Up a Tree!

The Gospel this Sunday is the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus from Luke. (chapter 19, verses 1-10)

Children love the story of Zacchaeus: a grown man, sitting in a tree! They can identify with his struggle to see over a crowd, and are delighted that Jesus would pick him to spend time with. As adults, we often read this as an example of conversion, as evidenced by the closing words of Jesus in the passage. And as a conversion story, it is a good and powerful one: our encounter with Jesus evokes a self-assessment that hopefully leads to a change for the better in how we live our lives.

You could take some time this week to read and talk about the story together. From the book 70 Sacrament Starters for Children by Patricia Mathson, here are some great questions to encourage a conversation about this Gospel story:

• What job did Zacchaeus have?
• Why did he climb a tree?
• What did Jesus say to him?
• Why did the people in the crowd grumble?
• What did Zacchaeus say to Jesus?
• How can we make up for the harm we cause?
• Why should our lives change because of Jesus?

Patron Saints

In just a couple of weeks, on November 1, we'll celebrate All Saints' Day. (Did you know that this is where Halloween gets its name from? "Hallowed" = holy ... so the night before All Saints (holy) day is all-hallow's eve... which became 'halloween').

If your child/teen was named for a particular saint, do they know the story of their patron? Here is a webpage with a listing of many saints' names, most with links to a summary of their life. Talk with them about why you chose their name- for a relative or friend, for that saint?
If your son or daughter was not named for a saint, they can still choose one to serve as their model of faith, and to ask for their prayers. Maybe they would like someone who shares their interests- the patron saint of athletes or music or animals or painters or bakers... this link will get you to an extensive list of patron saints!

What then? Well it depends on your son or daughter's interest. With your help (some saints stories get a bit intense, or hard to understand, so you may want to do some prior research), maybe they could look up information about their patron saint on the internet. There are several Catholic companies that have catalogs full of medals or holy cards or icons representing a variety of saints, something small that could go in their room as a daily reminder.

The following links are not intended as an endorsement for or advertisement of these particular companies which encompasses a variety of artistic styles; I've simply included them here in case you have an interest in looking for a birthday or Christmas or saints-day gift for your son or daughter:

Monastery Icons

Bridge Building Images

Leaflet Missal

Autom

Note: the images on this post are from tapestries in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA.

A Prayer

A Jesuit priest just posted this on his Facebook page today, a thoughtful prayer addressing the deep sadness of so many teens committing suicide lately, related to incidents of bullying or harassment.



A Prayer When I Feel Hated

Loving God, you made me who I am.
I praise you and I love you,
for I am wonderfully made, in your own image.

But when people make fun of me,
I feel hurt and embarrassed and even ashamed.
So please God, help me remember my own goodness,
which lies in you.
Help me remember my dignity,
which you gave me when I was conceived.
Help me remember that I can live a life of love,
because you created my heart.

Be with me, loving God, when people hate me,
and help me to respond how you would want me to:
with a love that respects others, but also respects me.
Help me find friends who love me for who I am.
Help me, most of all, to be a loving person.

And God, help me remember that Jesus loves me.
For he was seen as an outcast, too.
He was misunderstood, too.
He was beaten and spat upon.
Jesus understands me,
and loves me with a special love,
because of the way you made me.

And when I am feeling lonely,
help me to remember that Jesus welcomed everyone as a friend.
Jesus reminded everyone that God loved them.
Jesus encouraged everyone to embrace their dignity,
even when others were blind to seeing that dignity.
Jesus loved everyone with the boundless love that you gave him.
And he loves me, too.

One more thing, God:
Help me remember
that nothing is impossible with you,
that you have a way of making things better,
and that you can find a way of love for me,
even if I can’t see it right now.

Help me remember all these things
in the heart you created, loving God.
Amen.

James Martin, SJ

Church Tour Tonight!

There were/are no faith formation sessions this weekend, but there IS an opportunity for you and your children to learn a bit more about the places and things we use to help us worship. Tonight, from 6:30-7:30pm, is a Church Tour... we'll meet in the Gathering Space (just inside the main doors).

AND, it counts as a GRACE event!