In the Spotlight

Jesus was 100% God, but he was also 100% human (don't worry about the maths!). As 100% human I think that means Jesus most likely had a crush!

The Jewish culture at the time would have meant that having a girlfriend wasn’t really an option - they would’ve got serious about marriage pretty much immediately… and we know he didn’t get married, so we can be pretty sure it’s a no.

I guess it depends in what way they’re being a jerk… If their behaviour hurts your feelings or those of other people, you should try telling them. Real friendship should be able to take honest conversations, even if they’re tough. If their behaviour is harmful to themselves or to other people, it’s probably too big a job to deal with on your own – I’d say speak to a parent or teacher to get some advice. If it’s just that they tell really really bad jokes, I’d put up with it and hope it’s a phase that will pass! Whatever the situation, making some new friends is always a good idea, because friends are something you can never had too many of.

Loads!! My favourites are Third Day and Super-chick. Have a look in a Christian book shop, or have a look on line at: christianrock.net

There are lots of reasons why the various Churches have gone their separate ways. For example the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church separated because of a different understanding of the Holy Spirit, and the early Protestant Churches were set up because of concerns over some Catholic practises and beliefs, like praying for the dead and the belief in purgatory. As the Churches separated, they developed their own leadership who they would look to for guidance. The important thing to remember is that in Jesus we are all brothers and sisters, and St Paul described Jesus as the head of the body, which includes ALL the different Churches.

Since the beginning of time, all over the world, people have developed different ways of relating to God and understanding him. Jesus said he came to show us the truth about God, and to lead the way to the one true God. For those people who haven’t had the opportunity to get to know Jesus, the way they understand God and express their faith may be different to our own. It’s good to talk about the differences between religions and really listen to what we can learn from other faiths, because the Holy Spirit is also at work in them.

I’d say Joshua is. But Rahab’s story is an exciting one, set in the war and working with spies, only to have her life turned upside down when she committed herself to God. Bible stories don’t get much better!

Testament is another word for promise. The Old Testament was the promise between God and His people through Moses, that He would protect them and guide them. The New Testament is the promise between God and His people through Jesus, His Son. This promise is that we can be in relationship with God, despite the mistakes we make and the things we get wrong as humans, and have eternal life with Him through Jesus' death and resurrection. I don't know about you, but that sounds like pretty good news to me! :) The word Gospel also means Good News and as the Gospels are included in the New Testament, the whole of the New Testament is sometimes referred to as the Good News, but when we get down to it the Good News is that God has been planning how we can spend eternity with Him from the very beginning of time, because he loves us that much!

Jesus said if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we could tell the mountains to move themselves into the sea, so having faith when we pray is always helpful. God always answers our prayers, however we may not receive the answer we're looking for. Just as you wouldn't give a sharp knife to a young child- in case they hurt themselves - God knows what is best for us and so sometimes his answer is "no", or "not right now". Of course, that doesn't mean we should necessarily give up - sometimes, God wants us to persevere with our prayer so that we truly rely on him, and sometimes it's about learning to pray for what God wants rather than what we want.

A good habit to get into is to take some time before you go to bed, to look back over your day, and see if there’s anything you need to ask forgiveness for. There’s also an opportunity at the beginning of Mass to ‘call to mind our sins’, and to ask God to forgive us. If you need to go confession though, and for some reason you can’t make the Saturday slot, most priests are happy to hear confessions at other times if you call and make an appointment with them. Top tip: Don’t miss out on the grace that comes from the sacrament, find a way to get there!

God has given us what’s called free will, which means we choose our behaviour, and he never forces us to do anything. Sometimes God might want us to do particular things though, so when we pray it’s good to take time to listen to him. You might want to ask what God if there’s something special he wants you to do, it might be telling people about Jesus, or raising money for charities, or just smiling at people! One of the best things about life is discovering what God has in store for us. But the choice is always yours.

God will never ever stop loving you. God is so loving that it is true to say that God IS Love. Some people imagine God is going to punish crush them if they do something wrong. This isn't a good image of who God is. One of the best images is that of a loving and forgiving Father. God does love you and always will.