Someone Else's Story - "I Will Wait for You"

"I Will Wait for You"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igCj3jsbcqs 

So it seemed that it was cool

For everyone to be in a relationship but me

So I took matters into my own hands

And ended up with him.

Him who displayed the characteristics

Of a cheater, a liar, an abuser and a thief.

So why was I surprised when he broke into my heart?

I called 911, but I was cardiac arrested for aiding and abetting

‘Cause it was me who let him in. 

Claiming we were “just friends.”

It was already decided from me by the first date that even if he wasn’t,

I was gonna make him “the One.”

You know, I was tired of being alone

And I simply made up in my mind

That it was about that time

 So I decided to drag him along for the ride

‘Cause I was always the bridesmaid but never the bride.

A virgin in the physical,

But mentally just a grown woman on the corner in heat

Who was tired of the wait.

So I was gonna make him the one.

He had a form of godliness, but not much.

But, but hey!  Hey!  I can change him!

So I’ll take him!

I mean he’s close.  Enough.

Ready to sell my aorta for a quarter

Not knowing the value its use to me.

Arteries so clogged with my will

It blocked His will from flowing through me.

So I thank Christ that His blood pressure

Gave this heart an attack that

Flat lined my obscured vision

Put me flat on my back

Through my ignorance He saw

So through my sternum He sawed

And cracked open my chest

To transplant Psalms 51:10.

A new heart, and a renewed right spirit within

So now I fully understand,

Better yet I thoroughly comprehend how much I need to wait.

For you.

See, the bad thing is that I knew he wasn’t you from the beginning.

Because in the beginning was the Word

And he didn’t even shine or sound like Your Son.

Out of the abundance of the heart

The mouth speaks and all he could whisper was

Sweet.

Empty.

Nothings.

Which meant nothing.

He couldn’t even pray when I needed him to,

Asking him to fast would be absurd

So forget about being cleansed and washed with water through the Word.

But I know you.

You’re already praying for me.

Even never having met me, let me assure you,

I will wait.

For you.

I will no longer date, socialize or communicate with carbon copies of you

To appease my boredom

Or to quench my thirsty desire for attention of short-lived compliments from sorta/kindas.

You know, he’s sorta/kinda right but sorta/kinda wrong.

His first name Luke, his last name Wong.

I won’t settle for false companionship.

I won’t lay in the embrace of his arms,

Attempting to find some closeness

But never feeling so far apart, ‘cause,

“I just want to be held.”

‘Cause all I gotta do is say,

“No!”

No more almost sessions of almost coming close,

Passing winks and buying drinks and

Imma, Imma, Imma flirt.

Who flirts with the ideology of

“Can you just tell me how much I can get away with and still be saved?”

No more.

I will stay in my bed.

Alone.

And write poems.

About how I will wait for you.

He won’t even come close.

Our fingers won’t even interlock

We won’t even exchange breathes, ‘cause

I have thoughts that I have “Saved as”

In a file that God has only equipped you to open.

I will no longer get weighted down from

So called friends and family talks

About the concerns for my biological clock

When I serve the author of time.

Who is not subject to time,

But I am subject to Him.

He has the ability to stop, fast forward,

Or pause or rewind

At any given time

So if we could role play,

You would be Abraham and I would be Sarah.

Or you could be Isaac and I could be Rebekah,

A servant’s answered prayer.

I am bone of your bone.

Flesh of your flesh.

Made up of your rib, Adam.

And once we meet,

Like electrons, I will be bound to your nucleus,

Completely indivisible,

Atom.

We even speak the same math

1 + 1 + 1 = 3,

But really equals 1 if you add ‘em.

We were all created in His image.

But you have the ability to reflect, project, and even detect the Son.

If I were to explain what you looked like,

You would have to look like a star.

A son of the Son.

I would gain energy simply from the light that you shine on me.

I would need you in order to complete my photosynthesis.

I await your revelation

But once again from the Genesis,

I will wait for you.

And I will know you.

Because when you speak

I will be reminded of Solomon’s wisdom,

Your ability to lead will remind me of Moses.

Your faith will remind me of Abraham.

Your confidence in God’s word will remind me of Daniel.

Your inspiration will remind me of Paul.

Your heart for God will remind me of David.

Your attention to detail will remind me of Noah.

Your integrity will remind me of Joseph.

And your ability to abandon your own will, will remind me of the disciples.

But your ability to love unconditionally and selflessly will remind me of Christ.

But I won’t need to identify you by any special Matthew’s or any special Mark’s.

‘Cause His Word will be tatted all over your heart.

And you will know me,

And you will find me,

Where the boldness of Esther meets

The warm, closeness of Ruth

With the hospitality of Lydia,

As aligned with the submission of Mary

Which is engulfed in the tears of a praying Hannah.

I will be the one,

Drenched in Proverbs 31.

Waiting for you.

But to my Father,

My Father who has known me before I was birthed into this Earth,

Only if You should see fit.

I desire Your will above mine,

So even if You call me to a life of singleness,

My heart is content with You,

The One who is,

And You are the greatest love story ever told.

The greatest love ever known.

You are forever my judge and I am forever your witness.

And I pray that I am always found on a mission about my Father’s business.

I will always be Yours.

And I will always wait for You, Lord.

More than the watchmen wait for the morning.

More than the watchmen wait for the morning,
I will wait.

Reflecting on Today's Readings

January 4, 2013

This Week's Readings

The Epiphany of the Lord

Reading 1: Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm: Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
Reading 2: Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6
Gospel:  Mt 2:1-12

I am always surprised at the fact that the Church never does fail, and it is obvious in this weekend's readings how that is true.  Epiphany Sunday is a perfect way to start the New Year, especially this year!

We ended last year with heavy hearts.  There was a lot of violence in the world.  A lot of evil was unleashed.  As we begin this new year, there are a lot of mixed emotions.  Will it ever get better?  Is this year going to be the same as last year?  Or worse?  What will 2013 bring exactly?  It would be so easy to let these thoughts and feelings take over our lives.  To give in to despair is all too easy these days.


One thing that I have learned in my life is to never assume that you have hit "rock bottom."  Don't ever assume that you're at the lowest you can go, because I promise you can go lower.  It's not over until it's over.  But we know that when it's over, it's good.  Because it's Heaven.  That's our goal.  Surprisingly (or not surprisingly) that's Jesus' goal, too!  That's why He came here!

I think that a lot of Catholics get discouraged these days, when they see the influences that are on the children of this world.  The kids who attend public schools aren't allowed to pray, and are often blatantly taught anti-Christian (and anti-Catholic specifically) teachings.  Whether or not that is true is not for me to say.  I am, after all, not a teacher, nor a student, nor a parent of a student.  I have no idea what goes on in those schools.  However, I can tell you what my experience of the world has been, and it's that the media not only portrays, but actively celebrates immoral behavior.  Virginity is a vice and sexual immorality is a virtue.  Drugs are accepted, and drug laws pass with flying colors.  Doctors have become addicted to prescribing birth control.  Rather than looking at the root medical problem, birth control is being pushed on women by lazy doctors who claim that they "need" it for medical reasons.  To many doctors, religion is no excuse to not be on the pill, or some other contraception.  To them, there is no excuse.  It is being paid for by those who believe it is evil.  Abortion is now being celebrated.  All of these things go directly against the Catholic Church, and all of these things are becoming more and more "normal" as time continues.  And yet, Catholicism lives.  Why?

Today's readings shed some light onto that topic.  There isn't a lot of information given about these Wisemen.  I have heard that they were astronomers, and that's pretty much all that I know.  But who was it that sent them to Jesus?  It was the very one who was trying to stop Jesus; it was Herod.

This passage gives me great hope.  It is proof that no matter how bad things in the world get, no matter how ugly our media, politics, schools, etc, become, they can try to stop Jesus, but in the end, they may just be driving us closer towards Him!  What great hope this gives me!

I remember times in my life when someone told me that I couldn't do something.  I had a friend, once, in college, who told me that I would never go to my 7:00 am classes because it was so early (and I had to get up extremely early to catch the bus to get to the class that was rather far away).  Simply because she said that I couldn't do it, I did do it to prove her wrong.

When something is denied me, it is my instinct to go after that thing even more.  And when my faith is being tested, when someone tries to prevent me from praying, or speaking about my faith, or change my views on my faith, I am stubborn enough to seek those things even more.  The schools can try to keep prayer out of them, the government and it's politicians can work to oppress the faith, but in the end, they, like Herod, will only achieve the opposite.  They will solidify the views of the faithful, strengthen them (as they give them the resistance they wouldn't have otherwise had), and, ultimately, the Church and it's loyal followers will survive.

"Lord, every nation on Earth will adore You," says this week's Psalm.  I believe that will be true.

"Of the Week's"

My Dog and My God

This week I decided to re-arrange my bedroom.  My bed was over one of the vents in my room, and I have never liked that.  Because of this, my room was usually much colder than necessary, and I was always irrationally afraid that my bed would catch fire (I said it was irrational!).  My dog could not figure out what I was doing, but what's worse is that he could not figure out what I had done afterwards.  The first night after I moved my furniture, he sat up and stared at everything for what seemed like hours.  To tell you the truth, it was quite frustrating.  I realized, though, that sometimes God does the same thing to us.  He rearranges our lives in even the tiniest ways, but for important reasons.  Change is scary and frustrating.  But God is good.  Trusting in God is always best.  It saves a lot of stress in the long run!

Bible Verse of the Week 

I did what I rather hate in order to pick this week's Bible verse:  Bible Roulette.  To be honest, I don't really recommend it.  But I did it anyway.  I really liked this verse, not just because it uses the word "stouthearted," which made me feel kind of like a hobbit (it just seems like a word they'd use), but because of the great joy and faith that is in this verse.  I believe I shall enjoy the Lord's goodness in the land of the living!  Yes!  What a hopeful message!

Psalm 28:11-14 – "Lord, show me your way; lead me on a level path because of my enemies.  Do not abandon me to the will of my foes; malicious and lying witnesses have risen against me.  But I believe I shall enjoy the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the Lord!"

Saint Quote of the Week:   

Saint Francis of Assisi is amazing.  He's definitely one of my favorites.  This felt like such a good message, considering we just celebrated the New Year.  What Saint Francis left out was the part about sticking to it!  You want to become a great Saint like Saint Francis?  Don't stop doing this great advice!

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible” – Saint Francis of Assisi

Prayer of the Week:  

My prayer for the week is one that I have decided to be my prayer for the whole year!  It's a challenging prayer, to say the least!  But I think that 2013 could be a great year of growing in my faith because of this prayer!  I encourage all of you to do the same!

Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will.  Whatever you may do, I thank you:  I am ready for all, I accept all.  Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures.  I wish no more than this, O Lord.  Into your hands I commend my soul; I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands, without reserve, and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father.  Amen.”

Video of the Week:  

I saw this movie recently and even though it disappointed me in many ways, I thought that this commentary was very appropriate!  If you have seen this movie, listen to what Father Robert Barron has to say about it's Catholicity!  If you haven't seen it, I suggest you do, simply because of the amazing Catholic themes presented in it.  

Father Robert Barron comments on the movie "The Hobbit."  Careful, though!  There are spoilers!

"Evil is always trying to implant itself in the world.  And your job is to battle it....Very often people think you battle it through power, when in fact...the best way to battle it is through simple acts of love and kindness."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJH9VOmXRG4

I Have a Revelation!

I was using a workout video recently, when the man who was hosting the video made a comment that struck me in a peculiar way.  He was commenting on the importance of doing the exercises you don’t particularly enjoy doing, and why it’s important that you do them anyway.  He claims that if you want to change your body, you can’t just do the exercises that feel good.  You have to work hard at the ones you don’t enjoy, because then you will become strong at that thing, and you will then enjoy it more.  If you want to change your body, you have to do the exercises that are difficult for you to do.  All I have to say is that it always amazes me how working out our body and working out your spiritual life parallel each other.  This truth pertains not just to the body, but to the soul. 

My experience of scripture reading has been this:  I read the stuff I enjoy.  Personally, I enjoy reading the Book of Genesis.  I understand it.  I have read it many times.  It’s actually fun for me to read because there is so much depth.  When I notice something new, I get excited!  And I’m always discovering something new in Genesis!  I also love the Gospel of Matthew, again, because it’s easy for me.  However, one book that I have avoided like the plague is the Book of Revelation.  Every time I have ever picked it up, I have wanted to throw it away after only a few passages, exclaiming, “I’ll never get it!  What’s the point?”  Well, the point is that if you want to change your soul, you have to do the workouts that are difficult, maybe even painful, to see change.  And, I’m promised, and I believe, that the difficult work will become easy, and even enjoyable, after a time.  Therefore, it is with prayer, the Holy Spirit, and my Catechism that I embark on the journey to not only read, but to understand, the Book of Revelation.

Let’s begin this journey in prayer, shall we? 

Holy Spirit, guide my heart, my mind, and my attention, on your Sacred Scripture.  Help me, please, to understand what important messages you want me to understand.  Help me to see how good this book of Scripture is, and how enjoyable it can be, if that enjoyment leads me to find joy in You.  Thank You!  Amen!

I Love Being a Youth Minister!

January 1, 2013
"On the Edge"

Youth Ministers are often misunderstood!  We are thought to be the “fun” staff members.  People think that all we ever do is play.  And, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my job!  One of the many reasons (although not the most important reason) why I love my job is because I get to have fun and play!  But that’s a very small part of what it is that I love about my job! 

I love the difficult things about my job, too.  That sounds strange, but it’s the truth.  Having difficult conversations with people about their struggles often challenges me, and in a good way.  When I am giving advice to a teen or a parent, I often take the advice I give to heart for myself!  Because of those things, I get to grow, too.

I get to see a side of teens that not many others get to see.  Their parents get to see their “home” selves. That’s not always the prettiest picture.  Their friends get to see their “cool” selves.  Their “hanging out” selves.  Many people would call these "selves" masks.  And as much as we try to fight it, we all still wear masks.  I wouldn’t say that they are really masks, though.  Not necessarily.  I believe that the “home” self is genuine.  I believe that the “friend” self is also genuine.  They can be fake, of course.  If the masks contradict themselves.  But for the most part, the person presenting different "selves" are really just showing themselves from a different angle, that's all.  We are, after all, three-dimensional beings.  You don’t get to see the whole picture at once. 

While many people think that all Youth Ministers do is play, a lot of people incorrectly think that Youth Ministers only get to see the bad stuff in teens.  Teens tend to confess what they’ve done to their Youth Ministers to get help, advice and prayers.  Sometimes I wish that I could give them absolution in these moments!  But, alas, I am not a priest and cannot!  But hearing the bad stuff could make any person lose faith, if they didn’t get to see the other stuff, too.  Teens also tell us of the bad things others have done to them.  Taking all of that in can be overwhelming.   

But, I don’t just get to see the “bad” self or the “hurt” self; I get to see the “spiritual” self.  I get to see the teen feel sorry for their sins and repent.  I get to see bravery as they deal with their problems.  I get to see them forgive.  I get to see the love that they show to each other.  But most importantly, I get to see them pray.  In real ways.  In completely authentic, uninhibited, unguarded ways.  That’s something that their parents don’t really get to see.  Their friends, unless that are active in the youth group, also miss out on it.  There is nothing more moving than to see a teen visibly transformed by what Christ can do in their lives.  And there are so few of us who are given the amazing privilege of seeing that first-hand.  That is why I love my job!

There is a huge amount of turn-over in youth ministry, because youth ministers don’t always look at their job the way that I do.  Many youth ministers are blinded by rude parents, or by the few staff who don’t quite understand what it is we do, or by parishioners who think it’s our job to change the youth of the parish ourselves.  Whatever the complaints that other Youth Ministers have, none of those things compare to the joy of it all. And, in reality, the percentage of those who complain is tiny compared to the percentage of people who don't.  And yet, as humans, it is so much easier to focus and dwell on those negative comments, that aren't just annoying, but quite hurtful.

But we are all “on the Edge.”  Satan doesn’t like what we do, and so he attacks.  Taking our eyes off of Jesus for one second can send us over the edge.  Quickly.  And we all do take our eyes off at some point.  But Jesus is always there to pull us back in. 

Most of the time, this “On the Edge” segment will be about the teachings we had the previous night at the group called The Edge.  Since we are on Christmas Break, I didn’t have an Edge Night last night!  So I had nothing to write for a teaching.  Don’t worry, teens, I won’t be sharing your personal stories here!  But do keep reading!  It won’t always be about the teaching, if there is something more important that needs being said!  This is my New Year’s Resolution!  Please pray for me as I write this blog!  Please help me to keep it going, to be true to the teachings of the Church, and to love doing it!  I will pray for you, dear reader, in hope that what I say is meaningful to you, too!

Be Annoying

"Always forgive your enemies.  Nothing annoys them so much" - Oscar Wilde.

Forgiveness.  The concept is easy.  The practice, not so much.  Why?  Why is it so difficult to forgive?  What's even more difficult for many people is to accept forgiveness.  In fact, many people would say it's easier to forgive another when they hurt you than it is to forgive yourself when you hurt someone.  And we all know how difficult it is to forgive others, so it must be even more difficult to forgive yourself! 

God has pretty high expectations for us.  It's hard not to mess up every now and then.  But God is good and knows that He sets high expectations, which we won't always meet.  And that is why He gives us the amazing gift of Reconciliation.  A lot of people think that Reconciliation is like a punishment.  They think this because Reconciliation can be very uncomfortable for a few moments.  But it's never been intended to be a punishment.  It's exactly what I said earlier; it's a gift.

Believe it or not, God actually wants you to be in Heaven!  I know!  That's weird!  But He does!  He isn't trying to set you up for failure!  He doesn't set His expectations high and then implement a zero-tolerance policy!  God wants you in Heaven so much that He sent His son here to die for you so that you could have a chance of going there!  To not take advantage of Reconciliation is kind of like saying that what He did on the cross is not that big of a deal.  And, of course, it is a big deal.

If you look at the Ten Commandments, it's easy to think that some of the commandments don't have anything to do with God, but that's not true.  The first three are really obvious:  don't have any other gods, don't take His name in vain, and keep holy the Sabbath.  Those things are clearly showing how they affect your relationship with God.  However, the last seven commandments talk about your relationship with others:  honor your father and mother, don't kill, don't steal, don't lie, etc.  It may seem like this doesn't have anything to do with God, but remember what Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40), or "Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me" (Matthew 25:45).  Here's an email forward I received recently that shows this example very well:

Dart Test...
A young lady named Sally, relates an experience she had in a class, given by her teacher, Dr. Smith. She says that Dr. Smith was known for his elaborate object lessons.
One particular day, Sally walked into the class and knew they were in for a fun day.
On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table were many darts. Dr. Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that they disliked or someone who had made them angry, and he would allow them to throw darts at the person's picture.
Sally's friend drew a picture of who had stolen her boyfriend. Another friend drew a picture of his little brother. Sally drew a picture of a former friend, putting a great deal of detail into her drawing, even drawing pimples on the face. Sally was pleased with the overall effect she had achieved.
The class lined up and began throwing darts. Some of the students threw their darts with such force that their targets were ripping apart. Sally looked forward to her turn, and was filled with disappointment when Dr. Smith, because of time limits, asked the students to return to their seats. As Sally sat thinking about how angry she was because she didn't have a chance to throw any darts at her target, Dr. Smith began removing the target from the wall.

Underneath the target was a picture of Jesus. A hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture of Jesus; holes and jagged marks covered His face and His eyes were pierced.
Dr. Smith said only these words.... "In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me" Matthew 25:40.

No other words were necessary; the tears filled eyes of the students focused only on the picture of Christ.
What is Sin?
Sin is any act that separates us from God.  There are two types of sin.  One of them is called "Venial Sin," which wounds a person's soul.  It's hard to give an example of what Venial Sin is, because most of the time it really depends on the person.  For example, using bad language can be either a Venial Sin or a Mortal Sin.  It just depends on the intention of the person. 

Mortal Sin is actually more common, and it is a lot worse.  Mortal Sin completely separates you from God.  Anything that breaks one of the Ten Commandments is a Mortal Sin.  However, in order for it to be a Mortal Sin, it has to fit these three requirements:  it has to be serious matter (like anything breaking the Ten Commandments), the person has to know it's sinful, and the person has to be completely willing to do the sin.  Most of the time, people fit all three categories.

What if the Priest is shocked by what I say?  or tells my mom?  or judges me?
This is a common question, but it's one that you don't have to worry about.  Why?  Because when a priest is in a sacramental moment, when he is saying mass or doing Reconciliation, he is actually "In persona Christe," or "In the Person of Christ."  This means that it isn't his words at that moment, but Jesus' words!  And I'll tell you what, when you have done something really bad, and the priest is so kind to you about it, you know that it must be Jesus who is speaking to you!  I remember one time when I had to confess something that I felt really bad about.  I had purposefully tried to hurt a friend's feelings, and I was successful.  I had hurt my friend really bad, and I felt really bad about it.  I cried so much during that Reconciliation, because I just kept thinking about how awful I was and how mean and ugly my heart was, and I felt like the worst person ever.  When I was done talking, I was kind of waiting for the priest to yell and scream and be disgusted by what I had done, and he smiled and said, "I am so happy that you are here, and that you have come back to Jesus!  Thank you for such a sincere confession!"  He thanked me!  I was shocked!  I would have wanted to yell at me!  But he didn't!

Priests hear confession for a long time.  And priests go to confession.  They know that people aren't perfect, because they aren't perfect!  A lot of the things people confess, the priests might have confessed at one point in their lives, too.  It's not going to surprise them.  Unless it's a brand new priest, his first confession ever, you probably don't have to worry about whether or not he's ever heard it before.  And even then, like I said before, he might have even confessed that same thing before!

Can a priest tell what you've said in confession?  I actually have a friend whose uncle is a priest.  Let's say that my friend went to that priest for Reconciliation.  Could he tell her mom or dad what she said in Reconciliation?  No!  Not only is it against their faith, but it is against the law!  If you go to Reconciliation and confess something really horrible, like you killed someone, the priest cannot testify against you!  Now, the priest can say that your penance is to tell your parent, or to turn yourself into law officials, if it's that big of a sin.  But, he cannot tell for you!  And I don't think he'd want to, anyway.  Priests take this sacrament very seriously.  They know how difficult it is to share these personal things.  They want you to feel safe.  How could you feel safe if there was the fear that they'd tell on you?  And what's cool is that priests often say that they don't even remember what they heard in confession!  They forget!  Because it's more important to them that you are absolved than that you sinned!  And why is that the most important part?  It's because they are "In Persona Christe!"  What a great faith we have!

Examination of Conscience
It is important to do a full Examination of Conscience before you go to Reconciliation.  This just means that you think very carefully about the many ways you have sinned.  It is important to do this so that you are prepared, and to show God that you have really thought about how sorry you are.  Imagine a friend hurt your feelings somehow, and then went to apologize, but said that they were sorry for something different than what hurt your feelings.  It's like that.  It's one thing to know you hurt someone, it's another to recognize how you hurt them.  To do this, I usually go through each commandment to see how I did that commandment.  The more thorough you are, the more likely it is that you'll see that most of the commandments have been broken in your daily life.  I've included an Examination of Conscience at the end of this post.

How to go to Reconciliation?
So now you know why sin is bad, and why Reconciliation is good.  You want to go, and you're even willing to get over the awkwardness of saying your sins, but now you're nervous because it's been so long since your last confession that you don't remember what you're supposed to do.  Well, here's the good news!  The priest can help you with that!  If you say, "My first confession is that I don't know how to do confession because I haven't been in a long time," the priest will help you out!  But if you don't want to do that, here are all of the steps of Reconciliation.

1 - Before you go, examine your conscience like I talked about before.
2 - The Priest talks first, by welcoming you, praying the Sign of the Cross, and inviting you to trust in God's goodness.
3 - Tell the priest how long it's been since your last confession, and then tell him your sins.  You must tell all of your mortal sins.  Lying or not telling your sins is actually sinful.  You don't want to sin during Reconciliation!
4 - Then the priest will talk again.  He will give you advice and counsel you on the things you spoke about.  He will also give you a penance at this time.  Remember what your penance is so that you can do it as soon as you leave Reconciliation!
5 - The priest will ask you to say an Act of Contrition.  This is a prayer that says that you are sorry for your sins and you promise to try to not do those things anymore.
6 - The priest will the absolve you from your sins by saying a prayer, and then praying the Sign of the Cross again. 
7 - The priest will say, "Go in peace," and you say, "Amen."  Then you leave and do your Act of Contrition as soon as possible.

What does this have to do with being annoying?
If Oscar Wilde is correct, that the most annoying thing you can do for your enemies is to forgive them, then God must be the most annoying thing there is!  The word Christian means "Little Christ."  Therefore, if we are like Christ, we should be forgiving people, too.  Which would make us annoying.  It's good to be annoying, if you're annoying because you're forgiving!  Let's give it a try!

Examination of Conscience
This is a very simple Examination of Conscience:
My relationship with God:
1.  Do I remember to pray each day?
2.  Do I pay attention at Mass?  Do I goof off at Church?
3.  Do I use God's name in vain?  without respect?  out of anger?

My relationship with Family, Friends and Neighbors:
1.  Do I obey my parents and teachers?  Do I do what they ask?
2.  Do I say mean things to my mom or day?  my brothers and sisters?  other kids at school?
3.  Do I say "thank you" to people?
4.  Am I hard to get along with?  bossy?
5. Am I lazy?  do I complete my chores?  do I cheat on my homework?
6.  Do I talk about people behind their backs?  Do I call them mean names?  Do I make fun of others?
7.  Do I tell lies?
8.  Do I bully others?
9.  Do I blame others for things I have done?
10.  Do I get people into trouble?
11.  Do I forgive people when they hurt me?
12.  Do I take things that don't belong from me, even from my brothers and sisters and parents?  Do I return things I borrow?  Do I ruin or break things I borrow?

Act of Contrition
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all of my heart.  In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I love above all things.  I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.  Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us.  In His name, my God have mercy.  Amen

Authentic Friendship

One time, I had a roommate who was my best friend.  We were as close as could be.  One night, she was out of town.  In the mountains, actually.  She was volunteering for a retreat that our church and several other churches had put together.  I got to our apartment, went to unlock the door, and I discovered that our lock was broken.  How'd it break?  I don't know.  But it was broken.  I went to get my cell phone out of my purse so that I could call someone to come rescue me, when I realized that my phone was inside my apartment.  It was on the dining room table, which was probably a mere 15 feet from where I was standing.  If only I could get around that door with the broken lock, I could call our maintenance people and get the lock fixed.  What could I do? 

I drove to my mom's house and asked her if I could use her phone.  Before I called the maintenance people, I wanted to call my roommate to see if she had an extra key anywhere, maybe at her parent's house.  I called and called and called her phone, but she never answered.  It turns out that she didn't get any cell service where she was.  It wasn't until 3:00 am when the "emergency" maintenance people finally got to my apartment to unlock the door.  I waited outside, in a dark parking lot for four hours for them to get there.  It turned out to be a funny story in the end.  In the end.

I needed my friend, and she wasn't there for me. 

Another time, I was new to the town I was living in; I had only lived there for about two months.  The only person I really knew at the time was my roommate (a different one than the previous story).  I had been at a function at my church, and I left my keys in the church.  After I walked all the way home, I realized what I had done.  I walked back to the church and discovered that it was closed, and that there was nobody around who could help me get my keys.  I called my roommate, seeking help.  She was in another part of the state, home with her family, celebrating her birthday.  She didn't come to help me. 

I was stranded.  I didn't know what to do.  I sat down, outside my apartment complex, thinking, when my phone rang.  "Hello?" I said.  "Krissy?  This is Christopher.  I heard you're locked out of your apartment."  Now remember, I hadn't been living there for very long.  I had only met this person who was calling me about two or three times.  It was very strange.  "Yes, I am locked out of my apartment.  How'd you know that?"  "Well, Sarah called Catherine.  Catherine called Ashley.  Ashley called me."  "Seriously?  I only talked to Sarah a few minutes ago.  How'd that many people get called so quickly?"  "We're that good."  That was the truth!  "Well, I'm in North Carolina right now, but I will make some calls to some people, to see if someone can help you. 

Sure enough, about 15 minutes later, a girl I had only met one time was pulling up to my apartment to let me stay at her house for the night.  She had been moving, so all of her stuff was in boxes and scattered all around.  Even though I had to sleep on the floor, I had blankets, pillows, a roof over my head, and most importantly, I was safe.  The next day I was able to retrieve my keys and go home.

These stories have caused me to reflect a great deal on authentic friendship.  Neither of my roommates were being bad friends.  The one in the first story couldn't help it that her phone didn't get reception.  I'm not sure what she would have done even if she had good reception.  In fact, had she decided to drive all the way home, it still would have taken her several hours to get there.  I still would have had to wait for her, alone, in a dark and scary parking lot.  And we still would have had to wait for the emergency maintenance man to fix the lock.

In the other situation, my friend couldn't help it that she was in another part of the state.  She couldn't help it that I lost my keys on her birthday.  This wasn't her fault.  But even though she couldn't come rescue me by unlocking the door, she arranged for people to help me.  It was a very kind thing for her to do.

However, it is the people who didn't know me at all who made the biggest difference in my life those days.  The phone calls that were made in order to make sure that I had a safe place to stay for the night.  Those people were friends to a person who needed a friend the most.  In the most profound way possible.

Now, I have had a lot of friends in my life, some that have stayed with me for a long time, and others who have quickly left.  Through these friendships, I have experienced love and betrayal, and I have loved and betrayed.  It is the authentic friendship that survives through both the good times and the bad.

What is a good friend?  Is it simply someone who never judges you?  Is it someone who is always there for you?  Is it a person who agrees with you about everything?  Of course not.  If those were true than none of us would ever have any friends.  Never judge?  Everyone judges at certain times.  You can try to avoid it, but ultimately you will judge and be judged.  Always there for you?  Well, as we've seen, sometimes it can't be helped to not be there for someone.  No friend can guarantee that they will always be there.  Sometimes you don't have cell service.  Sometimes you are in another part of the state.  These things can't always be helped.  A friend who always agrees with you is probably being fake about some things.  You are unique.  You are created to be that way.  If you never have different opinions about your friend, there's a problem.

Authentic friends care more about the protection of their friend than anything else.  This means that they will not tolerate gossip or rumors about that person.  Whether or not a thing is true doesn't matter.  If a person's reputation is being ruined, it's a problem.

Protecting a friend takes their soul into consideration, too.  It turns out that there is such a thing as "Holy Fun."  You can have fun without sinning, without breaking the rules, without hurting anyone.  Friends who care more about having fun than your personal safety aren't good friends.  That includes your physical safety, your emotional safety, and your spiritual safety.  A few hours or moments of fun aren't worth the risk of injury, death, health, depression, anxiety, punishment, or harm to your soul.  A friend who constantly pressures you to do these things is pressuring you because of selfish reasons.  They don't care about your personal happiness.  They care their image, their personal pleasure, or their reputation (i.e. about having a friend who is popular or cool).  That's the most important thing to them, and you need to be wary of friends like that.  They aren't actually your friend at all.  They are a friend to them self and nobody else.

Look for friends who build you up instead of tear you down.  Friends who you want to spend time with, who makes you feel like a better person.  Friends who protect you, who want to spend time with you, and who love you. 

"Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter:
whoever finds one has found a treasure.
Faithful friends are beyond price;
no amount can balance their worth.
Faithful friends are life-saving medicine;
and those who fear the Lord will find them.”
-Sirach 6:14-16