Welcome Home! The Parable of the Prodigal Son

By Leave a Comment

 

A long time ago, in a faraway land, there lived a man who had two sons. The older son was hardworking and loyal, and he helped his father take care of the daily chores that needed to be done. The younger son was very lazy, and he spent his days just lying around, watching his brother do all the work.

One day, the younger son was sitting on the sofa, channel surfing, and eating cheeseballs. He was so bored, that he began to think of ways to make his life more exciting. He finally came up with a great idea!

His father was outside, tending the garden, when the younger son found him. “Hey Dad,” said the son, “I have something to ask you.” “Hello son,” said the father, “have you come out to help me with the gardening?” “No way,” said the son, “I’ve come to ask you if I could have my share of the estate now, so I can go out and see the world.” The father was not happy with his son’s decision, but he gave him half of everything he owned.

A few days later, the younger son left his father’s house, and went to the big city, where he spent his money on beer, gambling, and all-night parties.

After he had spent all his money, a severe famine swept the entire country, and the son realized that he needed to get a job. He went to Pepper Jack’s Pig Plains, where he got a job feeding the pigs. No one would give him any food, and he became so hungry, that he wanted to eat the food that he was feeding to the pigs.

“This is no way to live,” said the son, “maybe I should go back to my father’s house. He may not welcome me back, but if I work hard as a servant, at least I’ll have food, and I won’t starve.”

So, he went back to his father’s house, where he was ready to beg for his forgiveness. When the father saw his son, he ran to him and hugged him. “Father,” said the son, “I have treated you badly and I have sinned against heaven. I am not worthy enough to be called your son.” The son stood silent as he waited for his father’s angry words.

But his father smiled at him and he said to his servants, “Listen everyone, give my boy the works. I’m talking robes, jewelry, and for dinner, how about that fat cow in the garden! Tonight we will have a feast and celebrate, because my son was dead, and now he is alive again, he was lost, and now he is found.”

Now the older son was in the field, taking care of his father’s garden. He decided he needed a break, so he started walking back to the house. As he got closer to the house, he heard music and he saw people dancing. He asked one of the servants what was going on, and the servant told him that his younger brother had returned, and the party was for him.

The older son was furious, and he refused to join the celebration. The older son said to his father, “What’s going on here? I have stayed with you all these years, worked for you, took care of you and your property, and you’ve never given me a party. I’m a little ticked off.”

His father said, “Son, don’t you see, your brother has returned on his own, it was his choice. He has learned his lesson. He was dead, but now he is alive again, he was lost, but now he is found. Don’t you think that’s a good reason for celebrating?”

The older son stared at his father for a long time. He finally smiled and said, “Are there any cheeseballs left?” “You bet,” said the father, “your favorite, parmesan and cheddar.” “All right,” said the son, “let’s celebrate!”

Read all posts by Filed Under: Elementary School, Liturgical, Middle School, Sacraments, Scripture Leave a Comment

“Someone” Beautiful for God

By Leave a Comment

Monday of the Fifth Week
1 Kgs 8:1-7; 9-13; Mk 6: 53-56
February 6, 2012
Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

Malcolm Muggeridge was an English controversialist and journalist whose life spanned just about the entirety of the twentieth century – he was born in 1903 and died in 1990. He was first an agnostic and then later on became a Catholic – a deeply committed Roman Catholic at that. His conversion was hastened along by the witness of an Albanian-born nun by the name of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who even before her death in 1997 was regarded as a living saint. Muggeridge was so moved by the founder of the Missionaries of Charity that he decided to make a film about her in the late 1960s so the rest of the world could come to know what he had discovered in this very holy woman.

After he finished making the film, Muggeridge was at a loss as to the title he would give it. While reading through a piece of correspondence from Mother Teresa, he found the right words to capture the vision he had brought to the big screen. Mother Teresa had written: Let us do something beautiful for God. There it was – Something Beautiful for God – that’s what he would call his film.

In my view, he could just as easily have titled his film Someone Beautiful for God – although Mother Teresa would not have liked it. She was much too modest to accept this kind of designation about herself. Her focus was always on the work she was doing for God; it was never on herself. In fact, she would have regarded the personal attention as a betrayal of her service to the poor, as something not in keeping with the humility we should have about ourselves in imitation of Christ.

Nonetheless, there is a sense in which someone beautiful for God is an apt description for Mother Teresa. I’m referring to the sense of every man, every woman. Every man, every woman is someone beautiful for God. Certainly that’s what Mother Teresa believed – every dying person she and her Sisters pick up from the streets of Calcutta is someone beautiful for God. Each dying person, treated with the utmost dignity and respect by Mother Teresa and her Sisters, has wounds bandaged because the Lord has already bound up the wounds of our sins. By His dying on the Cross, He has healed us by His stripes. (cf. Is 53:5)

In today’s first reading, the sacred author describes for us the solemn dedication and consecration of the temple in Jerusalem. We hear in the text how the ark of the covenant is carried forward in procession by the priests and Levites. (cf. 1 Kgs 8:4) We can just imagine the precision and exactness it required on the part of the Lord’s ministers. In this dedication and consecration, a column of smoke fills the temple, indicating the presence of the Lord’s glory. (cf. 1 Kgs 8:10) How majestic a sight this must have been to set your eyes on! It’s no wonder that Solomon, addressing the Lord of glory, cries out, “I have truly built you a princely house.” (1 Kgs 8:13) Solomon was no doubt wise, but modest he was not!

The temple was something beautiful for God with all its gold, silver and precious metals. But was it the most beautiful thing of all?
Early on in Jesus’ public ministry, Saint John the evangelist has Jesus in the holy city of Jerusalem, in its temple area where he finds moneychangers and drives them out of His Father’s house. (cf. Jn 2:14-15) Overturning their tables in an act of righteous indignation, Jesus boldly proclaims at the same time, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” (Jn 2:19) The evangelist informs us just two lines later that Jesus “was speaking about the temple of his body.” (Jn 2:21)

In today’s gospel, the evangelist records how Jesus ministered to the sick. Wherever Our Lord visits – whether villages, towns or the countryside – the sick on mats are brought to Him. (cf. Mk 6:56) All they want to do is touch the tassel of His cloak; and Jesus of course obliges their request. (cf. Mk 6:56) These sick people are unable to walk; their legs and presumably other parts of their bodies are severely compromised. Saint Mark indicates very simply at the end of the text that these sick men and women are healed of their infirmities. (cf. Mk 6:56)

There is a story told about Saint Lawrence the Martyr, the third century deacon in Rome and it goes like this: Lawrence, the servant of the Lord and His people, is instructed to produce the most coveted and most valuable possessions belonging to the fledgling and persecuted Christian community in the Eternal City. Instead of bringing forward the most precious sacred vessels used at the liturgy, the deacon presents the lame, the crippled, those whose bodies are racked with pain. These are the ones who are beautiful for God!

We are still a few weeks away from the beginning of Lent and we have an even longer distance to cover liturgically before we get to Holy Week. Still, I do not think it imprudent to invoke an image from that penitential season now. Jesus is the Suffering Servant. He is the One of whom Isaiah prophesied long ago: “There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him . . . . One of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned.” (Is 53:2-3) There was no beauty there, or so it seemed.

Father Richard John Neuhaus, the founding editor of the journal First Things, once preached the Seven Last Words of Christ devotion in New York City and turned his reflections on that occasion into a volume entitled Death on a Friday Afternoon. He referred to Jesus’ death there as a dreadful beauty – something physically repugnant yet spiritually and morally splendiferous at the same time. In going to the Cross obediently, Jesus did something beautiful for God. Through His humility, He showed Himself as Someone Beautiful for God. So might we turn our own lives into something beautiful for God, and thereby become someone beautiful for God by choosing not the way of self-fulfillment but self-abandonment.

Read all posts by Filed Under: Catechism, Liturgical, Scripture, Theology Tagged With: , , , Leave a Comment

How Many Lents?

By Leave a Comment

Guest Post: by Wendy Darling

I just read a headline over at Franciscan Media and it gave me pause -  How many Lents?

I literally stopped what I was doing and started thinking over my long life. How many Lents indeed.

How many years of childhood when the fasting was so enjoyable because everyone was doing it together. We didn’t have our usual after school snacks of cookies and milk, but I don’t remember what Mom substituted. I don’t seem to have suffered from it, whatever it was.

We always abstained from meat on Fridays, so I’ve eaten my fair share of tuna noodle casserole, peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, and grilled cheese. We certainly didn’t go to Legal Seafoods on Fridays, but again, no worse for the wear.

There was a fish fry at my parish every Friday in Lent. The Holy Name Society had a fish fry every First Friday the rest of the year, so we were used to that, too. In fact, we looked forward to it. I’m sure the fish was some nameless brand of perch (Exactly what IS perch? I only know it’s not tilapia, cod, halibut, flounder, sole, snapper, sea bass, salmon, orange roughy or swordfish.) We didn’t care because it was obviously plentiful and inexpensive. And besides, EVERYONE was there!  No Friday night movies for us because we’d go to the church afterwards for the Stations of the Cross.

My high school memories are a little more blurry. But the menu always predominates. NO MEAT! In fact, I think we abstained on Wednesdays, as well.  What was wonderful about the abstinence was that it satisfied that tiny voice of conscience that always tried to rear its ugly head when temptation crossed our paths. No, thank you. I gave up candy for Lent.  Even our non-Catholic neighbors respected our abstinence rules and helped us to remember when we were playing at their houses. And there were always the Stations of the Cross. To this day, I have never tired of them.

That being said, I must confess that in college, I almost gave up Lent for Lent. Sad to say, at my secular university, there was little support for it from our up-to-date Newman Center chaplain. If a ski trip came in Lent, that quiet voice became almost silent. I know I had a few hamburgers on Fridays, but I still managed to think of something to give up for the season.

Ash Wednesdays. I remember them most of all. It was truly exciting, lining up at the altar rail when I was very young, then standing to be reminded that I am dust and unto dust I shall return. Always chilling, always sobering, but also exhilarating. I was in good company after all. All of us dust-bunnies-to-be were in this together. It couldn’t be THAT bad. In fact, it wasn’t. It was wonderful to be in company with future saints. Though we really didn’t talk about it. We knew the stories by heart, though. We knew that Saint Dominic Savio and Saint Therese of Lisieux had taken their ashes, too. And where they led, we could follow.

In the world of teaching, it was sometimes a challenge to wear those ashes to the faculty lunch room. In fact, sometimes I would take my tomato soup and saltines to my office instead. Then it was just me and God over lunch. I’d apologize for my weakness. This was certainly NOT what Dominic and Therese would have done! As a result of our little “conversations”, my penances became a little different about that time.  Several years, in addition to the “giving up”, I added a positive action. Besides almsgiving, I tried on a little more kindness. In addition to cheese, or eggs, or butter, I gave up being impatient. At least I tried to.

As I think back to those many Lents in the past, I look forward to my next one with borderline glee. I remember my dear mother, who, faithful Catholic that she was, went along with the changes in the early seventies, but never stopped bemoaning two things: that the rule about abstinence on all Fridays went by the wayside, and particularly, that the season of Septuagesima, or pre-Lent, had been dropped in the new calendar. She was fond of reminding her children and friends, and even my non-Catholic father, that we human beings are weak and our wills have been compromised by original sin, so the Church knowing that all too well, in her wisdom, gave us reminders and assistance along the way, among them abstinence and a prelude to Lent.

This Sunday is Septuagesima Sunday. I will rejoice at Mass and think so fondly of my mother’s affection for it, and remember why the Church offers us this wonderful season as a preview of the reasons for our upcoming Lenten penances.

How many Lents? Not nearly enough for my liking. But thankfully, here comes another one to bring us closer to the God Who lived and died for us, so that we could be together with Him forever in Heaven. And you thought only Christmas was for gifts.

Read all posts by Filed Under: Culture, Liturgical Tagged With: , , Leave a Comment

Rediscovering Sunday as the Day of Joy

By Leave a Comment

Sometimes, the joy busters of life get the better of me. But not lately.When I delve into the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I really get a sense of the joie de vivre of Catholic life. Something that has had a real and  practical application for my life is finding the joy of Sundays. After all, Sunday was the day that Jesus was raised from the death… and in so many ways, a thoughtful observance of Sunday can breathe life back into the other days of the week for me.

Tucked in the middle of a longer summary about Sundays, I came across this tiny, yet powerful phrase: the day of joy. I was immediately struck by how often I have revered Sunday as an obligation and a day of rest, but have not always consciously entered into it as a day of joy, save for major feast days.  As it turns out, that is just one aspect of a bigger idea that describes Christian joy as proper to Sundays.

Let’s look at the full text of CCC 1193:

Sunday, the “Lord’s Day,” is the principal day for the celebration of the Eucharist because it is the day of the Resurrection. It is the pre-eminent day of the liturgical assembly, the day of the Christian family, and the day of joy and rest from work. [Emphasis mine.]

Let’s break that down by looking at how joy might be better nurtured in our Sundays.

There are four elements that characterize the celebration of the Lord’s day: the celebration of Mass, the day of Christian family, the day of joy, and rest from work.

For Catholics, the first element of attending Mass on Sundays is obvious.  It’s not only a Precept of the Church (see CCC 2041) but it also follows the Third Commandment to “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (Ex. 20:8.)

Sunday Eucharist is the great tradition handed down to us from the Apostles. There we gather for the handing on of the Word of God and for the sharing in Holy Communion.  It is there that “the whole community of the faithful encounters the risen Lord who invites them to his banquet.” (CCC 1166).

We go to meet the Lord!  To prepare to attend Mass on Sunday with the appropriate joy, it helps me to visualize my personal meeting with Jesus. Recall the resurrection accounts of Mary Magdalene and the Apostles upon meeting the Risen Jesus for the first time since Good Friday.  What joy must have flooded their souls!  The One Whom they longed for is now right in their midst!

How might I prepare to meet Christ in the Eucharist?  Like I would meet my beloved one, by preparing with loving anticipation. When my thoughts long for this meeting, when I finally encounter “Him” – who invites me to “his banquet” – well, that’s deep, sweet, joy!

The second element of Sunday is the experience of Christian family. St. John Chrysostom (4th century bishop and Doctor of Church) had this to say about Mass attendance:

You cannot pray at home as at church, where there is a great multitude, where exclamations are cried out to God as from one great heart, and where there is something more: the union of minds, the accord of souls, the bond of charity, the prayers of the priests.

Not only is Sunday Mass a precious meeting with the Lord, it is “something more”: a coming together in unity with the other members of our local church.  This aids our understanding of “the day of the Christian family”. It not only refers to our nuclear families, but it also extends to the family of God into which we are baptized.  We have a responsibility to them as well.  Our participation in Sunday worship is “a testimony of belonging and of being faithful to Christ and to his Church.”  (CCC 2182).

In an age when the idea of “Christian family” is under attack, Sundays are an opportunity to renew our commitment to that ideal. In our own homes, we can work toward not only worshipping together, but also praying together at times outside of Mass, and learning and sharing the faith together.  The old adage that “the family that prays together stays together” is of great value.

Yet, as mentioned, we are also to embrace the family of God at large beyond our household.  We cannot live the Christian life in a vacuum, cocooning away from the larger Body of Christ. We must maintain contact and connection… “a testimony of belonging.”  Making friendly connections and getting involved in parish life makes what we do on Sundays more fruitful.

This brings us to the third element of Sunday as a day of joy. To further explore this idea, a search of the Catechism brings us to CCC 2185:

On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body. Family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest. The faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health. [Emphasis mine.]

Our joy is tied up in worship and in merciful service and in relaxation! We’ve already covered the idea of worship at Mass, and we’ll take up the question of relaxation next. But take note: here we see Sunday recommended for works of mercy.  Now, when was the last time you heard that? (Need a refresher on the spiritual and corporal works of mercy? See CCC 2447.)

For many Christians, works of mercy may already be incorporated into weekly activities. But, for those with demanding familial and professional schedules, Sundays seems to be held out as a day to find time for such joy. I wonder what our world would be like if more of us, myself included, intentionally performed a work of mercy each Sunday, or a few Sundays a month?

The fourth element is the day of rest…  harkening from the model of God who entered into rest after six days of Creation. (Gen. 2:2.)

In CCC 2184 and 2194, we read that the institution of Sunday rest helps all “to be allowed sufficient rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social, and religious lives.”

What a gift rest is!  What joy we have when we truly enter it in meaningful ways!

Unfortunately, despite all the so-called conveniences and advances of modern society, there exists acute pressure to make Sunday just another day of the week to work, shop, exercise, pay bills, etc., and, in general, to catch up!

But when we follow the Lord’s ways, we find joy.  It takes deliberate action to try to live this way.  Sunday observances become a necessary discipline of disciples of Jesus. Such discipline brings joy.

As we approach this Sunday, may we enjoy a day of grace and rest, and may we joyfully sing with the psalmist:

“This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Ps. 118: 24.)

 

The article was adapted for Amazing Catechists from a previous series that the author created and featured on CatholicExchange.com. 

 

Read all posts by Filed Under: Catechetics, Catechism, General, Liturgical, RCIA & Adult Education Tagged With: , , , , , Leave a Comment

The Good Shepherd Revealed at Bethlehem

By Leave a Comment

               “I live over the store.” We are not accustomed to hearing that expression much anymore. I suspect that is so for two reasons. The first might be termed a sociological explanation. With increased prosperity, it is no longer necessary for people to live where they work. The suburbs sprang up, in part, because people could afford to live more comfortably apart from where they engaged in commerce. The second explanation is clearly more psychological in nature. People fare better when they are able to put some distance or separation between their working “selves” and their living “selves.” People enjoy better mental health and endure less stress when they can work in one place and live in another.

Being able to separate working and living has not eliminated every problem, however. What about when there is a police emergency? When there is one, you the proprietor are called. What if a water main breaks and there is a flood? You the owner are called.

On balance though, most people prefer having their work in one domain and their living in a different sphere. That having been said, could we still allow that “living above the store” has more than just a nostalgic appeal? Yes, I think we can.

In today’s gospel, the evangelist describes the Infant’s birth as having taken place in Bethlehem. (cf. Lk 2:4) After the birth, the Virgin wraps the Christ Child in swaddling clothes and lays him in a manger. (cf. Lk 2:7) Apart from the Holy Family, the only persons present for this blessed event are the shepherds. (cf. Lk 2:8) They are, as the text indicates, astonished at what has occurred and the angels announce to them a message of great joy: “For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.” (Lk 2:11)

It is not just the wonder and awe of the shepherds which should catch our attention. For the gospel says of them that they are living in the fields, keeping the night watch over their flock. (cf. Lk 2:8) The shepherds are completely devoted to the work at hand. The fields constitute both their work and living space at the same time. For the shepherds, there is no time away, no distance or separation. Work and living are not neatly compartmentalized, each with its own distinct allotments and priorities. In a manner of speaking, the shepherds do indeed live over the sheep, their work.

For their dedication and commitment, the shepherds are deserving of commendation and praise. What word then is fitting for them? Surely, we cannot call them “fair” or “mediocre”; no, they are much better than these assessments. Let us call them good then. On second thought, let us call them not good enough.

In the course of His public ministry, Jesus is asked what good must be done to gain eternal life. (cf. Matt 19:16; Mk 10: 17; Lk 18:18) To attain eternal life, Jesus answers, one must keep the commandments. (cf. Matt 19:17; Mk 10:19; Lk 18:20) But there is more to this encounter between Jesus and the rich young man. Jesus adds in the accounts rendered by Saint Mark and Saint Luke that no one is good but God alone. (cf. Mk 10:18; Lk 18:19)  Explaining this remark of Jesus, Pope John Paul II writes in Veritatis Splendor (1993) that “[o]nly God can answer the question about what is good, because he is the Good itself.” (9)

There is no denying that the Incarnation is a very big mystery. It has to be – creation is correspondingly very big. However, the restoration of creation begins very small. It begins with a Baby. And in the manger, that Baby is a Shepherd even if He is yet to identify Himself as such.

Christmas reveals the radical incompleteness of earthly things. The gospel tells us that magi from the east (cf. Matt 2:1) came to Bethlehem and offered the Infant gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. (cf.  Matt 2:11) One interpretation of Little Christmas is that the magi were kings. If so, their kingship now becomes forever subordinate to Christ’s eternal kingship. As committed and faithful as the shepherds are living in the fields, they are seeing for the first time in the birth of Christ what it means to be a good shepherd.

Jesus proclaims Himself to be the Good Shepherd in Saint John’s Gospel. (Jn 10:10) He guides and directs even from the manger. He can do this because the wood of the manger is like the wood of the Cross. The Cross is the gate to which Jesus refers in the tenth chapter of the Fourth Gospel. (cf. Jn:10:9) Whoever enters through the gate of the Cross finds life, an abundance of it. (cf. Jn 10:10)

All shepherding, then, remains unfulfilled until it can promise eternal life. In the One who lies in the Bethlehem manger, the promise of eternal life has indeed been actualized. To share in it ourselves, we must follow wherever the Lord leads, careful to hear His voice above the cacophony of other voices, and making His word the very center of our lives – not just on Christmas of course but every day.

The shepherds living in the fields, through their encounter with divine goodness, have  started to become good themselves. And they have made known the message about the Christ Child by telling others, according to the evangelist’s description. (Lk 2:17)  That is how our goodness grows and deepens – by taking up in a most serious way the demands of the new evangelization. We who are baptized and confirmed, we who share in the Holy Eucharist have a responsibility to imitate the heralding of the shepherds even if we do not live in the fields as they did. Whether we “live above the store” or not, there is an urgent summons to know the goodness of Christ and the incomparable gift of everlasting life He offers us now. The goodness of the Christ Child in Bethlehem was announced by a multitude of the heavenly host. (cf. Lk 2:13) May we sing out with them: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Lk 2:14)

Merry Christmas!

Read all posts by Filed Under: Liturgical, Scripture, Theology Tagged With: , , Leave a Comment

Guest Post: Joe Paprocki

By 10 Comments

A Template for a Worshipful Catechetical Session – by Joe Paprocki, DMin

 The General Directory for Catechesis (#85) tells us that the most effective catechesis takes place within a climate of prayer. With that in mind, I constantly urge catechists to do all they can to make their sessions resemble going to church more than going to school. We do this by incorporating the language of liturgy – a language of mystery that includes sign, symbol, and ritual – into our catechetical sessions. Following is a template that I offer to catechists as a way of structuring a typical 75-minute catechetical session in such a way as to make it more worshipful.

  1. Preliminaries (15 mins)
    1. Greet students at the door with bowl of holy water (held by yourself, your aide, or one of the students) and invite them to bless themselves.
    2. Liturgical music playing in the background as students enter.
    3. Students write on a slip of paper their prayer intention for the week, fold it, and place it in a basket.
    4. Introductions, attendance, and business.
    5. Setting of prayer table – each child retrieves from a table one object that will be placed on the prayer table (cloth with color of the liturgical season, bible stand, bible, battery operated pillar candle, basket of prayer intentions, crucifix, bowl of holy water, icon, etc) and line up for procession. Child with the cross leads as they slowly process around the room as an appropriate song is played on CD or a song is sung. Students place their objects on the prayer table one at a time and return to their seats.
    6. Opening Prayer:

i.      All Stand and pray the Sign of the Cross

ii.      Ritual greeting:  (e.g.) “This is the day the Lord has made!” “Let us rejoice and be glad!”

iii.      Threefold sign of the cross on forehead, lips, and heart: “And let us pray tonight that God’s Word will be…(perform gesture)

iv.      Pass battery operated candle around and invite each child to pray in thanksgiving for something or to pray for someone in need.

v.      End with a traditional prayer (alternate prayer each month)

  1. Engage (15 mins)
    1.  Introduce (announce clearly) the theme/topic/big idea of the lesson
    2. do an engaging activity that enables you to “enter through their door” (i.e. draw from their lived experience, current events, popular culture, etc. to grab their attention in a way that connects with the direction you intend to take with your lesson)
    3. Your catechist manual often has ideas and suggestions for ways to introduce the theme of your lesson
  2. Explore (25 mins)
    1.  Invite a minute of silence to prepare to hear God speak to them in the lesson
    2. Invite a child to come forward, bow before the Bible, and read a passage that pertains to the lesson (Scripture is usually referenced in the textbook). End with “The Word of the Lord/Thanks be to God” or “The Gospel of the Lord/Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ”
    3. Read from the textbook (or deliver content in some other appropriate manner) and relate to the big idea of the lesson
    4. discuss/do activities that further clarify, flesh out, reinforce the content and big idea
    5. Play a CD or sing a song/hymn that flows from the theme
  1. Reflect  (10 mins)
    1.  Invite students to come forward one at a time to take a battery operated tea light candle from the table and proceed to their “sacred space” (the place they will remain during the guided reflection)
    2. Lead a guided reflection that flows from/connects with the theme/big idea of the lesson.
    3. Allow at least a minute of silence at the end of the guided reflection
  2. Respond  (10 mins)
    1. Read/do activities in textbook that invite the students to apply the lesson to life
    2. Give an assignment that invites/challenges the young people to put into practice what has been learned (invite sharing the following week about experiences)
    3. Closing prayer – either a traditional prayer, a decade of the Rosary, a Mass part (Confiteor, Gloria, Creed, Holy, Holy, Lamb of God, etc.)
    4. Exchange a Sign of Peace
    5. Bless selves with Holy Water as leaving

Joe Paprocki, DMin

www.catechistsjourney.com

About Joe

First and foremost, I am a catechist! I am presently serving at a parish in Evergreen Park, just outside of Chicago. I have been involved in the catechetical ministry for over 30 years.

When I was in high school, I wanted to become a teacher, and I really felt called to teach religion. My girlfriend (now my wife) and I served as catechists at our parish, and I enjoyed helping others learn about their Catholic faith in a way that was engaging and imaginative.

I went to Loyola University Chicago, where I studied theology and history and entered the secondary education program. I became (and continue to be) certified to teach social studies in grades 6 through 12. However, since day one, I have used my teaching skills to teach religion.

I began my professional teaching career as a religion teacher at a high school seminary in Chicago, where I taught for nine years while pursuing my master’s degree in pastoral studies at the Institute of Pastoral Studies (Loyola University Chicago).

When the school I was teaching at closed, I became a director of religious education and a pastoral associate at a parish on the southeast side of Chicago, where I served for seven years. I loved working with the catechists there and learned so much from them.

When a new pastor came along and decided he didn’t need a DRE, I moved on to the Office for Catechesis of the Archdiocese of Chicago. There I served as the consultant for catechist formation, working with my favorite people in the whole world: catechists! I had the opportunity of directing the faith-formation program for catechists, leading to their certification.

After five years at the Office for Catechesis, I had the opportunity to join up with Loyola Press to work on creative and cutting-edge catechetical resources. I have been here since 2002 and now serve as the National Consultant for Faith Formation.

Along the way, I have had the privilege of authoring a number of books, most notably The Bible Blueprint: A Catholic’s Guide to Understanding and Embracing God’s Word; Living the Mass: How One Hour a Week Can Change Your Life; The Catechist’s Toolbox: How to Thrive as a Religious Education Teacher; A Well-Built Faith: A Catholic’s Guide to Knowing and Sharing What We Believe; Practice Makes Catholic: Moving from a Learned Faith to a Lived Faith (all from Loyola Press).

Oh, by the way, I recently completed my Doctor of Ministry degree at St. Mary of the Lake University in Mundelein, Illinois. My wife and I have been married for 29 years and we have two grown children.

—Joe Paprocki

Read all posts by Filed Under: Catechetics, Liturgical, Prayer, Scripture 10 Comments

The Annunciation

By 2 Comments

The Baker-woman in her humble lodge
Received a grain of wheat from God.
For nine whole months the grain she stored

Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Make us the bread, Mary, Mary
We need to be fed…

Traditional hymn, translated from the French by Hubert Richards.

 

Theotokos is the Greek term used to describe Mary, Mother of God. The Madonna God’s instrument in redemption; the virgin-mother who fulfils Isaiah 7:14 and links heaven and earth.

The central focus of this feast is the Incarnation of God Made Man, of whom it was said “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” [John 15:13].  The Gospel of Luke tells us that Archangel Gabriel proclaimed to Mary that she had been chosen to be the mother of the Christ. Since it is practical to presume that Jesus was conceived then, immediately after this.

We celebrate the Annunciation nine months before Christmas Day, on 25 March. The word is from the Latin annuntiare, to announce.

We are all encouraged to emulate Mary, Mother of God – and yet sometimes, we are discouraged from doing so because we know we can never be as holy, as blessed, as at one with God. But the point is that just as Mary gave her “fiat” (let Your will be done) and consented to do God’s will, so must we be “handmaidens of the Lord”.

 “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-34)

Jesus, the second Person of the Holy Trinity, became the Logos (“Word”), and dwelt among us. This is why in the Nicene Creed we say by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and became man.

Mary and Joseph were not yet married; so she asked Gabriel how that would come to pass. He replied that the Holy Spirit and the power of God would descend upon her, and that the child to be born would be called Holy; the “Son of God.”

Gabriel had another surprise; he told Mary that in her old age, her cousin Elizabeth had also conceived a son in her old age; for God, “nothing is impossible”.

In the Annunciation, which is not a Holy Day of Obligation, we remember both that Jesus was made man to save us, and also that Mary said yes to God. Most of the paintings of the Annunciation present the occasion as one of prayerful joy, with the angel on the left side and Mary looking towards him in wonder, or in prayer.

In some pictures, Mary is kneeling – in others, she is seated on a chair that looks like a throne, to show her high holy status.

Sometimes, Mary is spinning yarn of a red hue, recalling the curtain of the Temple in Jerusalem. In some other pictures, Mary’s hand is raised, to indicate that she has accepted the blessing, and the invitation to become the Mother of the Saviour.

Different paintings give different interpretations of the Annunciation – it is interesting to note how in some of them Gabriel appears to be running, as if he is in a hurry to spread the Good News. Sometimes, however, the Archangel is presented kneeling, and his right hand and that of the Virgin Mary reach out to one another, but do not touch.

When we see the Archangel holding a staff, it is to indicate that he is a messenger – if he holds a lily, it symbolises the purity of Mary.  When the right hand of the angel extends toward Mary, it signifies that he is passing on God’s blessing. Sometimes, the angel’s hand is raised, his finger pointing towards heaven.

The Annunciation is usually the first of The Seven Joys of the Virgin, which date from medieval devotional literature and art. However, different lists give different instances in the life of Our Lady. It is noted that originally, there were five joys of Mary; later lists had seven, nine, and even fifteen.

Mother Church teaches that the divine nature of the Jesus remained distinct from His human nature; He was God and man simultaneously. Saint Athanasius taught that Jesus was the incarnation (“made flesh”) of the second person of the Trinity.

The First Council of Nicaea (AD 325); the Council of Ephesus (AD 431); and the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451). These councils affirmed that Jesus Christ was begotten from, but not created by, the Father; and fully man, and that He took His human nature from His Mother. In layman’s terms, Jesus is Son of God on his paternal side and Son of Man from his maternal side. The essential nature of Jesus Christ is that in which the divine and the human are hypostatic, and the Son of God became a man so that he could save us from our sins.

Many people still abstain from meat during all of Lent, and not just on Fridays. This brings us to the question of whether, especially if the Annunciation and Saint Joseph’s Day fall on a Friday, it would be permissible to eat meat.

The Annunciation (also known as Lady Day) is a solemnity, like Easter, Pentecost Sunday, and Christmas, Trinity Sunday, the Feasts of Saint John the Baptist, Saints Peter and Paul, and Saint Joseph, as well as other feasts of our Lord and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

A solemnity, for which the Liturgical Vestments are generally white, is the highest-ranking of any feast in the Catholic liturgical calendar, considered as important as a Sunday, which is never a day of abstinence or fasting. Indeed, the Code of Canon Law (Can. 1251) states that:

Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday.

 

The Angelus

The Angelus reminds us of the Incarnation.  The name of the prayer is derived from its opening words.

V. Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ.
R. Et concepit de Spiritu Sancto.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostræ. Amen.

V. Ecce Ancilla Domini.
R. Fiat mihi secundum Verbum tuum.

Ave Maria…

V. Et Verbum caro factum est.
R. Et habitavit in nobis.

Ave Maria…

V. Ora pro nobis, Sancta Dei Genetrix.
R. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.

Oremus: Gratiam tuam quæsumus, Domine,
mentibus nostris infunde;
ut qui, angelo nuntiante,
Christi Filii tui Incarnationem cognovimus,
per passionem eius et crucem,
ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur.
Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

—————————–

V. The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived by the power of Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto me according to your Word.

Hail Mary…

V. And the Word was made flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary…

V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His resurrection; through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Glory be…

 

Read all posts by Filed Under: Bible Stories, General, Liturgical, Prayer, Scripture, Theology 2 Comments

Touch This Moment ~ Helpful Advent Ideas

By 3 Comments

The next two weeks find catechists trying to focus on a huge liturgical feast while still in the penitential fasting period. Many children in our catechism classes will be released for the rest of December and the last sigh of 2011 to the secularization of these holy days as though they were just another linkage of days in just another ordinary life.

What do we do with that? We have such a short amount of time. How do we touch these children in the brief hour or two they sit at our side learning about a faith full of mystery and tradition? How do we help these children connect to sights and sounds and smells which some only greet when at our classroom door?

This calls for catechism teachers to pull out all the stops and unwrap a few sweet surprises. We want our young Catholics (who might not have any other exposure to the faith except in our classrooms and hallways) to leave class this month with a sense of beauty and awe for the faith handed down to them from the friends of Jesus; the friends who walked and talked and ate and sang and cried and laughed at the side of our Lord.

It is not a dried up crust of a religion. It is a milk and honey and living bread religion.

Do you offer it to your students as though it were a living faith? Do you allow them to feel and taste and see and smell the goodness in these early years so that as they grow and mature they can reach a higher realm of understanding the Christ who sat and walked and talked in their presence?

Remember what Pope Pius XI told us in Quas Primas, an Encyclical on the Feast of Christ the King written in 1925:

(21) “For people are instructed in the truths of faith, and brought to appreciate the inner joys of religion far more effectually by the annual celebration of our sacred mysteries than by any official pronouncement of the teaching of the Church (emphasis mine). Such pronouncements usually reach only a few and the more learned among the faithful; feasts reach them all; the former speak but once, the latter speak every year—in fact, forever. The church’s teaching affects the mind primarily; her feasts affect both mind and heart, and have a salutary effect upon the whole of man’s nature. Man is composed of body and soul, and he needs these external festivities so that the sacred rites, in all their beauty and variety, may stimulate him to drink more deeply of the fountain of God’s teaching, that he may make it a part of himself, and use it with profit for his spiritual life.”

Yes, it’s that time. Time to speak to both the mind and heart of our children through the feasts of the church. Time to wrap these external festivities into our plans and unwrap the sacred truths of our faith in our classrooms.

Little minds can not comprehend the total mysteries of the faith and certainly they cannot understand any official pronouncements. But they can and do understand the inner joys of the faith made known through annual celebrations.

And so we touch this moment within this season.

It’s that time. Time to touch the children’s senses and, by doing so, capture their spirit and invite them into a faith that is anything but lacking.

This Monday is the Feast of St. Lucia. Here is a simple but delightful idea taken from Pinterest. Bake it for your family that morning and bake an extra pan for your catechism class. Find a white dress, red sash, and a crown of greenery—perhaps St. Lucia-in-the-making will happily pay your classroom a visit and serve these sweet treats.

We have one more purple candle to light on our Advent wreath before the birth of our Savior. Do the children know that the Advent Wreath lights a visual path for their heart to follow? Does your classroom have an Advent Wreath? It should!

Why not let the children make their own during the class Christmas party.

Edible Advent Wreaths—I call this my Doughnut Ministry. :-)

 

Items needed:
  • plain doughnuts (glazed, cake, or however you like them)
  • vanilla frosting tinted green
  • red hot candies (for berries)
  • a plastic knife so they can frost their doughnut
  • 4 birthday candles per wreath (I was unable to find purple candles so we used 3 whites and 1 pink)
  • For my class I added (because it heightened the suspense in this sweet treat):
    • green sprinkles
    • transparent sugar sprinkles (for snow)

Make a Christ Candle in class. All that is needed is a thick white candle, plastic spoon for carving, glue gun, beads and pretty fabric, and a small plastic baby (found in baby shower section of stores). Children love to carve, love secret compartments, and especially love Baby Jesus, safely tucked out of sight until Christmas morning.

Go here for the how-to: Make a Christ Candle and make sure they all take home this prayer wrapped around their own Christ Candle:

God of love, Father of all,
the darkness that covered the earth,
has given way to the bright dawn of your Word made flesh.
Make us a people of this light.
Make us faithful to your Word
that we may bring your life to the waiting world.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
 (From The Roman Missal, Catholic Book Publishing Co.)

And, for the older children in your programs, don’t forget to make use of meditation and candlelight.

It might sound simplistic but sights, sounds, and smells truly do speak to the child’s spirit long before official pronouncements and teachings penetrate their mental atriums.

Childhood is so brief, so fleeting. Make it beautiful!

Read all posts by Filed Under: Elementary School, General, Liturgical, Prayer 3 Comments

Immacu-what?

By 3 Comments

I was standing at the front of the class, fresh out of Mass. I’d like to say it was a room of fresh-faced fifth graders, but the truth was, we were all tired.

I asked them who had been at Mass.

A few hands went up.

“And why were you at Mass? What were we celebrating?”

“Advent!” They were triumphant. They were confident. They were sure.

And they were WRONG.

Our Mass last night was the Vigil for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, but I didn’t tell them that. Realizing that we had a slight misunderstanding about when Mass was, I tried rewording my question, rephrasing my expectation, hinting and hinting.

One of the students (whose mom is an aide in the class and who sat right behind my family in Mass) knew that it was a Holy Day of Obligation.

Good.

But no one–NO ONE–knew WHY we were at Mass.

It wasn’t in my plan for the evening to talk about the Immaculate Conception. I do have a habit of sending them home with a bit of trivia and rewarding them with chocolate prizes if they come the following week with the correct answer. And so this week’s trivia was to come back next week and tell me what holy day we were celebrating this week.

But wow…I had a moment there in front of that class. I couldn’t help but wonder if my own children (ages 6, 4, and 1) had any idea what we were doing in Mass. (I’m pretty sure no.) I started, in fact, to have a little mental bash-fest with what a failure I am as a catechist to these fifth-graders and to my own children.

But wait! It’s not too late! TODAY is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and, thankfully for all of us, there’s next year, and the year after, and…well, it’s an ongoing thing for us. When we fail (as we will), we must not give in to the temptation to despair and give up.

When my six-year-old gets home from school today, we’ll be doing some of her very favorite things: coloring. Because to her, nothing says “fun” like a printable.

While I’m at it, I’m going to do some reading about the Immaculate Conception, so that I’m prepared to explain it to my fifth-graders next week. In case you need some resources too, here are the ones I’m using:

Now, let’s all say a Hail Mary for our catechetical work and lean back into Mary’s arms. She’s the best one to carry us, after all, and she’s sure to lead us to her Son.
Read all posts by Filed Under: Liturgical 3 Comments

Lisa Hendey and Her New Book!

By 11 Comments

Guest Post: by Lisa Hendey

Plus: Enter to win one of her books! (see details below)

One of my favorite aspects of writing A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms was the task of compiling the “Saint-Inspired Activities” section of each of the fifty-two chapters. In this portion of each chapter, I recommend two activities to help families come to better know and love the saint being discussed. These are simple, weeklong projects — one for Mom and one for her to do with her children — that are designed to underscore the virtues of the saints.

As a “craft impaired” mom, I’ll admit that the children’s activities are very simple tasks to enjoy together, topics to discuss, or projects that can be easily carried out with no trip to the store. My hope is that these “hands on” ideas will help moms, teachers, grandmothers, religious, or others working with children to bring the lives of the saints truly to life. These holy men and women who have gone before us have so much relevance to the times we live in — their sanctity, but also the manner in which they were able to overcome the struggles of their own times, can be a great light for those of us who are endeavoring to lead lives that grace-filled and saintly.

I included these activities for children because I know from my own time with my sons when they were younger that often in teaching the faith to our children, we discover new richness in it for ourselves. These activities are not intended to be another “to do” item on moms’ already very busy lists, but an optional way to joyfully explore the saints with those we love most.

Thanks, Lisa!

Click Here for Lisa’s Book Trailer:  A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms

 And Read my RAVE Review Here

We’re so excited to be giving away copies of both of Lisa’s books! A Book of Saints and The Handbook for Catholic Moms! See giveaway details Here.

Read all posts by Filed Under: Book Reviews, Liturgical, Resources, Scripture 11 Comments
« Older Posts