Is Love Subjective?

What is love?
Baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me

No more
(Sorry, I had to do it.)

But back to the question at hand.
To ask if love is subjective, it is implied that there is a comparison to it being objective.
When something is subjective it is completely coming from the persons point of view. It can be based on a fact but it is one's interpretation for that fact.
On the other hand, when another thing is said to be Objective, it is supposed to be completely unbiased, more a fact than an opinion, while it still reviews and takes consideration different points of view.

So taking that into consideration; is love subjective? Perhaps. When you loves something else it comes from inside of you and the image and emotions that you relate with the object of your affection. Nothing can make you love something else, because it would not be from your own choosing.

Then, is love Objective? In the verse John 4:8, the Bible says "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." So according to the bible love should be objective. "God is love" is a statement.Therefore all the definitions one might carry for God hold true for love. God is constant, unchanging, everywhere, everything, infinite, and perfect. It would then be logical to induce that love cannot be fully appreciated by a rational or at least finite mind. We may only get glimpses of parts of it but we may never understand it as a whole.

But could love not be both? 
Aha! Now we get into really confusing topics. But yeah I personally believe that love CAN and IS both subjective and objective. It is objective because love is a THING. Love exists and it means something.
But what does Love mean? Exactly! I think that because everyone interprets love differently it is also subjective. No two people are ever going to feel the exact same way, so love's subjectivity comes from that every single of the billions of people on the planet are going to love at one point. They might love their parents as children then another human being as their couple later on, and people are always going to love their deity's. I, as a catholic, love God and everything He is, just as any one of my peers love Him. But I might love God in a different way than he does.

So yeah, to answer the question, I believe love is subjective, as well as objective.

What it Takes to be a Saint

St. Ignatius of Loyola

Saints are not just made by the Church like Hollywood makes stars. The Church recognizes people that lived perfectly in obedience of God's will and are in Heaven as Saints.

The process to be recognized as a Saint (called canonization) is very long, where evidence is presented as to point out the holiness of a person and their sacrifices for God and the Church.  Specific stages are met on the path to being declared a saint:

• Servant of God: As soon as the person is accepted for consideration, he/she is called a Servant of God.

• Venerable: After the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints determines that the servant of God lived a life of heroic virtue, she is granted the title of venerable. Heroic virtue doesn't mean a person was perfect or sinless, but that she worked aggressively to improve herself spiritually and never gave up trying to be better and grow in holiness.

• Blessed: After the Church establishes one miracle, the venerable person’s cause is presented to the pope to see whether he deems her worthy of being called blessed. This step is called beatification and is the next-to-last step.

• *Saint: Another miracle and the blessed person’s cause is presented to the pope again for his judgment. If he determines that the evidence is clear and that contrary reports aren't credible, he may initiate the canonization procedure. If all goes well, the candidate is publicly recognized as a saint.

The process is called canonization because after a person is anointed a Saint they are added to the Canon which is a list of all the Catholic Saints.

Saint are people we should all look up to because they exemplify the forms in that Man can be the truest to God, and we should all take example and try to live our lives more like Saints.

The Significance Of The Tabernacle

The tabernacle has had many different meanings throughout the centuries of history. At first the tabernacle was the place of worship for the Israelites in the Old Testament. It contained the Ark of the Covenant, and it was where the Chosen People came to pray to God. Today, the tabernacle is the object that holds the Eucharist when there are leftovers after mass. However, both usages of the word refer to the housing place for God on Earth.

Tabernacle means “tent,” or "sanctuary." During the forty years that the Israelites were wandering the desert, it served as the place that God choose to talk with his Chosen People. It was a mobile tent that consisted of portable furniture. Wherever the Israelites set up camp, the tabernacle would always be at the center. The tabernacle was necessary to help keep the Israelites faithful, God knew that the Israelites would go back to their pagan ways just as when Moses went up Mount Sinai.

Today we use the tabernacle in a much simpler sense. It is still the dwelling place of God, but it is not the same huge structure that it used to be. Catholics use the term "tabernacle," when referring to the holding object of the Eucharist during such processes as adoration. Also, the tabernacle helps to preserve the sacredness of the Eucharist until it is consumed between masses. It is always a very ornate object, and it generally is the most precious thing in the entire Church, because of its significance and purpose.

-Timmy Mashinski

History of Fasting in Catholicism

Every religion has their own dietary restrictions, some harsher than others. Today, Catholics do not have many rules to follow in regards to fasting. However, Catholics used to be one of the strictest religions when it came to fasting. At one point, Catholics were instructed not to eat meat on all Fridays, as well as to eat one meal on everyday during Lent. However, now Catholics merely have to fast on Good Friday and Ash Wednesday, as well as not being permitted to eat meat only on Fridays during Lent.

Fasting itself is the avoidance of eating something that is unhealthy, or the abstinence of eating more than three meals. Its primary purpose is to better someone spiritually in their journey on Earth. However, fasting is a very difficult task and is not for everyone. Consequently, only people between the ages of 18 and 60 are encouraged to fast within the Catholic Church. Also, fasting is generally accompanied with prayer, due its hard nature it becomes easier when asking for assistance from God. Also, this process generally leads to some people realizing how lucky they are to be able to eat whenever they desire. Therefore, fasting has a tendency to lead to "almsgiving." Overall, it is clear that fasting benefits all Catholics, some in more than one way.

Lastly, Lent is the primary source of fasting for Catholics. It is a 40 day season that represents the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert being tempted by the devil. Consequently, as believers we commemorate this great feat by attempting to handle the small everyday challenges that we face with the same fortitude that Jesus had. Jesus faced three temptations, one of flesh, one of power, and one of will. Similarly, we face everyday issues that we could handle better, but merely do not have the courage to do so at times. Therefore, Lent serves as a time for prayer, fast, and fortitude all of which enable us to become closer to God.

-Timmy Mashinski

The Mysterious Easter Candle

Everyone that goes to a Catholic Church has seen an "Easter Candle" before. Each individual Church receives a mandatory candle that they must light at every mass from the beginning of Easter until the Ascension. The Easter Candle signifies the light of the world, and its technical name is the "Paschal Candle." I have always wondered why it is so large, and intricate, as well as its significances. The pure beeswax that the candle is crafted from shows the pure nature of Christ, and how he is without sin. While the wick of the candle represents Christ's humanity, on which the flame burns signifying Christ's divinity. Also, five essential grains of incense are added to the candle to represent the same spices that were used on the five wounds of Jesus during his burial. 

This special candle is brought by the priest into the Church during the Easter Vigil, at which point the church is entirely dark. Then the priest lights the candle to represent the entrance of light into the world, showing our eternal life with Christ after death thanks to his ultimate sacrifice. Next the candle is brought up to the altar where the priest will bless it and inscribe the letters that are shown above. The top letter is the Alpha letter from the Greek alphabet, which signifies "the beginning." The second letter is the Omega sign from the Greek alphabet that represents "the end." Lastly, he writes in the numbers of the current year, as well as affixing the incense while saying the prayer shown below.

"Accept this Easter candle,

a flame divided but undimmed,

a pillar of fire that glows to the honor of God.

(For it is fed by the holy melting wax, which the mother bee brought forth

to make this precious candle.)

Let it mingle with the lights of heaven

and continue bravely burning

to dispel the darkness of this night!

May the Morning Star which never sets

find this flame still burning:

Christ, that Morning Star,

who came back from the dead,

and shed his peaceful light on all humanity,

your Son, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Amen."

-Timmy Mashinski