Catholic ID: The "Be" Attitude - Archdiocese of Milwaukee

For the Feast of Saints Peter & Paul, Year A

“The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it.”

What does it feel like when you know you are relying on the Lord’s strength and not your own?

How will you listen to that inner voice so that you rely
more on the Lord?

(from clWeekly)

Saint Peter and Saint Paul, June 29

At this time of the year we are thinking of planting things or at least thinking about things we could have planted or did plant. We are not thinking of harvesting things yet, but actually some harvesting is taking place already if the weather has been cooperative. Farmers have hopefully started on their 1st crop of hay if they haven’t finished with it already. We are already visiting the Farmer’s Markets to take advantage of spring vegetables and fruits. The church celebrates the beginning of the harvest season with the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29th. They are remembered together for “beginning the ‘harvest of the church.” (1) And because of their harvest we are part of the crop, or God’s harvest.

You may want to celebrate these 2 saints by having a seafood meal, to honor St. Peter the fisherman, with a glass of grape juice (or wine) to honor St. Paul as he recommends in his epistle to Timothy (5:23), “Take a little … for your stomach’s sake.” Another way to celebrate SS. Peter and Paul is to make or buy fresh bread and share that with your family and/or friends. Bread is made with grain and we all know that is harvested before it can be made into bread.

As you celebrate SS Peter and Paul remember those who earn their living off of the harvest. Say a prayer that the weather will be kind to them this year when it is time to bring in their harvest as well as it grows and flourishes beforehand.
( 1 - Take Me Home, Liturgy Training Publications, 1991)

June 24 – Midsummer Nativity

June 24 is when we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist. Halfway between the beginning of spring and the beginning of autumn. It is also 6 months since Christmas and in turn that means in 6 months Christmas will return. June 24 is also 3 months from the time that Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth (John’s mother) who was then 6 months with child and right after the Annunciation when the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and she said yes to being the Mother of God.

This is the time of the year when daylight lasts the longest in the Northern Hemisphere. From now on daylight hours will begin to get shorter until Christmas time. And then we start all over again. Isn’t that amazing, as John the lamp that holds the light is born the light begins to decrease until Christmas time when Jesus the Light of the World is born and then the light increases again. Just as John is the lamp that holds the light so are we. When we are baptized we receive the light of Christ and we become the lamp that carries Jesus to all we meet.

In the past, a long, long, time ago, nighttime bonfires were lit in honor of St. John the Baptist. How can you celebrate this midsummer event? Do you have a fire pit, if you do you could have a bonfire and invite your friends over to celebrate. Or you could put luminarias out, don’t know what those are? They are paper bags with sand in the bottom and then a lit candle is placed in the sand, they can be put out to light the path to your door. If you don’t have a fire pit and do not want to fiddle with paper bags, sand and candles have a “bonfire” in your grill as you cook your evening meal and bless the fire with this prayer from “Take Me Home” published by Liturgical Press in 1991: “Oh God almighty, unfailing ray and source of light, sanctify this fire that we have kindled with joy at the birth of John, the herald of you Son, and grant that, after the darkness of this life, we may come to you, who are light eternal. Amen.”

Body and Blood of Christ , Year A

Bread for others

Reading I: Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16 (God’s care)
Reading II: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (the Eucharist vs. pagan sacrifices)
Gospel: John 6:51-58 (the living bread)

Key Passage: I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. (John 6:51)

Adult: What does it mean for you right now to be bread for others as Jesus was?
Child: In what ways can Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist help you do good things for others?
(from PastoralPlaning.com)

June – The month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. When I ran across this I thought to myself why didn’t I know this? But then the more I thought about it I realized that I did know this from my childhood. Why is it that some things we readily remember and others slip away maybe never to be retrieved or if we do retrieve them it is only with a not so gentle reminder? I don’t expect an answer to that just my mind rambling….

The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday. This make the feast day a moveable feast, but for the most part it always falls in June so that is why June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This year the date is June 27.

The name Sacred Heart of Jesus expresses what we know about Jesus. It represents the mystery surrounding Him, the sum of His being. We know his is the Son of God, the Word Incarnate and our Savior. Pope Benedict explained it like this: The Sacred Heart is a symbol "of the Christian faith that is especially dear, to ordinary people as well as to mystics and theologians, because it expresses the 'good news' of love in a simple and authentic way, encapsulating the mystery of Incarnation and Redemption." The Sacred Heart reminds us that Jesus is truly man and truly God.

“The heart is the center of a person, the place from which he/she makes the choices which will affect the world within them and around them. Devotion to the Heart of Jesus reminds us that it is in His Sacred Humanity that we find the pattern for becoming fully human ourselves. In His Incarnation, saving life, death and Resurrection, we receive both the pattern - and the means - to become more like Him. The Feast of the Sacred Heart reminds us of our mission in a Culture which has forgotten God. Let us spend the month of June in Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, lifting up our Nation, indeed the whole world, to the One in whom we place all of our trust. He will not disappoint; His Heart still beats with Mercy and Love for the world.” Taken from: http://www.catholic.org/homily/yearoffaith/story.php?id=51278 I found this on Catholic.org and it explains it way better than I can.

Planting Seeds

I tell the catechists all the time not to get too excited if the children they are working with don’t seem to be taking anything into their brains since they are planting seeds and the harvest may be many years in the offing. We never know when a seed we plant will burst into bloom we just patiently wait for it to happen.

This is the time of year people love to plant vegetable gardens, flower beds, patio pots etc. Do you plant a garden even if it is a patio pot? There is something so refreshing about picking fresh vegetables and then preparing them for yourself or your family that gives a person a feeling of being one with the earth. What about fresh flowers. I must admit those are my downfall, I have 5 and a half flower beds. The half one is a work in progress. Not that they all aren’t, but it is a new one. Flowers are easy to grow from seed and can be kept in pots or in the ground. Just think God gave us the earth to nurture and enjoy so we need to take advantage of that and do as he wanted.

When we grow vegetables or flowers they take a little bit of work too not just stick them in the dirt and hope for the best. We need to keep the weeds pulled so they don’t crowd out the good plants. Sometimes we even need to thin out the seedlings we have planted so the others can grow strong and produce a great yield. When we are tending to our gardens whatever form they take it is a good time to pray a blessing over the things we have planted and pray to God to watch over his creation with love and caring. In that short prayer we can also ask God to help us see the way that best works to take care of the earth he has given us to care for.

By the end of the summer perhaps even in time for Assumption Day in August we should be seeing benefits of our work with flowers blooming and vegetables forming for us to use as nourishment. Imagine that if this happens by planting seeds, bulbs or seedlings what will be waiting for us on the day of resurrection.

Trinity Sunday, Year A

A God of love

Reading I: Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9 (renewal of the tablets)
Reading II: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 (farewell)
Gospel: John 3:16-18 (belief in the Son sent by the Father)

Key Passage: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Adult: We live within the Trinity whenever we live in love. How does this mystery connect to your daily life?
Child: How do you choose to live as a more loving person?

Trinity Sunday

The Sunday after Pentecost is when we celebrate the Blessed Trinity. But wait a minute shouldn’t we be celebrating the Trinity every Sunday? We should and we do by attending Mass each week. Is there something else we can do to make every Sunday special?

In the busyness of our lives we tend to show up for Mass in what we chosen to wear for the day, maybe forget to turn off our cell phone, etc. Then during Mass we tune out to what is happening as what we should or could be doing begins to intrude into our thoughts. What was it Father just said? Seems like it was important but …

Maybe we should make a conscious effort to make our Sunday Mass obligation special whether it be the vigil Mass on Saturday or Sunday morning. I can remember when I was a child that we would get dressed up to go to church for Mass. How often does that happen these days unless it is a special occasion for a family such as Christmas, Easter a Baptism, 1st Communion, wedding or a special anniversary? How much effort would it take for you or me to change into even casual dress clothes rather than blue jeans or shorts and t-shirts? If you try I would hazard a guess it wouldn’t take a significant amount of time. I know when I make the effort to change before heading to Mass on a Saturday it is only a matter of a few minutes. And if you think about it Sunday morning you can just dress for church when you get ready in the morning and then change to more casual clothes when you arrive back home.

What else can you do to keep Sunday special? In years gone by all businesses were closed. That is not so anymore. We can still try to keep Sunday a day for family by trying to get any errands done during the week or on Saturday. Or maybe plan each week to have a special meal on Sunday and make it the expectation that all family members will be present for the meal. You could plan on doing something fun, visiting the zoo, taking a hike, going to the beach or pool depending on the time of year. The ideas are endless. How will you keep the Lord’s Day each week?

School’s Out

This is an exciting time of the year for all those who have been attending school over the past 9 months. It signals freedom from teachers, endless days of doing nothing but play or endless days of parents hearing I am bored, there’s nothing to do … You all have heard it before don’t deny it. Then there are those children who do not want the year to end because they have a hard time with change and don’t want a new teacher or school next year. All sorts of emotions are flying around right?

Some of the emotions of not wanting things to change can be eased by assuring a child that they can stay in touch with their friends from school over the summer and reminding them that their friends will be with them at school again in the fall. Another things to ease their fears would be to remind them that they can stop and visit their “old” classroom and teacher when they have free time. And it might help too to remind them that even adults have trouble with change as well, it always scary starting a new job, meeting a new boss or co-worker.

To overcome the, I’m bored there’s nothing to do syndrome it might help to make a “bucket” list of things to do during summer vacation. Make family time a priority, maybe have a story time each evening, prayer time each morning before everyone heads off to work and play. Take time to visit a local zoo, swimming pool/waterpark, nature reserve, museum, beach, planetarium, etc. Weekly picnics is a fun idea too, maybe visiting a different park each week. The ideas are endless we just need to remember to take the few minutes it takes to plan the outing and include prayer in the planning since with God’s help all things are possible.

Enjoy God’s wonderful creation this summer!

Pentecost

What is Pentecost you say? Remember from long ago when you were in religion classes you learned that Pentecost is the day the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles? And you must remember the pictures of the apostles with flames above their heads right? Is there more to it than that?

Of course there is Pentecost is when we celebrate the birth of the Church. The apostles seemed to have instant understanding and use that understanding to proclaim the Good News to all who were within hearing even those who did not speak the language of the apostles. (Remember the last post on the Tower of Babel?)

On Pentecost (June 8 this year) we can celebrate the fire of the Spirit by wearing the bright colors of fire: red, orange, and hot pink. Or by having a Pentecost party and decorating your yard/house with these colors. Have sparklers for everyone to celebrate the fire and to celebrate the wind have wind chimes, wind socks and flags or maybe even have kites to fly.

Invite your family, friends and neighbors for a barbecue. Have a fire theme by renaming your barbecue specialties with a fire oriented name…i.e. flame kissed burgers. And you can make this dessert to serve, Flame Berries, recipe below.

On Saturday, (the day before Pentecost) gather your ingredients for Flame Berries: 30 large strawberries (or however many you need for your party just remember to adjust the rest of the recipe as well), wash them and dry them. You will need a regular box of vanilla pudding, a cup of milk, ½ pint of whipping cream and 1 orange.

On Sunday, before you are going to serve the Flame Berries, mix the pudding and the cup of milk together. Whip the cream and fold it into the pudding. Grate the orange peel onto a sheet of wax paper. Then line the strawberries pointed side up and cut an X half way down. With a spoon fill the X with the pudding, mounding it over the top and then sprinkle each of the berry flames with the grated orange peel and refrigerate until you are ready to serve. (Recipe from “Take Me Home,” “A Fiery Finale”)

Pentecost , Year A

Sent to serve
Reading I: Acts 2:1-11 (descent of the Holy Spirit)
Reading II: 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13 (many gifts, one Spirit, and the analogy of the body)
Gospel: John 20:19-23 (appearance to the disciples)

Key Passage: Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:21–22)

Adult: What important work does Jesus ask of you at this time in your life?
Child: How would Jesus want you to treat your friends and family this week?
(from PastoralPlanning.com)

The Tower of Babel and Pentecost

Do you remember this story from Genesis 11: 1-9 when the people tried to congregate in one spot and build a tower to heaven rather than inhabit and fill the earth? God sees this as a sin of pride and arrogance that the people are ignoring his command from Genesis 1:28 to “fill the earth.” So God decides to confuse their language to upset their plan. The people cannot understand each other so they give up on their idea and the tower of Babel was never completed. We have to remember that it is not the language that separates people but our pride.

Then at Pentecost what happened at Babel is reversed. In the Acts of the Apostles chapter 2 the Holy Spirit enables everyone to understand what the apostles are saying even though they are from different lands. God wants the Good News to be proclaimed to all so we can all have the opportunity to reach Heaven. The Good News is universal and unites everyone we encounter no matter what language we speak.

At Pentecost we celebrate the birth of the Church and along with that we remember the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit that enabled the apostles to speak so everyone could understand them. The 7 gifts are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, piety and respect. And the 12 fruits are: charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, endurance, mildness, faith, modesty, continence and chastity. These are all virtues and they are powerful and rare in our world today.

To celebrate the fruits of the Holy Spirit why don’t you serve a 12 fruit salad for dinner on Pentecost? You could serve it with a simple dressing of honey, and fresh lime juice with some ginger or mint for seasoning.

Wine

Do you remember last week from the “Bread” post that yeast causes the bread to rise? Well guess what, yeast is also involved in the wine making process. Yes, you read that correctly yeast is involved in the wine making process it turns the sugar in the grapes into alcohol which in turn then eventually kills the yeast and stops the process.

Sometimes the process of winemaking can be explosive, it definitely is bubbly as the yeast works with the sugar. Because of the effervescence of the wine as it works we can think of this as a symbol of the Spirit at work, the one who brings joy, unity and friendship to all in perhaps a great explosion of creative energy. The alcohol in the wine keeps if from spoiling. This helped in time when there was not any refrigeration.

Wine can be one of the many good things of life and it can also be used for harmful things. Part of growing up is learning how to put things to good use and not use things in a way that can hurt yourself or others. In the book of Sirach it says this: “Wine drunk at the proper time and in moderation is rejoicing of heart and gladness of soul. Wine drunk to excess leads to bitterness of spirit, to quarrels and mumbling.” (31:28-29)

Do you remember how wine became part of our celebration of the Eucharist? Just as he did with the bread at the last supper Jesus shared the cup with his disciples and commanded them to do the same in memory of Him. Just as the bread becomes Jesus’ body at the consecration so the wine becomes his blood, which he poured out for all of us on the cross. Jesus may have had that verse from Sirach on his mind as he shared that cup wanting his disciples to rejoice in their hearts and share that joy and gladness with all.

PRAYER INTENTIONS OF POPE FRANCIS—JUNE 2014

That the unemployed may receive support and find the work they need to live in dignity.

That Europe may rediscover its Christian roots through the witness of believers.