Ash Wednesday begins today and as in the past, I have delayed actually being intentional about my goals for Lent 2012.  Lent always brings surprises, but what am I willing to bring to this holy season?  Today’s post includes a variety of items for all ages including:

• Pope Benedict XVI giving a brief meditation on the significance of Ash Wednesday and Lent,
• Joe Paprocki, from Loyola Press, providing 40 daily activities for Lent 2012 that are primarily at-home activities but that could be a component in the formation sessions too,
• Center for Ministry Development lesson plan for Middle School youth regarding temptation and how we respond to temptation,
• Mark Hart explains why Catholics put ashes on their heads on Ash Wednesday
• Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur provides a Station of the Cross for women

40 Lenten Ideas for 40 Days, by Joe Paprocki

Lead Us Not into Temptation Lesson Plan by Susan Searle (Center for Ministry Development)

Mark Hart (the Bible Geek) explains why Catholics put ashes on their heads today

Stations of the Cross for Women

CRS’ Operation Rice Bowl is Catholic Relief Services’ Lenten program that began in 1975 in the Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania as an ecumenical response to the drought in the African Sahel. For more than 35 years, CRS’ Operation Rice Bowl has offered Catholics in the United States a way to connect with our brothers and sisters in need around the world through the traditional Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Nearly 13,000 faith communities across the United States participate in the program each Lent to demonstrate solidarity with the poor around the world.

Seventy-five percent of CRS’ Operation Rice Bowl donations come to Catholic Relief Services to help fund development programs designed to increase food security around the world. These projects focus on initiatives that bring clean water, small enterprise development, agricultural expertise, educational opportunities, and HIV/AIDS and mother/child health programs to the poor in more than 40 countries. Twenty-five percent of CRS’ Operation Rice Bowl donations support hunger and poverty alleviation efforts in dioceses within the United States.

By praying with our families and faith communities; fasting in solidarity with those who hunger; learning more about the challenges of poverty overseas; and giving sacrificial contributions to support those in need, we can make a difference in our world.

For more information go to the Catholic Relief Services website at Operation Rice Bowl.

Life Teen Podcast for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time is attached.  Readings for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time: Is 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25; Ps 41:2-3, 4-5, 13-14; 2 Cor 1:18-22; Mk 2:1-12.

“The living Word of God is Jesus Christ.  When God speaks things happen.  We get so caught in our past sins that we have not reconciled or we have not forgiven ourselves for.  It is important that we know that God will wipe out our sins for our sake.  When God speaks things happen.  Jesus is the living Word of God so when he forgives our sins in the sacramental priesthood things happen: sin IS forgiven.  We need to believe and proclaim the Word of God with our words and actions.  Will we walk our friends and those we serve to Jesus?  The living Word is waiting to relieve us and reconcile our sins.  Will we let God?”  (Mark Hart)

This podcast is an excellent foundation for a weekly Bible study focused on the readings throughout the liturgical year.  These Bible studies can be at the parish, at a coffee shop or even on-line.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday Podcast – 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Could you live on food stamps for just one week?

Did you know that each month 373,856 Iowans utilize food stamps as their main source of food?  That is equivalent to the populations of Des Moines, Urbandale, Clive, Ankeny and West Des Moines combined!

Thankfully, most of us reading this have no idea what it is like to use food stamps. We have been blessed with enough resources that enable us and our families to go to the grocery store and purchase what we need. And even stuff we don’t need.

But if we don’t really know what it is like to have to rely on a stipend or an allotment for our food, how can we effectively advocate for our brothers and sisters, neighbors and co-workers and friends and family who are in need of essential assistance?

2012 Food Stamp Challenge Flyer

Please join Catholic Charities for one week (or even just a few days) this Lenten season in taking part in the Food Stamp Challenge.  The Challenge is something the entire family can take part in.  Taking this challenge will help those who participate understand that those on food stamps are not living the life of luxury that stereotypes might suggest and that our friends and neighbors are seeking assistance for a reason.

Here is how it works:

1. Each person receiving food stamps has a monthly allotment of $133.79. That translates to $4.50 per day or $1.50 per meal. This is your food budget for all the food your eat during the week. (can’t do a week– shoot for just a couple of days!)
2. All food purchased and eaten during the Challenge week, including fast food and dining out must be included in the total spending.
3. During the Challenge, eat only food that you purchase for the project. Do not eat food that you already own.
4. Share your experience of how it is going at your faith formation session, school class room, youth ministry evening, parents group meeting, Bible study meeting and with Catholic Charities by joining the on-line conversation at facebook.com/CatholicCharitiesDM.

At the end of the week:

• You will gain empathy for those not as fortunate as you,
• You will use prayer to get you through the week,
• You will better understand basic food needs,
• You will probably be hungry.

You and your group are also invited to donate the money you save on food to St. Mary Family Center, Catholic Charities food pantry and free clothing closet. St. Mary’s is one of a many pantry sites that helps supplement food needs when food stamps are just not enough.  For those participating in other areas of the diocese, please consider finding a local food pantry and outreach center to support.

Donations can be sent to:
Catholic Charities – Lenten Food Stamp Challenge
601 Grand Ave. Des Moines, IA 50309

For more information or ideas on how to get your group or program to participate, contact Ken Bresnan at 515-237-5089 or by e-mail at kbresnan@dmdiocese.org.

The Food Stamp Challenge is being held as part of Catholic Charities Special Collection in parishes during Lent. Please consider participating in this important collection that funds services offered through Catholic Charities.

When do you pray?  Is your prayer time interrupted by the busyness of life?  Do you find time within your day for prayer or is it too hectic? Most people I know place prayer at the top of their things to do list…until that project is due…until the kids need to be someplace ten minutes ago…until dinner is late because work went late once again…and the list goes on.  I certainly know that this is the struggle in my life.

For those of us who work in the Church, we know that our service in the parish community is Christ’s ministry.  However, the tensions, the anxieties, and the busyness of the day can affect our decision to make time to be in relationship with Christ through prayer.  And yet, it is important to remember that Christ himself, stepped away from those he served in order to be in communion with his Father in prayer: and he is the second person of the Most Holy Trinity.  As Dr. Cheryl Fournier proposed recently at the 2012 CLADD Retreat, “Retreat is not running away from someone or something, retreat is about treating again.”  Since Lent begins next week, I thought it might be helpful to provide a few resources that you could consider intentionally inserting into your daily schedule.  By the end of Lent, you and I will have established a new habit.

Grace on the God: 101 Quick Ways to Pray (Moreland Press) is a book by Barbara Bartocci.  Amazon.com writes this about the book, “These days, everyone seems to race through the day multi-tasking at breakneck speed – with no time for quiet prayer. Author Barbara Bartocci was frustrated by this fact – until she realized an important truth: every single task is potentially holy if we do it with a holy intent. And that’s the premise of “Grace on the Go”. This book offers quick, imaginative ways to help busy people make prayer an integral part of their days. Part One contains short reflections from real life, designed to lead the reader into a few minutes of quiet meditative prayer, offering a brief “step of holy action” to incorporate into an ordinary day. Part Two offers ways to turn a single minute – from drive time to lunch time – into a prayerful encounter with God.”

Some suggestions from the book include:

1. An Alarm Clock Alleluia – When your alarm goes off in the morning, open your eyes and repeat this line from the Psalms: “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad.”  Commit to living in gratitude for the day, and you’ll soon notice how much happier your days can become.
2. Practice Driveway Meditation – This one is especially for those who commute to work. Turn your time behind the wheel into time for prayer. Before starting the engine, place your hands lightly on the steering wheel and breathe deeply several times. Ask the Holy Spirit to steer you through your day. Back out of your driveway slowly, and remain aware of the slowness.  As you drive, think about your ‘to-be’ list. Let words like compassionate, serene and diligent percolate through your mind. Let grace-filled thoughts carry you in a loving manner through the day.
3. Try Prayerful Single Tasking – We all feel too busy. It has become a workplace axiom that multi-tasking is a good thing, but a growing body of research shows that it actually erodes productivity.  Instead of dividing our concentration among many tasks, do one thing at a time-prayerfully. Offer your work as a prayerful gift to God. Ask for the grace to do it meaningfully, and without anxiety.
4. Touch the Earth – Native Americans have this saying: “Never let a day go by without touching the earth with your foot.” If only a couple of times each week, take a five or ten minute break to walk in a meditative way. Give up your usual energized stride to pay attention to the movement of lifting your leg, bending your knee, and placing your foot. Observe your breathing and your body. Look around. Notice the squirrels, the trees, and the sounds of nature. Nature tunes us into God’s presence.
5. Cook up a Memory – Next time you cook, pay attention to the memories that are sparked by the dishes you make. Perhaps you have old recipes lying around that you have forgotten about. Bless all those who sweeten your recollections, thanking God for the spiritual nourishment these people have brought to your life.

Another wonderful resources is the 3-Minute Retreat from Loyola Press.  3-Minute Retreats invite you to take a short prayer break right at your computer. It gives you the opportunity to spend some quiet time reflecting on a Scripture passage chosen specifically for that day.  Knowing that not everyone prays at the same pace, you have control over the pace of the retreat. After each screen, a Continue button will appear. Click it when you are ready to move on. If you are new to online prayer, the basic timing of the screens will guide you through the experience.

Loyola Press 3-Minute Retreats On-line

Finally, the Irish Jesuits have developed one of the first, and best, on-line resources for a quick prayer throughout the day in their Sacred Space website.  Each day they have selected scripture passages along with reflective meditations to guide you through a shortened, yet fruitful, form of the Liturgy of the Hours.

Sacred Space Website

It may seem shocking to compare our relationship with God with the notion of “dating.” But this book does. With fresh insight and a deep personal spirituality, Brother Dan Horan points out that the desire, uncertainty, and love we experience in relationship with God resembles our earthly relationships: We set aside time for the people who are most important to us. Brother Horan reminds us that St. Francis of Assisi understood and even described his relationship with God in a similar way. Drawing from the Franciscan tradition, Dating God encourages us to see St. Francis’s spirituality, challenging us to reexamine our own spirituality, prayer, and relationships, and inviting us into a more intimate relationship with God.  Below you will find a series of six short YouTube videos that are themed.  These are great for a variety of purposes from learning more about St. Francis or helping young adults to engage their faith.

DANIEL P. HORAN, O.F.M., a Franciscan friar of Holy Name Province, has published numerous articles on Franciscan spirituality, Thomas Merton, and contemporary systematic theology. He has taught in the department of religious studies at Siena College, led retreats for groups of young adults, and has lectured around the United States and in Europe. He currently serves on the board of directors of the International Thomas Merton Society and writes the Dating God Blog.

Life Teen Podcast for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time is attached.  Readings for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Lv 13:1-2, 44-46; Ps 32:1-2, 5, 11; 1 Cor 10:31-11:1; Mk 1:40-45.

“We are made to be in community.  We are called to love our sisters and brothers, even if they do not share our faith or even if they don’t believe we are their family.  No matter what we do we have to think about others: in the good we do and in the times we fall.  However, when we act, we need to make sure that we do this for the glory of God: not the glory of ourselves.  We need to come to Jesus constantly, like the leper, falling on our knees and asking Jesus, “Make me clean…make me holy.”  (Mark Hart)

This podcast is an excellent foundation for a weekly Bible study focused on the readings throughout the liturgical year.  These Bible studies can be at the parish, at a coffee shop or even on-line.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday Podcast – 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Father John Echert on EWTN.com provides five reasons why Jesus taught using parables.

     1. Parables were a common manner for teaching among the Rabbis

     2. Parables are useful to explain unseen realities by that which is visible and more readily perceivable

     3. Parables keep a sense of mystery in that they are not literal

     4. Parables are readily remembered and retold

     5. Parables tend to invite the listener into the image and message

Children and youth love stories and because they live in a world where mystery is freely accepted, unlike adults, they can easily understand and apply the lessons in the parables.  The trick is to share the parables in a way that is accessible for children and youth.  However, do we ever teach youth why Jesus used parables to teach?  Below you will find a few suggestions that you can use with Sunday School, in religious education classes and in youth ministry to middle school students.  At the end of today’s post is an activity from Catholicmom.com on a Ten Talents Activity Game.  You will find other parable games and activities on this site as well.

Hook the students with questions like:

• “Who loves to listen to stories?  Why do you like to listen to stories?”  Take some feedback from the children.
• “Did you know that Jesus told lots of stories when He was on earth as a way to teach us?  Jesus’ stories are called parables.  A parable is a simple story that tells a lesson.”

Go to the Scriptures:

• “Why do you think Jesus taught us using parables?  Let’s look at the reason Jesus himself gave when he was talking to his disciples.”
• “Open your Bibles to Matthew 13:10-17.”  Read these verses aloud or divide up the verses among some proficient readers in your class to have them read the passage aloud.

Study and examine the text:

• “In these verses Jesus explains why he taught using parables.”
• Reread verse 11.  “Jesus spoke in simple stories as a way of teaching his disciples lessons he wanted them to learn.  Lessons learned in the form of a story are easy to remember and later share with others.  His disciples could listen to the story and understand the lesson Jesus wanted them to learn.  Those who were not his disciples heard the stories, but did not understand the lessons.”
• “Why do you think some people did not understand the lessons in Jesus’ stories?”  Take input from the children. “They did not understand because they had hardened their hearts to hearing the truth Jesus was teaching.”

Ten Talents Directions

Ten Talents Game Board

Ten Talents Question Cards

Talents Tokens

]]> http://therichsoil.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/lesson-plans-surrounding-the-gospel-parables/feed/ 0 therichsoil http://therichsoil.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/the-buzz-about-catholic-identity/ http://therichsoil.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/the-buzz-about-catholic-identity/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:30:49 +0000 therichsoil http://therichsoil.wordpress.com/?p=306 ]]>

Why am I Catholic?  What makes me Catholic?  How does being Catholic differ from the faith of other Christian denominations?  These are important questions for parish leadership to ask themselves and their parishioners.  What if a large amount of your families answer these questions with: “I don’t know why I am Catholic, I just know I am.”  I don’t know what makes someone Catholic…does it matter?”  “Isn’t every Church the same…it’s all about Jesus isn’t it?”  Many parish communities and diocese across the country are discovering that most people by the time they have an adult faith can’t articulate why they are Catholic compared to any other Christian denomination.  National averages of weekly Mass attendance, the cornerstone of being Catholic, shows that anywhere from 23% to 26% of Catholics go to Mass weekly.  Catholic identity is not about returning to the peripherals of what we thought made us Catholic like meatless Fridays, statues of saints, and Marian processions but the deeper elements that are at our core such as a Catholic sacramental worldview, the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the liturgical year, the communion of saints, and a Catholic view of peace and justice.

The Diocesan Department of Evangelization and Catechesis along with the Diocesan School’s Department will be teaming together to tackle these important questions over the next few years.  However, if you would like to get a jump-start you will find some excellent resources below.  Do not be afraid to raise these questions with those you serve.  By raising these questions you and the pastoral leadership team will be able to put together dynamic pastoral initiatives that will help families re-prioritize and reconnect to what it means to be Catholic.

Reactivating Our Catholic Faith by Father Frank P. DeSiano, CSP

Paulist Resources that Help Deepen the Catholic Experience

Every Day Catholic Newsletter by St. Anthony Messenger Press

Living Our Faith Today – A Catholic Identity Assessment and PLanning Process – by NCEA

Lesson Plan – Exploring Catholic Identity – Youth Ministry Access

Based upon e-mails wanting to know more about the HHS mandate, I discovered two videos by Father Robert Barron.  Furthermore we have posted a lesson plan from Youth Ministry Access (Center for Ministry Development) around forming conscience.  Since this issue center’s around conscience, it will be helpful to invite those who we serve to spend a little time in understanding how one forms one’s conscience.

Center for Ministry Development Lesson Plan on Forming Conscience