Print Issue: November 14, 2002

Teens Try To Live Their Faith In Visible Ways

Lizzy Zaryski, a senior at Centennial High School, Roswell, has a 1999 Honda Civic that is a rolling testimony to her faith. Images of Jesus Christ or Christianity are displayed on various parts of the car. (Photos by Michael Alexnader) North Atlanta High School junior varsity basketball players Justin, left, and Jason Harlow share one ball and one faith that they attempt to exhibit through their actions, on and off the court.

By Ave Murray, KathErine Mozzone & Gloria TemPka, For The Bulletin

ATLANTA - Lizzy Zaryski's faith is on the move.

A Christian fish emblem on her rear bumper, a sticker in her back window with Jesus' name surrounded by a crown of thorns, a Jesus license plate on the front bumper and a license plate holder reading "No Jesus No Heaven, Know Jesus Know Heaven," as she drives her green Honda civic around town, Lizzy shares her faith in a mobile way.

The St. Andrew's Church, Roswell, parishioner is a leader in Centennial High School's Fellowship of Christian Athletes club and said she is "in constant communication with God throughout the day and that she "tries to live (her) life reflecting the life of Jesus Christ."

"I also lead a group of 18 girls in FCA to help them in their relationship with God," she said. "My car is full of Jesus merchandise and I always have Christian music playing in my car."

There are the obvious things - going to church, participating in youth group, serving the poor - that give tangible testimony of a teenager's faith.

There are seven days in a week, only one of them a Sunday. Each day teens live their lives - going to school, going to practice, doing homework. Many teens in the Archdiocese of Atlanta strive to make sure that the person sitting next to them in math class is just as aware that they are Christians as the person sitting next to them in the pews on Sunday.

Junior varsity basketball players Jason and Justin Harlow, ninth graders at North Atlanta High School, who attend Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Decatur, try to show their faith both on and off the court.

The twins say that they sometimes find it challenging to live their faith during their every day lives because they attend public school. Often they are faced with ignorance, they say.

"Many people don't understand the Catholic faith," Jason said.

"There are many misconceptions about my faith and I am constantly faced with clarifying them," Jason said. "To stay level-headed, Justin and I try not to let others influence us. We often isolate ourselves from those who try to steer us in the wrong direction."

There is no doubt that teens have always faced temptation, and it hasn't gotten any easier. Teens, especially, face unwanted invitations from their peers and from society.

With constant enticement, many teens fall into drug abuse and promiscuous sex, but many Catholic teens in the archdiocese strive to avoid those pressures and witness to their faith through service, prayer or reaching out to others.

A freshman in high school, Sean G. (name withheld upon request) is a teen who does merely what is expected of him as far as his faith is concerned. He goes to Mass every Sunday at All Saints Church, Dunwoody, and participates in his youth group activities.

On his right wrist, Sean wears a "WWJD - What would Jesus do?" bracelet to remind himself of Jesus' teachings and message. Though he does not go to confession every day, Sean says he does try to "live by Jesus' law" and to live his faith to the best of his ability.

By following Jesus in this way, Sean has withstood offers to "smoke cigarettes, drink, and smoke pot," he said.

Though living his faith is sometimes a challenge, Sean said that it is easier to resist temptation when relying on God.

"When your friends aren't Catholics or aren't as strong in their faith as you are, as long as you live your faith however you can, it's not so hard to resist peer pressure," he said.

Other teens rely on prayer to get them through the day.

Ashley Groves, a parishioner at St. Andrew's Church, Roswell, said that she tries to maintain a prayerful presence during her days.

"I constantly stay in touch with God through prayer," she said. "Whenever I have spare time, whether its walking through the halls, sitting in class, or running for cross country, I am constantly in connection with God. Through prayer and God's strength, I am able to glorify him. I constantly keep his word in my heart."

Father Paul Burke, chaplain at Our Lady of Mercy High School in Fairburn, encourages teens to serve others and to incorporate Christ into their lives and their studies.

"Sometimes kids get so caught up in academics that they forget to preface the study with having a prayer," he said.

Ultimately, he said, teens who live their lives in a faith-filled way will have an impact on their peers.

"We have to respect each other and realize that every person is made in the image of God," he said. "In our lives, we may not agree with people but we never disrespect their dignity."

Father Burke refers to the famous quote by St. Francis of Assisi that said "Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words when necessary."

"No two persons have the same journey of faith, but we have to realize that we walk together," he said. "Even with those who have fallen off the path of faith, our love, our compassion and our lives can inspire them to go the extra mile. If teens are sincerely striving to find that humility that comes from faith, their conviction will bring people in and bring people to Christ."

(Editor's note: This story is a compilation of interviews from our teen board members from around the archdiocese.)