Blessing of the Animals this Saturday

This Saturday is a special annual event honoring St. Francis of Assisi's October 4th feast day. All are invited to take part in a Blessing of the Animals on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 10 a.m. in the St. Francis Courtyard in front of the church.  Please bring your pets either on leashes or caged so we can curb their animal instincts! This will be canceled in the event of inclement weather.

A new website to help you

Here is a website to help you prepare for and live out the Sunday Scriptures every week.

A feast for grandparents!

“...[T]he family is the foundation of society. In it the various generations come together and help one another to grow wise and to harmonize personal rights with the other requirements of social life” (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 52).

Today is the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the names traditionally given to Mary's parents (a.k.a., Jesus grandparents). The Saint of the Day post at St. Anthony Messenger website has a touching and inspiring post about the sort of home life this couple must have nurtured, that produced a young woman of great faith and courage.

Parents of Mary, pray for all parents that they may provide the loving home and faithful teaching that you provided your daughter. Amen

The hows and whys of genuflecting

Do you ever wonder why people drop to their knee before getting in their seat, or how to do it properly, or even WHEN to do it? Well, they are not (hopefully) picking up a dropped set of keys, but making a ritual gesture of respect toward the Blessed Sacrament, reserved in the tabernacle.

Most of us genuflect when entering a church as a matter of habit; some of us don't understand where we are directing this gesture. For instance, some people automatically genuflect when entering a church that has a separate chapel for the tabernacle, when, as you'll read in the article, a bow toward the altar would be the more appropriate gesture. (So, it's not just a matter of knowing what to do, but being conscious of why you are doing it... or not doing it!)

Here is a very short and clear article about genuflecting. I encourage you to read it, then teach your child(ren) before Mass this Sunday.

How's it growing?

The Scripture readings for this coming Sunday talk about rain and seeds and harvests. The natural world can teach us a lot about life and faith, if we take the time to pay attention.

We've been having a lot of storms this week; the dry ground has been getting a lot of rain.  What do you and your children notice happens when it rains? Do the plants and grass like it, does it help them to grow (too quickly, mutters the one who has to mow the lawn!)? That rain is doing its job well then, isn't it? In the first reading we learn that just like rain, God's Word (and we call Jesus the "Word of God") is effective... coming to earth and making a difference, helping us to grow and feel refreshed ... how does Jesus do THAT for you?

And in the Gospel, Jesus is telling a story (a parable is a story with a message) about a farmer and the seeds he sows. Maybe you could do an experiment with your children with a packet of seeds and different types of soil ... good rich stuff, the hard clay, maybe even the concrete on your driveway and a patch of weeds! Throw some seed on each place, push it down lightly if you can and give it a drink of water....  what happens over the next week or two? (the seed on the driveway will probably just get washed away) The translation that I've linked to at the beginning of this post only has the short version of the Gospel, but here you can find the full text, which includes Jesus' explanation of the different places the seed fell. What are ways that you can help your child to grow in his or her faith (plant them in good soil?)?

Post a comment and share your ideas, please!

Check out this blog

Here's a blog, associated with Claretian Publications, that looks interesting....

The Body and Blood of Christ

This is the second reading for mass this coming weekend, which celebrates the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ:

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians (10:16-17)

Brothers and sisters:
When we drink from the cup that we ask God to bless,
isn’t that sharing in the blood of Christ?
When we eat the bread that we break,
isn’t that sharing in the body of Christ?
By sharing in the same loaf of bread,
we become one body,
even though there are many of us.
The word of the Lord.
     Thanks be to God.

(lectionary version approved for use in masses with children)

What do you think it means to share in the blood of Christ? How do we do that by drinking from the cup? Well, we know that Jesus loved us so very much that he gave up a lot for us, even sacrificing his own life to save ours. In our baptism, we become a member of the Church, the Body of Christ, and we are brothers and sisters with each other in faith. We are initiated into the Mystery of becoming something bigger than ourselves, into joining with other believers in rejecting the power of sin and affirming the power of Christ.

Now, very few of us will be called to sacrifice our lives for our faith, or even for a friend or family member. But every one of us, as soon as we are old enough to make choices, ARE faced with opportunities to give up our own wants out of love (or maybe simple obedience) for another. Some 'sacrifices' are simple: taking out the trash the first time you're asked, letting your spouse choose the movie, putting part of your allowance aside for charity. Some are tougher: taking in an elderly parent or a needy relative, driving that old car one more year so family necessities are attainable, eating EVERYTHING on your plate without complaining!

Is there some way that we can make the connections between the sacrifices of our own lives, great or small, and the loving sacrifice of Jesus?

And how do we share in the body of Christ? Isn't bread a source of basic nourishment? What good things do we do for others that just make life better and nicer? What good things do we do for God to let God know of our love and gratitude? Don't those good words and deeds energize both the doer and the recipient? Don't we both feel thankful because of it?  (Recall that "Eucharist" comes from a Greek word meaning 'to give thanks') And don't we grow closer to each other (become one body) by our mutual care and concern?

Maybe in preparation for this weekend's feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, your family could share some juice and crackers, each naming a time you sacrificed/gave up something to make someone else happy, and a good deed you did out of love for someone else. You wouldn't be 'playing communion' of course, but sharing together in a simple ritual that might help your child make some connections with what goes on at Mass. You could end up with a prayer thanking Jesus for showing us how to love one another, and then pray together the Glory Be/Doxology (prayer of praise):  (Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be world without end, Amen.)

Happy Pentecost!

The Solemn Feast of Pentecost is often referred to as the "Birthday of the Church", the day we celebrate the gift of God's Holy Spirit to Jesus' followers, empowering them to go forth and continue his ministry, everywhere.

When you come to Mass this weekend, you'll notice that the vestments and the altar and ambo cloths are red- a color representing the Holy Spirit (think 'flame', 'tongues of fire'). It would be great if everyone wore red that day, in honor of the Holy Spirit!

And as you prepare to celebrate this feast, here's something you can do as a family (thanks to RCL Benzinger "Faith First for Families" resources): read the second reading  1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 out loud and then try this:

Sketch a simple figure of a body and call it by your family name. Label parts of the body such as ears, eyes, hands, feet, etc. and consider which members of the family are those parts of the whole body. For example, who is a good listener? Whose eyes are good a finding lost items? Who helps out at home doing extra chores, and who walks the dog? Certainly more than one person can claim a part. When you are finished, you will marvel
at how many gifts you have together as a family.

And you can finish up by offering God a short prayer of thanks for all the gifts you have as a family!

Feast of the Visitation

Today is the Feast of the Visitation- when Mary goes to visit her elderly cousin Elizabeth and both exult in the amazing things God has done in their lives. The Gospel today is Luke 1: 39-56, and contains some very familiar words... both Elizabeth's greeting to Mary, which has become part of our familiar "Hail Mary" prayer, and Mary's poetic response, known as the Magnificat.

You could help your children appreciate this feast by talking about how it feels to have good news to share, and how it feels to get to hear someone else's good news, too. Maybe you could take a couple minutes to listen to each other share a piece of good news-- especially what you are thankful to God for today. 

The other part of the story is that while both women were experiencing miraculous pregnancies (Mary as a virgin, Elizabeth as a woman long past child-bearing years), they both surely had concerns and worries connected to these great gifts. They supported and encouraged each other-- something that (hopefully) comes natural to family. Are there concerns and worries that your child and you can help each other with, and can pray for each other about?

As we come to the end of May, the month dedicated to Mary, praying the Hail Mary together would be a lovely way to conclude your family conversation.

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.

What to say to your children about Bin Laden's death?

I can't begin to tell you what to say, if your children ask about the killing of Osama bin Laden, but let me refer you to this article for your own reflection and consideration: "What is a Christian Response to Bin Laden's Death?"

Saying You're Sorry

We know that there are times when we hurt each other, when we get mad or frustrated at someone else, or ignore them entirely. Those are times when the first step to fixing things is to say "I'm sorry".  Lent is an especially good time to examine our lives, determine where and how we could be doing better in living as a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. Conversion is a life-long process, and as Church we help each other in various ways. One important way that we recognize and ritualize the merciful forgiveness of God is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Here is a page with a lot of good resources to help you prepare to celebrate (yes, celebrate!) the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If you are looking for some reassurance that God is not a judge or policeman just itching to punish you, please read through the 15th chapter of Luke's Gospel... you'll find a God who loves us so much and is so impatient to forgive us and relieve us of the burdens that we carry around ... and who rejoices when we do take a step towards conversion!

Next Thursday, March 31, we will have a communal reconciliation service at St. Andrew, starting at 7pm. Now, the 'communal' part does not mean that you get up in front of everybody and announce your sins! The communal part means that we come together as the Body of Christ- in recognition that by our sins we have failed to represent the Body of Christ as clearly as we should have, to ask each other for support and prayer and forgiveness as we express our sorrow to God.  So please, come next Thursday. If your children have already received their first reconciliation, help them prepare to celebrate the sacrament again. If they have not yet celebrated this sacrament, have them come and observe, anyway: the example you show by 'saying your sorry' is one that will be planted deep within their own hearts.

Ash Wednesday and Lent

With a smudge of ash and solemn words encouraging us to remember the important things, we begin the season of Lent. Keep in mind that Lent doesn't exist without Easter. Centuries ago, these weeks began to be designated as the time for final preparation for those who would be baptized at Easter. And it evolved as a season for the whole Church (all the baptized) to look within ourselves, face the temptations that make it hard for us to follow and love Jesus, and pray for God's help in this process of life-long conversion.

Remember how Jesus went out into the desert after his baptism and before his public ministry? He was tempted with the sorts of things that would have kept him from being authentic and effective: aspirations of fame and wealth, and lack of trust in God's providence.

What are the things that your son or daughter could name that make it hard to for them to be their very best? Are there struggles you feel comfortable sharing with them that make it hard for you to be a good Christian?

It's generally been popular to give up something for Lent. In that discipline we might discover that some things we thought were 'needs' are just 'wants', and find new and more productive uses of the time and/or money invested in those wants. 

How will you change as a result of this Lent? Will your family pray together every day? Give up 30 minutes of facebook or xbox or netflix time to do some reading (for personal edification or family together-time)? Find some opportunity to make someone's life a little better? Participate in the many Lenten activities at your parish? (Go to the St. Andrew Parish Website for a listing).

Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation, but it IS a helpful way to mark our intention to get ready for the new life promised us at Easter. Masses at the parish are 6:30 and 9am and 5:30 and 7:30pm. There is also a Noon Liturgy of the Word with Distribution of Ashes.

Feast of St. Blase

Today is the feast of St. Blase, a bishop and martyr who died in Armenia in the early 4th century. Not much is known about his life, but for a little background on the life and legend of St. Blase, please click here.

On this medal you can see two symbols commonly associated with St. Blase. The story goes that as he was being taken to prison for his faith, a mother brought her child (who was choking on a fishbone) to him, and the good Bishop saved the boy's life.  As a result, St. Blase is the patron saint of diseases of the throat and a Catholic custom is to have our throats blessed using candles (symbol #2) on or near his feast day.

As you can see in this photo I pulled off the internet (people, place and date unknown), the blessing is offered (by a priest, deacon or extraordinary minister of holy communion) with two candles (unlit!) around the neck and this (or a similar) prayer:

By the intercession of St. Blase, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from ailments of the throat and from every other evil. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This popular observance falls under the umbrella of 'custom and tradition' rather than 'Tradition or doctrine'. In the dead of winter with so much potential for cold and flu, we can use all the help we can get, right?! After all the masses this weekend, blessing of throats will be offered. Maybe if you share the story of St. Blase with your children, the blessing will mean even more to them.

Lamb of God and Shepherd

John the Baptist, in the Gospel this weekend (translation for children) refers to Jesus as the "Lamb of God" ... what does that mean to you and your children?

Maybe this link will help you in your reflection and conversation!

A prayer for a sick person

It's definitely winter, and colds and flu may have already hit your house. If so, I hope you all feel better soon. But you can also pray for the sick person, whether they are in your house or far away, with annoying sniffles or enduring something far more serious.

Here's an example, a "Prayer for Those Who Are Sick" from Sadlier's "We Believe and Pray":

Lord Jesus,
who went about doing good and healing all,
     we ask you to bless your friends who are sick.

Dear Jesus,
when you were on earth,
     you touched and healed so many people.
You bring comfort to the sick.
Please bring your healing love to (name) who is sick.
Amen.

Happy New Year!

On this Sunday at Mass, we celebrate the Epiphany (everybody ready: "Ooooo... star of wonder, star....").

Usually, we as Catholics begin the new year at mass for the Holy Day of "Mary, Mother of God", but since it falls on a Saturday this year, the obligation is 'abrogated' (lifted). When we call Mary the 'Mother of God', we are really making a statement about our belief in Jesus' divinity. That is, we aren't saying that God didn't exist before Mary gave birth to Jesus, but that the baby she had was fully human AND fully divine.

The children and teens in the Catechumenate do NOT meet this Sunday, January 2, but will resume meeting on January 9, with dismissal at the 9:30 mass as usual.