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Essay: The Shroud of Turin from the Eyes of My Teenager

The Shroud

There are skeptics for everything. It’s fascinating how some people are more inclined to believe that the world was created purely by the smallest chance possible than to believe there is a living God. Even when all the evidence lines up in front of them, people will still turn their head the other way in attempt to disprove ideas. This is especially the case surrounding the Shroud of Turin. With the Shroud, there is some controversy, history, as well as evidence.

The fourteen-foot cloth said to have been the burial linen of Jesus of Nazarene, (or Christ) has been attacked by skeptics for years. One strong argument was that carbon dating of the Shroud proved that it was, in fact, not around 2000 years ago but rather in the medieval times. Going by this, another dispute then comes to say that an artist simply painted a picture of Christ in the Shroud. Yet a dispute goes on to say that how does anyone know for certain that it is the actual Jesus’ face in the Shroud and not any other man? First, we have to look at the evidence before we can draw a conclusion.

The story of this relic, many discrepancies surround its origins mainly because of the fact that there are no records of the Shroud until around the 1300s. Going back before that, however, there was a cloth known as the Cloth of Edessa, which around 900 AD was transferred to the city of Constantinople. According to a description by an archdeacon, when the cloth arrived in Constantinople, he described it as a “full length image with bloodstains from a side wound.” With this information recently recovered by the Vatican, it is easy to therefore connect the Cloth of Edessa and the Shroud of Turin as one and the same. More evidence supports this idea as microscopic amounts of pollen, from ancient flowers found only in areas such as Constantinople and around the Middle East, were found in the cloth.

In around the year 1988, scientists claimed that the Shroud was dated close to 1300 due to carbon dating. This theory was then disproved as with scientific advancements, scientists were able to prove that the material was chemically different than the rest of the cloth. The samples taken for the carbon dating were actually a part of a medieval repair patch to the cloth. With this in mind, the cloth was then later tested to be at least twice > as old as the carbon estimates. Only one scientist claimed that the Shroud’s image might’ve been painted. It is agreed however, that through the chemical composition of the Shroud, by chemical and spectral analysis, the Shroud is not painted. If, however, one assumes that it was painted, first, how the image was created needs to be put to consideration. The image was a negative, which means that an artist of the medieval times has to do everything backwards with the image mind. It would be truly difficult to reprogram the way your brain processes things and to reverse everything. Imagine writing your signature upside-down and backwards. That alone is an extremely difficult task as the artist must make black into white and turn the light shades of grey into the dark and vice-versa. In addition to this strenuous process, why would an artist go so far as to make a hoax of this magnitude on a fourteen-foot cloth, instead of finding a piece of thorns and claim it as part of the crown of thorns that Jesus himself painfully wore.

All scientific evidence clearly proves that the cloth is very probable to have been around the 1^st century originating near the Middle East very likely to be in Palestine. It is also safe to conclude that the Shroud bears the wounds of a man crucified and the bloodstains are truly blood. The image of the Shroud has not been proved to have been man-made by any way, be it painting or intricate stitching and also cannot be reproduced by any natural process ever recorded or thought of. The theories concluding that the Shroud was constructed in the medieval times have been disproved and it is safe to assume that the Shroud is not a hoax, fake, or fraud of any sort. An unanswered question remains as with all the evidence presented, how do we know for sure that the image on the Shroud is the actual Christ himself? The answer to this is simple: God will not spoon feed us the fact that we have possession of the burial cloth of his son Jesus Christ, instead he calls each one of us to take that leap of faith necessary to believe in something more than mere facts and evidence, but rather, to explore the spirituality deep inside us and to be unconcerned with what physical wonder he blessed us with and instead fill ourselves with his loving grace to believe in something we cannot yet see.

Teacher's Comments: What an awesome conclusion!!! Your essay brought up some facts that may gleaned from factual sources. It is good writing to cite those sources and put it part of your essay. For example, Mr. Iggy Campbell, author of the book "The Shroud Phenomenon", argued that " blah, blah, blah". Yet, another scientist, Rudolf Reindeer reiterated that "yadi yadi da".

Essay: Sugar and Teens

Joseph, 16 year old wrote an essay on the topic of Sugar. This is how it looks after I give it back to them for editing.

Sugar

Sugar or sugar-free: That is the question. The question of eating this necessary nutrient sparks debates among many people as some claim that sugar is an evil. Granted, it is true that when taken in excess it will have serious side effects such as hyperglycemia and lead to diabetes. However, anything taken above recommended levels will cause an imbalance in the body and with this in mind, one has to understand why keeping things in moderation is important, how sugar nurtures our body, as well as what others argue against it. (run on sentences)

Keeping things in balance is a very important part in everyone’s lives. By being deprived of sleep, one gets emotionally unstable, while too much has been linked tobeing depressed (depression) or even obesity. Drinking too much alcohol might create an undesired circumstance for the heavy drinker. Alcoholics are always advised to drink in moderation. Even going on the emotional level, someone’s strong feeling of hatred towards an object may cause deeper feelings inside the person and later cause them to commit a murder. So the question remains: How much is too much? Before answering this question, first we must understand why sugar is important to our body. <>

Sugar is our brain’s fuel. The brain depends on the blood supply for its dosage of sugar. Glucose, the main sugar in the blood, is so essential to the functioning of the brain that without it, the brain won’t last for more than two minutes. Blood sugar levels are determined by what is eaten, and how fast sugar is transported from one place to another. When there is an excess of sugar, a hormone known as insulin transports it to muscle cells and the liver. When all the stores for sugar are filled up there, then the sugar is stored into fat tissue. Yet even with this knowledge, people still criticize and regard sugars an evil.

A strong argument that is commonly associated with sugar is that an excess of it will cause obesity rates to sky-rocket. Another goes on to say that eating a lot of sugar may rot your teeth and poses a risk of a various amount of unwanted diseases such as arthritis, hypoglycemia, and diabetes. One thing all these arguments have in common is this: <All the arguments have one thing in common: They require an excess of sugar. How do you solve an abundance of something? Simply by cutting down and going in a state of equilibrium.

People of today are too concerned of pointing out the wrongs of something instead of looking at the positives. Though it is true sugar can cause some life-threatening diseases, it is also true that our body, our brain especially, needs it to survive. Moderation is the key word to battle many things that “experts” say will kill you. More people will rather believe in the slim chances of something going wrong than in the huge percentage of it never happening.

Teacher's Comments: WEll thought out...excellent essay. I'm impressed with your ability to make topic sentence for each paragraph. Nice intro, great ending. Way to go.

Essay "Procrastination and Essay Writing"

As part of his essay requirements, Joseph wrote this essay.

To Start

“It is as difficult to start things as it is to finish things” goes a famous saying. At first glance, I impulsively deemed this statement false, but when thinking about it, I find myself saying otherwise. Great things happen when something is finished: Satisfaction, experience, and the knowledge of being able to finish something. Starting something requires initial planning and steps to see it through.

Though brainstorming is seen as something uncomplicated, the idea on what exactly to start thinking about is the main problem. Let’s say Johnny has a problem starting an essay. Based on experience, Johnny knows that when he has the main idea as well as facts to support it, writing an essay is a breeze. However, before that even happens, he is at his desk fiddling with his pencil as hours go by and not a single word has been written. He has an idea of what to write except he can’t express it in words. Suppose he was to write an essay about animals, he now has to think what exactly about animals is he going to write? This is the main problem I experience when trying to create an outline for an essay. I find it very frustrating because with all the things I want to write about, I also have to organize my thoughts in a paragraph form. Finishing something is entirely different.

When an engineer designs plans, he has already relieved the builders on the planning process. The project has already begun and they need only to follow through in accordance with the plan drawings. Few fix along the way, but otherwise a straightforward process. The same thing goes for writing an essay because when an outline has been created, the writer just has to look over and add sufficient details to support sentences creating a paragraph. Finishing itself is not an entirely effortless task, but in comparison to starting something, it would seem almost trouble-free.

Pleasure comes from starting then finishing something. As a part of human nature, most people want to see something followed through all the way to the end. Very few, relish in beginning a project about halfway and completely abandoning it and no longer bothering with it. What a world we would be living in if everything was half-finished. Ultimately, the most stress comes from thinking how something’s going to start and relief follows when it’s finished so get the job done and put worries behind.

Cheating in Saxon Math

My 12 year old is a very smart boy. Yet, he gets very easily stressed out. He is very sensitive. I have posted that he was getting 100% Saxon Math the past three days. I was very happy. Good academic performance has been used by psychologists as a good indicator of emotional health.

It has been one whole month that I noticed him unable to focus in his homeschooling. This is not unusual for him because he gets easily stressed out. I always use his focus as a gauge if something is stressing him out. You could just imagine my relief knowing that he was doing well.

Sad to say, I found the answer key hidden in the futon where he does his Saxon Math. I had two answer keys and I thought the other one was in his Dad's car. I recall telling him four days ago that I am going to sell the other copy of Saxon Math. I noticed a change on his face but did not think anything to that.

So finding out that he was using the answer key doe not come as a surprise for me. With this sensitive child, we have our challenges. His good behavior was never consistent.

But, I restrained myself from getting upset. I tried to understand him and brought him closer to me. I told him that I have been noticing his lack of focus the past month. I told him that our 6 hour school work is very rigorous and he needs to balance his life with looking forward to "fun" things to do for him.

Being an introvert, he did not really have any suggestions. But, for some reason, I let him draw a house, a tree, and a person. Hopefully, I can let an art therapist find out what is going on with him.

Essay of 16 year old

Power corrupts, hatred destroys, and war obliterates. With all these destructive natures, it would be impossible for mankind to prosper. The complete opposite of death is life and creating and that’s exactly what art is. An artist is gifted with the ability to use their mind to create something new. Michelangelo didn’t just rearrange simple patterns together; instead, he brought them to life. Shakespeare defied the laws of language and created an entirely new form which has survived hundreds of years even in modern times. One of the astounding mysteries that surround us today is the act of creation. Scientists know the inner structures of a living being as well as what it’s capable of doing, however, how we just have life and its origins have always been unanswered. Many theories and radical explanations are brought up, but something concrete is still pending. There have been great kings who are remembered as only footnotes in the history books. A challenge that presents an artist is if their work can outlast them or simply die out. Mozart, Bach, and Dante are just a few of the names that haven’t been forgotten. They brought to mankind a gift which we have cherished and kept with us. With the gift that they present to us in the form of their art, it would be selfish for us to simply receive it with only the mind. It is necessary therefore, to use not only the mind, but feel as though you were the great artist who with a stroke of a brush created a masterpiece. Sadly, art isn’t always used to bring life, but also to bring death and suffering. This would be known as the art of deception. People gifted with intelligence are known to waste it and use it to their advantage. They deceitfully manipulate people under them to get what their priority at the time achieved. Some use their innocent face to steal from the pocket of a victim. Others use fear and blackmail to command weak-minded souls. An intervention is necessary to bring these blackened souls to the light as well as to direct their art in the way of truth. People boast that some artists aren’t talented at all and their works can be replicated in full. When one actually sits down and tries to write a work of poetry with the same emotion as that of Shakespeare, or compose a piece as brilliant as Beethoven, one will find himself walking away disappointed.
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My 16 year old wrote this essay today. I would say it was a nice reflection of art and giftedness. He also touched on the human possibility of using creative tendencies for evil. For those interested to know, I allot one hour each day for Essays on a topic chosen by my children. The books that they are encountering are good writing prompts. After 3 months, they are very adept on choosing topics that they are interested to write about. In the beginning of our homeschooling, I allowed them to choose their own subject but I found their essays were very shallow. So, I researched college level writing prompts and challenged them to it. The result is their content is much deeper. Now, I revert back to allowing them to write topics of their choice.

Offering Up Little Sacrifices

My body is like a weather detector. The pressure in the environment affects my degenerative spine and I get stiff with back pain.

Yet, the children did not do a good job with the kitchen today so instead of getting upset about it, I asked God to help me bear the little sacrifice of cleaning up our kitchen. Did I enjoy it? No way, it was painful and I knew I would have problems before I sleep. Yet, I offered it up to our Lord for a friend whose having problems with her marriage.

I want to write more about the topic of offering but it is getting late.

Reading Aloud

My children have a tendency to be distracted. In their reading, I have encouraged them to read aloud. It practices their oral reading. It also helps their brain to comprehend using three senses (oral, hearing, sight).

God's Word by X.M. Elijah - Essay November 11, 2009

As a requirement, I let the children write an essay for one hour. It can be a topic of their choice. Elijah will sometimes ask me for a prompt.

Elijah is 12 years old. For his essay, he wrote the following:

God's Word

AMDG

God's word is the Bible. The Bible has made many miracles happen and God has talked to many people through the Bible. In the Bible, there is the entire history before and after Christ. The Bible could hold all of the answers to your problems. The Bible might say something that could relate to something you need to work on. The Bible might bring you to a closer relationship with God. The Bible could tell you what God is calling you to do.

When Jesus was born, the Bible became flesh. Jesus was really a walking, talking, breathing, living Bible. The Bible could answer a question about your faith. The Bible is like a history book but better. The Bible could solve a problem like bullying or a mean teacher or a bad friend by the story in the Bible that really happened. David and Goliath are good examples about dealing with bullying. The Bible is one of the very best resources to know about your faith. Why? Because it is the Word of God.

Two Consecutive Days of 100% in Saxon Math

Elijah did it again for two consecutive days. He got an A in his Saxon Math. He works slow but sure. In his bad days, he gets up to 9 mistakes, a signal for me that he is stressed out with something.

After two weeks of seemingly inability to focus, I decided to keep him close to me, as in very close physically. I monitor him every 10 minutes, then gradually increase it to 20 minutes. In his reading, I let him read aloud.

3 year old teaches himself

Pio, my 3 year old, is a ham.

He would come up to me and say " Read to me, Read to me" in a demanding voice and then when he gets my attention he says "Plzzzzzzzzzzzz" lovingly. Then, I tell him.."I would love to read to you".

He changed it all of a sudden to "Read to me, read to me... AGAIN...". I will say the same thing. Then after he is done with the books (around 20) in one sitting he would say "Learn please" and this means he is ready for learning his letter sounds.

I would open his software and then he operates the menu. He has learned to click the hyperlinks to go back and forth and he can match the letter sounds to objects. He also can distinguish things that do not belong. I leave him there to tinkle with the software and I am impressed that he diligently works out the exercises one by one trying to master it.

He is also good in balancing. He tried to reach for a glass ball decoration in my bathroom, the shelf was falling and he was trying to make sure the glass ball would not fall by holding it and he was crying for help. I finally came after 5 minutes. Then he told me, "do not want glass to break". He was holding it until I came to help him.

Since everyone is homeschooling, he says 'want to do homework".

He is too adorable. He is very strong though... he can lift up our dog ( 50 lbs boxer)

Impure Thoughts in Children

My 8 year old son approached me this morning while he was doing his math. He said that when he blinks his eyes he sees sexy girls.

He had just prayed his Guardian Angel prayer. I commended him for coming up to me and letting me know. I prayed over him. I told him that these are normal feelings for a boy his age. He must not feel guilty but try to remove those thoughts through prayer. Sometimes, he will fail but he must not give up and let these thoughts take over him.

What the Kids are Reading - Second Week of November

Jude, 17ds:

The Law" by Bastiat for Literature.

Algebra 2. I just bought him a solutions manual.

Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis (done last Friday)

Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton

Joseph, 16 ds:

Twenty Leagues by Jules Verne (done last Monday)

The Vicar of Wakefield, Goldsmith

The Biography of Benjamin Franklin

Imitation of Christ by Kemphis (done last Monday)

Heretics by G.K. Chesterton

Uniformity in God's Will by St. ALphonsus

Precalculus

Faith 16 dd:

Pilgrim's Progress by Bunyan

Helena

Algebra 1/2

Rose 14 dd:

Up and Slavery (done)

Anne of Gables

St. Theresa and the Little Flowers

Saxon 8/7

Elijah 12 ds:

The Hound of Baskersville (done by Monday)

Up from Slavery

Teen Catholic Bible

Saxon 7/6 #77

Chris 11 ds:

Four Naval Heroes (done by Monday)

Heidi

St. Theresa

Writing Apprentice

Saxon 6/5

Noah 8 ds:

Saxon 5/4 Lesson 47

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

Catholic Bible for Children (Genesis)

Sacrifice as a Homemaker

Yesterday was very tiring. I was in Mt. Washmore without any dryer. With the heater on, I started hanging clothes and putting it on the third floor. Heat rises. My clothes were dried at the end of the day. I did that the whole day.

In between, I was checking closely Noah and Elijah. Noah is 8 years old. Elijah is 12 years old. Both of them have ADHD, so it is not easy for them to be on track all the time. Sometimes, I find Noah drawing. Sometimes, I find Elijah daydreaming.

Rose and Chris are downstairs in the kitchen area. They are more reliable with their studies.

The sad thing is the 3rd floor was a mess. I wished I cleaned it up before their Dad came. However, I know I would not have handled it well if I did it alone.

I was starting to have back pain by late afternoon but I offered it up and continue to help the kids with the kitchen. My dear hubby pitched in. I love my husband. He is the best one out there.

The Mysterious Island - Essay

Joseph wrote an essay on the book "Mysterious Island".

The Mysterious Island written by Jules Verne was a fascinating book. It starts by giving the setting which takes place in the late 1800’s in an uninhabited island off the Pacific. Four men, an engineer, a reporter, a sailor, and a sixteen year old, are stripped off every possession and are expected by nature to survive by their own hands. Thanks to the leadership and knowledge of the engineer Harding, the castaways were able to put themselves to great use. When days turned to months and months into years, progress was easily seen as they developed the land, domesticated animals, as well as fending off invaders.

The island was later named Lincoln Island and it had a mysterious secret. Events took place that neither of the castaways was able to explain. For one, during one of their meals, Pencroft (the sailor) almost broke his teeth off by biting into a hard piece of metal which later turned out to be a bullet. This raised plenty of uncertainty within the four castaways as they simply could not explain how it came to pass that a bullet was found on an island where they found no one. Another event was when a box of medicine suddenly appeared in the most critical of time. Circumstances in the island proved beneficial to the new colonists as one thing after another resulted in the prosperity of the four men.

At first, the work was hard and consisted of creating the tools necessary. The engineer stressed priority on finding food and shelter so weapons as well as finding a suitable place were done first. By implanting a bomb-type device in the heart of a mass of granite, the explosion was able to create a hole in the interior thus giving the men a place to stay. The new inhabitants of Lincoln Island rejoiced when they found one grain of wheat stuck in the jacket packet of one of the men. Within a few months, they were able to cultivate the wheat and have an abundance of crops.

It is no doubt that living in the earliest era was truly difficult. The castaways in this book had previous knowledge of a civilization, whereas in the past, cavemen were exploring possibilities of everything. After discovering fire, they had to learn how to tame it. The men knew that by creating enough friction to generate the heat, a fire will eventually spout out. How grateful one should be to live in a period where necessities are just around the corner.

Joseph Writes an Essay based on Orthodoxy

I have discovered G.K. Chesterton from Father Dwight Longenecker's website. However, it took me two years to actually find out more about him.

I am using his works as a major part of our reading list for our Catholic literature. So far, my 16 year old son is in awe with his works.

Read his essay below:

The work of Gilbert Chesterton titled, Orthodoxy, is an interesting read. He describes himself, in his teenage years as an atheist at one point to an agnostic in another. His moral compass really started ticking after he started asking question after questions. It seemed as though Christianity was being attacked in all aspects. One accuser might claim that the Christian Church forgives too easily, while another would accuse the Church for being too strict and not forgiving. This put him in a state where he simply did not believe that something can be one thing but also the complete opposite at the same time.

A sudden thought struck him and he was enlightened to say that what if the Church was the one that was normal and the only ones criticizing her are the maniacs. Picture this: Jesus walks in a town filled with different ethnicities of people and spends one night with them then leaves the next morning. When a person asks a short man what Jesus looked like, the short man might reply, “He was rather tall” while a tall man vice versa. A dark skinned person then would say, “He was rather blonde” while a fair skinned person would recall him to be darker. These are just a few of the things that might occur in descriptions of things. It’s very easy to derive one teaching, by yourself, and interpret either what you want to get out of it, or mistake it to mean something else.

Human race is not perfect. We are filled with flaws so we use science and technology to fix it. The imperfection doesn’t just stay within the physical boundaries, but also on the intellectual side. When a person is appointed to the important position to spread the word of God, misconceptions may arise. Being an imperfect race, there are members of the Church who were and might still be corrupt. People use the flaws of someone held in high esteem to justify their judgment on any aspect. For example,Martin Luther blamed the Church and nailed his 95 Thesis s resulting in the branching out of many different denominations. Had Martin Luther humbled himself, he would’ve not only prevented the branching out to different churches in his era, but able to strengthen the faith of the Catholic Church by putting his trust in her.

Chesterton emphasizes many times how individuals have their own way of thinking. Prone to misunderstanding, mankind needs something that is consistent as a foundation to follow. The Church appointed by God will never change; it is only the ones that carry out her mission. The Word of God doesn’t change; it is only the ones that try to interpret it. The tradition of the Church never changes; it is only the ones who practice it. Ultimately, God does not change; it is rather only the ones who believe in him.

First Confirmation Rite of Rose

Father Arnsparger blessed the Confirmation students last Sunday. Our daughter, Rose, is 14 years old and in 8th grade. She received a certificate of the "Apostle's Creed". She wanted Mary to be her confirmation saint. However, she was recommended to choose another saint. She chose St. Catherine of Sienna.

First Saturday Mass

Elijah Tackles The Hound of Baskersville

Elijah has been very distracted the past two weeks. I checked his Saxon Math and he was making a lot of errors. He is also a bit difficult.

My strategy with children that give me problems is to get them off me for a certain period until I feel courageous enough to bring them closer. The ideal strategy is to bring them close right away to you. This my goal. I am working at this goal. To transcend my desire to get them off my back through a timeout but instead bring them in closer to me when they err.

So until he stabilizes, I will let him do his schoolwork beside me and whereever I go.

For articles on children, check these out:

5 Quick and Proven Ways to Calm a Child

Conflicts with Stepchildren: What You Don't Know

The Role of a Father in a Family

As I recall my youth, my father played an important role in raising me as a Catholic. He was educated in our Catholic faith. He ensured that we all go to a Catholic school.

I am grateful to God for giving my my husband. He is so deeply rooted in his faith. I admire his complete trust in God.

Check out my article which recounts the many miracles in our lives.

Mystery Woman Gives $500 Cash to Mother of Nine: True Story

My 17 year old Teen - Jude

Jude is the last of our teen rebelling against homeschooling. Last Saturday, I let him hang around with me to do my errands. It was great. In the car, he read aloud the book of C.S. Lewis "The Screwtape Letters". We discussed it chapter by chapter. He was so interested.

Check out my other articles:

"Raising Your Teens: What You Want to Avoid"

All Saint's Day at the Cemetery

The youth group with their parents at Belmont Abbey College.

Check out my article on

"Spooky Halloween for Large Families"

2009 All Saint's Day Photo

The family joined the parish youth activities last Sunday. For All Saint's Day, we went to Belmont Abbey College cemetery and prayed the rosary.

For family traditions, check out my other articles:

Form New Traditions in Catholic Blended Families

Spooky Halloween for a Large Blended Family