I really enjoyed the final episode last night, especially because it ended on such an uplifting note. And yet, what permeated the episode last night was the notion of appreciating the ordinary – especially the last 5 minutes and the final line spoken by the character Pam: “There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn’t that the point?”

Indeed, it is. How Ignatian!

Have a good weekend and may you find beauty and God’s presence in ordinary things!

Hi Joe — One of our RCIC students, 13 year old, missed lots of classes, has not done any home make up work (his Mom says they have been too busy with ‘work’); and the boy is rather glum, sullen, disinterested.  Polite enough, but lethargic, etc. He missed receiving First Communion and Confirmation with the rest of the students (about 5 others, younger) on Easter Vigil and has an opportunity to receive the Sacraments at Pentecost – our Bishop will be here for that. We have asked our youth minister/head of catechism program for guidance, but wondered if we should “Ask Paprocki”. How do we decide and how do we express our concerns to the mother. Thanks.  We have two more Saturday classes before Pentecost.  Tomorrow and May 18. 

-Monica

1. As part of our opening prayer, we included prayers for all those affected by the bombings in Boston. It is lamentable that, in the course of several months, we catechists have had to talk to our young people about the Newtown tragedy and now this. Let’s pray for an end to such senseless violence. 
2. The Jeopardy-like review game went very well. I projected it on the screen and my aide, Alex, kept score and was the official timer. I told the kids that all of the answers to the final assessment were in the game and provided a note-taking sheet for them, telling them that would be able to use their notes for the test! Most took copious notes. 3 young men, unfortunately, decided to use the time to catch up with each other and carried on chit chat throughout the game despite my attempts to quiet them. Take a guess as to which 3 students didn’t do so well on the assessment.
3. The review game lasted about 30 mins. I then had the young people write their names on their note-taking sheet and I collected them and distributed the final assessment. I spread the kids out around the room and had them get to work. 3 young men continued to be chatty, further digging a hole for themselves.
4. After about 20 mins, I distributed the students’ note-taking sheets and traded their pens for colored markers telling them that they would get half-credit for answers that they relied on their notes to fill in.
5. When all was said and done, the results were satisfactory (for 9 out of the 13) except for…you guessed it…3 young men. Of the 13 students…

• 4 earned an A (90% or better), including 1 perfect score and 1 99%!
• 1 earned a B (80% or better)
• 4 earned a C (70% or better)
• 1 (one of the 3 young men) earned a D-/F, coming in at 49%
• 2 earned an F (each under 40%)
• 1 young lady earned an incomplete. She took copious notes during the review game, is always well behaved and was so last evening, but could only finish half of her test for some reason and did well on the first half. My guess is that she has a learning disability. She appeared to be working the whole time but she apparently has a hard time concentrating or comprehending so I want to give her a chance to complete the assessment this coming Monday.

I’m thinking that for the coming Monday, I want the kids with the highest scores to tutor the 3 fellas who did so poorly and then give the guys another chance to show what they know because they are bright but just decided not to take things seriously  and I will warn them that their parents will not appreciate them earning an unsatisfactory report from me at the end of the year.

Occasionally, however, I come across some Catholic memes that, while well-intentioned, contain very bad theology or catechesis. Here’s one I came across this morning.

While it has a nice thought – that Jesus is preparing a place for you in heaven – the bad theology is that he is “gone.” This bad theology is not just limited to this meme, it unfortunately tends to be our understanding of the Ascension of Jesus: that he is gone – off to heaven, far away, some day to return. The significance of the Ascension of Jesus is the complete opposite: Jesus is not gone but now reigns at the “right hand of the Father” which means that he is where the Father is. So where is the Father? According to the Lord’s Prayer, he “art” in heaven. The mistake is to think of heaven as a place that is outside of the earth’s atmosphere. Heaven is not a place. Scholar N.T. Wright reminds us that “heaven is not a place within our universe at all, but God’s place, intersecting with our world in all sorts of ways.” (When God Became King, Harper One) Heaven is wherever God is and God is everywhere. God transcends all of creation. Jesus’ Ascension enables him to be everywhere. To be at the “right hand of the Father” means that Jesus reigns over the whole world. The Ascension is not about Jesus’ absence, but about his “universal presence and sovereign rule.” (Wright)

Here’s another that not only appears as a meme but also rears its head at wakes and funerals as well-intentioned consolation.

I get the notion that this is trying to bring comfort to someone who has lost both of their parents. Variations of this are expressed at wakes and funerals to try to help grieving people come to grips with their loss: “your child is an angel now” and so on. The problem is, when we die, we do not become angels. If you want to console someone who has lost a loved one, tell them that their loved one is now a saint. We believe in the Communion of Saints which is the Church of heaven and earth. Our communion with those who have died is not interrupted by death but rather, “is reinforced by an exchange of spiritual goods.” (CCC955) Through them, we actually become closer to Christ.

So, the bottom line is, memes can be fun, helpful, inspiring, etc., but be sure to check your theology because they also catechize!

What’s your favorite Catholic meme? Share a link with us.

The video screen was to the right of the sanctuary, where the piano is located. As we welcomed everyone to sing the opening song, Hosea – Come Back to Me, all heads turned to lock onto the video screen and the assembly sang very nicely (the sound from the video was amplified through the church sound system). The same was true for the closing song, Amazing Grace, and the video examination of conscience (which I also “narrated”). These moments most certainly enhanced the prayer.

Showing the images of the “Stories of Hope” from Operation Rice Bowl (as the stories were read aloud) was moderately successful only because the narrator was on the far left side of the sanctuary so there was a great distance between the narrator and the images being shown on the screen off to the right. Even so, it helped for the young people to visualize the people they will be helping through Operation Rice Bowl.

Showing the Images of Jesus Powerpoint (accompanied by instrumental music) as the children went to confession was more successful with the 4th graders during the 1st session than it was with the 6th graders during the 2nd session. It gave the children something they could focus on as they waited either to go to confession or for the others to finish. However, few seemed to avail themselves of this opportunity and they ignored it, still tending  to see this stretch of time (usually about 20-25 mins) as a time to chat with their friends. We space them out so there are only 3 per row and the catechists as well as the DRE walk about trying to keep them quiet however they still see this time simply as a lull and an opportunity to chat (albeit quietly, but still chatting). It almost seems to me that, during the time when confessions are being heard, children need to focus on a task – perhaps looking up a few Scripture passages and prayerfully answering some reflection questions. And perhaps, as they do so, they need to be seated one per row so they have less opportunity to mingle. Suggestions? Thoughts? Stories from your own experience?

[picture courstesy of Michael Porter via Compfight]

• 3 of my most rambunctious students were absent last night and while I was disappointed they missed the experience, it certainly made for a very calm evening!
• After welcoming the young people back from the holidays, we did a little review about the Ark of the Covenant and I showed them how I placed many of their prayer symbols in our own Ark to be carried for our opening procession which was very prayerful as usual.
• I then donned a baseball cap, put a whistle around my neck (and blew it!) and picked up a clip board and asked “What do I look like?” (realizing what a dangerous question that is to ask kids!) to which they shouted, “a coach!”
• I asked how many of them have had a coach at one time or another and all raised their hands. I then asked if anyone could imitate their coach and one young lady did a great imitation of her soccer coach yelling at her players!
• I asked why coaches “get in your face” and they said: because they want to win, they want to teach you, they want you to get it right, they want you to learn discipline and obedience, they want you to avoid mistakes, they want you to know the game plan, etc.
• I then said that we would be learning about some individuals whom God sent to the people and kings of Israel to act in a similar way: to “get in their faces” so that they would learn to follow God, to avoid mistakes, to know the plan, and so on.
• After we read about the Prophets from the Finding God book, I had them each locate in the Bible, a passage from a Prophet that I assigned to them ( Prophets of Israel Challenge the People BLM).
• With a little help from my aide and myself, the kids located their Prophet in the Table of Contents of the Bible and then pinpointed their assigned passage and copied it out on the blackline master. I told them to be ready to read aloud their passage as if giving a campaign speech and told them to indicate in their “script” where they will pause several times for audience reaction.
• One by one, the kids came forward and stepped up on a small step-stool I brought (we talked about what it means to “get up on your soapbox” or to do a “stump speech” – the only way to get attention in the days before microphones and video screens!) and delivered their “speeches.”
• Each began by introducing him or her self using the name of the Prophet and pausing for audience reaction. Half the class was assigned to cheer and the other half to boo which they did robustly but not wildly each time the speakers paused.
• After each speech, we went back over the words and I asked what this Prophet was “coaching” the people and kings of Israel to do and be. We learned about the following words: oppression, alien, justice, orphan, widow, perjury, eviction, and the phrase “rend your hearts.”
• The kids really enjoyed getting up on their soapbox and delivering their messages and they also enjoyed cheering and booing. We talked about how difficult it is to spread a message that some people don’t want to hear.
• I mentioned to the group how all of the Biblical Prophets are men and explained the gender roles of biblical times. The next girl that got up to give her speech introduced herself by saying, “Hi! I am the prophetess Obadiah!” You go, girl!
• This activity took about 25 minutes and was very fruitful. We followed with a wonderful experience of prayer – a 10 minute guided reflection asking Jesus to help us be prophets to those who need guidance and correction. The kids were very prayerful and quiet…it was one of the most reverent moments I’ve experienced as a catechist and I thanked them for that.
• The kids seemed very intrigued at the idea of writing a letter to the President of the United States about an issue of injustice as a way of participating in the prophetic ministry of Jesus. It’ll be interesting to see if any of them actually follow through.
• Before our closing prayer and dismissal, I said, “OK, I’m one of your parents picking you up tonight after class and I ask what you learned about in Mr. Paprocki’s class tonight:” They called out, “Prophets!” I asked, “and what’s a prophet?” to which they called out, “like a coach!” I asked, “whattya mean, like a coach?” to which they called out things like, “they taught the people to follow God; to stop doing bad things; to get with the plan; to be better people; to stop sinning” and so on. I asked, “and who are some of the Prophets?” to which they shouted, “Isaiah, Jeremiah, Obadiah, Micah, Ezekiel, Joel, etc.” naming the Prophets they were assigned or remembered listening to or reading about.
• I felt that this little informal assessment indicated that they had learned SOMETHING!!! Thank you, Jesus!

[photo: VarsityLife via Compfight]

• Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow (i.e. it can’t get much better than this!)
• How Great Thou Art (i.e. looks like I’m in for a very good year)
• Lead Me Lord (i.e. I’m uncertain but I know God will lead me)
• Be Not Afraid (i.e. There are definitely a few things to be afraid of so I need to be reassured)
• Be With Me Lord (i.e. this year is going to be a challenge!)
• Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (This group won’t stop talking…HELP!)

I then did the review that I described in my post yesterday and it was a lot of fun. The kids were really eager to come to the board and write in an answer and tape it into the correct space. When we got to the Ten Commandments, things really took off. I was pausing after each commandment to add a few thoughts and give a few examples when all of a sudden the kids eagerly began volunteering stories of commandments they had broken when they were “little.” It snow-balled into a number of stories of how they lied, took some money, or even “shop-lifted” when they were 3, 4, or 5 years old. The stories were very cute and it gave me an opportunity to talk about how kids that age are not yet old enough to be held responsible or to consider those acts sinful. But now that they are older and understand that something is wrong, such acts become sinful. The stories also revealed how their parents taught them right from wrong (one boy said he secretly took the waitress’ tip off the table at a restaurant and when his mom found out at home, they went back to the restaurant to return it!)

The best moment came, however, when I told them a true story that was in the news recently in Chicago of a thug who stole an iPhone from someone at the train station and, in his hurry to get away, knocked over an older woman who then hit her head and died from the injury. I explained how at least 3 commandments were broken in that incident: the thief first coveted his neighbor’s goods, that desire led him to steal, and all of it led to him killing someone…all over a phone. One young man raised his hand and said, “people like that have poop for brains!”

Amen! I told the young man that he was absoutely right and that they were so lucky to have parents who care enough to send them to religious education so that they can grow up with God’s word in their brains instead of you-know-what. And then I explained that THAT’S why I’m giving them a test to see whether or not their brains had the right stuff in them!

I guess this is a good example of what St. Ignatius meant when he said that when we teach we need to “enter through their door but be sure to leave through your door.” When you enter through their door, you never know what you might step into!

A Match Made in Heaven – Catholicism and Baseball according to John Allen

On April 1st, John Allen, the capstone speaker at our conference in Houston in 2008, had a particularly long column but he ended it by noting that “Yesterday marked the opening of the 2011 campaign, so in honor of the occasion, I’ll roll out my personal list of the ‘Top Nine Reasons why Baseball is to Sports what Catholicism is to Religion.’ Why nine? It’s a key number in both traditions — nine players on a diamond, nine innings in a game, and nine days to a novena.” The following are nine reasons why Catholicism and baseball are, quite literally, a match made in Heaven:

1. Both baseball and Catholicism venerate the past. Both have a Communion of Saints, all the way down to popular shrines and holy cards.

2. Both feature obscure rules that make sense only to initiates. (Think the Infield Fly rule for baseball fans and the Pauline privilege for Catholics.)

3. Both have a keen sense of ritual, in which pace is critically important. (As a footnote, that’s why basketball is more akin to Pentecostalism; both are breathless affairs premised largely on ecstatic experience.)

4. Both generate oceans of statistics, arcana, and lore. For entry-level examples, try: Who has the highest lifetime batting average, with a minimum of 1,000 at-bats? (Ty Cobb). Which popes had the longest and the shortest reigns? (Pius IX and Urban VII).

5. In both baseball and Catholicism, you can dip in and out, but for serious devotees the liturgy is a daily affair.

6. Both are global games which are especially big right now in Latin America. (Though I’m principally a Yankees fan, I live in Denver, where the Rockies’ starting rotation is composed of two pitchers from the Dominican Republic, a Venezuelan, a Mexican, and a guy from South Carolina. In a lot of dioceses, that’s not unlike the makeup of the presbyterate these days.)

7. Both baseball and Catholicism have been badly tainted by scandal, with the legacies of erstwhile superstars utterly ruined. Yet both have proved surprisingly resilient — perhaps demonstrating that the game is great enough to survive even the best efforts of those in charge at any given moment to ruin it.

8. Both have a complex farm system, and fans love to speculate about who the next hot commodity will be in “The Show.”

9. Both reward patience. If you’re the kind of person who needs immediate results, neither baseball nor Catholicism is really your game.

I’ll add another of my own: both have as their goal, reaching home safely!

Thank you for all your e-mails.

I need some help, I teach CCD I have a 12 year old boy who has an attitude and no matter what I say he says he doesn’t believe in God, when he asked so who made God, I said Himself, he responded how convenient, I just don’t know besides praying for him what else to do.  any suggestions are welcome.

thank you,