeping the house a tidy and respectable place, our parents will
see that what we did was an accident (and not on purpose) and they will find it easier
to forgive and forget.

As a child, Jesus was a well-behaved and loyal boy to his parents. He sometimes
made his parents angry, scared and upset, just as he was at times and how we and
our parents still are today.
Although not techniqually a teenager, when Jesus was twelve, he and his parents
went to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. However, after the feast was over and
Mary and Joseph set off back home, they didn’t realise that Jesus wasn’t with them
until much later on in the journey.
They returned to Jerusalem, looking everywhere for Jesus, finally finding him in a
temple, discussing scripture with the men there.
This shows us that although we are not perfect, neither was Jesus. But, as long as
we try our best, we can’t really go wrong.

It is in school that we are educated and our education takes up a greater part of our
childhood and teen years. It is also usually the place that we make and meet up with
most of our friends. But, for us in Catholic schools, it is one of the few places that a

By Thomas Neville. 10A1/ AR

group of Catholics come together and there are many ways in our school of
spreading God’s love for us.

For instance, when the class pray together at the beginning of each lesson, we
should also recite the prayer when possible and give the appropriate response if the
opportunity should arise. The same goes for when we attend our weekly assemblies;
we should pray and sing together. If possible, we should also try and take a more
active part like reading or coming up with ideas for the assembly.
If there is an occasion like a Mass or Confession when a Priest comes to the school,
we should also make an effort to take part in these occasions.

As students of the school, we should respect our teachers, completing their

assignments and by showing enthusiasm for their subject, and fellow pupils, offering
friendship and support as much as possible.
In the Bible, Jesus taught us that, “when two or three people are gathered in my
name, I am with them also”. We show this when we have assemblies and we also
light a candle to remind us that Jesus is the light of the world and that he is with us,
even in the darkest times.

In the book of Exodus, God gave to Moses a set of commandments to live life by.
Jesus once condensed these commandments into two rules, saying:
‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with
all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it:
“You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all
the law and the prophets.’

Following this, we can help our relationships with others grow and prosper. Ways we
can go about doing this is by being kind, patient, respectful, loving and caring to
everyone that we meet.
And if someone does end up doing or saying something that upsets us, instead of
being angry with them and losing our temper, we can just forgive what they’ve done
and start afresh.

For example, if there is a new person that has entered your school, instead of
ignoring them or not helping them out, you could befriend them and show them
around the school.
Or, if you are waiting for a friend to return a pen they borrowed off you, instead of
lashing out at them, tell them you’ll give them more time since there’s no rush.
And if a friend starts telling other people your secrets, instead of “exiling” them,
forgive them and ask them not to do it again as they mis-used the trust you had in
them.

Teenagers can help in the wider world by donating money and other belongings to
charities, taking part in sponsored events and giving parcels of food and other
necessities to the elderly and others in need.
Jesus taught us to “feed the hungry and clothe the naked” when he told us the
“Parable of the Sheep and Goats”. We do this when we give to charities like CAFOD.

As teenagers, most of us become lazy when dealing with some of the smaller things
in the world. An example of this might be when we are dealing with the environment

By Thomas Neville. 10A1/ AR

as most of us might believe that it is up to our parents and other adults to keep the
world a clean and tidy planet.
However, after God has given us the gift of life and the planet Earth itself, we should
all do our part to respect and care for the Earth and its needs.

As teenagers, we can help do our part by keeping the world clean by trying to reduce
harmful substances like greenhouse gases and by not dropping litter.
If we try and recycle the materials that we use, we can reduce the materials that we
take from the earth, like trees for example. We could also try and use renewable
energy sources like hydro-electricity and wind power in the place of energy sources
like gases and nuclear power, which cause a great deal of harm to the planet and us.

Although people say that even if only one of us does the things above, the planet
and its condition will get better, you still need to get everyone else in on the “Green
Plan”. To do this, many people attend (and protest at) protests against using harmful
gases and not recycling. Whereas other people sign petitions that are sent to
Governments or companies to show that a great deal of people want a certain thing,
normally pressuring the receiver to accept the petitioner’s “demands”. Even the small
petitions/ groups you join on websites like Facebook can make a difference if enough
people add themselves to the group.

As with our schools, one of (If not the) biggest and best meeting places for Catholics
(Especially teenagers and other children) is the church, where most Catholics go on
the weekend (Traditionally Sunday) to receive the body and blood of Jesus and to
listen to the Priest teach us about Jesus’ life, even helping us by putting the Gospel
into a modern viewpoint.

Being teenagers, we are considered the “young people of the church” and, as so,
there are many different events and jobs we can take part in while at the church.
We could join the choir or musicians, or both of course and lead the rest of the
church in our faith by setting a speed, voice and beat for us all to sing by.
Also, you could take part in the Mass by becoming an altar server, the people who
help out the Priest on the altar during the Mass, holding the Bible for him, ringing the
bells, moving the chalices around and leading the church in procession at the
beginning and end of the Mass.

In my church at least, there are also many other jobs you could help out with
including hedge cutting, flower arranging and helping out at the stalls in events such
as Brick-a-Brac sales.
If your church has one, like ours used to, you could also attend a Youth Group in
which you will discuss the Bible (Both the Old and New Testaments), God, Jesus and
His teachings. You will also be able to take part in helping out in special Masses (For
instance, an animal Mass on St. Francis’ day), visiting the Old People’s Homes and
bag packing at supermarkets and much, much more.... All while having fun in the
group and you can go on trips to the parks, theatres and cinemas together.

However, perhaps the best way you can live out the Priest’s final command is in your
relationship with God and the Holy Trinity. When we make mistakes or do something
wrong or bad, God is always there to forgive us while Jesus can show us the way

By Thomas Neville. 10A1/ AR

when we are scared or confused about something like exams, and the Holy Spirit
gives us the strength and judgement to do what is best, good and right.

We talk to God through our prayers and Hymns, which we say and sing in places
such as the church and school. However, praying to God isn’t restricted to any
particular places, you can pray anywhere if you feel you want to.
We pray to God to ask for help with something, if we want him to forgive us for
something or if we want to pray for someone else, usually on their behalf because
they can’t or won’t pray themselves.

There are many times in the Bible that reference Jesus praying. He prayed to God
for the same reasons as us, he was also scared at times.
For instance, Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before being captured by
the Romans as he was scared of what would happen to him when he was captured
and looked to His father for support. Later on, Jesus also prayed on the cross,
asking God to forgive the Romans and Jews who were responsible for his crucifixion,
saying, “Father, forgive them for they know what they do”.

One time, after Jesus finished praying, his disciples asked Him to teach them how to
pray. In response to this, Jesus taught the disciples the Lord’s Prayer (or Our
Father), teaching us a set way of praying and the most important considerations in
approaching God, his honour, glory and will.
We also know that Jesus cared deeply for his Father’s home, the temple, as he once
lost his temper with traders who had set up shop at the Temple. Jesus was disgusted
that they were using holy ground to take money from the poor and so drove the
traders out, overturning their tables and scattering their coins.

If all of us that read this coursework follow the guidelines within, I believe that we can
make this world a better place and bring us all together in peace.
I believe that, as with most things, if one person tells two friends something, those
two friends can, and hopefully with this, tell another two of their friends and so on,
meaning that soon, this guide will spread and we’ll all end up much happier with
each other.

By Thomas Neville. 10A1/ AR