I was recently made aware of a very nice review of my book Living the Mass (co-authored with Fr. Dom Grassi) by Jen at Happy Little Homemaker. Thanks Jen!
This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Lent. Be sure to take a look at The Sunday Connection for ideas about how to break open the Word for this Sunday. You’ll also find the following there:
The Fourth Sunday of Lent is traditionally called Laetare Sunday. Laetare is a Latin word that means “rejoice.” Today’s Gospel describes the reason for our joy: God’s great love for us has been revealed in Jesus. Through his Passion, Death, and Resurrection, Christ has reconciled us with God and one another.
May your 4th Sunday of Lent be an experience of rejoicing for you!
I had the pleasure of enjoying a business lunch the other day with colleagues and friends to talk about the challenges and opportunities that Anglos encounter when catechizing in Latino culture. My Loyola Press colleague, Santiago Cortés-Sjöberg, is preparing to do a workshop on this topic at the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership in Las Vegas in April (I will also be speaking at this conference, but on a different topic…I was along for the fellowship and good food!). I contacted a couple of good friends who are DREs and who are ministering to growing Latino populations and the four of us sat down for a wonderful lunch and a couple of hours of discussion on the topic. Thanks Marge and Terry for you insights and for taking the time to share them with us!
Terry Navarro (DRE at St. Mary Star of the Sea), Joe, Santiago, and Marge Garbacz (DRE at St. Symphorosa)
We had a very nice class last night with 8 of 10 students present for their first class session after Confirmation (and the DRE received calls explaining the 2 absences). The kids had a very pleasant attitude about Confirmation…they seemed genuinely proud and there was no resentment about being back in class – the message had been conveyed that Confirmation is not the end!
The post-confirmation guided reflection went very nicely! Several of the other 8th grade catechists used it as well. You may want to adapt it to your setting.
Anyway, the BEFORE AND AFTER that I’m referring to in my title for this post is not about before and after Confirmation, but about the room in which I teach! I’ve alluded before to how important it is to create an environment that is conducive to faith formation and prayer. I teach in a science room! I have 15 minutes to get in to my room and to try to transform it in some small way. Here are couple of pics that show what I’m able to accomplish in the short time I have:
BEFORE - a science room
- AFTER – a climate conducive to prayer and faith formation
P.S. this does not mean that I don’t use the tables from time to time when they are needed for writing and other activities
Congratulations to all of the 8th graders who were Confirmed yesterday, including my class of 10 students! I pray that they will feel the abundant graces of the Holy Spirit and the Gifts of the Spirit, flowing in and through them all the days of their lives!
As promised, I put together a guided reflection that I’m going to use tonight to help the young people reflect on yesterday’s experience. I think this will give them an opportunity to sift through all of the hustle and bustle of yesterday and zero in on the actions of the Lord that were at the center of this sacramental experience.
I’m sure it was hard for the kids to take it all in as it was happening yesterday. It didn’t help that the sound system in the church is not the best and that the wireless microphone the bishop used for his homily was not working! About halfway through the homily, the associate pastor came to the rescue with another working microphone but, unfortunately, a great deal of his message was lost at this point. Finally, and I don’t want to be too critical here, but the fact that the bishop went on for about 40 minutes didn’t help either! He spent about 20 minutes doing some dialogue with the kids (this was when the mic wasn’t working) and then about 20 minutes of sharing his thoughts on the sacrament. I think the kids’ attention eventually drifted.
That’s why I think it’s helpful to take some time, post-confirmation, to reflect on the actions of the Rite and to help them to recognize the graces that penetrate any of these minor distractions.
Feel free to use this guided reflection and to adapt it to suit your own needs. I hope you find it useful.
Confirmation Guided Reflection
BTW, I plan to segue from the guided reflection into the song, I’ll Stand by You by the Pretenders (also covered by Carrie Underwood).
This Sunday, my 8th graders will celebrate their Confirmation! I look forward to the opportunity to participate in this wonderful celebration and to witness the completion of their Christian Initiation, knowing that I had a hand in bringing them to this day. Thank you Jesus!
On this coming Monday evening, we cross our fingers and hope that they all come back for class! Luckily, the DRE has established a culture over the years that expects every child to return after Confirmation for their remaining 5 or 6 classes. As a result, we’ve been enjoying nearly 100% return these past few years! Here’s hoping the trend continues.
I plan to put together a guided reflection for Monday evening, based on the experience of the Confirmation Mass on Sunday – an opportunity for them to reflect on their encounter with Christ in this sacrament. I will share it with you come Monday or Tuesday. I also will go over their confirmation exams with them as a group and also individually to give them some solid feedback and affirmation.
Have a great weekend! For those of you working with the RCIA, may your celebration of the Scrutinies be an enriching experience for all involved!
