catholic family faith

Lord's Day Faith Chat - All Saints' Day

All Saints Day replaces the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time for our Lord's Day Masses on November 1st.  That's because in the Table of Liturgical Days According to the Order of Precedence, All Saints Day ranks ahead of the Sundays of Ordinary Time.

 

Christians have been honoring holy men and women since the persecution and martyrdom of Christians in the first and second centuries.  While the universal celebration of All Saints Day on November 1st didn't come about until around the time of Pope Gregory III (d. 741 CE), Christian communities remembered with prayers of thanksgiving those who gave their lives for their faith in Jesus Christ and those who provided good examples of Christian life.

 

On this All Saints Day, talk with your family about the saints and what we can learn from their example of faithful following of Christ.  Who are your family's favorite saints?  What did those saints do, what are they known for?  Talk, too, about people currently living who can provide us with good examples of Christian living.

 

Faith Chat Question: What does it mean to be “holy”?  How is your family holy?

Faith Response:  Talk with your family about the meaning of each Beatitude from Matthew 5:1-12.  Choose one Beatitude to practice this week.

Pray:  Lord Jesus, help us to share your light and love in our world.  Amen.

 

Blessing for Trick or Treating

When everyone is costumed and ready to go out, hold hands together as a parent prays: 

O God of heaven and earth,

    on this All Hallows’ Eve

  we pray that you will bless each of us with your Holy Spirit.

Keep us safe as we walk about.

Help us to have fun as we trick or treat,

    enjoying one another’s company

    and being outside together.

As you walk from house to house, say “Thank you” and “God bless you” to the people who give you treats.

When you get home, put all the candy on the table.  Invite everyone to extend their hands over the candy as a parent prays:

O God of Creation,

    we ask your blessing on these treats

    and on each one of us who will enjoy them.

Through our enjoyment of these treats,

    help us to remember your goodness and kindness.

On this eve of All Saints’ and All Souls’,

    we remember and pray for those who have gone before us in faith,

    especially [name loved ones who have died.]

Hold them close to you

    as we look forward to the day when we will be with them

    and with you in heaven.

Amen.

written by Teri Burns, October 2007

Lord's Day Faith Chat - 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 25, 2009

"Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!" Bartimaeus, the blind man, calls out to Jesus.

The people around him say, "Hush up.  He doesn't have time to bother with you."

Bartimaeus persists, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me."

When Jesus realizes that Bartimaeus is calling out to him, Jesus tells the people to, "Call him."

Bartimaeus persistence pays off.  "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asks him.

"I want to see," Bartimaeus replies.

Simple words, "I want to see."  Bartimaeus wanted physical sight, but in truth, he already had the best sight of all, recognition of Jesus as the Son of David, the Messiah, the One who could heal his eyes, his body, his soul.

Persistence.  Confidence.  May our prayer be just as persistent and confident as Bartimaeus.

Faith Chat Question:  What keeps you from recognizing Jesus in your midst?  What do you want Jesus to do for you?

Faith Response:  Talk with your family about the Corporal Works of Mercy (see Matthew 25:31-46).  Select one or two of these Works of Mercy to do this week.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, Son of David, help us to see you in our midst.  Amen.

Saints Go Against the Flow

During the canonization Mass on Monday, Pope Benedict stated that a saint is one who doesn't put themselves at the center, but rather chooses to go against the grain and live. The Pontiff began the homily by asking the question posed to Christ by a rich young man in Sunday's Gospel: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"The Divine Master looks at him with love," the Holy Father continues, "and proposes the qualitative leap, he calls him to the heroism of sanctity, he asks him to abandon everything and follow him: 'Sell what you own and give the money to the poor...then come, follow me!'"

"This is the Christian vocation that flows from a proposal of love by the Lord, and that can be realized only thanks to our loving reply," he said. "Jesus invites his disciples to the total giving of their lives, without calculation or personal gain, with unfailing trust in God.

"The saints welcome this demanding invitation and set about following the crucified and risen Christ with humble docility. Their perfection, in the logic of a faith that is humanly incomprehensible at times, consists in no longer placing themselves at the center, but choosing to go against the flow and live according to the Gospel."

**I copied this from a weekly newsletter that I receive from Leland Nagel, Executive Director, National Conference of Catechetical Leadership.**

Mid-Autumn Hookey Day

Everyone I've talked to this week has said the same thing..."I'm tired!"  Despite getting eight hours of sleep, they say that they still feel fatigued.  Children are whiny.  Teens are emotional wrecks.  Tempers are short.  Tears are close.  Illnesses abound.  Students and teachers and catechists and co-workers are calling in sick.  Schools are closing due to significant numbers of absences.

So here's my suggestion:

We need time off.  We need a retreat.  We need a MID-AUTUMN HOOKEY DAY!

Sometimes families just need to get away from the world for a while.  With a Hookey Day, parents call in sick to work.  They call their kids in absent from school.  The family sleeps in, then snuggles through the day as they play board games or watch movies.  They don't leave the house.  They drink hot cocoa.  They eat comfort food, like tomato soup and grilled cheese, macaroni 'n cheese, chili, or anything warm and comforting.  

  Who says Sundays are the only days of rest?  And, quite honestly, too many of us don't really rest on Sundays.  We clean our houses, or go visiting, or work, or do homework, or come up with something else to do.  That's why we need a Mid-Autumn Hookey Day. 

A Mid-Autumn Hookey Day has to be a surprise day off.  I cannot be a planned day off from school or work.  Planned days off are usually filled with other things to do, but a Hookey Day is totally free.

So take a break from life and re-connect with your family on a Mid-Autumn Hookey Day!  (And don't feel guilty about making that "sick" call!)

Thoughts on Faith Formation of Children and Youth

As our parish faith formation/religious education programs and processes have gotten into full swing with the school year, I have been reflecting on what students in elementary, middle school, and high school need and want regarding their faith formation.

Most parishes put the focus of religious education on children and youth.  "They need to know their Catholic faith so that they don't walk away from the Church."  Yet, youth and young adults, regardless of how many years they participate in regular religious education programs, still fall away from regular religious practice or when they marry, they share in their spouses' non-Catholic faith practices.  So what is a parish to do?

If you ask children and youth what they want to do in religious education, they will, in most cases, say, "Have fun!  Play! Be with my friends!"  They are in school 7-8 hours each day, so another classroom experience just turns them off.  They are being pumped with information all day long, so more information may just get lost in the brain files.

In my opinion, what children and youth most need with regard to faith formation are activities that help them to develop (1) Identity, (2) Relationship with God, (3) Relationship with family and friends, (4) Participation in community. 

Young people long to know who they are and how they fit into the world.  Parish communities need to provide them with activities that will encourage them to realize their strengths and abilities and how they can best use those strengths and abilities. 

Young people want to know what it means to be Catholic.  Parishes need to provide opportunities for them to ask questions about what we believe and do and why we do what we do.  Why is it important to go to Church every weekend?  What is the purpose of the Sacraments?  How do Bible lessons fit my life and affect me in the 21st century?

Young people want to be with friends and family.  They want to be accepted for who they are and fit in with the larger community.  Parishes need to provide students with opportunities to socialize and have fun with friends.  They also need to engage families together in meaningful conversations and activities.

Young people need to share their gifts and talents in service to others.  Parishes need to engage students in community service, in individual, small group, and large community processes of giving and serving others.

We need to continually improve our faith formation and religious education processes in order to help children and youth explore their Catholic identity, relationship with God and others, and grow their talents and abilities in service to others.

Lord's Day Faith Chat - 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 18, 2009

I want to be first!  No, I want to be first!  No, ME FIRST!  No, ME FIRST!

How many parents have heard this from their children?  At young ages, most children tend to believe that the world revolves around them.  Thus, they tend to believe that they are entitled to being first, having the best. 

Most of the time, we grow out of the total self-focus of the "Me First" stage.  Yet, we tend to always want the best for ourselves.  We strive for the best jobs.  We compete for the best promotions.  We want to be successful, make money, influence people.

I'm often amazed at some conversations at gatherings of people.  It seems that in those conversations, people are trying to out-do each other with "I did that," and "I did this," or "I have that," and "I have this."

Today's Gospel reminds us that while we like to have the best, we actually become the best persons we can be when we give of ourselves in service to others.  True self-discovery and true happiness come from using our God-given gifts to help others in need, to encourage others to be the best that they can be.  True happiness comes not from focus on ourselves, but rather from focus on God and others.

Faith Chat Question:  How are you a leader in your family, school, neighborhood, parish community?  How do you serve others through your leadership?

Faith Response:  Make "Helping Hands" coupons.  Have each family member trace their hands on paper and cut out their hand prints.  On each hand print, family members can write one thing that they can do for someone else.  Share your "Helping Hands" coupons with one another and do the activities on the hand print coupons as they are redeemed.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, help us to be servant leaders like you.  Amen.

Lord's Day Faith Chat - 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 11, 2009

"What must I do to inherit eternal life?"  This is the question the man asks Jesus.  Following the Commandments - loving God and your neighbor - is the right thing to do, but to really share in eternal life with God, one must put one's relationship with God first, ahead of any earthly treasures.  What we have on earth can be good and even necessary -- food, clothing, shelter -- but what truly matters in the long run is relationship, with God and with others.  This life is fleeting, only lasting as long as your physical life.  But life with God lasts an eternity, beyond our human thinking.  Shouldn't we invest more in what lasts longer?

Faith Chat Question:  What treasures matter most to you?  What have you given up or what should you give up to be able to deepen your relationship with God

Faith Response:  As a family, talk about what it would be like to sell or lose everything you own.  Discuss the following:  What makes you truly happy?  How does God provide you with your true needs?

Prayer:  Loving God, help us to treasure our relationship with you more than anything else.  Amen.

My Tattered, Flimsy, Stuffed Kitten

What was your favorite childhood toy?
Submitted by A Pretty:Simple Life.

I had a white stuffed kitten.  I slept with that kitten every night.  I took it wherever I went, even to friends' houses.  It got tattered and flimsy, but I loved it.  Then, one day, my dad's hunting dog got loose in the house and shredded my tattered, flimsy, stuffed kitten.  While I love animals, I really hated that dog that day.  I remember crying and yelling at him.  I think it took my mom and dad hours to calm me down!

Children often have a favorite toy to which they cling.  Whatever it is - a blanket, stuffed animal, or some other thing - it helps them get through scary times, unsure times, dark times, and helps them to celebrate good times.  A childhood toy holds secrets that no one will ever know, a best friend who will never, ever retell those secrets.

In a way, those childhood toys help children learn about God and prayer.  Like those comforting toys, God helps children - and adults - get through scary times, unsure times, dark times, difficult times.  God gives children reasons to celebrate.  And God never, ever retells secret confidences mentioned in prayer.

So parents, don't try to take away those well-loved toys and things from your children too early.  Humans need something physical to grasp onto that represents and reminds them that God is with them always.