Faith Formation Family News. February 13, 2014

Transcription

1 Faith Formation Family News CONTENTS: February 13, 2014 * The Little Ones Cartoon * 1. No Faith Formation Sessions This Coming Sunday, February St. Gabriel s Be Part of What s Happening! Loaves and Fishes this Coming Monday, Feb. 17 St. Gabriel s Book Club, on Monday evening, Feb. 17 Protecting Our Families from Pornography (Sunday evening, Feb. 23) 3. Vacation Bible School (VBS) 4. Prayer of the Week An Act of Love 5. Articles for Parents from At Home with Our Faith Take Two, Add Grace, and Stir (part 2) 6. Pope Francis: Recover a Sense of the Sacred 7. Rediscover:Faith What did Jesus teach about forgiveness (the flip side of love)? 2014 Speaker Series: Why Pray? And How to Pray. 8. News from The Catholic Spirit 9. ALL of What Love Is: A One-Minute Meditation 10. Videos With a Message Empathy vs. Sympathy What s the Difference? You Don t Know Jack about Valentine s Day. TEENS: Watch this! PARENTS: Show your teens! Is Heaven Your Greatest Goal? No? You Need a New Goal (with Rachel & Kateri) Blessed Are They 11. Musings from Mia (the dog): On Love 12. God and Minnesota (Catholic Humor) And at the end of this Don t Complain: We Have It Better than Most of the World

2 1. NO FAITH FORMATION THIS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16 NO SUNDAY MORNING PRESCHOOL NO SUNDAY EVENING FAITH FORMATION Due to the President s Day Holiday Weekend. Our Sessions will resume the following Sunday, February 23. Faith Formation Calendar for the upcoming weeks: February 16 NO SESSIONS (President s Day) 23 Sessions Resume Also for Parents that same evening: PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN FROM PORNOGRAPHY. March 2 Sessions continue 2. St. Gabriel s Be Part of What s Happening! LOAVES AND FISHES ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17 Sign-up in the foyer at St. John s Campus to help prepare the meal at Holy Rosary at 3:00pm or to set-up, serve or clean-up after the meal at Holy Rosary: th Ave. S., Mpls, MN 55404, (612) CLEAN-UP HELP IS NEEDED FROM 5:30 TO 6:30pm. Monetary donations may be sent to St. Gabriel s parish office, attention Loaves and Fishes. For information contact Deacon Darrel and Chris Branch at (952)

3 ST. GABRIEL S BOOK CLUB: The book selection for February 17, 2014 discussion is; Jesus of Nazareth, Who He Was, What He Wanted, by Gerhard Lohfink. To order phone Jeanne at (952) Jeanne Sheck ADULTS ONLY EVENT: Protecting Our Families from Pornography On Sunday, Feb. 23rd at St. John's Campus, 6:00pm to 7:30pm, in Community Room. View a DVD, pick up written information and listen to a talk by an FBI Special Agent. Free Will Offering. Questions? Contact Kathleen Esh, or kmeyesh@yahoo.com. Sponsored by ACCL - A Community Caring for Life. "A common root of pornography use is a need to have control in our lives, yet Pornography produces sexual frustration and the desire to act out. So what we seek to achieve from Pornography in the form of control ends up controlling and enslaving us." Daniel Spadaro, LPC, CSAT, "Life Matters: Pornography and Our Call To Love." Our children are often victims of the professional Pornographic Industry and the many ways they lure children into this multi-billion dollar business that leads to an immoral addiction.

4 3. VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL (VBS) PROMOTION SUNDAY, March 2 On Sunday, March 2 nd, after the 10:30 am Mass, we are hosting a Doughnut Sunday ONLY at St. John's Campus. ALL LAST YEAR'S VBS KIDS are asked to wear your VBS T-Shirts and to bring at least one item you made that week. (Remember to mark your name on the items and take them home before you leave.)?'s-kathleen Esh or kmeyesh@yahoo.com REGISTER THEN FOR VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL! Aug. 4th-8th - 9:00am-3:00pm Registrations begin for kids entering grades 1st-6th begins on Sunday, March 2nd, after the 10:30 am Mass. Register during Doughnut Sunday ONLY at St. John's Campus. Our August Theme will be shared that day, too!?'s-kathleen Esh or kmeyesh@yahoo.com 4. PRAYER OF THE WEEK An Act of Love O my God, I love you above all things, With my whole heart and soul, Because you are all good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of you. I forgive all who have injured me, And ask pardon of all whom I have injured. Amen. Traditional

5 5. ARTICLES FOR PARENTS from TAKE TWO, ADD GRACE, AND STIR (part 2) Dealing with: How couples (parents in particular) can find the grace to keep their marriages healthy. Grace beyond this moment. Brigid and Bob, married 19 years with four children, believe that part of being open to the grace of God in marriage is understanding that bumpy times will not last forever and good times should not be taken for granted. In good times, it is good to stop and ask, Why is this good? What are we doing right? Can we replicate and maintain the qualities of this time? Brigid says. In asking what we are doing right, we avail ourselves of what being open to God s grace looks like in real life, and we can more easily hold on to what we learn. In times of trouble, it s easy to toss up the prayer, Why me, God? But being open to grace means asking a version of that question during the good times as well: That was great how did we get the grace to pull that off? Grace to trust the other. When Maureen, a self-described super-organized, type-a personality, married Dave, a free spirit, she took over almost all aspects of the couple s lives, from home organization to checkbook management. Several children later, overwhelmed with the work of maintaining control over so many things, she turned the finance management over to Dave. To my deep delight, Dave revealed himself to be a wise person who could manage many things, and make plans without my being in the lead. As a result of my letting go of all the control, I have gained an enormous sense of relief and peace. Maureen adds that this process also deepened her relationship with God, as she recognized that just as she needed to give up some control to her husband, she needed to give up control of some aspects of her life to God. By Annemarie Scobey, from the pages of At Home with Our Faith, Claretian Publications print newsletter for parents on nurturing spirituality in the home. Winner of the Best in Class award in 2013 from the Associated Church Press, as well as a First Place General Excellence award from the Catholic Press Association for the past four years running.

6 6. POPE FRANCIS: Rediscover a Sense of the Sacred When we celebrate the Mass, we don t accomplish a representation of the Last Supper: no, it is not a representation. It is something else: it is the Last Supper itself. It is to really live once more the Passion and the redeeming Death of the Lord. It is a theophany: the Lord is made present on the altar to be offered to the Father for the salvation of the world. We hear or we say, But, I can t now, I have to go to Mass, I have to go to hear Mass. The Mass is not heard, it is participated in, and it is a participation in this theophany, in this mystery of the presence of the Lord among us. - Pope Francis To read Pope Francis entire message, go to: 7. REDISCOVER: FAITH Want to learn more about your faith? Check out for their large collection of answers to questions of importance to all of us. For example, here s a short answer to the question: What did Jesus teach about forgiveness?

7 2014 Speakers Series: Why Pray and How to Pray Two inspiring talks that highlight the beauty of prayer and offer insight on how to pray, gathered from two thousand years of Church experience. Discover how your life can change and grow in new and powerful ways by building a personal friendship with Jesus Christ. "Why Pray" is the topic for Talk 1, which will be presented by Father Bill Baer. "How to Pray" is the topic for Talk 2, which will be presented by Pat and Kenna Millea. Two Mondays: Feb. 24 ("Why Pray") & March 3 ("How to Pray") Our Lady of Grace, Edina All talks are free of charge and all begin at 7:00 p.m. Each talk runs 90 minutes total including hospitality time at the church. No registration necessary! Join fellow Catholics for one or all of these insightful talks and bring a friend or family member with you! For more information other Speaker dates and locations, go to: 8. NEWS FROM The February 7 edition: 9be0-14cf6b22465f&c=80b5cc70-35a9-11e3-bb5cd4ae52843aae&ch=8254af60-35a9-11e3-bb78-d4ae52843aae

8 9. ALL OF WHAT LOVE IS: A One- Minute Meditation I wonder why love is so often equated with joy when it is everything else as well: devastation, balm, obsession, granting and receiving excessive value, and losing it again. Florida Scott Maxwell In our quiet moments we dream of the gifts that accompany being loved and imagine ourselves as always filled with laughter, a glowing warmth, a serene perspective. But how short sighted our vision. Love promises us growth as well, and growth may mean a loved one's choice to depart for a time, or a struggle for agreement about future directions. Tears and fears are commonplace when we enter the realm of love. Let's not forget that all experiences, even the dreaded ones, are meant for our good. We are never given more than we can handle, and we will be given a balanced set of circumstances. A measure of joy will follow a period of sadness. As experience has shown, quick on the heels of the fear of loss is the realization that in the spiritual realm we're secure and all is well. How grateful we might become that love offers us so much to grow on. You are reading an adaptation from the Hazelden book: Worthy of Love By Karen Casey 10. VIDEOS WITH A MESSAGE Empathy vs. Sympathy What s the Difference? Empathy and sympathy are not just two different approaches to confronting the emotional challenges of others; they are diametrically opposite responses in many important ways. Sympathy places another's problems at a distance from us, places us in a position of superiority, and "drives separation", says the film's narrator, Dr. Brené Brown. Empathy, on the other hand, requires that one internalize the feelings of another. That shared experience drives interpersonal connection, she says. "What makes things better is connection." You can watch this 2:53 minute video at:

9 You Don t Know Jack about Valentine s Day February 14th why is it known as Valentine s Day? Why do those in love send each other valentines? And what feast does the Catholic Church celebrate on this day? Think you know the answers? Think again, because the truth is a lot more surprising than you d imagine. Watch friend of Busted Halo, Fr. Jack Collins, CSP, wander the streets of New York asking the city s star-crossed lovers if they know why we celebrate Valentine s Day. Watch this 4:58 minute PERSON ON THE STREET video here: IS HEAVEN YOUR GREATEST GOAL? NO? YOU NEED A NEW GOAL - with Rachel & Kateri. In which we give a pep talk, tell a story, and eat cake! The title actually pretty much sums it up... Two teens, Rachel & Kateri Hitchcock, are back with their casual (yet thoughtful) suggestions for pursing your greatest goal. This video is 3:51 minutes: SALT OF THE EARTH (A between Sundays reflection from THE FIVE LOAVES.) Blessed Are They - Matthew 5:17-37 Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount - telling the disciples they must go beyond the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees - and providing direct examples of what he meant.

10 How do we understand his message in our own cultural context? Tom offers some insights from scripture scholar, Dr. John Pilch, as we focus on the spiritual practice - Seeking Wisdom. Tom's song, Blessed Are They, animates our visio divina for reflection. You can watch the 5:58 minute video here: [The video changes each week, in preparation for the upcoming Sunday s readings. In order to see this particular video AFTER this Sunday, click the Playlist tab to view videos from previous weeks.] 11. MUSINGS FROM MIA On Love Hi there everybodies. Why aren t you reading my columns? What say you? What do you mean I have not pawed any? Where is my peoples? Why aren t they working? Now, Mia I hears Mia Papa say, Love is gentle, love is kind. Well yes, but Love don t have to deal with humans who forget to write downs my barks! Today, Love is the very thing I want to paw about, because soon its Valentine s day which is an extra smoochie poochie day. When I was a puppy love was very special. Mia Papa said he loved me. So he holdid me when I whimpered and gave me doggie food when I was hungry. He scratched my belly and fetched the ball for me and took me out to do my dooty even when it is cold he wanted to go to bed. He said most kindly things to me, excepts for when I was a bad dog and then he helped me learn how to be better. He still does all those things for me because that is what love is about. You thinks, Oh my, I loves you, now whats can I do to make your life a little better? And you know, it is not just giving treats, sometimes you just listen to or pray for the other one because that is a most loving thing to do. Now that I am an all growdid up dog I have discovered that love does not get to be a most special of words. Some people say they loves somebody, buts what they really mean is they love them only until the other person isn t fun anymore, or gets sick, or becomes a burden, or

11 does something naughty, or stops buying them pretty things, or isn t a beauty model anymore, or gets boring. Other people uses the word love just to get what they want. Like OOOOOH I love you so much and if you love me so much then you will (well I am not sure what all goes in the blank, but sometimes it makes Mia Papa and Fr. Peter say oh my.) If you love somebody you gots to let them have their bad times and love them anyhow. Not everyone is a meaniebody, but sometimes they are meany by mistake. When Mia Papa is being grumpy, I takes a time out and have a nap. When I am all woke up, he is all wiggly waggly to see me again. And if you do something all meanylike or you think you have to be the Big Rrighty all the time, be able to say I am so sorry I did that, or I am not as big a smartie as I thought. Others use the word love for their collections or they love their new house or car; they love their coffee, they just love the sparkly shoes in the store window. I d LIKE to have the sparkly shoes, they'd be such fun to chew and then I d have extra sparkly teeth from all the glitter and then Mia Papa would say, Mia now what did you do? But I digress. Well there is this new guy on the block. I have watched him on TV. His name is Pope Francis and he is the Big Mia Papa of the Catholic Church and he LOVES to LOVE. He says he learndid how to love from Jesus. The Pope says love is really, really big, and there is lots of room for everybody. There is room for the poor, and those who have everything, those who are not like us, those who are all huffy puffy like, those who make lots of mistakes and those who look funny or have difficulties why I guess Pope Francis would even say there is enough love for kitty cats. Now I ve heard everything! Smoochie Poochies to you! Mia 12. GOD AND MINNESOTA (Catholic Humor) On the sixth day God turned to the Archangel Gabriel and said: 'Today, I am going to create a land called Minnesota. It will be a land of outstanding natural beauty; a land of 10,000 beautiful lakes, each one full of fish. It shall have tall majestic pines, peacefully flowing rivers, landscapes full of buffalo, tall grass,

12 and eagles, beautiful blue skies, forests full of bear, elk and moose, and rich farmland.' God continued, I shall make the land rich in resources so as to make the inhabitants prosper and they shall be known as a most friendly people, people who practice being Minnesota-Nice every day.' But Lord,' asked Gabriel, 'don't you think you are being too generous to these Minnesotans?' Won t this create jealousy from people in other lands? 'Not really,' replied God. 'Just wait and see the winters they have coming!' AND NOW YOU KNOW! And at the end of this DON T COMPLAIN: WE HAVE IT BETTER THAN MOST OF THE WORLD.