Words of Wisdom from Pope Francis

Transcription

1 March 2016 St. Margaret Mary Religious Education News & Views Probably most parents would agree that keeping Christ in Christmas is pretty challenging and requires a lot of effort. To a somewhat lesser extent, keeping Christ in Easter, especially for parents of young children, can also present challenges. But you can turn the focus away from the Easter Bunny and the egg hunts. Use the season of Lent and the Triduum to help you. Bring your children to the Cross. Here at SMMP, Stations of the Cross will be offered on Fridays, March 4th and 11th, at 7 pm. Our Jr. High students will present a Living the Cross on Monday, March 14th, at 7:30 pm. Our 5th Grade Religious Ed. students present the Cross the last half hour of class time on Saturday, March 19th, and on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, March 21st, 22nd & 23rd. All parents and siblings are welcome to attend. On Good Friday, March 25th, all children from Pre-School through 5th grade are invited to attend the special Children s Prayer Service at 3 pm in the Parish Center. This coincides with the adult service that takes place in the Church. And don t forget to bring your whole family to the Blessing of Easter Food Baskets on Holy Saturday (March 26th) at 3 pm in the Church. Masses on Easter Sunday, March 27th, will be offered at 7:30, 9, 10:45 am and 12:30 pm in the Church and at 9 and 10:45 am in the Parish Center. How to Calculate the Date of Easter This year, Easter Sunday falls on March 27th. But have you ever wondered why it can come as early as March 22nd and as late as April 25th? Or, if the Last Supper was Jesus and his disciples celebration of Passover, why aren t Easter and Passover always celebrated around the same time? It all has to do with how the date for Easter is determined. In 325, the Council of Nicaea decided that Easter would be held on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox. For convenience, March 21st is used as the vernal equinox, instead of the actual date. To complicate things a bit more, Easter is postponed by one week if the full moon is on Sunday. The reason Passover and Easter often don t occur together is that Passover begins on the 15th day of Nissan, the seventh month in the Jewish calendar (late March to early April). Hebrew days begin and end at sundown, so the holiday would actually begin at sundown on the preceding day. Christian Holy Days are calculated using the Gregorian calendar. Words of Wisdom from Pope Francis Don t ever let the sun set without reconciling. Peace is made each day in the family: Please forgive me, and then you start over. Please, thank you, sorry; let us say these words in our families to forgive one another each day!

2 FUN FACTS about St. Patrick and the History of St. Patrick s Day in the US *St. Patrick was not Irish. He was Scottish, born sometime before 400 ad. *When he was around 16, he was kidnaped from his home town by Irish mercenaries and sold as a slave in Ireland. *While enslaved in Ireland, he became a devout Christian. *He escaped captivity and returned to his home town, but soon returned to Ireland to share the Gospel with the Irish pagans. *The popular story that he drove snakes out of Ireland is not true. There never were snakes in Ireland. The story probably was used to explain the vast number of pagans who he converted to Christianity. *The story that he used the 3-leafed shamrock (or clover) to explain the Holy Trinity is most likely true. *One estimate suggests that there are about 10,000 regular 3-leafed clovers for every lucky 4-leafed clover. *Today, there are many millions more people in the United States who claim Irish ancestry than there are in Ireland. *Nine of the people who signed our Declaration of Independence were of Irish origin, and nineteen presidents of the United States claim Irish heritage including George Washington. *The first recorded celebration of St. Patrick s Day in the US took place on March 17, 1737 in Boston. It was a gathering hosted by the Charitable Irish Society of Boston. *The first St. Patrick s Day parade in the US took place in New York City on March 17, A Thank You from Helen Keller International ( the recipient of our Advent alms-giving project) Dear Ms. Davey, On behalf of the staff and Board of Trustees of Helen Keller International, thank you so very much for Saint Margaret Mary Church s support of our ChildSight program. We recently received your generous contribution of $500 which will provide critically needed vision care to disadvantaged students in the targeted communities we serve. Because of generous donors like you, ChildSight has been able to address the unmet vision care needs of lowincome students in communities across the United States for more than 20 years. We go directly into schools in underserved communities with a licensed optometrist to provide free vision screenings, prescription eyeglasses and referrals for further care as needed. Since the program s inception in 1994, we have screened the vision of more than 1.7 million children and provided over 258,000 pairs of free eyeglasses to children in need. One such student was Daniel, a 4th grader at Ridge Street Elementary in Newark, New Jersey. Wow! Wow! Wow! exclaimed Daniel as he put on his new ChildSight eyeglasses. I can actually read what that says all the way across this room! Standing in the school s auditorium, Daniel marveled at how different the room looked the same room that he had been in so many times before, yet he could never see all of the details. I never had good eyesight before, he said, and now that I have these glasses, I just can t believe what I am seeing. It s just amazing! I feel like I can finally do anything I want to do. Daniel is just one of the nearly two million children whose lives were changed by HKI. But our accomplishments are only possible with the generosity of our donors. Thank you again for helping to bring education into focus for the thousands of students in need of vision care. With appreciation and kind regards, Kathy Spahn President and CEO

3 Help Your Kids Understand the March Sunday Gospels Fun Service Project! March 6, 2016 Luke 15:1-3, Fourth Sunday Lent Today s Gospel is the very famous parable of the Prodigal Son about the young son who asks for, then squanders, his inheritance. When he returns home and receives his father s forgiveness, his older brother is angry and jealous. Hey, that s not fair! How many times have we heard this spoken in our family? Family members challenge one another s generosity, operating from the perspective of limited resources. If we have given to one, perhaps there won t be enough for the other. Jesus wants us to understand that this is NOT how it is with God s mercy and forgiveness. God offers his love to all of us in abundance. The forgiveness of the father in the parable is an image of God s love, generous beyond measure in his love for both of his sons just as God s love for another does not diminish his love for us. March 13, 2016 John 8:1-11 Fifth Sunday of Lent Today, we hear another familiar Gospel. A woman who has committed a serious sin is brought to Jesus by the Pharisees. They, of course, expect Jesus to condemn her. Jesus replies, Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Jesus' response to those who accuse the woman is more than a caution to us about making judgment of others. It is a profound lesson in divine mercy and forgiveness. As sinners, we are all unworthy to judge the sins of others. Yet Jesus, the one without sin, offers us who are sinners his mercy and forgiveness. Redeemed by Jesus' compassion, we are sent to sin no more and to live in God's love and peace. March 20, 2016 Luke 19:28-40 and Luke 22:14 23:56 Palm Sunday One reason Palm Sunday is special is because we hear two Gospel readings. We begin the liturgy with the blessing of the palms, hearing the Gospel story of Jesus entering Jerusalem, being greeted enthusiastically by the people as they waved their palm branches a sign that they saw him as someone very special. In the second Gospel reading we hear the events of Holy Week the Last Supper, Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, his betrayal by Judas, his trial, his suffering and his death. March 27, 2016 John 20:1-9 The Resurrection of the Lord Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised. Luke 24: 5b-6a In the Easter Gospel we hear how the disciples found Jesus tomb empty three days after his death. We are also told that they did not yet understand the Scriptures or that Jesus had been raised from the dead. That understanding gradually unfolded for the disciples as they began to experience the risen Lord. Our understanding of Jesus Resurrection also unfolds for us throughout our lives. In the weeks ahead, we will hear how the first disciples moved from confusion, doubt, and skepticism to faith. Their experiences can teach us how we, too, might receive this gift of faith from God. Several years ago, SMMP parishioner and RE mom, Shelly Temple, began a service project in which she involved her own children and their friends. That project is to create a Birthday Party in a Bag. All the things necessary to have an awesome birthday party are donated by the families who participate and they go into a bag. Completed bags are distributed by Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry to their clients. Shelly s project has grown by leaps and bounds over the years. Other SMMP families have become involved and now this terrific service project is hosted at the cafeteria of the Catholic Order of Foresters, 355 Shuman Blvd. in Naperville on Saturday, March 12th, from 3:00 to 4:15 pm. Children in Kindergarten thru 8th Grade are invited to participate. Here s what you need to bring; all available at the Dollar Store: Kindergarten: 8 packages of dessert plates 1st Grade: 8 packages of napkins 2nd Grade: 8 packages of plastic forks 3rd Grade: 8 packages of candles 4th Grade: 8 packages of party favors 5th Grade: 8 packages of party favors 6th Grade: 8 packages of party decorations 7th Grade: 8 packages of dessert plates 8th Grade: 8 packages of napkins RSVP by March 8th with your name and confirm your donation to shellytemple43@gmail.com. Welcome Easter with an Easter Lily! The white Easter lily is a fitting symbol of the meaning of the Easter season. Gracing millions of homes and churches, the flowers embody joy, hope and life. Tradition holds that lilies were found in the Garden of Gethsemane after Christ s agony. The pure white lily has also been closely associated with the Virgin Mary. In early paintings, the Angel Gabriel is pictured extending to the Virgin Mary a branch of white lilies, announcing that she is to be the mother of the Christ child. In other paintings, saints are pictured bringing vases full of white lilies to Mary and the infant Jesus. Celebrate the Easter season by displaying a white lily in your home. What a beautiful reminder of God s infinite love and triumph over death!

4 MEDIA MADNESS MOVIE Title: Zootopia Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure Rating: PG Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba, J.K. Simmons, Jason Bateman Synopsis: In a city where all types of talking animals live together, a policewoman rabbit pursues a fugitive fox, only to discover they re both targets of a conspiracy. The creatures must deal with bias and stereotypes just as humans do. Our Take: The takeaway of this film is that even natural enemies can become best friends. The Disney brand and animal-based humor will attract kids. But parents beware: some of the humor is rude and plays off of things such as an animal nudist colony. The film also includes a musical performance with sensual dancing. MUSIC Title: Surrender Author: Kutless Synopsis: The ninth album from this Christian band is a return to the hard rock sound they re known for and one preteens like. Thematically, the songs praise God. Standouts include Mirror, which uses the metaphor of a mirror to examine encountering God, who s looking over us. And One Thing Remains is an excellent cover of the popular worship song. Our Take: Surrender feels stronger than anything Kutless has done in years. They remain a good choice for preteens who like hard music. Because band members are unabashed with their Christian faith and sing lyrics that point kids to Jesus, we can recommend this album. CULTURE & TRENDS Charters on the Rise Though they began as an educational experiment, charter schools are thriving throughout the U.S. More than 2.9 million American students attended charter schools last year, with some showing large gains in their achievement. (usnews.com) Healthy Choices Since the recent USDA changes to school lunch standards, kids are choosing healthier lunch foods with fewer calories. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack says, Children are eating more fruits and vegetables and consuming more nutrients, making them better prepared to learn and succeed in the classroom. (farmfutures.com) QUICK STATS Games, Sites & Apps Mighty. 9 This new game, a homage to the classic Mega Man games, features a robot who takes on enemies powers and weapons after defeating them. The violence is pixelly and cartoonish, but the game is challenging enough that kids can t just breeze through it. Spatulatta.com On this cooking site for kids, young chefs will find recipes and video tutorials featuring two sisters. Kids can develop basic skills and create entire meals by choosing from ingredients and cuisine types. The blog isn t current, but the site is packed with kid-friendly material. You can find it at Kuddle This free app is a way to ease preteens into photo sharing on social media. Kids can share pictures with friends, but all friend requests and posted photos first go through parents for approval. Measures are also in place to prevent bullying within the app and ensure that the photos shared are appropriate. Weighty Issue Being overweight is the number one reason kids are bullied, according to a study from Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. In the U.S., 47 percent of bullying instances are because of weight. The next most common reasons, race or physical disability, each accounted for 11 percent. (onlinelibrary.wiley.com) Hold It! Although 80 percent of elementary-school teachers let kids drink as much water as they want during class, 90 percent admit they also discourage kids from taking bathroom trips during class. (parents.com) This page is designed to help educate parents and isn t meant to endorse any movie, music, or product. Our goal is to help you make informed decisions about what your children watch, read, listen to, and play.

5 March SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Retreat; 10:30am- 12:45pm Bread Service (Option 1) 9 Bread Service (Option 2) Daylight-Saving Time Begins Palm Sunday Holy Thursday Good Friday Holy Saturday ( for Grades 1-5) 27 Easter Sunday ( for PreK and K)