Discipleship Take Home Packet For November 28-December 5, 2018 Virtue of the Month: Love Loving God above all; Loving Your Neighbor as Yourself Real love always requires sacrifice. Whether we are sacrificing our time, our energy or our own desires, love means putting God and others ahead of ourselves. This is extremely hard to do, but God can help us. All we have to do is ask for His help. When we grow in the virtue of Love, we naturally grow in a number of other areas too: faith that God loves us and wants a relationship with us, patience for when the people we love get annoying, self-control for when we want to talk about ourselves instead of listening to others, prudence (or common sense) for when we want to help someone but aren t sure how, courage for when we have to say no to those we love for their own good, and hope for when we need to trust God to watch over the people we love. This session we will learn more about the virtue of Love and then perform acts of Christian love. Let s start by taking a deeper look at what the virtue of love looks like. Prayer Come, Holy Spirit, open our minds and hearts to receive God s word. We ask this in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Read aloud: 1 Corinthians 13 Discussion 1) What words do St. Paul use to describe Christian love? 2) Do you think that most people love like this? Why or why not? 3) How would you describe the way most people love? 1
Saintly Example Servant of God Father Vincent Capodanno (1929-1967, USA) Vincent was born in Staten Island, New York as the 10th child in an Italian immigrant family. Though his father died when he was only ten, Vincent learned about hard work, sacrifice and faith from his parents. Vincent s family struggled through the Great Depression and into World War II. Three of his brothers fought in the war and Vincent learned courage and honor by watching them. As he grew up, he read magazines about the Catholic Foreign Mission Society, also known as the Maryknoll priests, who travelled to distant lands to bring the Gospel to people all over the world. When Vincent finished high school and college, he applied to the Maryknolls and was accepted in 199. After nine years, he was ordained a priest. His first assignment was to the country of Taiwan. Father Vincent learned the local language, administered the Sacraments and built relationships with the people. He worked with students battling depression and suicidal thoughts. But, with the Vietnam War raging nearby, Father Vincent felt called to serve as a US Navy Chaplain for the Marines. Father Vincent s request was granted. In 1966 he finished his military training and began to live like a Marine (except that he did not carry a weapon). Father Vincent befriended the soldiers, consoled troops who lost friends, heard Confessions, shared his faith, gave out St. Christopher medals, created libraries and organized programs for local villagers. After one tour of duty, Father Vincent requested an extension and was sent to serve with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. During an enemy ambush, Father Vincent made a courageous effort to minister to the troops under fire. Trying to give both medical aid and Last Rites to the dying Marines, Father Vincent raced through the fierce fighting. As he sheltered wounded Marines, an explosion nearby shot shrapnel through his face, leg and right hand. Though his hand was almost severed, he refused to stop for medical aid. Father Vincent continued administering Last Rites, and when he saw a Marine in need of help, he rushed to the man s side. As the enemy fired on them, Father Vincent tried to shield the Marine with his body. He was shot 27 times. After his death, Father Vincent was awarded the Medal of Honor, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. Numerous military chapels, buildings and scholarships have been named after him. In 1972, the Navy launched a ship called the USS Capodonno which was then blessed by St. Pope John Paul II. The Archdiocese of New York has declared Father Vincent s cause for canonization strong enough to move forward. The Vatican is now looking into his cause. Stay calm, Marine, someone will be here to help. God is with all of us this day. - Servant of God Fr. Vincent Capodonno 2
Activity: Diving into Scripture The most famous bible passage on love comes from St. Paul s first letter to the Corinthians. To understand Christian love in a deeper way, complete the exercises below. 1) First, read through the famous bible passage: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:-8) 2) Sometimes we settle for relationships that are not really loving. We can know that these relationships are unhealthy if they sound like the opposite of what St. Paul says. Fill in each blank below with a word that means the opposite of what St. Paul wrote. Love is (patient), love is (kind). It does (not envy), it does (not boast), it is (not proud). 5 It does (not dishonor others), it is (not self-seeking), it is (not easily angered), it keeps (no record of wrongs). 6 Love does (not delight in evil) but rejoices with (the truth). 7 It (always protects), (always trusts), (always hopes), (always perseveres). 8 Love (never fails). 3) Are you living a life of Love? Write your name in all of the blanks below. Then read the passage. is patient, is kind. does not envy, does not boast, is not proud. 5 does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs. 6 does not delight in evil but rejoices with the 7 truth. always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 never fails. ) Does the passage above sound like you? How can you be more loving? 3
Activity: Living with Love We can grow in our love for God, for neighbor and for ourselves by performing acts of Christian love everyday. Inside the envelope you received, you will find dollar bills that have actions of Christian love typed on them. For each act of Christian love you perform this week, sign your name on the bill and bring it back to the church. You will then be able to exchange the bill for chocolate Visit a neighbor you haven t seen in a while gold coins. This is a reminder that as you perform acts of Christian love on earth, you build up treasure for yourself in heaven (1 Tim 6: 17-19). Remember to live a life of JOY by loving: Jesus, Others and then Yourself. Each act of love for God is worth 3 coins. Each act of love for others is worth 2 coins. Each act of love for yourself is worth 1 coin.
Visit the adoration chapel at the St. Mary site Sing a song of praise to God Tell God about something you need Go to Mass and talk to Jesus Spend 10 minutes in prayer Read the bible for 15 minutes 5
Make someone a gift Turn off technology and give someone your undivided attention Donate to a worthy cause Do a chore without being asked Give someone a thoughtful and honest compliment Visit a neighbor you haven t seen in a while 6
Exercise Find a joke that makes you laugh Make a list of your gifts & talents Get 8 hours of rest Eat 3 servings of vegetables today Forgive yourself for a mistake you made 7