Today, we focus on the second Mystery of Light, which is the Wedding Feast at Cana. Perhaps one of the most striking images of God’s generosity and what I like to call a “banquet mentality” can be found in the story of Jesus’s first miracle at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1–11). Jesus, his mother, and his disciples were attending a wedding feast in Cana when the bride and groom ran out of wine. Jesus’s […]
This summer, I concluded my tenth year working as a Director of Faith Formation. As I reflect on my gratitude for all of the experiences of these past ten years in ministry, I have also been thinking of the lessons I’ve learned along the way. These are lessons I am continually learning, and sometimes I fail at them, but God never gives up on me! Pray or none of it matters. What good is my […]
In this episode of Pop-Up Prayer, Lillie Rodgers talks about recognizing that, in prayer, we don’t have to work at ascending a ladder to reach God, since God has “descended” to be with us in the Incarnation. Lillie, who appears in this video with her two-year-old daughter Grace, is Coordinator of Pastoral Ministry at St. Paul’s Newman Center at the University of Wyoming. Be sure to check out the many resources on prayer and many excellent books on […]
Part of the mystery of life is not knowing what the future holds for us. As mystagogues, we catechists lead others into their future life, a life clouded by mystery but with one thing crystal clear: God is with them on every step of their journey! I have said before that mystagogues are like sponsors in a 12-step program, who accompany their sponsee on his or her journey from one step to another as one […]
In the First Book of Kings, we read an interesting story about how God makes himself known to us. The prophet Elijah is told to go out on a mountain and wait for the Lord to pass by. A mighty wind passes by, “but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was […]
We continue our series, Pop-Up Prayer—brief interviews on the topic of prayer with prominent people in pastoral ministry from all over the country! In this episode, Dr. Kathryn Bojczyk talks about the importance of teaching children to pray from within an attitude of gratitude. Dr. Bojczyk currently serves as Chair of the Department of Education and Coordinator of the Early Childhood Education Program at The Catholic University of America. She has also served as a […]
Young people who are first being exposed to Eucharistic Adoration may wonder what to do during the silent time spent in front of the Most Holy Sacrament. Encourage them to have a conversation with Jesus with our downloadable Eucharistic Adoration Cards as a guide. The cards include prompts for conversation with Jesus, such as, “Tell Jesus what you are most excited about,” or, “Ask Jesus for the help you need in the days to come.” […]
The Eucharistic Revival is a great opportunity for catechesis on the Eucharist, and one approach is to help families see the Eucharist as part of God’s plan. Too often, we Catholics receive our sacraments without a deeper understanding of how they connect with the overall narrative of salvation history: how God, throughout history, has continually rescued, restored, and reassured his people. Without this understanding, we run the risk of approaching the sacraments as something that […]
We continue our summer series, Pop-Up Prayer—brief interviews on the topic of prayer with prominent people in pastoral ministry from all over the country! In this episode, Tom Quinlan talks about the need to create a disposition of receptivity when it comes to our personal prayer. Tom is Ministry Director at the St. Joseph Educational Center for the Diocese of Des Moines, IA, and the author of Excellence in Ministry. Be sure to check out the many […]
We continue our summer series, Pop-Up Prayer—brief interviews on the topic of prayer with people in pastoral ministry from all over the country! In this episode, we learn from David O’Brien, Regional Director of Project LIFT, a non-profit organization that helps at-risk young people struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues. The former Director of Adult Education and Lay Ministry Formation Director for the Archdiocese of Mobile, David talks about the importance of teaching […]
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