Pope Francis has raised the liturgical memorial of St. Mary Magdalene, the woman from the Gospels who, according to the pope, "so loved Christ and was so greatly loved by Christ, to a feast day. The text of Pope Francis' announcement, "Apostle of the Apostles," is available here.
As you find an occasion to share this news with your students, find time to also:
A news announcement on the lifting of the memorial to a feast
Information on the differences between a solemnity, feast, and memorial
Some background on the life of St. Mary Magdalene
Background on the possible location of Magdala
A reflection by Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles on the meaning of the life of St. Mary Magdalene
Barbara Jane Sloan, currently a doctoral student in theology at Marquette University, and formerly a Catholic high school theology teacher AND former poster in the Engaging Faith blog was featured this week in the New York Times with her new husband Nathaniel Peters. Enjoy reading of their unique and happy courtship. This is also an article suitable for sharing with your students as part of a marriage and vocations course. Congratulations to Jane and Nathaniel!
As the school year comes to a close, here are some prayers to share with your students as they embark on the immediate future of summer while considering what life will bring them in the semesters ahead. Each of the prayers is taken from Day by Day The Notre Dame Prayerbook for Students.
For Responsible Decisions
O God,
who has called me to place such complete trust in you
that nothing can tyrannize my life,
deliver me, I pray . . . .
from becoming a slave to my books
from daydreaming away my time
from an over concern about sex
from an over anxiety about my future
from an uncritical view of myself
from an overcritical view of myself
and from all the half-known deities
which try to dictate what I shall be.
Save me, that I may be free
to make responsible decisions
and serve you with wholeness
Amen.
--John W. Vannorsdall
For A Light in the Darkness
Father, grant that I may be
a bearer of Christ Jesus, your Son.
Allow me to warm the often cold, impersonal
scene of modern life with your burning love.
Strengthen me, by your Holy Spirit
to carry out my mission of changing the world
or some definite part of it, for the better.
Despite my lamentable failures, bring home to me
that my advantages are your blessings
to be shared with others.
Make me more energetic in setting to rights
what I find wrong with the world
instead of complaining about it or myself.
Nourish in me a practical desire
to build up rather than tear down
to reconcile more than polarize
to go out on a limb rather than crave security.
Never let me forget that it is far better
to light one candle than to curse the darkness.
And to join my light, one day, with yours.
Amen.
--Christopher Prayer Book
To Christ Our Only Teacher
Thank you, Jesus, for bringing me this far.
In your light I see the light of my life.
Your teaching is brief and to the point.
You persuade us to trust in our heavenly Father;
you command us to love one another.
What is easier than to believe in God?
What is sweeter than to love him?
Your yoke is pleasant, your burden light,
you, the only and only Teacher!
Your promise everything to those who obey your teaching,
you ask nothing too hard for a believer,
nothing a lover can refuse.
Your promises to your disciples are true,
entirely true, nothing but the truth.
Even more, you promise use yourself,
the perfection of all that can be made perfect.
Than you, Jesus, now and always.
Amen.
--Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464)
The end of the school year is time for review.
While the following “50 Questions” are part of the Send Out Your Spirit high-school Confirmation program, they serve well as a general review for students enrolled in just about any Catholic high school theology course. You may wish to assign some or all of these questions as part of a graded final, extra credit, or as part of a number of quiz games you might wish to play with your students in these last days and weeks of school.
50 Questions
1. Define “catechumenate.”
2. What are some differences between the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) and the Rite of Baptism of Children (RBC)?
3. Name the elements of the basic Rite of Baptism.
4. How many adults were baptized at your parish at the last Easter vigil?
5. How many children were baptized in the last calendar year at your parish?
6. What are the central beliefs about God espoused in our Catholic creeds?
7. Name at least four attributes of God.
8. Name and explain three dogmas about the Holy Trinity.
9. Where is the tabernacle placed in your parish? Why is it placed where it is?
10. When is the Feast of the Holy Trinity?
11. How did the early Church answer Arius’s claim that Jesus only took the “appearance” of a man?
12. Define “Incarnation.”
13. What did Jesus tell his disciples would happen to him in Jerusalem?
14. How can you come to know Jesus?
15. How do you think you would respond if someone held a gun to your head and asked, “Do you believe in Jesus Christ?”
16. Name and explain three kinds of writing in the Bible.
17. What are the three stages of the composition of the Gospel?
18. How did the Second Vatican Council encourage a renewed interest in the Scriptures for Catholics?
19. What is meant by the term “Septuagint”? “Vulgate”?
20. Which of the following translations of the Bible are accepted by Catholics? Protestants? Both?
King James New Jerusalem Revised Standard
New American The Way Good News
21. What were the causes of the schism between the churches of East and West and of the Protestant Reformation?
22. How does the Church answer the criticism that “Catholics pray to saints”?
23. Define “infallibility” related to Church teaching.
24. Who is the bishop of your diocese? What do you know about him?
25. Define and tell the function of each of these Church structures:
archdiocese college of cardinals parish
diocese deanery parish council
26. How does the morality of human acts depend on the object chosen, the intention, and the circumstances of the action?
27. Write the Beatitudes.
28. Write the Ten Commandments.
29. Write the precepts of the Church.
30. How can the Sacrament of Penance help you to live a moral life?
31. How is the Paschal Mystery like other historical events? How is it different from other historical events?
32. Define “transubstantiation.”
33. According to the Council of Florence, what three things are necessary for a sacrament to be valid?
34. Name the two main parts of the Mass. What takes place in each part?
35. Put these parts of the Mass in sequential order:
Penitential Rite Gospel Consecration
First Reading Our Father Communion
Homily Sign of Peace Holy, Holy, Holy
Eucharistic Prayer Offertory Concluding Rite
36. Name and explain three basic human rights.
37. What is meant by the phrase “preferential option for the poor”?
38. List the corporal works of mercy.
39. List the spiritual works of mercy.
40. Outline the Church’s basic positions on the justice issues of consumerism, the environment, and war and violence.
41. Write at least four ways Catholics are able to know the Holy Spirit.
42. What is the essential rite of Confirmation?
43. Name four effects of the Sacrament of Confirmation.
44. List the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
45. How many candidates will be confirmed at the next Confirmation at your parish?
46. How is self-concept related to self-esteem?
47. Who administers the Sacrament of Matrimony?
48. What does the Church teach about sex outside of marriage?
49. What is meant by the term “consecrated life”?
50. How is the ministerial priesthood different from the common priesthood?
If you are interested in an answer sheet for these questions, leave your name and email address in the comment section below this post and we will send them to you.
