The Pope’s Fan Club

March/April 2009 Issue | Posted by Tom and April Hoopes in Everyday Apostles

We asked two categories of students: “What does the Pope expect from young people today?” and were delighted with the enthusiastic response. Here are our winners in the 6th-8th Grade

and 3rd-5th Grade categories. Each won $250. Following that are our runners-up.

First Place

6th - 8th grade

Zacchaeus Lock

7th grade

Home schooled

Brookfield, Conn.

There are many things Pope Benedict XVI expects from young people in America today. Some people may say the Pope is demanding too much, but it is mostly that he expects them to imitate the saints, pray at many times during the day, and love one another.

First, the Pope expects us to imitate the saints. As the Pope said April 19, 2008, at St. Joseph’s Seminary (Dunwoodie) in New York, “Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Saint John Neumann, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Venerable Pierre Tous-saint, and Padre Felix Varela: Any one of us could be among them, for there is no stereotype to this group, no single mold.” We ought to therefore follow those saints’ examples for us.

Second, the Pope expects us to pray at many times during the day. At Dunwoodie, the Pope explained, “What matters most is that you develop your personal relationship with God. That relationship is expressed in prayer. God by his very nature speaks, hears, and replies. Indeed, Saint Paul reminds us: We can and should ‘pray constantly’ (1 Thes-sa­ lonians 5:17).” Therefore, we all ought to follow the example of the Pope, who lives a very prayerful life.

Finally, the Pope expects us to love one another. Even when they have younger siblings or rowdy roommates, every young person should love and care for one another. I know it may be hard (I myself have six younger siblings), but God will always bless our efforts. We should follow the example of the late Pope John Paul II who, in the Jubi­ lee Year 2000, asked to have freed from jail the man who had tried to assassinate him.

As you can see, Pope Benedict XVI doesn’t expect too much from young people in America: Is imitating the saints, praying at many times during the day, and loving one another really so hard?

First Place

3rd – 5th grade

Madeline Himes, 4th grade

Arrowhead Elementary, Lewis Center, Ohio

First Place

3rd - 5th grade

Madeline Himes

4th grade

Arrowhead Elementary Lewis Center, Ohio

Be a Light to Others

Have you ever been in such complete darkness that not even the faintest light can be seen? If so, you know what the souls and hearts of people would be like without the light of Jesus Christ shining within them. I want to tell you how I realized that there is a light inside of me and everyone else. When Pope John Paul II died in 2005, I was in the hospital.

I watched the news of his passing away, and later watched the funeral. I wanted to know more about him. I started to study about his life and realized about the light. Now that I know about it I want to keep it burning in­ side of me and other kids, too. I believe this is what Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI expect of me, and that it will make a difference in my family. Here are some examples.

In my family we pray a lot. We pray before meals and before bedtime. During prayers I want to set a great example, especially for my little sister, because she’s only 6 and if she learns how to be respectful during prayers it will help her when we’re in church and she really needs to be extra good. Then both of our lights will grow brighter.

Siblings. Probably the people who make me sin most in my family. You may think your little sister is annoying because she gets in all your stuff and follows you everywhere. But if you react to her by yelling and being mean, guess what’s going to happen? She’s going to be mean to you, too. When this happens the light gets dimmer. But when you react to these things kindly, the light gets brighter in you because you didn’t shout.

Let’s say you’ve had a rough day at school and come home to do your homework. When it’s dinnertime, you look up and see your least favorite foods. You start whining and complaining to your mom. You don’t think about how hard your mom worked to prepare that dinner. Again, the light grows dimmer because of your sin. Take the time to think, “If Jesus and the Pope were here, would they want me to complain?” Chances are you won’t complain, and the light will grow brighter.

My family goes to St. Mary’s in Delaware, Ohio. My next door neighbor doesn’t go to church, so I invite her to go with me sometimes. She was clueless in church, so I taught her how to pray and how to make the sign of the cross. Pretty soon she really started to like church and wanted to go with me more often. I think the Pope would appreciate this and that it makes our lights grow brighter.

All of these examples are ways that we can imitate Jesus and keep our lights burning brightly in our families. I feel this is what the Pope expects from young people in America today.

Runner Up

6th - 8th grade

Christina Mercado

8th grade

Sacred Heart of Jesus

Highland Falls, N.Y.

The Holy Spirit and You

As the Pope, Benedict XVI expects many things from today’s youth. As an obvious answer, he wants us to love God and believe in his word. But this is something our parents and other religious leaders want from us, too. During World Youth Day in Australia, the Pope addressed what he expects from the youth.

One of the things the Pope expressed was the lack of hope in young people today. Young people tend to lose hope while trying to figure out this big world and where they fit into it. Today’s youth have many questions, and most are uncertain where to turn for answers. We are often challenged by those who don’t believe in Christ — those who try to change our minds about his love, grace, and power.

The Pope tells today’s youth that God is always there for them. The Holy Spirit will guide them in the right ways. When we pray to God to answer our questions, he will give us the wisdom to make the right decisions. The Pope wants young people to truly rest in the Lord,” to be filled with joy, and to share the Good News with their friends and family.

During the homily on World Youth Day, Benedict XVI told us he wants us all to be strengthened in faith. He addressed the question, “But what is this ‘power’ of the Holy Spirit?” He said, “It is the power of God’s life!” He told us this is the power that raised Jesus from the dead. This power can help us through all situations. He said, “The power of the Spirit never ceases to fill the Church with life!”

This grace is strengthened through the sacraments. This grace is a gift from God; it is not something that can be earned. The Holy Spirit comes only when we allow it through our “spiritual blindness” and hard surface. Jesus is within us, in our hearts. He is waiting for us to be still and listen to him. Benedict XVI also asked the youth at World Youth Day, “What will you leave to the next generation?” He asked us what difference we will make for those who will come after us.

The Pope also talked to the young people of Quebec, Canada, during the 49th Inter­ national Eucharistic Congress. He spoke to young people about the importance of going to church and receiving the Eucharist. He tells us this “is a loving encounter with the Lord that we cannot do without.” He tells us Jesus helps us grow and give the best of ourselves.

Pope Benedict XVI wants youth today to have strong faith in Christ. He wants us to have hope and to believe in the gift of the Holy Spirit. He wants youth today to not be fazed by those who try to make us turn from Christ. Basically, he wants us to have a strong faith, rooted in the Lord forever.

Runner Up

6th - 8th grade

Veronica Wilson

7th grade

Sacred Heart Academy

San Diego, Calif.

The Fire of Jesus

“The Lord wishes you young people to stir up the wind and fire of a new Pentecost in the world.”

— Pope Benedict XVI, World Youth Day 2008

The Church has been burning with the fire of Jesus for thousands of years. Through the years people have tried to snuff out that flame, but never have succeeded. People have been persecuted for believing in that flame; there have been wars fought to keep that flame burning. It is our duty as children of God to keep that flame burning in our lifetime.

Think of the Pope as the candlestick and us as the little droplets of wax, falling to the ground, dropped there to spread the Gospel.

“Spreading the Gospel” might sound like a weird and hard thing to do in the present, but if you just reword it, there are lots of ways you can do that. Spread your faith. Talk to people of other religions or of no religion. Tell them about your traditions, about what we do at church every Sunday. And, if they say something wrong or bad about our faith, correct them. Talk to them about it. Also, learn about other faiths, so you won’t do the same to others. Never be embarrassed about your faith. You might get teased or made fun of, but Jesus will always be within you, and that will make you proud.

Another part of spreading the Gospel is: loving others as you would love yourself. Acting as Jesus acted. Trying to see the best in people. There is a best in everyone, be­ cause Jesus is within everyone. Be a loyal, just, and loving person to everyone. Feeling ac­ cepted and having a friend would make the Jesus in everyone shine. Being a good person will make other people want to be good people, too.

Look at St. Zita, the patron saint of little good deeds, for guidance. A simple farm girl became a great saint because she listened and prayed to God, and she did things as simple as baking an extra loaf of bread for a homeless man. Believing in ourselves to do little good deeds is important. You don’t have to be famous to change the world. As the youth of the world, it is our duty to keep our faith going. We can make a difference. Hand by helping hand, good deed by good deed, and with the help of God, we can lead the world to peace, and make it a better place.

Runner Up

3rd - 5th grade

Connor Whelan

5th grade

Holy Spirit Preparatory

School

Atlanta, Ga.

Know Your Mission

Do you know what Pope Benedict XVI expects from young Catholic Americans? He expects us to know, love, and serve God in this world.

To know God is to talk to him in prayer. At my Catholic school, Holy Spirit Prep, we celebrate Mass. Whenever I pray, I enter another world where God talks to me, and I talk to him. I ask him what I am doing wrong, and he tells me.

You also need to love God. We can show our love through obedience and sacrifice. Obedience to both God and parents is important. You need to listen to God if he is calling you. You need to obey his commandments. You need to forgive others as he forgives us.

Most importantly, you need to serve him. The Pope emphasizes that he needs young American Catholics to be examples of holiness. I have experience with this. My brother Brendan is in a community. He has to go to Mass almost every day. He wasn’t always, but now he is a very devout man. He is overseas for three years in Italy, learning even more about the Catholic faith. Maybe I can be like him. He sacrificed everything to be closer to God, and I like that.

My family has a mission statement that my Dad wrote down and put on the wall. The mission of the Whelan family is to build a civilization of love in the third millennium through Jesus Christ and to live in faith and hope. But that shouldn’t be just my family’s mission statement — it should be for all young Catholics around the world. I think Pope Benedict XVI would agree.