Family Faith Formation St. Michael Parish October 2017 Do Not Be Afraid

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1 Family Faith Formation St. Michael Parish October 2017 Do Not Be Afraid Please enjoy the conversation with your family, make use of everything at and feel free to contact us with comments or questions. See you next month!

2 Family Formation Takeaways- October 2017 Do Not Be Afraid

3 October 2017 Be Not Afraid! In the Bible, God tells us hundreds of times to not be afraid-- some say 365 times, once for each day of the year. Why? Clearly, a healthy fear can keep us away from harmful things, and we teach our children accordingly. When God tells us to be not afraid, would He prefer that our toddlers play with matches? Should we encourage our 5th graders to poke at rattlesnakes with sticks for fun? Would this be better in His eyes? (Spoiler alert: NO.) This month s lesson is about what Jesus says about unhealthy fear-- anxiety about tomorrow, or yesterday, or years from now. He tells us that if we really knew how much God loves us, how important we are to Him, and how big He really is, we would leave tomorrow to Him. We would trust Him. We would see how our fear is not only unhelpful to the task at hand, but also can be toxic to others, leading to anger, jealousy, and conflict. Jesus adds that trying to calm our anxiety with things of this world is futile: big houses are lost in storms; vast fortunes vaporize in financial crises; diseases come even to those who follow their doctors advice to the letter. These things are not as strong as they appear, because ultimately, only the One who holds us in the palm of His hand can hold us perfectly. And Jesus implies that from His perspective, the worst thing we can imagine happening to us here on Earth is only a small, painful bump on a road leading to billions of blissful years sitting on His lap. So he tells us: do not worry. When we place our faith in God s love, and in our own identity as His beloved daughters and sons, we open ourselves more to His grace in the here and now-- which can bring great consolation and peace. He will help. (By the way, if you or someone you know has crippling anxiety, please do not be afraid to seek medical as well as spiritual help. God made doctors and science too.) It is with this context in mind that I invite you to read the selected passages from the Sermon on the Mount with your family. (Don t forget to pray first, even if that is a quiet whisper of come, Holy Spirit!) Pray, read, imagine, and discuss. When you do so, keep in mind the following: Flowers and Sparrows (Mt 6:25-34.) Jesus does not say that we should be indifferent to what we will eat, or what we should wear, as if starving while freezing to death were key to holiness. He tells us to not worry about these things, and uses the flowers and sparrows to make His point. Do sparrows worry? Apparently not-- and most importantly, He assures us that we are more valuable in His eyes than the flowers and the sparrows. Finally, Jesus asks a question which rings as true today as it did then: can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? The Giver (Mt 7:7-11) God is our Father, and a perfectly loving one at that. Do we believe this? If we think of Him in this way, as a loving father, then Jesus s common-sense observation is quite comforting: if you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Note that this is an exclamation, not a question.) Similes of Salt and Light (Mt 5:13-16.) It is hard to exaggerate the importance of salt and light to the people of Jesus s time. Salt is important for making bread, preserving food, and...well, it brings out the flavor of things quite a bit, doesn t it? Jesus is saying that in a similar way, we give the world its flavor-- we are that important! We are as important as a house candle when the power goes out at night in New Hampshire! Are you getting the idea? We matter to God because he loves us, but also because we matter to the world He made. Our role here is sacred and unique.

4 Treasures (Mt 6:19-21) When a doctor tells us that taking a pill will help us, most of us take one pill, not an entire bottle. But with money, it is different, isn t it? We need a certain amount of money to get by, which is true. That is like the first pill. Unfortunately, then we often go crazy trying to get and protect even bigger piles of it, as if more money would bring even more security. We take the whole bottle. Jesus reminds us that this doesn t work-- thieves can always break in and steal. It s as if he is trying to say: it s not safe, that pile of coins is not safe...certainly not the kind of safe you are looking for. I know a better investment vehicle... Please do not be afraid to use your imagination when discussing these passages with your family. What would it have been like if we were there, with a picnic lunch? Would Jesus see us? Would he smile at us? When Jesus asks the crowd about the son who asked for bread, and if the parent would give him a snake, was it a joke? Did people laugh? As we walked away, after the sermon, with all those people, what were they talking about? What did they think about what they heard? What would we have learned? Bring your family into the scene, and let the Holy Spirit bring it to life. You will be glad you did. See you next month! Tim

5 How To Use This Packet We want to make sure that this packet is a good resource for your family as you journey together in faith each and every month. The following guide is a suggestion of how you can use it! As you are journeying together, always remember that Susan, Becca and Tim are available if you have questions or want other ideas of things to do with your family. We have updated the blog-so please check it out! Our next Family Formation dates are: Oct 28,29,30.

6 God in Scripture: Lectio Divina Pray Read Imagine Discuss Matthew 5:13-16 Light of the World Matthew 6:25-34 Flowers and Sparrows Matthew 6:19-21 Fearless Matthew 7:7-11 God s Love Read the passage slowly to yourself. Reread the passage out loud for your family. Take a few minutes to think about and ponder the words in this passage. What is God saying to you in this passage? What choice can you make this week to grow closer to God? Please see the Family Formation for ideas and resources stmfaithform.wordpress.com

7 What kinds of things were you afraid of when you were little? What helped make the fear go away? What is the best material gift that mom, dad, or someone else in your life has given you? What is the best immaterial gift that mom, dad, or someone else in your life has given you? What was easier to remember the best material gift or the best immaterial gift? Of the two, which do you think was better? What kinds of things do you worry about? Who in your life do you talk to about your worries? Have you ever tried talking to God about your worries or giving you worries to God?

8 In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus asks, does worrying add a single day to your life? Think about that question and discuss as a family. What do you think it means that YOU are the salt of the earth and YOU are the light of the world? What do you think that tells us about the way God sees us? God would only give us good gifts because he is our loving Father. Do we think of him in that way? What role does God play in your life? What do you think it would have been like to see Jesus and hear him saying the words we read in the Bible? If you were at the sermon on the mount, hearing these passages, what would have been your reaction? Imagine the people in your family or your friends being at the Sermon on the Mount with you. How would they have reacted? From the Scripture passages you read, which is your favorite and why?

9 October Memory Maker Spend a day doing little things for God and others in honor of the feast day of St. Therese The Little Flower ~October 1st You are the salt of the earth. ~ Matthew 5:13-16 Use salted pretzel sticks to build stick people. Tell your kids they are the salt of the Earth and that they are good because Jesus in good and He is in them. Encourage them to always act in a way that will show others Jesus. Our Lady of the Holy Rosary October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary. Take some time this month to contemplate the Rosary, in order to better understand its meaning, pray a full or single decade as a family. Make a simple decade Rosary. Find directions at: God in Scripture: Lectio Divina Pray Read Imagine Discuss Matthew 5:13-16 Light of the World Matthew 6:25-34 Flowers and Sparrows Matthew 6:19-21 Fearless Matthew 7:7-11 God s Love 1. Read the passage slowly to yourself. 2. Reread the passage out loud for your family. 3. Take a few minutes to think about and ponder the words in this passage. 4. What is God saying to you in this passage? 5. What choice can you make this week to grow closer to God? Another name for the celebration of the Eucharist is the mass. During the mass we remember what Jesus did at the Last Supper. The mass is also a sacrifice. A sacrifice is offering a gift to God. Jesus gave the greatest sacrifice of all. At every mass we remember Jesus sacrifice. Find these in the church and draw them: Altar Tabernacle- Ambo Presider s Chair Pew Choir Loft Confessional Baptismal Paschal Candle Sanctuary

10 OCTOBER Fridge Page Be Not Afraid Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. ~ Matthew 6:25-34 St. Theresa set out to be a saint by what she called the Little Way. She decided to do every act, even picking up a pin, for love of God. It is not easy to avoid complaining or criticizing, to smile when blamed, and to offer up the dullness of routine. Theresa did these things to show her love for Jesus. Hers was a simple way of saying yes to God by doing daily duties well. St. Michael Events Oct. 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th Preschool Bible Story time 10:30am-12pm Oct. 7th Mom to Mom 9am-10:30pm, Michael House Oct. 9th and 23rd, 6-8pm, Michael House Oct. 14th First Reconciliation Retreat 9am and 1pm Oct. 16th Homeschool Group: 1pm Oct. 16th Youth Ministry Leadership Team Meeting: 7-9pm Oct. 20th Rock, Paper, Scripture: 6-7:30pm Oct. 17th Dominican Mission Trip, Drouin Hall 6:30pm High School Youth Group every Sunday: 6:30-8:30pm, Michael House MASS TIMES St. Mary Parish: Saturday at 4PM, Sunday at 9:30 AM St. Michael Parish: Saturday at 4 PM, Sunday at 7:30, 9:00 and 11:00 AM Confession available at St. Mary Saturdays at 3 PM, at St. Michael Saturdays at 2:45 PM.