b'NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE, continued2022 State Essay Contest Winners8th Grade Winner Sophia PapaniaCouncil 7923 District 21Obstacles to Living Authenic FaithMy Uncle Eric was a hero. A naval aviator whothat lies in that anguish if you take a moment flew A-6 Intrnders all over the world, he was a veryto dig deeper. inspiring role model to all of my family. Tragically, heThe story of Job shines like a light on the died in Japan when his jet crashed during a train- misguided why me suffering mentality. His ing maneuver. My grandparents endured the heart- story is one of the strongest testaments of faith break of losing him, their only son, when he wasin the Bible. Job was a wealthy man living in just twenty-eight years old. His death was a devas- a land called Uz. He was blessed with a large tating and unexpected shock for my whole family.family, abundant flocks, and many riches. God However, my grandparents did not let this shatterboastedtoSatanaboutJob,andsoSatan their faith. On the contrary, their trust in God waschallenged God to a test of Jobs strength of as strong and resolute as it had ever been. Theyfaith. Satan insisted that Job would tum away set an example of authentic faith for all of us. If theyfrom God if his blessings were taken from him. could endure such a loss with dignity and grace,God accepted this dare. So, Satan took ev-we could too. In fact, my Uncle Brad converted toerything from Job: his children, his flocks, his Catholicism after he witnessed how strong and res- riches, his friends and his health. Yet he still olute my grandparents faith stayed in the face ofremained faithful to God, and even thanked such heartbreak.God for the suffering bestowed upon him. God HavingauthenticfaithmeansfollowingGodsreturned Jobs health, providing him with twice will, and accepting that it may not always be how we would likeas much property as before, new children, and an extremely long things. An authentic life of faith is one in which your beliefs arelife. This story of Jobs suffering makes me realize that the obsta-integrated into all aspects of your life. Understand this: true faithcles in my life can be endured because God is always by my side does not mean going through the motions of being a Catholic. Weto give me the strength and courage that I need to carry out His need to spend time building our relationship with God because ourwill. faith will be tested when we are faced with difficulties and chal- There are definitely times when this is difficult to remember. Our lenges. It is something of a paradox: you need authentic faith tolives are like a endure suffering, but suffering can tum you away from God. tapestry; we are only allowed to see the knotted, ratty back while As Catholics, we have a particular perspective on suffering. Wewe are here on earth weaving it. However, when we go to Heaven, believe that it unites us to Christ instead of tearing us away fromwe get to see the front and take in our lifes intricate, meaningful Him. Suffering can be one of the biggest obstacles to living outdesign. our faith because we have the very simple idea that if we alwaysWhen I look around at my family, I do not see a bunch of sorrowful, do good, we will always receive good. This is not the case. Goddespairing people. I see strong, kind, amazing individuals who can gave up his only Son to a world full of sin so that we may be saved.overcome any obstacles thrown their way because of their trust Christ suffered persecution and died a horrific death on the crossin Gods will. This is no easy thing: it takes incredible strength, so that we may be saved. This shows us that suffering is not basedwillpower, and faith. We can all look to the lives of people we know on merit, and more importantly, that it is not futile. If you alwayswho have suffered tremendously and still carry on with grace. They do good, you may still face terrible suffering. But there is a beautyare all heroes, just like my Uncle Eric.9th Grade Runner-up Sophia Papania / Council 8495 District 24Its very difficult as a teenager to live a life of authentic faith,rent visual culture and the expectation of instant gratification, spent in communion with God and His church, seeking mywaiting in silence for God to answer prayers is tough, espe-vocation. I face many obstacles as I form my life to fit throughcially when I cant see how Hes moving. However, when I the eye of the needle. With the continuous bombardment ofvisit Jesus in Adoration with my family, the silence washes noise in the world, finding quiet to connect with Our Lord isover me like a wave, and I relish the stillness. I have learned to challenging. Often I struggle to bond with my peers as I find itmake time for quiet moments as God whispers and the world difficult to relate to their worldview, which is heavily influencedis loud. by their constant access to cell phones. Negative influencesAs a teenager, I crave community and to engage with oth-denying the Truth also try to mislead me, and I must learn toer youth. This can be hard as I feel my peers are tragical-grasp it to climb out of the devils thorn bush of lies. Evenly disconnected from each other, and the art of face-to-face through these obstacles, I know that God is with me, leadingconversation is being lost, such as the skill of knowing how me to victory in a life of authentic faith spent with Him.tone and body language affect our conversations. Due to this Relentless noise, coming from everywhere, is hard to avoid.disconnect, its challenging to establish authentic friendships. For me to sit down in prayer and ask God what I should do, IOften, I find myself ignored when I cant relate to the topics must first be able to single out His voice. Not having a phonegirls my age are talking about, whether it be celebrities, the perpetually with me helps me in this struggle. With our cur- popular apps, or internet trends. 99'