Your students likely know that Lent is a time of fasting and doing penance, but do they know why? The forty days of fasting and penance are in imitation of the forty days Jesus spent in the desert prior to the beginning of his ministry (see Luke 4:1-13)
Abstaining from food has always been a part of Lent. In some eras, the requirements for fasting were very difficult. In the seventh century, St. Gregory the Great wrote: “We abstain from flesh meat and from all things that come from flesh, such as milk cheese, eggs—and butter of course.”
During those times, as Ash Wednesday approached, families used up any of those food products that could not be eaten during Lent. From this practice have come such holidays as Mardis Gras (Fat Tuesday) and Carnival (“removal of meat”). Celebrations mark these days and continue to be part of the pre-Lenten week.
Today, there are not as many required penances during Lent. In the United States, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting (from age 18 to 59) and abstinence (for anyone over 14). Fasting means that only one main meal and two smaller meals may be eaten. Abstinence means that no meat or meat products may be eaten on these days or on any Friday of Lent.
Teens are generally open to “giving something up” for Lent, even non-Catholic teens. The forty days of penance is a good chance to clear their lives of sinfulness and bad habits and to get a new start in goodness and truth in Christ. As a class assignment, share the following list of forty things a teen (or adult) can give up for Lent. (Some of these items can be given up permanently.) Have them do the following:
• Suggest other items.
• Make a pledge to give up one or more of the items on the list.
• Keep a journal of their penitential experience.
• Promise to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance before Easter.
The List 40 Things to Give Up for Lent
Listening to gossip
Swearing
Getting high
Texting and driving
Snapchat
Instagram
Plagiarizing a report
Cheating on a test
Pornography
Missing Mass
Missing family functions
Driving
Headphones
Cliquish behavior
Not exercising
Provocative dancing
Masturbation
Alcohol
Wasting money
Television
Music with sexual or violent lyrics
Arguing
Disobeying parents
Belittling another
Ignoring a classmate
Lack of effort on academics
Skipping a day of prayer
Selfies
Buying new clothes
Soda
Being in a hurry
Procrastination
Fried foods
Forgetting to call Grandma
Ungratefulness
Hopelessness
Too much sleep
Too little sleep
Meanness
Chocolate
To learn a simple form of "object meditation" provide each student with an acorn. Lead a simple meditation on the acorn using the following script.
A good way to begin to learn about meditation is to practice a very simple form of meditation using a common object from nature. I've chosen an acorn, but you can also meditate on grass, leaves, flowers, stones, small shells, twigs, seed pods, pine cones, or small vegetables. Another preliminary step is to find a place with a minimum of distractions. Your desk will have to do. Nevertheless, take everything else off the table. Assume a comfortable position. Inhale and exhale slowly, being aware of the air coming in and going out. Close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you. Be at peace, quiet, and still.
The first step in a simple meditation is to observe carefully the object you have chosen. In this stage you are like a scientist who wants to know everything there is to know about the object. Hold the acorn in your hand. Notice its colors, its form, its shape. Put it to your lips. Smell it. Feel its texture next to your cheek. Place it by your ear. Touch your tongue to it. Try to capture the feeling a child would have for the first time. Learn all you can about it. (Spend about three to five minutes on this step of the meditation.)
The second step of a simple meditation is to reflect. Ask yourself the question, "What does this mean?" Make full use of your imagination in this phase of the meditation. Close your eyes. Ask the acorn what it is saying to you. You might think of the tall oak tree that dropped it to the ground. Or perhaps you will picture its being taken away by a squirreled away to provide a nutritious meal for some small animal during the winter. Or you could see the little oak taking root and gradually growing into a tall sturdy tree. Perhaps you can feel the power and mystery hidden in the small acorn you are holding. It is a little time bomb of potential life which, if properly planted and nourished, will unleash tremendous power. Perhaps you will imagine the thousands of acorns that could come from this one little acorn, the other trees they might create, the shade these trees will give, the safety their branches will provide for the birds, and so on. What it is that is so special about this wonderful object that God made? (Spend another three to five minutes on this step.)
Meditation is a way to listen to God, a third step. So far you haven't even consciously thought of God. Now, in this step you turn to see what God might be telling you about this wonderful, small creation. Think back to what you observed and what the acorn might be saying to you. Select a couple of your observations and see if there is a message there for your own life. Perhaps you were struct by the insight that an acorn is a powerful little bundle of life that can bring forth great growth. You, too, are like that. God has given you gifts that, if nurtured, can bring forth life in other people. Ask the Lord to show you where your gifts are and how you can nourish them. Perhaps you have planted them in bad soil, for example, you are developing a bad habit like cheating that needs to be corrected for you to grow straight and true. If this insight comes to you, you might make a mental note of it and thank God for sharing it with you. (Spend another few minutes listening to what God might be saying to you through the object of your meditation.)
It is usually a good iea to make some kind of resolution as you conclude the meditation. You might recite a prayer thanking God for any insights you were given. Maybe you can thank God for helping you to realize what great potential you have to do God's work in the world. Or you might praise God for the beautiful created things that have been made for your enjoyment, like the stately trees which many take for granted. Or if you found that your meditation revealed a bad habit like cheating, you might promise the Lord that on your next test you will be honest no matter what the cost. By resolving to do something with your meditation, you will be better able to relate it to your everyday life. (Allow two or three minutes for the conclusion of this stage of the meditation.)
Teaching about Marriage can be a challenge sometimes because you want to give the students an understanding of the Sacrament while not offending those whose loved ones are divorced, live together, or are remarried outside of the Church. How can you teach the students why it is important to prepare for strong marriages without seeming to condemn students’ families?
There are multiple ways of being sensitive and using “objective” data about marriage is one of them. “Secular” scholars conduct multiple studies on marriage in the USA, and much of what they find supports Church teaching about the importance of marriage and the potential dangers of cohabitation. Some studies also mention the economic impact of various relationships on adults and children.
Secular Studies on Marriage
The National Marriage Project regularly publishes The State of Our Unions, Marriage in America (SOU) studies. The final section of the 2012 document, “Social Indicators of Marital Health & Well-being, Trends of the Past Five Decades,” provides statistics about marriage, divorce, unmarried cohabitation, the role of the child, fragile families and information about teen attitudes about marriage and family.
Although the National Marriage Week Website can point you to some in-depth research, it also has some shorter resources that can help discussions such as the two page summary of Why Marriage Matters, Thirty Conclusions from the Social Sciences, Third Edition, and “The Ten Myths of Divorce.”
Ideas for Using the Resources
• You may want to use the information in the State of Our Unions to compare their own hopes to the 88 percent of American teens who wanted to marry someday. (SOU, p. 107)
• Ask if their experience corresponds with the data that married adults are happier than single, widowed, or divorced adults. (Over 60 percent of married people said that they were “very happy” in their marriages.) (SOU, pp. 62, 68)
• See if they agree with the statistics that say that children and their issues are receiving less attention than they did in the past. (SOU, pp. 84 – 88)
• Look at the handout, “The Top Ten Myths About Divorce” with your students and ask them to compare some of the information against their own life experience.
• Ask students, Why would a couple live together rather than marry? Do you think that living together benefits both men and women equally? Do children benefit equally when their parents’ live together and when they marry? (SOU, pp. 76 – 78)
• Ask them to think about why married people are wealthier than their single counterparts? (SOU, pp. 79-83)
As a summary, you may then want to strategize with them about the best steps to take going forward to increase their chances of having a successful marriage.
Thursday February 6, 2014, is the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Fr. Edward Sorin, C.S.C.
Fr. Sorin is best known for founding the University of Notre Dame in 1842. But from where we sit, we remember Fr. Sorin as the founder of Ave Maria Press.
In 1865, against the advice of just about everyone, Fr. Sorin began the a magazine he titled Ave Maria. Father Sorin’s goal was to produce a magazine honoring Mary, focusing on Catholic families, and showcasing the best American Catholic writing. Despite discouragement from naysayers who didn't believe it could be done, Sorin launched his magazine. In a daring move for his era, he soon turned the reins over to a woman, Sister Angela Gilespie, a nurse veteran of the Civil War. The Ave Maria grew quickly, and by the turn of the twentieth century, it was the most popular English-language Catholic magazine in the world. The magazine was published on Sundays until 1970.
Fr. Sorin was tough-minded and was known for a sharp tongue. He had to be in order to achieve the many accomplishments for his life, including serving as Superior of the Congregation of Holy Cross, supervising the Holy Cross missions in the United States, and being the first president of the University of Notre Dame.
A thorough biography of Fr. Sorin details what many consider to be his finest hour.
When a great fire destroyed the six story Main building at Notre Dame in April 1879, all was lost: dorms, classrooms, offices, and a chapel. Fr. Sorin was away when the fire struck, on the east coast about to embark for Europe. He immediately came back to Notre Dame to address the students and faculty. His words have never been forgotten:
I came here as a young man and founded a university which I named after the Mother of God. Now she had to burn it to the ground to show me I dreamed too small a dream. Tomorrow we will build it bigger and, when it is built, we will put a gold dome on top with a golden statue of the Mother of God so that everyone who comes this way will know to whom we owe whatever great future this place has.
Ave Maria Press celebrates the birthday of our founder, Fr. Edward Sorin. We share in the gratefulness to him and especially to Our Mother, Notre Dame du lac, that we have been part of the future he imagined.
Just before my college graduation, I prayed: “I want to know you God. I really want to know you.”
Apparently, that prayer was stamped with “high priority” and my answer came about four months to the day of graduation. That’s when I started as a gym coach at St. Monica School in Santa Monica.
I didn’t piece it altogether at first, but I really got to know God from the day I taught my first gym class.
I was struck by the friendship of the eighth grade boys and girls. Oh, they teased each other as normal. But there was a deep bond between them. I could imagine them standing by each other as lifelong friends.
I was surprised by the caring teachers. The sixth grade teacher came outside and played volleyball with her students. The third graders raced to line back up for class when they saw their teacher coming to meet them. I had the feeling it was because they wanted to get back to be with her.
I got a kick out of the “ker plunk” sound the kneelers made hitting the floor at the school Mass. Kids just minutes before sweaty and loud on the playground were now on their knees in seriousness and silence through the Eucharistic prayer.
In November the principal called me inside to substitute in a junior high classroom. The bell rang after the last period math class and I was about to dismiss the students to go home. One of the girls reminded me that the day always ended with a prayer. And then she led the prayer herself.
I don’t remember the day or month that I realized the connection between all of these experiences to my college graduation prayer, but eventually I did. And ever since I’ve felt fortunate that when my own kids or anyone else has asked me when I first really came to know or name God in my life, I can answer “It was on a blacktop in Santa Monica. It was at a Catholic school”
I’ve been reminded of these memories in connection with this year’s celebration of Catholic School’s Week. This year’s theme is “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service.
An entire school community imbues faith certainly but the primary way faith is shared, practiced, and encouraged is through religious instruction. In a theology class, neither the Catholic educator nor the textbook and other resources he or she uses are intended as conduits of information to be shared in a sterile way with passive students. In fact the best success teachers or textbooks can have in enhancing the faith of students is their direct correlation to sharing the presence of Christ. Regarding the teacher’s crucial role in sharing faith, Pope Benedict XVI said:
The central figure in the work of educating . . . is specifically the form of witness. . . . The witness never refers to himself but to something, or rather, to Someone greater than he, whom he has encountered and whose dependable goodness he has sampled. Thus, every educator and witness finds an unequaled model in Jesus Christ, the Father's great witness, who said nothing about himself but spoke as the Father had taught him [cf. John 8:28].
The connection between religious education and knowledge is of greater importance as moral relativism creeps more and more into our culture and impacts the lives of teens and young adults in dramatic ways. Catholic school teachers, and theology teachers in particular, are called to shape in their students a desire for truth, a way to recognize truth, and a way to articulate truth to their peers. Pope John Paul II addressed this challenge in an ad limina talk to American bishops:
The greatest challenge to Catholic education in the United States today, and the greatest contribution that authentically Catholic education can make to American culture, is to restore to that culture the conviction that human beings can grasp the truth of things, and, in grasping that truth, can know their duties to God, to themselves and their neighbors. . . . The contemporary world urgently needs the service of educational institutions that uphold and teach that truth is "that fundamental value without which freedom, justice, and human dignity are extinguished" (Veritatis Splendor, 4).
The altruistic nature of Catholic schools and their students is always tangible. A Catholic Schools Week is a chance to refocus this mission and deepen it. Service, as Pope Francis emphasized in his closing homily at World Youth day, is “the final word.” There is rarely a day that goes bythat the Pope doesn’t model service. The personal touch of Pope Francis can’t help to inspire teens to carry Christ to others and to expand lessons learned in the classroom to action literally in the streets of their surrounding communities.
Over the years you have noticed that in each chapter of Ave Maria Press textbooks are activities and suggestions for deepening faith, broadening learning, and sharing both lessons with others. These “mind, heart, and hand” panels are rooted in the Congregation of Holy Cross mission to let students “try their learning in the world and so make prayers of their education” (Bl. Basil Moreau).
The Holy Cross common rule also states that “the spirit of faith inspires and animates zeal, that is to say, the sacred fire which the Divine Master came to bring on earth.” Zeal is an apt word. If, after all these years, I could go back and describe what I first witnessed in the students on the playground in Santa Monica and how this experience helped me to see God’s face in the world, I might now answer that I witnessed a zeal for life among the impassioned, enthusiastic, friendly, loving boys and girls of those days. Isn’t God the same way?
On January 12, Pope Francis announced that there would be nineteen new cardinals in the Catholic Church. The interesting thing about the selections is that a majority of the new cardinals come from places other than Europe, North America, or the Vatican itself. Here are the names and places of all the new cardinals. Note the variety of locales.
• Fernando Sebastian Aguilar, C. M. F., Archbishop Emeritus, Pamplona, Spain
• Ricardo Ezzati Andrello, S.D.B., Archbishop of Santiago del Cile, Chile
• Lorenzo Baldisseri, Titular Archbishop of Dioclenziana, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops (Vatican)
• Gualtiero Bassetti, Archbishop of Perugia-Città della Pieve, Italy
• Loris Francesco Capovilla, Titular Archbihop of Mesembria, former personal secretary of Blessed Pope John XXIII
• Kelvin Edward Felix, Archbishop emeritus of Castries
• Jean-Pierre Kutwa, Archbishop of Abidjan, Ivory Coast
• Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, Archbishop of Québec, Canada
• Chibly Langlois, Bishop of Les Cayes, Haiti
• Gerhard Ludwig Muller, Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Regensburg, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Vatican)
• Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, Great Britain
• Philippe Nakellentuba Ouédraogo, Archbishop of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
• Pietro Parolin, Titular Archbishop of Acquapendente, Secretary of State
• Mario Auerelio Poli, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Orlando B. Quevedo, O.M.I., Archbishop of Cotabato, Philippines
• Leopoldo José Brenes Solórzano, Archbishop of Managua, Nicaragua
• Andrew Yeom Soo jung, Archbishop of Seoul, Korea
• Beniamino Stella, Titular Archbishop of Midila, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy (Vatican)
• Orani João Tempesta, O.Cist., Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
There are several aspects of these appointments that your students can research if time allows.
Assignment 1
Group the cardinals in various categories. Here are some sample ways:
• Cardinals from the Vatican central bureaucracy – those with “titular archbishop” after their names
• Cardinals from countries with the largest number of Catholics: Brazil and the Philippines
• Only non-Vatican bureaucrat from Europe: Arch. Vincent Nichols
• Sole North American appointment: Arch. Gérald Lacroix
• Cardinals with Distinguished Service who are over 80 years old: Archbishops Loris Capovilla, Archbishop Aguilar, C.M.F.; Archbishop
Felix
• Cardinals from Central, South America and the Caribbean: Archbishop Solórzano of Managua, Nicaragua; Archbishop Tempesta, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Archbishop Poli of Buenos Aires, Argentina; Archbishop Andrello of Santiago, Chile; Archbishop Langlois of Les Cayes, Haiti
• Cardinals from Africa and Asia: Archbishop Kutwa of Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Archbishop of Ouédraogo of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Archbishop Quevado, of Cotabato, Philippines, Archbishop Soo jung of Seoul, Korea
Assignment 2
Research several topics related to the title cardinal. For example:
• The history behind the college of cardinals’ size
• The significance of turning 80 years old for cardinals
• The responsibilities of cardinals versus those who are just archbishops
• The reason why Pope Francis may have not appointed any cardinals in the US
• The reason why it is important for there to be more cardinals from the Southern Hemisphere
• The nature of “titular archbishops”
Assignment 3
Research the places where the cardinals come from. (If you want each student to have his or her own cardinal to research, select cardinals out of the college that represent the global nature of the Church.) Include in a report:
• Size of diocese or archdiocese in terms of square miles and population
• Name of the cathedral
• Information about the cardinal-elect such as age, length of time in position, former positions, interests, etc.
• Names of any other bishops, auxiliary or emeritus, also in the archdiocese
• Literacy rate for people in archdiocese (may have to find the info. for a larger area, in some cases the country as a whole)
• Poverty rate for people in archdiocese
• Other religions practiced by a significant number of people in area
After having researched the cardinals’ archdioceses, students can compare the information they found.
• How much do the archdioceses range in size? Population? Number of priests and religious? Numbers of bishops?
• How many cardinals head archdioceses that are in countries that are primarily Catholic? Primarily Christian? Primarily non-Christian? How might these different situations affect the cardinals?
• How many cardinals head archdioceses that are wealthy versus poor, literate versus illiterate, and so on? What are implications for these cardinals?
Suggestion: Group the students by the cardinals’ region so that your students might be able to research and identify issues facing the Church in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Europe, North America, and Oceania.
Assignment 4
Note the religious orders of some of the cardinals. Several of the cardinals belong to religious orders. Ask the students to provide more information on these religious orders.
As you settle back into a new semester, don't let Christmas go without sharing and reflecting on the Christmas message of Pope Francis.
While the Pope’s Christmas message may be too long to address with the students in one class period, here are three ways you might use the prayer in the classroom.
Take parts of the prayer and use them as intentions or prayer with your students.
Invite your students to research some of the people for whom the pope prays so that they can inform their peers about the pope’s concerns.
Select passages to discuss such as this one about peace: “True peace is not a balance of opposing forces. It is not a lovely “façade” which conceals conflicts and divisions. Peace calls for daily commitment, starting from God’s gift, from the grace which he has given us in Jesus Christ.”
Text of the Pope’s Christmas Message
Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors (Lk 2:14)
Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Christmas!
I take up the song of the angels who appeared to the shepherds in Bethlehem on the night when Jesus was born. It is a song which unites heaven and earth, giving praise and glory to heaven, and the promise of peace to earth and all its people.
I ask everyone to share in this song: it is a song for every man or woman who keeps watch through the night, who hopes for a better world, who cares for others while humbly seeking to do his or her duty.
Glory to God!
Above all else, this is what Christmas bids us to do: give glory to God, for he is good, he is faithful, he is merciful. Today I voice my hope that everyone will come to know the true face of God, the Father who has given us Jesus. My hope is that everyone will feel God’s closeness, live in his presence, love him and adore him.
May each of us give glory to God above all by our lives, by lives spent for love of him and of all our brothers and sisters.
Peace to mankind
True peace is not a balance of opposing forces. It is not a lovely “façade” which conceals conflicts and divisions. Peace calls for daily commitment, starting from God’s gift, from the grace which he has given us in Jesus Christ.
Looking at the Child in the manger, our thoughts turn to those children who are the most vulnerable victims of wars, but we think too of the elderly, to battered women, to the sick… Wars shatter and hurt so many lives!
Too many lives have been shattered in recent times by the conflict in Syria, fueling hatred and vengeance. Let us continue to ask the Lord to spare the beloved Syrian people further suffering, and to enable the parties in conflict to put an end to all violence and guarantee access to humanitarian aid. We have seen how powerful prayer is! And I am happy today too, that the followers of different religious confessions are joining us in our prayer for peace in Syria. Let us never lose the courage of prayer! The courage to say: Lord, grant your peace to Syria and to the whole world.
Grant peace to the Central African Republic, often forgotten and overlooked. Yet you, Lord, forget no one! And you also want to bring peace to that land, torn apart by a spiral of violence and poverty, where so many people are homeless, lacking water, food and the bare necessities of life. Foster social harmony in South Sudan, where current tensions have already caused numerous victims and are threatening peaceful coexistence in that young state.
Prince of Peace, in every place turn hearts aside from violence and inspire them to lay down arms and undertake the path of dialogue. Look upon Nigeria, rent by constant attacks which do not spare the innocent and defenseless. Bless the land where you chose to come into the world, and grant a favourable outcome to the peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. Heal the wounds of the beloved country of Iraq, once more struck by frequent acts of violence.
Lord of life, protect all who are persecuted for your name. Grant hope and consolation to the displaced and refugees, especially in the Horn of Africa and in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Grant that migrants in search of a dignified life may find acceptance and assistance. May tragedies like those we have witnessed this year, with so many deaths at Lampedusa, never occur again!
Child of Bethlehem, touch the hearts of all those engaged in human trafficking, that they may realize the gravity of this crime against humanity. Look upon the many children who are kidnapped, wounded and killed in armed conflicts, and all those who are robbed of their childhood and forced to become soldiers.
Lord of heaven and earth, look upon our planet, frequently exploited by human greed and rapacity. Help and protect all the victims of natural disasters, especially the beloved people of the Philippines, gravely affected by the recent typhoon.
Dear brothers and sisters, today, in this world, in this humanity, is born the Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. Let us pause before the Child of Bethlehem. Let us allow our hearts to be touched, let us allow ourselves to be warmed by the tenderness of God; we need his caress. God is full of love: to him be praise and glory forever! God is peace: let us ask him to help us to be peacemakers each day, in our life, in our families, in our cities and nations, in the whole world. Let us allow ourselves to be moved by God’s goodness.
During his papacy, Pope Francis has spoke many times on the topic of gossip. Pointedly, Pope Francis said, "Gossip always has a criminal side to it. There is no such thing as innocent gossip."
Address the topic with your students as a new year begins. Define gossip as "revealing private or sensational facts about others." But also add that gossiping also entails listening as well as only telling. Challenge them to resolve that 2014 will be a year that they avoid gossiping in all forms. To encourage this commitment, remind the students of a classic story.
The Tongue and How to Use It
A young lady once went to the good man, St. Philip Neri, to confess her sins. He knew one of her faults only too well. She was not a bad-hearted girl, but she often talked of her neighbors and spoke idle tales about them. These tales were told again by others, and much harm was done, and no good.
St. Philip said: "My daughter, you do wrong to speak ill of others, and I order you to perform penance. You must b uy a fowl at the market. Then walk out of the town, and as you go along the road pull the feathers from the bird and scatter them. Do not stop until you have plucked every feather. When you have done this, come back and tell me."
She said to herself that this was a very singular punishment to suffer. But she made no objection. She bought the fowl, walked out, and plucked the feathers as she had been told. Then she went to St. Philip and reported what she had done.
"My daughter," said the saint, "you have carried out the first part of the penance. Now there is a second part. You must now go back the way you came and pick up all the feathers."
"But, Father, this cannot be done. By this time the wind has blow them all ways. I might pick up some, but I could not possibly gather up all."
"Quite true, my daughter. And it is not so with the unwise words that you let fall. Have you not often dropped idle tales from your lips, and have they not gone this way and that, carried from mouth to mouth until they are quite beyond you? Could you possibly follow them and recall them if you wanted to do so?"
Discussion
What is the main lesson of this story?
Private Journal
When have you been hurt or hurt another person by gossip. Explain.
