Discipleship

“The torch of our faith has been given to us not to delight our eyes but to enkindle the torches of our fellow men.” -Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Discipleship.

Something that we all need.  Something that much of our culture has lost.

In this youth group lesson, the topic of Discipleship is taught using Mary as an example.   I explain to kids that discipleship involves "sitting at the feet of" someone.  You learn from their words and actions, you live the way they live, you emulate what they believe.  Mary was the first and most perfect disciple of Christ.  She "pondered all these things in her heart" and told us to "do whatever he tells you."

Click below for a discussion guide about the heart of discipleship as well as Mary's role in Salvation History.

Go Bishop Go

Listening to this podcast has been on my to-do list for a couple of days, and I am now sorry that I waited so long.

On Saturday, hundreds of men gathered at the Cathedral in Peoria for the Annual Men's March.  Bishop Daniel Jenky addressed them in his homily, and took the last line of the Gospel from Mass “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature” as a springboard to connect the disciples' reactions in the days following Easter, the spread of the early Church, and the battle that Christians are fighting today.

He spared no words and and held nothing back in describing the seriousness of the situation Catholics and other Christians are facing in America right now.  President Obama and his plan for health care are in serious violation of First Amendment rights, religious liberty, and moral standards. 

Bishop Jenky said these words about our current political situation:

"For 2,000 years the enemies of Christ have certainly tried their best. But think about it. The Church survived and even flourished during centuries of terrible persecution, during the days of the Roman Empire.

The Church survived barbarian invasions. The Church survived wave after wave of Jihads. The Church survived the age of revolution. The Church survived Nazism and Communism.

And in the power of the resurrection, the Church will survive the hatred of Hollywood, the malice of the media, and the mendacious wickedness of the abortion industry.

The Church will survive the entrenched corruption and sheer incompetence of our Illinois state government, and even the calculated disdain of the President of the United States, his appointed bureaucrats in HHS, and of the current majority of the federal Senate.

May God have mercy on the souls of those politicians who pretend to be Catholic in church, but in their public lives, rather like Judas Iscariot, betray Jesus Christ by how they vote and how they willingly cooperate with intrinsic evil.

As Christians we must love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, but as Christians we must also stand up for what we believe and always be ready to fight for the Faith. The days in which we live now require heroic Catholicism, not casual Catholicism. We can no longer be Catholics by accident, but instead be Catholics by conviction."

Go, Jenky, Go!

The Bishop was honest about the possibilities we are facing, and the battle that we are fighting:

"Now things have come to such a pass in America that this is a battle that we could lose, but before the awesome judgement seat of Almighty God this is not a war where any believing Catholic may remain neutral." 

But he concluded:

"We have nothing to fear, but we have a world to win for him. We have nothing to fear, for we have an eternal destiny in heaven. We have nothing to fear, though the earth may quake, kingdoms may rise and fall, demons may rage, but St. Michael the Archangel, and all the hosts of heaven, fight on our behalf.

No matter what happens in this passing moment, at the end of time and history, our God is God and Jesus is Lord, forever and ever.

Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat!

Christ wins! Christ reigns! Christ commands!"

The full text of the article can be found here:

And you can listen to the homily here:

 

A Seemingly Unconnected List

Here's a list of random for you, with a small thread of connection trailing through...

1.  I had a great time this weekend at a cookout with a couple of families from my church.  We spent the end of the evening gathered around two long tables playing some serious games of Apples to Apples.  There were a lot of people, and we only got through two rounds because both lasted over an hour.  The surprise?  I won…both rounds, despite some tough competition.  I probably am a little too proud of this accomplishment.

2.  At that same cookout, we had a conversation about scary movies.  I used to like watching scary movies at sleepovers in my Junior High days, but I just can’t handle today’s scary movies like Saw, The Ring, The Hills Have Eyes, etc.  There was a very clear difference in opinion during this conversation between the kids (middle and high schoolers) and the adults.  The adults were with me.  On the other hand, the kids are ok with staying up all night wetting their pants as they watch yet another pretty girl be dismembered by flesh eating monsters.  I blame this conversation for the nightmare I had last night.  I was pregnant (?) and was being pursued by zombies.  At a critical moment, just as I was about to have my brain sucked out by a nasty looking dude, I stopped him by holding out my hand and yelling, “At the name of Christ, be gone!”  He promptly blew up, but I was protected from the gore by an invisible magic shield.  I was then taken into protective custody by a Bishop.  No big deal.

3.  I would hate to give anyone crazy nightmares like me.  I should have put a disclaimer on number two for all my non-scary-movie watching friends, like Bonnie.  Speaking of Bonnie, we will be at the same JJ Heller/Audrey Assad concert later this week.  Usually, when people go to a concert, they hope to hear their favorite song, right?  Well, Bonnie didn’t just hope- she took the matter into her own hands.  She wrote this blog post, and then used Facebook and Twitter to contact JJ Heller to see if she would sing My Savior’s Love Endures.  AND JJ SAID YES.  Rock on, Bonnie.
 

4. The last time I went to Bonnie’s house, it was a beautiful day for a drive.  I enjoy the back-roads way that I get to her house, and I happened to have a little small town entertainment this time.  How is this sign for redundancy?  

I would love to know the story behind this sign.  Did they really think that their sharpie-on-cardboard creation is more convincing than the red-reflective-legal sign?  Maybe it is because they say please...oh excuse me, PLZ.

No, this was not taken in Oh-Henry, which I think is the cardboard sign capital of the world.  My favorite Oh-Henry Cardboard sign was stapled to the stop sign at a main intersection and read “Nik-Nak and J-Dog’s Baby Shower, this way!”  Awesome.  I hope that they named their daughter Kit-Cat.

5. Speaking of driving, I had an interesting experience a couple of nights ago.  I was driving home after/during a thunderstorm.  There was some debris on the road, things like small branches and leaves.  I was driving carefully, but hadn’t seen anything to worry about, until I saw a strange looking lump in the middle of the road.  I couldn’t tell what it was, so I moved so it would pass under my car instead of under my tires.  But, at the last second, the lump MOVED.  The move looked like a hop.  And I discovered too late that the lump was a very large frog.  A frog makes a surprisingly large THUMP against the undercarriage of a car.  (sorry to any frog lovers)  I was surprised, but then I kept seeing more lumps that started hopping.  They were everywhere- frogs hopping onto the road, frogs crossing the road, frogs hanging out in the middle of the road.  I have never seen so many frogs at one time.  I decided that I had a few choices.

A. Pull over and wait for the mass frog migration to conclude, thus preventing any more casualties.

B. Look at this as a kind of reverse Frogger in which my challenge is to drive down the road while dodging frogs, instead of the traditional frog crossing road dodging cars.

C. Break the speed limit getting home so that I can find myself an unblemished lamb and a sprig of hyssop, because if the Plagues are starting up again, I need to be ready for the Passover and a New Exodus.

 I chose a combination of B and C.

How’s that for a list of random? Has anything random happened to you lately?

How to Get the Most out of Mass

Recently at the Young Adult Bible Study that I am a part of we, watched the 7^th episode of Fr. Robert Barron’s Catholicism Project.  It was all about the liturgy.  You can watch part of it here. (Click on the panel to the right to choose the episode.)

We have great discussions with this group, and the night we watched that video was no exception.  Because we were running a little late, so we started with one topic that we thought would be meaningful but quick.  It turned out to be awesome, and I am glad that I decided to start writing down the suggestions.  I’d like to share them with you.

The topic:  What are some practical tips that help you get the most out of Mass?

We talked first about we don’t go to Mass to “get,” we go to worship.  However, effort on our part to enter fully into the liturgy can be life changing.

Here’s the list, complete with catchy bylines.  I think that this would be a great list to share with Confirmation classes and Youth Groups, not just adults.  (And although this was a group of Catholics talking about the Mass, I imagine that many of these would apply to Protestants and their Sunday worship services, also.)

1. Be Prepared

Think about how much preparation you put into daily actions.  Getting ready for a job interview...Hosting a party in your home...Making decisions about a fantasy football league...Packing for a vacation...Now imagine the King of the Universe was coming to your local church for a visit later this week.  Would you prepare?  Yes! But, we don't have to imagine...the King of Heaven and Earth is at every Mass.  Put effort into your preparation accordingly.

2. Get This

Get some kind of publication that has the Mass readings, prayers, and reflections in it.  Magnificat, Living with Christ, and Word Among Us were a few that were mentioned.  Use it to read the Mass readings ahead of time, or to read them on weekdays when you can’t get to Daily Mass.  The reflections also come in handy during a boring homily.  Just kidding.  If you don’t want to spend the money to subscribe to one of those, you could always ask your pastor if the church has any extra missalettes.  It is not recommended to just steal one out of the pews, however.

3. There’s an App for That

Another way to not have to spend the money on something like the Magnificat is to use online resources.  The USCCB has all of the readings, etc. on its website.  There are also Apps for smart phones so you can always have the resources at your fingertips.

4. Follow Along

There is a beautiful rhythm to the Liturgy, not only in the Liturgical Year, but within each Mass. Follow along in the resources provided by the church or in some kind of publication like in #2.  Bring your Bible and read the readings straight from it so you can understand more of the context and see the continuation of the story from Mass to Mass.  Spend time becoming more familiar with the Mass; where the prayers come from, the symbolism behind everything, the Biblical origins of the words and actions.  You can't love something unless you know it.  Know the Mass=Love the Mass.

5. Get There Early 

One of the quickest ways to throw off your focus is to be late.  We speak from experience.  You will be more ready to enter into worship if you can calmly walk into church and have time to kneel and pray before the Mass begins.  You can gather your thoughts and place them all before God, your worries and frustrations, your thanksgivings and petitions.  You can review the readings.  You can decide on a personal intention for the Mass.  Things always go better if you are there a little early.  (Now, a note for those that this is really hard for- those with small kids, those who have far to travel, those who are involved at ministries that require your attention before Mass starts- If getting to Mass early just is not going to happen, be more intentional about your preparation earlier in the week or even the night before.)

6. Show Up

When all else fails, show up.  Simply being in the presence of the Lord (instead of at home with the covers over your head) is an act of worship on your part.  Be there.  Our relationship with Christ is never about us finding Him, but Him pursuing us.  So sit back, and let Him woo you.

7. First and Last

Mother Theresa advised priests to celebrate each Mass as if it was their first Mass and their last Mass.  The laity can look at it the same way- Receive the Eucharist each Mass with the enthusiasm of our first time and the devotion of our last time. 

8. Why were you ever out?

Coaches use lots of motivational sayings to inspire their sports teams.   One that makes a great analogy to Mass is that winning a game is an all time thing, not a one time thing.  Worship is an all time thing, not a one time thing.  If you shut off worship when you leave the church at 8:59 a.m. on Sunday, and don't turn it back on until 7:58 a.m. the following week, there is a problem.  Worship should be like breathing- you should never be "out."

9. Why are you bored? 

Bored is an overused term in our society.  Why are you bored?  If you have done steps #1-8, you will not be bored.  We don't remember Acts 2:42 saying "They devoted themselves to the Apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and prayers AND the amazing technicolored light show and phenomenal music set."  Nor do we remember in Luke 24 Jesus revealing himself to the disciples on the road to Emmaus through opening the Scriptures, breaking the Bread, and performing an awesome liturgical dance.  Our expectations of "entertainment" need to change.  We are not there to receive, but to give.

10. Where are you going?

Don’t go sneaking out after Communion.  You have five more minutes.  

Remember, Judas left early too.

11. Everything Flows From Sunday

Sunday is not the end of the week.  It is the first day of the week, and it deserves to be seen as such.  Instead spending a chunk of Sunday dreading Monday, start looking at Sunday as the point from which every other day flows, your source of strength for the week.

12. It’s for Him

This should be the overarching theme. 

"Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness." ~Psalm 29:2

Here's a link to a pdf of the list of twelve:

 

Do you have any other suggestions to share about entering more fully into the Mass or your worship services?

Keeping the Sabbath #18

Sorry for the late post- no internet access makes things interesting :)
 
Happy Divine Mercy Sunday!

Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe."
Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

~John 20:26-29

Hello World

Hello World!

Long time no see.

While my lack of posting during Holy Week was intentional, my lack of posting this week was not.
I have been busy.

• With family.
• And friends.
• And working.
• And crafting.
• And cleaning. Scratch that.  I should have been busier cleaning.  My apartment is a mess a disaster.

But  I have material for you.

• Random stories from small towns.
• New craft creations.
• Youth group lessons to share.
• And new religious education ideas for you.

 I'll be back next week!  See you soon :)

Keeping the Sabbath #17

Alleluia!  Happy Easter!  I hope you had a great day celebrating our Lord's Resurrection!

I attended our church's Vigil Mass last night.  I love Easter Vigil.  If I have anything to say about it, I plan to go to one every year for the rest of my life.  The church starts dark, quiet, and empty.  It is slowly lit by candles.  The church becomes bright, the altar is dressed, flowers are brought in.  Bells and incense bring all of our senses into worship.  Then the singing begins.  Oh, the singing, and the chanting, and the responses.  It is so powerful.  I love singing the Alleluia again after 40 days of waiting.  I love hearing the story of salvation history through the reading from the Old and New Testament.  I love being inspired by the message of the homily (my pastor's was great, btw.) I love witnessing the desire of adults who come to be baptized, and renewing my baptismal promises right along with them.  I love watching the eager anticipation of the catechumens desiring full initiation into the Church through Confirmation.  I love it all.

Instead of the seven usual parts of my Keeping the Sabbath post, you get a song and the text below.  This is the beginning of the very long Easter Proclamation chanted just after we fill the church with candle light.  The line that struck me over and over last night was "This is the night." We start the Easter vigil with a dark, silent church reminiscent of the the first Easter vigil.  Closed tomb, body inside, silent waiting.  We end the Easter Vigil celebrating the "dawn" bringing with it an empty tomb and abundant hope.  "This is the night" reminds me of the four questions asked at a Jewish Seder meal- What makes this night different from all other nights?
This night is different.  This night showed us the power of our Savior.  This night was the fulfillment of all God's promises.  This night is the manifestation of our faith.

It is truly right
that with full hearts and minds and voices
we should praise the unseen God, the all-powerful Father,
and his only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

For Christ has ransomed us with his blood,
and paid for us the price of Adam's sin
to our eternal Father!

This is our passover feast,
when Christ, the true Lamb, is slain,
whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers.

This is the night when first you saved our fathers:
you freed the people of Israel from their slavery
and led them dry-shod through the sea.
This is the night when the pillar of fire
destroyed the darkness of sin!

This is the night when Christians everywhere,
washed clean of sin
and freed from all defilement,
are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.

This is the night when Jesus Christ
broke the chains of death
and rose triumphant from the grave.
What good would life have been to us,
had Christ not come as our Redeemer?

Father, how wonderful your care for us!
How boundless your merciful love!
To ransom a slave
you gave away your Son.

Happy Easter!