catholic family faith

Lord's Day Faith Chat - 12th Sun in OT - June 22, 2008

BEFORE MASS

Take 30 seconds:  Of what are you afraid?

Scripture Readings:  Jeremiah 20:10-13; Psalm 69:8-10,17,33-35; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 10:26-33

Family Perspective:  Probably one of the biggest things that keep us from doing things is fear.  We don’t tell the truth because we fear what people might think of us.  We don’t talk about our friendship with Jesus because we fear that others will make fun of us.  We don’t get involved in parish life activities because we fear that we won’t be good enough or people won’t accept us as we are.  Fear can keep us from freely living as God intends for us to live.  Our families provide us with an environment where we can rise above our fear.  In our families, we are loved just because we are, not for who others expect us to be. 

 

AFTER MASS

Chat:

Adults:  In what ways have you learned to trust God’s hand in your life?  How have you replaced fear with trust?

Youth:  Jesus tells us that he will remember us to his Father if we proclaim him to others. How easy is it for you to talk about your faith with your friends? How about your family?  How about people you don’t know very well?

Children:  What signs does God send you to assure you of his love?

Family Response:  Sit down with your family and watch a favorite suspenseful movie. After the film, discuss ways that courage was shown or not shown in the movie. Discuss: Why are you afraid sometimes? How can you help someone who is afraid?

Pray:  Loving Father, fill us with courage in times when we are fearful and worried.  Help us to be confident that you will help us through any difficulty we experience.  Amen.

Following Jesus

"As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.  He said to him, 'Follow me.'  And he got up and followed him" (Matthew 9:9).

When I reflect on this passage, I wonder if it was this simple:  Jesus just saw Matthew at the customs post and immediately asked him to follow him; then Matthew just got up, left what he was doing, and walked away with Jesus.  I know that when Jesus has called me to follow him, to do things that express my faith in him, it's never that simple.  I tend to need to be called several times because I'm not open to Jesus' call for whatever reason.  I may be too distracted by the busy-ness in my life.  I may be too apathetic or lazy to hear Jesus' voice.  I may just be too stubborn and want to do what I want to do rather than what Jesus wants me to do.  Could it have been that way for Matthew, too?

I often imagine Jesus calling Matthew this way:  Jesus passed by the customs post often.  In his passing, he saw Matthew and talked with him frequently.  Over time he got to know Matthew and Matthew got to know him.  He learned of Matthew's concerns and joys, his family and friends, his job and his searching for meaning in his life.  Eventually, Jesus said to Matthew, "Hey, Matthew, I know that you're not really happy doing what your doing, collecting taxes and fees from people.  I know you want more in your life and for your family.  Why don't you leave this and come with me."  Then, I can see Matthew saying, "What do you mean, leave this and follow you?  If I leave my job, how will I support my family?  If I follow you, where will we go?  What will we do?  I don't know, Jesus, there's too much unknown for me just to leave this and follow you."  But Jesus was persistent...he usually is!  Eventually, he won over Matthew and Matthew got up and followed him.

I offer this reflection based on my own experience of Jesus' call in my life.  Usually, I don't hear God calling right away, for the reasons I mentioned earlier and because I'm just not listening.  So how can I be more open to hearing God's voice?  Perhaps I can prayer more, spend a little more time in quiet reflection, maybe even 2-5 minutes each day.  Maybe I could just try to be more aware of God present with me, surrounding me with the blessings I have like family, friends, food, shelter, the opportunity to work in church ministry, etc.  Maybe I could deliberately ask God for help in making decisions, even the small basic decisions that I need to make on a daily basis.

Even if I am aware of God's voice calling to me, it often takes me a while to respond.  I hesitate because I just don't want to respond, or I'm afraid of what following Jesus might mean for my life.  I'm afraid of the unknown.  But I find that when I eventually do respond and follow God's call, the blessings that result are overwhelming.

I think it's important for each person to regularly reflect on how Jesus is calling them, to be aware of Jesus' voice and presence in their lives.  What will you do to listen more closely to Jesus' voice?  What will you do to be more aware of Jesus' presence in your life?  Consider the amazing possibilities of hearing Jesus and following him with every movement, every moment of your life.

Lord's Day Faith Chat - 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time - June 8, 2008

BEFORE MASS

Take 30 seconds:  With regard to your faith, why do you do what you do?

Scripture Readings:  Hosea 6:3-6; Psalm 50:1,8,12-15; Romans 4:18-25; Matthew 9:9-13

Family Perspective:  Just as God called Abraham to enter into a covenant with him and Jesus called Matthew to follow him, God calls each one of us to live our faith.  Our families are the first place in which we live our faith.  We share love and serve one another first and foremost in our families.  Through our family practices, our children learn to share God’s love with others in every situation.

AFTER MASS

Chat:

Adults:  What practices do you have to help you better hear Christ’s call to follow him and do God’s will?

Youth:  Jesus hung out with people who weren’t perfect, and yet he called them to follow him anyway. What is imperfect in you? How does knowing this help you to follow Jesus?

Children:  How will you help Jesus, as his friend and follower, to do his work today?

Family Response:  Discuss these questions: Why do we serve one another in our family? What do we do for one another? What does it mean to give love unconditionally?

Pray:  Loving Jesus, you have called us to follow you.  Help us to share your love with others every day of our lives.  Amen.

Building Sandcastles

When was the last time you went to the beach and built a sandcastle?  Now that my kids are older, I don't build sandcastles as much as I used to.  When I go to the beach, I tend to sit in my beach chair, read a good book, watch people, walk along the water's edge, and every now and then get cooled off in the water.

The Gospel reading from Matthew 7:21-27 that was read on the ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (June 1, 2008) always makes me think of the beach and building sandcastles.  No matter how sturdy you make your sandcastle, when the water comes up high enough, it washes away what you've created.

Having lived along the Sea of Galilee, Jesus used the analogy of building a house in sand to show what weak faith can do.  When something comes along to challenge our faith, if it is "built in sand," it will be washed away, and we will resort to our old habits.  But if we build our faith on rock, on the Word of God, and pray and do our best to live in the example of Christ's love every day, our Christian habits are strengthened and reinforced, and we will persevere through difficult situations that challenge our faith in God.

What will you do this summer to help build your faith on the solid rock of Christ?  What will you do with your family to help solidify the faith of your entire household?  Maybe just spend time together on the beach and enjoy God's creation!

Family Prayers & Blessings for Summertime

Download this PDF for Family Prayers & Blessings for Summertime, including blessings for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Garden, Graduate, and more.

Download Summertime_Family_Prayers.pdf (411.8K)