Risen Savior Youth Faith Formation- ABQ

02/07/2026

Too often, we can’t give at the level we want, so we give up. Or we press on, but we’re weighed down with feelings of inadequacy all day.

We study the saints and we want to be like them. We want to make it to the parish for that holy hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament, go to daily Mass, give enough to the poor to change someone’s life, share faith with people…

All while doing adequate self care, working out, counting our calories…

All while getting our to-do’s done for today…

All while being as peaceful as possible for our families.

We want to hit all those goals, but we fall short.

Here’s my challenge: Be gentle with yourself.

Now, before you conclude “Chris is too soft!” Note: Jesus talked about what He was like one time in the bible and he only used two words to describe himself: “meek and humble of heart” (Matthew 11:29).

Scripture, prophesying about Him, said that he wouldn’t break a bruised reed. Think of a stalk of grain that’s bent in such a way that it can’t produce grain. It’s tapped out. It’s so on the edge of breaking that one hard step and it would never come back.

It also says that “a smoldering wick he will not s***f out” (Isaiah 42:3)—a candle that’s so close to going out that the slightest breath would kill what flame remains.

Jesus is all powerful, but gentle enough to keep that reed, and that flame, alive.

If there’s a voice inside of you that says “succeed or don’t bother,” that’s not the voice of the one spoken about in Isaiah 42:1–4 and Matthew 12:18–21.

If you only have five minutes to pray, don’t let your ideal of a holy hour this morning crush your spirit.

If you don’t know how to preach eloquently, share your faith anyway.

If you only have five dollars to give to the poor, start there.

Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

If you don’t have much to give…just bring HIM what you have. Just give what you got. That’s all He wants.

(I'm not sure who made this image originally, but I love it!)

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02/07/2026

12/08/2025

Lots of great things!!!! Come out and see us! We'll be here until 4pm. YUMMY FOOD TRUCKS TOO!

12/07/2025

12/05/2025

Join us this Sunday!

All proceeds from the Silent Raffle to benefit Christ in the Community! ❤️💚❤️💚❤️
Tickets can be purchased in the Youth Center.
☆ (1) for $2
☆ (3) for $5
☆ (8) for $10
☆ (20) for $20

11/26/2025

1.3M likes, 5151 comments. “Electronic music, faith and Pope Leo XIV message on the celebration of the 75th birthday of Archbishop Mons. Bernard Bober. 📍Košice, Slovakia. 08.NOV.2025 TRACK ID: DEAR YOUNG PEOPLE Padre Guilherme Remix (Unreleased)”

11/11/2025

Baseball-Playing Priest Would Not Trade Vocation for a World Series Win: ‘This Is What I Was Made For’

https://www.churchpop.com/baseball-playing-priest-would-not-trade-his-vocation-the-world-series-this-is-what-i-was-made-for/

10/24/2025

HOMILY | Friday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time
Romans 7:18–25a

In today’s reading, St. Paul gives us one of the most honest confessions in the Bible. He says: “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.”

And we all can say, “Exactly, St. Paul! That’s me!”

We want to do what’s right—but often end up doing the opposite.
We want to be patient, but we lose our temper.
We plan to pray, but get distracted by our phones.
We want to forgive, but our pride gets in the way.
We say we’ll eat less—but end up finishing the whole lechon!

Let’s reflect on three short points from St. Paul’s experience that also speak to ours.

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1. There is a battle inside each of us.

St. Paul admits there’s a constant struggle within us—the desire to do good and the pull of our human weakness. Even saints experienced this battle. Holiness doesn’t mean we never fall; it means we keep getting up and fighting the right fight.

A grandmother once told her grandson,

“Inside every person are two dogs fighting—one kind and gentle, the other angry and selfish.”
The boy asked, “Lola, which one wins?”
She smiled and said, “The one you feed every day.”

Each day, we decide which one we feed—our pride or our patience, our anger or our love.

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2. Willpower alone is not enough.

We often say, “I’ll try harder next time.” But St. Paul reminds us—willpower alone won’t save us. We need God’s grace.

It’s like a cellphone that keeps losing charge. You can’t tell it, “Work harder!” It needs to be plugged in. We too need to “recharge” through prayer, confession, and the Eucharist.

We don’t come to Mass because we’re perfect—we come because we need help.
We don’t come because we have it all together—but because we need God to hold us together.

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3. Only Jesus can set us free.

St. Paul ends with a cry that’s full of both pain and hope: “Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

That’s our answer too. It’s not our own effort—it’s Jesus who saves us.
Even when we fall into the same sins again, He never says, “I’m tired of you.” He simply says, “Don’t give up. I’m still here.”

A mother once said, “I never get tired of forgiving my child because I love him.”
If that’s true of a human mother, imagine how much more our loving God!

⸻
Final Words

We are all works in progress. There’s a battle inside us, but we are not alone. Christ fights with us, strengthens us, and forgives us when we fall.

So the next time you’re discouraged, remember St. Paul’s words: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Because no matter how many times we fail, God’s mercy will always be greater.

10/18/2025

The Catholic Origins of Pumpkin Spice: How a 12th-Century Saint Inspired the Popular Flavor

https://www.churchpop.com/the-catholic-origins-of-pumpkin-spice-how-a-12th-century-saint-inspired-the-popular-flavor/

10/04/2025

St. Francis of Assisi

Francis was born in Assisi, Italy, in 1181 or 1182. The son of a wealthy cloth merchant, he dressed himself in the finest clothes and spent money freely. He was popular and fun–loving, spending his time and money throwing parties for his friends. Seeking adventure and glory, Francis went to war in 1201. He was taken prisoner and became seriously ill. He was freed after a year and returned home. When he recovered from his sickness, he tried again to go into battle, hoping to become a knight. But on the way he heard the Lord telling him to go back to his home in Assisi, where he would learn what he was to do with his life.

Back home, Francis realized that he had been wasting precious time. He became aware that he should be serving Jesus. He began by praying more and making sacrifices to grow strong in spirit. He often gave money to the poor, and once he even traded his own clothes for a poor man’s rags so that he could experience the man’s extreme poverty. He took care of the lepers in the nearby hospital. Still, he felt he must do more.

It is not hard to imagine how his former rich friends must have looked at him now! His father was ashamed of his son’s strange new ways, and he brought Francis to the bishop of Assisi, hoping the bishop would be able to bring the young man to his senses. Instead, Francis returned to his father everything he had received from him and declared that he was no longer dependent on him. From that moment on, God in heaven became his Father, and Francis placed himself under the protection of the bishop.

Francis became a “knight” of the “Lady Poverty,” and he began to live as a beggar. His food was whatever kind people gave him. Everywhere he went, he urged people to stop sinning and to return to God. Soon many began to realize how close Francis was to God, and they became his disciples. That is how the great Franciscan family of priests and brothers, sisters, and lay people began. They helped the poor and sick and preached everywhere. Even after the Order had spread all over Italy, Francis insisted that they should not own anything. He wanted the friars to love poverty as he did.

St. Francis lived the Gospel as perfectly and as joyfully as he could. He tried to make his life a copy of the life of Jesus. As a reward for his great love, Jesus gave him his own wounds in his hands, feet, and side. This happened in 1224, two years before Francis died.

Toward the end of his life, he became very sick. With joy, he welcomed death as a sister. He asked to be laid on the ground and covered with an old habit. Then he urged his brothers to love God, to love being poor, and to live the Gospel. “I have done my part,” he said. “May Jesus teach you to do yours.” Francis died on October 3, 1226. On July 16, 1228, Pope Gregory IX procalimed him a saint.

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St. Francis’ life of poverty was a sign that it’s not material things that make us satisfied and happy. True joy comes from loving God and patterning our lives on Christ. We can ask St. Francis to show us how to live a life of Gospel simplicity and joy.

10/03/2025

Living Rosary 2025 🙏🩵🙏🩵🙏🩵