Something new at St. Andrew's!

When your family comes to Mass this weekend, look for a new statue of Mary near our Church building! If you come from the main parking lot, look right, just as you are passing the back exterior wall of the Cry Room. If you parked up in the smaller lot, go past the entry doors and look left.

Surrounded by flowers and with a small bench for quiet prayer, is a new statue of Mary, the mother of Jesus. What do your children notice about the statue? That she looks happy/peaceful? That she's holding out her hands to us? That she's stepping on a snake?!

About that snake... go to Genesis 3:15 (Genesis is the very first book in the Bible), and as God is communicating the consequences for sin in the Adam and Eve story, God describes the snake who tempted them to sin as their enemy. Toward the other end of the Bible, in Romans chapter 5, Paul compares Jesus to Adam... as sin entered the world through one human (Adam), through the "new Adam", Jesus, sin is overcome. And through succumbing to temptation by one woman (Eve) we explain our tendency to selfishness, through the generous faithfulness of the "new Eve" (Mary), we can know that we are able to overcome temptation and say 'yes' to God.

We don't worship Mary, that's not the point of a statue. Rather, it's a visual reminder of someone who can be a role model, a hero for us in faith. A statue can remind us that we can ask Mary to pray for us, that we be good and faithful and loving like she was. We can think about what qualities she had that made her the first disciple of Jesus, and work on being like that in our own lives.

Maybe showing them the statue would be a good opportunity to pray the Hail Mary together, or to teach them the words, if they aren't familiar with the prayer:

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

It is good to have places set apart to remind us to pray. Places where we can focus without distraction. Where in your home do you like to pray? Where is your child used to praying? If there's not a place right now, maybe you can figure out one together!

Preparing for the Gospel

When we get to the Gospel reading in Mass, what happens? As the Alleluia (or during Lent, a different Gospel Acclamation) is sung, we all stand and sing. The priest or deacon takes the Book of the Gospels, holds it high so we all can focus on it, and processes to the ambo. Then, as he traces a sign of the cross on the scripture passage and announces to us which Gospel is about to be proclaimed, we respond with the words, "Glory to you, Lord", while we make a small sign of the cross with our right thumb on our forehead, lips and over our heart.

Why do we do that? Through this gesture of blessing, we are asking that Jesus Christ, through his own words in this Gospel, remain in our thoughts, on our lips through the words we speak, and in our heart. And then we get ready to listen.

Why do we stand for the Gospel and not the other readings? Out of respect, and as a way to show that we are paying special attention, because while all of Scripture is inspired by God, in a very special way, the Gospels are telling us the words and actions of Jesus himself!

At the end of reading the Gospel, the priest or deacon will say, "The Gospel of the Lord", and we reply, "Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ", and sit down, ready to listen to the homily and try to make connections between what we have just heard and what goes on in our own lives day to day.

Standing, sitting, singing, responding, blessing ourselves - all simple ways that help us to focus in on what's happening, getting our bodies and brains working together to receive the Word of God as fully as possible.

St. Francis of Assisi

When you come to St. Andrew's for mass, there's a statue of a man in the middle of our courtyard.

Some people think it represents St. Andrew, since he's the patron saint of our parish, others have guessed it to be Jesus. By the title of this post, you already know that it is a statue of St. Francis of Assisi! If one were to have a top-ten list of generally popular saints, he'd be on it for certain. We know this Italian man as the patron saint of animals and ecology, and you'll find many churches (not just Catholic) will have a "Blessing of the Animals" service on or near his feast day (October 4). At St. Andrew's we'll have a Blessing of Animals service at 10AM on Saturday, October 2.

I encourage you to read this brief description of the life of this man. Raised in a wealthy family, he gradually realized that his lifestyle was not bringing him real joy, and he accepted poverty as a dramatic witness to his (and our) fundamental dependence on God. Mother Teresa of Calcutta was rightly recognized for her care for the sick and poor. Centuries before, St. Francis also embraced a man with leprosy as his 'brother', breaking cultural taboos in the process of recognizing that as sons and daughter of God we are all related and deserve respect and love. St. Francis further recognized that in some real sense we as created beings are related to all of creation. See here for the beautiful Canticle of Creation.

But still, you may wonder: why a statue of St. Francis in our courtyard?
Our parish is served by three priests. Two of them (Fr. David and Fr. Tom) belong to the religious order called the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, the order that has been with our parish since its founding over 25 years ago. Our third priest (Fr. Joseph) is a Conventual Franciscan. There are many, many religious orders, male and female, founded under the guiding principles of St. Francis, who called his followers the "Friars Minor".

As you point out the statue of St. Francis to your children, see if they can find both birds (and let me know if there are more than two!), share with them what you know about him, and if you have pets, please be sure to put October 2 on your calendar!

Blessing the Meal

It's difficult these days to sit down together as a household for meals. What a blessing to be able to share food and the events of the day with each other!

If you don't already make this part of your routine, how about taking 15 seconds (really, I just timed it!) to remember that God is present with you, and is the source of these and so many other blessings.

You could start with the sign of the cross and either hold hands with each other or fold your hands in front of you. Here's a traditional Catholic version of "Grace Before Meals":

Bless us, O Lord, and these your gifts which we are about to receive from your goodness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

(I was raised saying 'thy gifts' and 'from thy bounty' ... same difference.)

Or each of your family members (including grown-ups) could take turns leading a brief prayer. As a child, my niece would often pray, "Thank you God for our food. Amen."  Short, sweet, gets the job done! Others might relish the opportunity to list the blessings of the day... which might well take longer than 15 seconds.

What do you do in your household to recall the blessings of your life?

Sign of the Cross

Does your child know how to make the Sign of the Cross?
It is a simple and familiar gesture and prayer for Catholics, and we do it to remind ourselves:

• of our baptism, which was done in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• that in our baptism, we have been claimed entirely by Christ 
• that Jesus Christ saved us through his death on a cross, and his resurrection
• in whom and for whom we live

With the right hand, touch your forehead
     while saying "In the name of the Father"
then touch your chest while saying "and of the Son"
and then left shoulder "and of the Holy..."
and right shoulder "...Spirit. Amen"

The hardest part for smaller children seems to be getting the left and right in the correct order... maybe if you face the same direction they do, it'll be easier for them to catch on?

When you come into the gathering space at Church, you'll notice our holy water font, placed in front of a statue of St. Andrew. You can help your child to dip their right hand in the font and make the sign of the cross before you go in for Mass each week. They might need to learn the difference between a pool that's for splashing, and this font that is for making a prayerful, unhurried gesture, one that is both a reminder of our baptism, and in some sense a symbol of cleansing in order to prepare us for our prayer time together.

"Ordinary" Time

If you look on the front of the bulletin this Sunday, you'll notice that we call it the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. In 'church-talk' ordinary does not mean same-ol', ho-hum, plain and boring. It means 'counted', like in grade school math ordinal numbers indicate the order in which something occurs (forgive my imprecision in that definition: I'm not a math major!). So right now, when we are not in a specific season of the Church year like Advent, Christmas, Lent or Easter, or celebrating some special feast, we keep track of the rest of the Sundays in counted order.

And yet in a sense, 'ordinary time' does refer to the everyday, the regular, the routine - but a regular living that is far from boring!

Did you know that every season of the Church year has a color that is associated with it? Purple or deep blue for Advent, white or gold for Christmas and Easter, purple for Lent, and red for feasts of the Holy Spirit or of Martyrs.

Green is the color of Ordinary Time -- when you go to Mass this weekend, look around - notice how the cloth on the altar and the ambo (lectern) and the vestments that the priest and deacon wears are green. You could talk with your children about the color green - what do you and they associate with that color? (hint: look at the plants and grass ... they are all about life and growth! And after this recent rain, they are growing quickly!)

The Gospel readings during Ordinary Time mostly focus on the topic of living and growing, and we often get to hear Jesus teach us through parables (stories). For instance, a few weeks ago, he told the story of the "Good Samaritan" to help us think about how to treat others, and who to consider as our neighbor. A couple weeks ago, he was counseling Martha not to get so caught up in the details of impressing people that she missed out in being with people. The Gospel this weekend has a sobering warning not to confuse your life with your possessions.  Maybe each week in Ordinary Time, you and your child could figure out the point or moral to the Gospel together, and then see what it means for you in your life, right now!

Baptisms this Sunday!

At many of our parish masses this weekend, we will be celebrating baptisms. This presents a wonderful opportunity for you to talk with your child about baptism!

What's your story? If your child has been baptized, would they remember anything about the day? Most probably not, if they were infants or small children. What can you tell them about it? Who was there? What church? How was it done (a little water sprinkled, a good amount poured, were they immersed in the font itself?)  Did they put up a fuss or sleep through it? What was the weather like? Who are their godparents? You can help them learn the story of how they came to be a Christian.

And you can also help them learn a little about what happens at baptism. Think about the four main symbols: water, oil, light, white garment.
Water: If you talk with your child about each of these in turn, we might discover that water refreshes, cleanses, and helps things grow. Baptism gives us new life and washes away our sin. (As adults we also speak of the 'water of new birth' that make us a new creation in Christ).
Oil: If you think about oil as lotion, suntan lotion protects us from the sun, body lotion soothes rough skin, but even cooking oil protects the pan, keeps things from sticking and burning! The oil we use at baptism (and confirmation, and ordinations) is a special one, called Chrism. It smells really nice- when the Bishop blesses it during Holy Week, he adds a perfume called balsam to the olive oil. This Chrism sinks into our skin, leaving a mark that you really can't wash off: for your whole life, you are a Christian! And while God loves and protects every person, baptized or not, in a special way, we are given strength to resist sin through this anointing.
Light: When the power goes out, it can be hard to walk around your house without stubbing your toe! Light can guide us, helps us to see. A flame has energy and power. A candle is lit from the big Paschal (Easter) Candle (which represents Christ, the Light of the World. A new one is blessed every year at the Easter Vigil.) as a reminder that the child is enlightened by Christ, and is to keep the flame or faith alive in their hearts.
White garment: When they go out to play, are their clothes typically white (or do they stay that way for long?!)? White shows us that something is clean and spotless, and sometimes reserved for special occasions. Listen to the prayer at baptism: See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity. With your family and friends to help you, bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven.  What does it mean to have dignity? How does a person with dignity (not uppity, not snooty, but dignified!) act?

Talking about those symbols, and watching for them together during the service, is a good way to start understanding a bit about what baptism means. But symbols by their nature have so many meanings- they take a lifetime (or more) to understand!