Divine revelation is the side revelation that still needs to be interpreted but has a more literal side to us. It is revealed to us through our words and deeds. For example, scripture and miracles are more specific versions of words and deeds revealing messages. We have many interpreters of the Bible along the course of time.

When God revealed himself in physical form, he revealed himself as a man, as he did to Abraham (Genesis 18)

This leads me to my next point being St. Thomas Aquinas' 5 proofs. One of them being perfection. Some things on this earth are hotter, larger, or more pleasant than each other. He states that humans find things more perfect than others on this earth. Yet, where are humans getting this standard from? Who set this standard?

Psalm 96:11-12 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

Personally, I find contingency most interesting and convincing. I love "what if" questions and how they can start a conversation. So, "what if" humans never existed on the planet, the earth would look much different. Yet, it would still spin. The earth would not stop it's orbit around the sun for humans. We are not necessary. Life continues after a kid steps on a bug running to recess or when a loved one passes. Some things may feel like the end of the world at that moment, but the world will always continue to spin regardless of what happens to us or creation on this planet.

Psalms 16:5 You, LORD, are all I have, and you give me all I need; my future is in your hands.

In the Church, we live out covenants daily. For example, we promise to love God and be faithful to his commandments and beatitudes. Marriage is a covenant that many people live out through Christ. Getting married in the Church is letting God be the center of your relationship and promises your life to be faithful together.

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." Genesis 9:13

God understands we have busy lives and it can almost seem difficult to find time to really get deep into prayer. I believe he gave us a whole day to ensure all of his children will have a relationship with his; some relationships will be stronger than others based on how they chose to spend their Sabbath.

I have two busy and loud houses that I am constantly going back and forth too. I also have responsibilities out of school, along with school. Life can seem extremely overwhelming most days, so I find my most relaxing moments of leisure before I fall asleep. Some days feel longer than others, but just being able to lie down and take a deep breath after a long day seems rewarding in a way. I enjoy talking to God and finding peace in prayer.

“Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places." Leviticus 23:3

This world has lost their fire in their souls for the Holy Spirit. Our society tears down people daily because they are not like us. Yet, we are all unique in our own ways. It takes a lot of time to come to terms with this, but God created us to be the way we are. He doesn't want us to change our weight, get nose surgery, or even have to wear makeup. God loves us in every way a person can be loved. I think if our society were to all truly believe that we are made in God's image and likeness our world would be at peace.

“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image." Genesis 9:6

Personally, I am one of these people. I struggle a lot in my faith and lack prayers quite often. I, too, am only asking God for things repetitively. We don't need everything in life to be going well for us to need Christ. We need Christ every second of the day. THAT is where our society lacks. We are lukewarm catholics until we are faced with any slight conflict.

Psalm 86:3—Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly. The simple truth is, we need God—every minute of every day. That's why it's so important to learn how to pray without ceasing.

A characteristic in Jacob and Rachel's relationship we should avoid is unfaithfulness. While Jacob did not have a choice and owned his love to Leah as a wife, he had 7 kids with her even though he still truly loved Rachel. I think he should have stayed married with her for 7 years and left her in order to marry his real and genuine wife.

Genesis 29:20-22

"And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her."

My name (Katherine or Kate) means pure. It is a feminine name that originated in the early Christian era. Lately, I've really struggled with being the best person I know that I can be, but I would love to be able to say that I am pure at heart and always have good intentions but sin often gets in the way of that. My last name is Scottish and it means foreigner. This does not have a special meaning to me.

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."

Exodus 20:7 (image above of Yahweh)

As a 15 year old girl, I can obviously not relate to the sexual immorality and idolatry, but what I can relate to is sin. People, including myself, do not realize the severity of their sins just like the Israelites. We overlook "simple sins" such as swearing, lying, or gossiping as parts of our everyday lives, yet what we don't realize is that it upsets God, maybe not enough for Him to put us to death, but the Lord obviously does not want us to sin. We shouldn't overlook them because it makes us look "cool" or make our status any higher.

Numbers 32:23 “But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out."

In today's world, we have approved laws by our government. Without these, our whole world would be in chaos. Similar to the Ten Commandments, if you do not follow these, you go to jail or pay the price of your actions. You can choose your fate in this world where you go to Heaven and live freely in Hell and jail.

Deuteronomy 5:6-21:

"You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."

The purpose of priests in the church is to help lead the sacraments and help us get closer to God. We can take advantage of this by not only going to mass and confession, but meeting with him outside of mass to get religious advice. Priests can offer much more than we think.

Deuteronomy 21:5

"The priests, the sons of Levi" were charged to "pronounce blessings in the name of the Lord and to decide all cases of dispute and assault."

Moses trusted God in the bush even with his fear of failure. After Moses' death, Joshua led the Israelites to the Promised Land remaining faithful the whole time. Aaron, Moses' brother, ensured and helped the Israelites when Moses was unsure at times. Aaron also turned the Israelites back to God after idolizing the golden calf.

Joshua 1:9:

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

"Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands" (Judges 4:14)

David fought Goliath with bravery. Saul went wrong many times and could not take accountability for it, while David could. He listened to the people because they mattered.

1 Chronicles 18:14

So David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and equity to all his people.

In order to be consecrated to God, you can go through a series of steps. First, you need to fully dedicate your life to Christ and set yourself apart from sin. Prayer should be done more than daily and repentance often. It is recommended that you seek religious guidance to help guide you on the consecration journey.

1 Samuel 16:5

Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

After sinning, I always get this feeling of regret regardless of how big or small the sin is, yet we can always fall back onto the Lord and repent our sins. He will forgive us and get us through times that seem impossible. He truly is powerful. He forgave David which led to his conversion as a person.

This shows us that our lives can always be altered at any moment because we have no idea what God has in store for us in His plan and I think there is so much beauty in the mystery of trusting God.

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."

Repentance and salvation sustains our life on our journey to Heaven. Without confession or mercy, we would be nothing. God always forgives. Psalm 51 truly spoke to me in a way that no other quote has; it has made me realize how consistent the Lord's love is regardless of our consistency with saying a simple prayer.

Carlos disciplined himself with one hour of video games a week because devotion to God is much more important. He convinced his parents to take him on pilgrimages due to his fascination with the Eucharist. Along with video games, Carlos also had a fascination with technology and he used his talent to create a website to share information in order to bring people back to the Church. He offered his suffering for others coping with similar problems such as his illness.

Carlo's tomb is open in a glass surrounding allowing Catholics on pilgrimages to pray over him. He is wearing casual clothes and Nike shoes. Carlos is an amazing representation of a modern saint because he lived most of his teenage years just like the average kid.

Before reading this chapter, I would help the future reader understand that the books involve common topics such as depression and anxiety. It allows us to feel seen and not alone in our journey of faith; no one's relationship with God goes without trial and doubt. The book stood out to me because rather than showing us a righteous prophet who seeks the Lord without fail, we are presented with a struggling man, in order for us to relate, who fails and continues to get back up and try again. It teaches us that God's love is unconditional no matter how many times we fall.

Job 1:21

“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”