Christmas with Jesus

I found this video that I thought was worth sharing about how many see this time of year.  Take a moment to check it out and then I encourage you to just take the next few days to seek Christ and be still with Him.  He was born in silence and for the first few days hardly anyone knew he had been born but Mary and Jesus and the world had just received the greatest gift ever.  Let us ponder this and draw close to Christ.

Christmas With Jesus

 

Preparing For Christmas Like Never Before

It feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve had the time to post on my blog.  Today, I wanted to share a power point I shared with parents just last night on helping them prepare for Christmas.  This power point does not do my presentation complete justice but it gives a glimpse of things that I talked about.  I must give much credit to Lacy of catholicicing.com for many of these ideas that fit right into what I wanted to share with parents.

Life tends to be pretty busy this time of year.  Preparing and celebrating with family and friends and wanting everything to be just right.  Sometimes we let all the pre-Christmas celebrations and all the “have to do’s” prevent us from actually doing what Advent seeks to help us do (make more room for Christ in our lives).

Here is the Powerpoint Preparing for Christmas Like Never Before from my presentation.  I hope you enjoy it (it’s very simple).

Let us together walk more slowly, be more patient and take a little more time to spiritually prepare for Christmas.  Come Lord Jesus!

 

Advent Ideas — Light

Advent is upon us.  One of the images I love to reflect upon is how this is a season where it gets dark earlier and the sun rises later.  This season of expectation helps us remember how the world was in darkness and the light of the world, Jesus Christ, came to fill the world with the light and truth of God’s revelation of Himself.    Here are some ways to give students a glimpse of this:

1. Turn out the lights for a few moments and light the candle(s) of the Advent Wreath and share how the days have gotten shorter and how there is less less light outside and more darkness.  Help them see that the closer we get to Christmas the more light there is in the Advent Wreath.  The light from the advent wreath remind us of the light of Christ.  Light in the darkness of the night gives us direction.  Share with your students how their kindness, their generosity and their time spent in prayer this Advent are helping us be light and bring hope to a world that is often lost in darkness and a world longing for what we as followers of Christ can share with them.

2. Another way to help make this concrete for students is to share with them how most people put lights up at the beginning of Advent – outside & inside their houses.  Christmas lights are a constant reminder this time of year of the light of Christ.  Challenge your students to offer a small prayer when they see these various kinds of light…Jesus, thank you for being the light of the world; Jesus, bless Grandma with your light and hope in her time of sickness; Jesus, help those who don’t know you find you; or Jesus, be my light in all the decisions I make today.

3. Here are a few great Scripture verses on light: John 1:4-9; John 8:12; Jn. 1:6; Mt. 5:14-16 & 1 John 1:5-7 that you could use during opening and closing prayer.

 

The Calm Before The Storm

How will you make room?

It’s about that time of year when I begin to reflect and consider what I might do to make this year a meaningful Advent.  I do this both personally(my life and my families) and professionally (what can I do in my religious education program that would be valuable).

This time of year is the calm before the storm…once the week before Thanksgiving hits, the holiday season seems in full force and people are going even faster than usual in their daily lives.  It’s important to take some time now to consider how this Advent will lead you closer to Christ this Christmas.  I realize some of you might be thinking: it’s just a little too early for me to be thinking that far ahead.  Well, maybe it is, but it’s not too early in my life.

3 things to consider/reflect upon:

1. Ask a few questions… How is God calling me to grow closer to Him this Advent?  During Advent what might I consider that is a challenge but realistic for where I’m at in my life?  Will the sacrifice I make, activity I choose or the attitude I seek to foster make room for Jesus and welcome Him more fully into my life and those around me on Christmas and beyond?

2. Advent is actually a penitential season, therefore doing a little penance is worth considering.  Penance helps one to refocus, to keep in mind that Mary and Joseph had a long journey and a challenging time leading up to the glorious “Advent” of Jesus’ birth.  What could you do during the 4 weeks of Advent that unites your sacrifice with that of the holy family?

3. Consider something like the popular “advent conspiracy” project. Check out this video and website.  It offers great ideas about how to give “presence” instead of presents.  This is not merely about saving money or being cheap about what you give but the difference it could make if you give yourself or a donation over merely a gift that will be forgotten in 6 months.  It’s something to consider and discern.    Or check out this great article entitled “A Different Kind of Advent”.

What do you do before things get too busy when considering the upcoming Advent Season?

 

In the Night of the World…Be Illuminated

In Pope Benedict XVI’s last general audience before Christmas 2010 he said:

“In the night of the world, let us still allow ourselves to be surprised and illuminated by this coming, by the Star which, rising in the East, has inundated the universe with joy.  Let us purify our minds and our lives from everything that contrasts with this coming – thoughts, words, attitudes and actions – spurring ourselves on to do good and to help bring peace and justice to our world for all men and women, and thus to walk towards the Lord”.

Catechesis for Today:

~ The Christmas season will come and go but being illuminated and lead by Christ must be a constant goal for followers of Christ.  In our catechesis may we always seek to bring that wonder and joy that helps illuminate the riches of our Catholic Faith.

~ This image of purifying our minds and our lives from everything that contrasts with His coming is key for every Christian disciple.  May we spiritually seek to do this not only as we welcome into our hearts the Savior at the remembrance of His birth, but know that he will come again and we must be purified and ready!  There will be great spiritual benefit assisting those we catechize understand this.

~ Bringing peace and justice into the world for most of us is on the grassroots level – in our homes, work places, interactions wtih those in our town.  We bring not just peace from war but peace that is from God drawing others closer to Christ and His law of love.  Justice needs to be worked for and for most of us, seeking to love as Christ loves, seeking to serve as He would serve, seeking to treat others with respect, gratitude and joy is what will help us live justly.

“In the Night of the World…Be surprised and illuminated by his coming!”

Originally posted on amazingcatechists.com

 

Christmas Ponderings

As we approach the great Solemnity of Christmas I have been pondering about the connection between Christmas and the Mass.  Here is what I’ve thought about:

1) Every Mass is a little Christmas.  The Word became flesh and dwelt among us or “pitched his tent among us”.  Isn’t that what happens at every Mass?  Heaven come to earth.  What a celebration and an encounter Mass is each time we attend (that is if we are open to the miracle of it).

2) Christ was born in Bethlehem which means “house of bread” and He was born in a manger fit not for a king but for animals.  His bed was a feeding trough.  Isn’t that interesting and actually providential.  Jesus Christ laid in a feeding trough upon his birth and is our bread of life that we feed upon every time we receive Him in Holy Communion.

O Come let us prepare our hearts to adore Him and receive Him with a soul that allows Him to take up His throne in our hearts!

 

Final Days of Advent

In these final days of Advent let us reflect upon the great mysteries of Christ and the incarnation.  Fr. Francis Fernandez said in volume 1 of In Conversation with God:

“During these days it will be easy for us, by reading and meditating on the gospel, to contemplate the baby Jesus with Mary and Joseph in the manger at Bethlehem.  We will learn important lessons about detachment, humility and concern for other people.  The Shepherds will teach us the joy of finding God, and the wise men how we must adore him; we will feel that we have been given new strength to persevere in the following of our way.”

Come let us go forth and learn from the shepherds the joy of finding God and let us learn true wisdom from the wise men and be ready to adore Christ.

 

The Need for Compassion

At my parish, our pastor, gave a homily on the 4th Sunday of Advent mostly about St. Joseph, but with some interesting insights.  What caught my attention was a recent study he had come across about how our society is more and more tolerant towards others.  The positive aspect is that we, as a culture, are not as judgmental with others as maybe we once were.  However, the study also revealed that we are less empathetic and compassionate of a culture than we once were.  This is troubling news.  We are struggling more as a culture to “suffer with” others (the meaning of the word compassion).  In addition we are not as empathetic (Wikipedia defines empathy as “the capacity to share the sadness or happiness of another… Empathy develops the ability to have compassion towards other beings.”  How can we in the ministry of catechesis make sure we grow ourselves and also help others grow in compassion?

3 ways to teach compassion/empathy in the classroom:

1) Show how Jesus and the saints were models of compassion and empathy. He had great compassion for those He encountered.  He sought to be with others in their struggle all the while pointing them to the truth.  Here are a few Scripture verses:

• Jesus was moved with compassion Mt. 9:36; Mk. 1:41; Lk. 7:13.
• The hungry Mk. 8:1-10
• A certain Samaritan had compassion on him (Lk. 10:33)

2) Take those “teachable moments” in the classroom to show your students compassion.  Maybe a student is having a hard day or another who has a sick grandmother in their family.  The opposite of compassion is indifference.  We need be Christ to our students in order to show them how to live compassion in their own lives.

3) The Power of Prayer: Ask Christ and the saints to inspire you to be compassionate toward others. Pray for the grace to be Christ-like in your actions.

The solution to this crises of a lack of compassion begins with you and me.   My pastor spoke of how Joseph was probably not a tolerant man (that is why he was going to divorce Mary after discovering she was pregnant with a child that he knew was not his).  But then we see Joseph’s compassion because he was going to do it quietly so as not to expose Mary to what he originally thought was her shame/sin (before he had the dream).   We also can imagine St. Joseph’s compassion during the trip he took with Mary to Bethlehem and all the times he was patient and understanding at the challenges of the trip.

May you be filled with the love and compassion of Christ Jesus during this 4th week of Advent!

 

Some thoughts on St. Joseph

Fr. Brian Cavanaugh of appleseeds.org wrote the following in his December newsletters a number of years ago.  I thought it was worth repeating since St. Joseph is often the forgotten member of the Holy Family this time of year.  St. Joseph…Pray for us and guide us to the mind and heart of your son Jesus!

St. Joseph, a Model of  Recollection

VATICAN CITY, DEC. 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- With Christmas approaching, Benedict XVI exhorted the faithful to cultivate a spirit of interior recollection in an often noisy world that makes it hard to listen to God.

The Pope today presented St. Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus, as a model of recollection. Joseph’s silence in the Gospel, the Holy Father said, “does not demonstrate an empty interior, but rather the fullness of faith that he carries in his heart. Let’s allow ourselves to be ‘infected’ by the silence of St. Joseph!”

Silence “is so lacking in this world which is often too noisy, which is not favorable to recollection and listening to the voice of God,” Benedict XVI said. “In this time of preparation for Christmas, let us cultivate interior recollection so as to receive and keep Jesus in our lives.”

He suggested that the faithful establish in these days “a kind of spiritual dialogue with St. Joseph so that he helps us live to the fullest this mystery of faith.”

The Bishop of Rome recalled that his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, “who was very devoted to St. Joseph,” dedicated the apostolic exhortation “Redemptoris Custos” (Custodian of the Redeemer) to the adoptive father of Jesus.

In that 1989 document, John Paul II gave “a particular importance to the silence of St. Joseph,” observed Benedict XVI.

Such a silence was “permeated with the contemplation of the mystery of God, in an attitude of total availability to the divine will,” Benedict XVI said. “A silence through which Joseph, together with Mary, guard the Word of God, known through sacred Scripture, comparing it continually to the events of the life of Jesus; a silence interwoven with constant prayer, a prayer of blessing of the Lord, of adoration of his holy will and of boundless confidence in his providence.”

The Holy Father added: “It is not exaggerated to say that Jesus will learn—on a human level—precisely from ‘father’ Joseph this intense interior life, which is the condition of authentic righteousness, the ‘interior righteousness,’ which one day he will teach to his disciples.”

 

Expecting Wonderous Things

As Advent continues, consider fostering this attitude of expectation through a desire to grow in God’s grace.

St. Alphonsus Liguori once spoke about our need to receive the Body and Blood of our Lord: ‘There will be those who say: ‘that is exactly why I don’t go to Communion more often, because I realize my love is cold…’  If you are cold, do you think it sensible to move away from the fire?  Precisely because you feel your heart frozen you should go ‘more frequently’ to Holy Communion, provided you feel a sincere desire to love Jesus Christ.

Isn’t this at the heart of our preparations in Advent… a sincere desire to love Jesus Christ more fully?

St. Alphonsus continues by quoting St. Bonaventure: “‘Go to Holy Communion even  when you feel lukewarm, leaving everything in God’s hands.  The more my sickness debilitates me, the more urgently do I need a doctor.’”

Advent is a time to allow the fire, the flame of God’s grace to melt the frozen parts of our heart.

3 Ways to Encourage the flame of God’s grace in our lives and our students:

1. The Sacrament of Reconciliation – Confessing our sins and receiving the healing and mercy of Christ in this sacrament greatly assists us to be more full of God’s life.

2. The Sacrament of the Eucharist – Especially each Sunday at Mass, but also daily Mass if possible will allow us to encounter the Word made flesh, which is the most unique way possible while living on earth.

3. Daily Prayer – taking time to pray and reflect enhances our awareness of Christ as well as draws us into that marvelous exchange of friendship with God.

May your Advent journey continue with a great joy and hope as we live this Season of Expectation!

 

An Ascension Christmas Carol

This past Sunday we gathered students in our program who do Home Study and those who attended our Summer School of Religion (an intensive religious education program over the summer – I shared a little bit about it a number of months ago Part I and Part II).  We’ve asked those participating in our Home Study or Summer Session to attend 4 enrichment session during the year.  It is a way to keep them plugged-in to the parish throughout the year.  We ask at least one parent attend with their child(ren).  Our team (about 6 adults) wanted to do something that would draw those attending into the the Advent and Christmas Season.

Our play or skit was entitled “An Ascension Christmas Carol…in a neighbor near you.”  It focused on Christmas past (the birth of Jesus), Christmas Present (living for Jesus in our everyday lives) and Christmas Future (The Eucharistic Feast of Heaven).  The skit began with a few grumpy kids beginning to decorate their family Christmas Tree for the holiday season.  The kids were sent to bed and while asleep all had an Angel visit them and take them on a “tour” showing them the true meaning of Christmas – past, present and future.  The skit lasted about a half an hour and it was wonderful!

Following the skit kids and parents went from the church to our parish hall to work on an Advent calendar where we played some music and served cider and cookies while families worked on their Advent Calendar (each day of the calendar had an faith action to perform.

Many parents commented on how their kids liked it as well as themselves.  We also got a lot of positive feedback from the evaluation forms we asked them to fill out.  Praise God!

Has your parish done anything like this? I’d like to hear how your parish is involving families.

 

St. Nicholas

Happy Memorial of St. Nicholas!  Yesterday, I dressed up as St. Nicholas, no not Santa Claus but St. Nicholas for the Pre-School 3 and 4 year old’s as well as our kindergarten students.  I had my Miter, a priestly robe, and a beard.  It was an enjoyable time with the students.  Many catechists commented on how attentive their students were.

If you have class this week, here are a few things to keep in mind and possibly work sharing about St. Nicholas.

1. Why is St. Nicholas the Patron Saint of Children?

He is known especially in the West as the patron saint of children.  There are many stories about him assisting children who were in danger or harms way as well as the many healings and miracles that occurred while he was alive and after his death.  I’ll comment a little more under St. Nicholas and Santa regarding his patronage of children.

2. Why is St. Nicholas the Patron Saint of Brides (those to be married).

The most popular story is Nicholas discovering that 3 young women who were fairly poor and would not be able to Marry (some stories say they would have been sold into slavery)  in the future unless they had a dowry (the sum of money given from the bride’s family to the groom’s to help provide for the newly married couple).  One night, Nicholas threw/tossed three bags of gold through an open window and they landed in the stockings of the three girls who were drying their socks above the fire place (other stories say they landed in or just beside their shoes).  Some countries even to this day have children leave their shoes out the night before the Feast of St. Nicholas in order for their shoes to be filled with candy and treats.

3. Why is he Patron Saint of Sailors and those setting out on boats/ships?

Tradition has it that he was on a ship with many others and there arose a fierce storm.  All feared that death was near.  They realized that  Nicholas was calm and in prayer.  Soon after the storm ceased and all were safe.

4. What is the the connection/link between St. Nicholas and Santa Claus?

The word Santa Claus is a derivative of the name St. Nicholas.  It is said that Nicholas spent the wealth he received from his parents on giving gifts to others to those who were in need.  In many places a tradition of anonymous/secret gift-giving began after his death.

5. What can we learn from St. Nicholas

St. Nicholas like all the saints are models of imitating Christ.  His compassion, love, and desire to give unconditionally are all qualities that model Christ-like behavior.  He stands out as a dynamic and vivid model for us to imitate.  St. Nicholas and Santa Claus should keep our eyes focused on Christ.  Christ is the reason for the Season.  Without the Birth of the Messiah, the Word becoming flesh in human history, the tradition of Santa Claus coming once a year on Christmas would have never come to be what it is today.  A perfect image is the kneeling Santa before the Christ child.  Santa Claus should teach us to model Holiness – Ho Ho Ho (I teach kids that this is short for Holy, Holy, Holy).

Do one thing today that reflects the kindness, compassion and generosity of St. Nicholas who did it all for the love and glory of God!  St. Nicholas…Pray for us!

 

Fire of Advent

Fire of Advent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edward Hays, A Pilgrim’s Almanac, p. 187

“Advent, like its cousin Lent, is a season for prayer and reformation of our hearts. Since it comes at winter time, fire is a fitting sign to help us celebrate Advent…If Christ is to come more fully into our lives this Christmas, if God is to become really incarnate for us, then fire will have to be present in our prayer. Our worship and devotion will have to stoke the kind of fire in our souls that can truly change our hearts. Ours is a great responsibility not to waste this Advent time.”

 

Attitude of Expectation

As Catechists and individuals in ministry how do we make Advent for ourselves and our students more than a merely happy and festive time?  Often it is a time where many await and countdown to Christmas not primarily because of the spiritual meaning of the season but more for the joys of exchanging gifts and getting together with family and friends.  Even the secular culture promotes this time of year as a joy filled and special few weeks.   Although this is all well and even good it often seems to miss the heart of this time of year.  How do we help others prepare well in Advent for the Solemnity of Christmas?

Fr. Ronald Knox in a sermon on Advent said:

“This attitude of expectation is one which the Church wants to encourage in us, her children, permanently.  She sees it as an essential part of our Christian drill that we should still be looking forward; getting on for two thousand years, now, since the first Christmas Day came and went, and we must still be looking forward.”

4 Ways to Look Forward

1. Promote and teach a spirit of preparation.  Jesus said: “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” (Lk. 24:42)

2. Teach students not only that we remember and celebrate Jesus’ Birthday and how He came to earth to save us but also share that He will come again and we need to be ready.

3. Pray for all those who will die this month and will be meeting Jesus.  Pray that they are spiritually ready.

4. The liturgical color is purple which communicates to the faithful a spirit of sacrifice.  Encourage a spirit of penance and sacrifice during Advent.