7QTF: Quotes and Free Books for Teens!

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A little while ago, the Pope celebrated a Jubilee Mass for teens, and he had amazing things to say in his homily. Read below for some of the gems.* And at the end of the post, learn how you can win one of five signed copies of my novel, Ten Commandments for Kissing Gloria Jean, which has more amazing things to say!

[1]

“Love, in other words, is the Christian’s identity card, the only valid “document” identifying us as Christians.”

[2]

“Before all else, love is beautiful, it is the path to happiness.  But it is not an easy path.  It is demanding and it requires effort…. To love means to give, not only something material, but also something of one’s self: one’s own time, one’s friendship, one’s own abilities.”

[3]

“[T]he biggest threat to growing up well comes from thinking that no one cares about us, from feeling that we are all alone.  The Lord, on the other hand, is always with you and he is happy to be with you.  As he did with his first disciples, he looks you in the eye and he calls you to follow him, to ‘put out into the deep’ and to ‘cast your nets wide’ trusting in his words and using your talents in life, in union with him, without fear.  Jesus is waiting patiently for you.  He awaits your response.  He is waiting for you to say ‘yes.'”

[4]

 “Dear young friends, at this stage in your lives you have a growing desire to demonstrate and receive affection.  The Lord, if you let him teach you, will show you how to make tenderness and affection even more beautiful.  He will guide your hearts to ‘love without being possessive,’ to love others without trying to own them but letting them be free.”

[5]

“Many people will say to you that freedom means doing whatever you want.  But here you have to be able to say no.  Freedom is not the ability simply to do what I want.  This makes us self-centered and aloof, and it prevents us from being open and sincere friends.  Instead, freedom is the gift of being able to choose the good.  The free person is the one who chooses what is good, what is pleasing to God, even if it requires effort.  Only by courageous and firm decisions do we realize our greatest dreams, the dreams which it is worth spending our entire lives to pursue.”

[6]

“Your happiness has no price.  It cannot be bought: it is not an app that you can download on your phones nor will the latest update bring you freedom and grandeur in love.”

[7]

“Love does not happen because we talk about it, but when we live it: it is not a sweet poem to study and memorize, but is a life choice to put into practice!  How can we grow in love?  The secret, once again, is the Lord: Jesus gives us himself in the Mass, he offers us forgives and peace in Confession.  There we learn to receive his love, to make it ours and to give it to the world.  And when loving seems hard, when it is difficult to say no to something wrong, look up at Jesus on the cross, embrace the cross and don’t ever let go of his hand.  He will point you ever higher, and pick you up whenever you fall.”

My novel, Ten Commandments for Kissing Gloria Jean, with the Catholic Writers’ Guild Seal of Approval, addresses the very themes Pope Francis speaks of above. And from Monday, May 23 through 11:59 pm Tuesday, May 31, you can enter the link below to win one of five signed copies for you or a teen in your life!

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*All quotes come from Radio Vaticana’s transcription.

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