Launching a New Year

Transcription

1 Chapter 1 Launching a New Year God blesses us with life and goodness, and we remember that everything comes from God. We begin our year by blessing our learning spaces, our learners, our leaders, and our resources. 6

2 Prepare! A Prepare Yourself Catechetical Overview Why do we bless people, places, events, holy objects? What is the meaning of blessing, and what are its scriptural roots? From the Bible Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Ephesians 1:3 What is Saint Paul saying to the Ephesians here? Do we bless God? Is God blessed for having blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens? Look at it this way. God is the source of all blessings and goodness. When we bless God, we are praising God for his great gifts to us. When we reach out in blessing to others, we are invoking, or asking, God to bless them. How can we not ask God to bless others when we feel so blessed by God ourselves? In the Old Testament, once someone blessed you the blessing could not be taken back, as in the case of Jacob and Esau (Genesis 27). Blessings were often accompanied by a laying on of hands. Touch continues to be important for us, whether it is symbolic, as we reach out to those in need, or physical, as we rest our hands upon another in blessing or raise our hands over that which is to be blessed. Jesus in the New Testament blessed children. He blessed the bread and the wine of the Last Supper. And he blessed his disciples. We are rooted in the Jewish tradition when we bless by praising God for the good things God has done for his people, when we ask for favors, and when we pray for the removal of evil. We are rooted in the tradition of Jesus himself when we bless others. In our Catholic tradition, we may bless by sprinkling holy water, offering incense, making the Sign of the Cross, and, of course, by the laying on of hands. Launching a New Year 7

3 B Prepare Your Students with Activities All Grade Levels: Lectio Divina Read the following Scripture selection to the group: Numbers 6: Pause for a few minutes of reflection. Read the passage again, telling participants that after the reading you will invite them to share the words or phrases that strike them about the reading. Invite participants to share the words or phrases that strike them. Read the passage a third time, inviting participants to now share any insights they have gained from the reading. Grades K 3: God s Wonderful Creation Our Hands Ask the children to think about all the good things we can do with our hands. Create a giant list using words (or pictures). Once they ve named all the regular, everyday things we do with our hands, ask them to think about what we do with our hands in a religious sense (if the children didn t already cover this on their own). For example, what do we do with our hands at church? Read Matthew 19:13 15 to the children. Ask them, Why do you think Jesus laid his hands on the children? What do you think he was doing? What Exactly Is Lectio Divina? Lectio divina, a Latin term meaning divine reading, describes a way of reading the Scriptures or other spiritual readings whereby we gradually let go of our own agenda and open ourselves to what God wants to say to us. In the twelfth century, a Carthusian monk called Guigo described the essential stages to the practice of lectio divina. The first stage is lectio (reading), where we read the Word of God or other reading slowly and reflectively so that it sinks into us. The second stage is meditatio (reflection), where we think about the text we have chosen and ponder upon it so that we take from it what God wants to give us. The third stage is oratio (response), where we leave our thinking aside and simply let our hearts speak to God. The final stage is contemplatio (rest), where we let go not only of our own ideas, plans, and meditations but also of our holy words and thoughts. We simply rest in God. We listen at the deepest level of our being to God who speaks within us with a still small voice. (Adapted from: pre09/lectio/lecteng1.htm) 8 Prepare! Celebrate! Live!

4 Celebrate! New School Year Prayer Service Gathering Procession Small group or single classroom Create a walkway space in the room that will enable you and your students to make a simple circle walking in the room. Walk the circle two or three times as part of the opening song. Large group or school Begin at one end of the school/parish classrooms. Have the person(s) carrying the incense bowl(s) lead. Gather each class as you go, forming a procession led by the incense bearer(s). Include anyone you have assigned to play an instrument to be included in your procession as well. Each class joins the procession, with a selected individual carrying a basket containing a sampling of books or other resources. He or she places the basket in a central place in the gathering space. Opening Song: As the hymn is sung, the incense bowl(s) are walked around the assembly and then placed beside the baskets. Opening Prayer Presider In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. (raise your hands in prayer) Our space is holy, our learning is holy, we are holy and blessed to be God s children. As we continue in prayer this day, may we be present with open hearts and minds to hear God speaking to us through his Word and our worship. We ask this in the name of God s greatest blessing, Jesus. Proclamation of the Word Reader 1 A reading from the book of Numbers. The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, Launching a New Year 13

5 and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. The Word of the Lord. Psalm Response Presider The response to our psalm is: Let the peoples praise you, O God. Choral Group 1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations. Choral Group 2 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Choral Group 3 The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us. May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him. Reflection (see Reflection Idea Starters, page 12) Responding to the Word: Prayers of the Faithful Presider Relying on the God of all blessings, we now turn to him in prayer: Reader 2 Please respond, Lord, hear our prayer. For all church leaders, called to teach the Good News, we pray to the Lord All Lord, hear our prayer. Reader 2 For all who teach, rooted in patience and love, we pray to the Lord All Lord, hear our prayer. Reader 2 For all students, blessed to learn and study, we pray to the Lord All Lord, hear our prayer. 14 Prepare! Celebrate! Live!

6 Live! Consider the following to help participants live out the challenges from their prayer experience. Classroom Connections Words of Blessing Create words of blessing by enlarging the passages below. (Use a copier, or retype in a large-size font.) Paste on tag board or heavy card stock, laminate if possible, and present one to each classroom or individual to take. For a large school, a pre-chosen representative from each classroom (or a teacher) can take one of the blessings to post above their classroom doors. If you have a smaller group, give the words of blessing to individuals to take home with them. As the closing song is completed, call each individual or a representative from each class/learning space to come forward and receive the blessing. Use any of the following to print and distribute: Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 32:13 But above all bless your Maker, who fills you with his good gifts. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 39:14 Scatter the fragrance, and sing a hymn of praise; bless the Lord for all his works. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 45:26 And now bless the Lord who has crowned you with glory. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 50:22 And now bless the God of all, who everywhere works great wonders, who fosters our growth from birth, and deals with us according to his mercy. Daniel 13:60 Then the whole assembly raised a great shout and blessed God, who saves those who hope in him. Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Luke 1:45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord. Launching a New Year 17

7 Luke 1:68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. Luke 11:28 Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it! John 13:17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. 2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. Revelation 7:12 Singing, Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen. Invite young children to trace their hand on a piece of paper and to draw images of the blessings they feel they have in their own life friends, a place to live, and so on. Home Connections Send home the catechetical overview to each household, along with an invitation to join the assembly for the prayer service: God out of his incredible love blesses us with many things. We gather to seek blessings on our new (school) year. Join us (date, time, place) to celebrate God s many gifts to our community. Send home a blessing prayer for households to place above their lintels to remind them of the presence of God in their homes and in their lives: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace (Numbers 6:24 26). Other suggestions and ideas: Invite students to share what they experienced in the prayer service and how they felt the presence of the Spirit in the celebration. Invite them to create an acrostic for the word BLESS in light of the prayer service and their learning about blessing. 18 Prepare! Celebrate! Live!