Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Check out this blog
Here's a blog, associated with Claretian Publications, that looks interesting....
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
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)
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.)
A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians (10:16-17)
(lectionary version approved for use in masses with children)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.
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.)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
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:
And you can finish up by offering God a short prayer of thanks for all the gifts you have as a family!
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!
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