Celebrate the feast of Christmas every day, even every moment in the interior temple of your spirit, remaining like a baby in the bosom of the heavenly Father, where you will be reborn each moment in the Divine Word, Jesus Christ. — St. Paul of the Cross The staff of Ave Maria Press wishes you, your family, faculty, staff, and students all of the blessings of Christmas for 2013 and beyond.
In "The Burning Babe" sixteenth-century British poet Robert Southwell reflects on the love of Christ for fallen humanity. Through poetic imagery he combines the story of Christ's birth with accounts of his Passion and Death. His poem gives an unforgettable portrait of Jesus Christ, true God and true man. Have your students read the poem and complete the questions and activity from the book The Catholic Spirit: An Anthology for Discovering Faith Through Literature, Art, Film, and Music. The Burning Babe As I in hoary winter’s night Stood shivering in the snow, Surprised I was with sudden heat Which made my heart to glow; And lifting up a fearful eye To view what fire was near, A pretty babe all burning bright Did in the air appear; Who, scorched with excessive heat, Such floods of tears did shed, As though His floods should quench His flames, Which with His tears were bred: ‘Alas!’ quoth He, ‘but newly born In fiery heats I fry, Yet none approach to warm their hearts Or feel my fire but I! ‘My faultless breast the furnace is; The fuel, wounding thorns; Love is the fire, and sighs the smoke; The ashes, shames and scorns; The fuel Justice layeth on, And Mercy blows the coals, The metal in this furnace wrought Are men’s defiled souls: For which, as now on fire I am To work them to their good, So will I melt into a bath, To wash them in my blood’ With this He vanish’d out of sight And swiftly shrunk away, And straight I called unto mind That it was Christmas Day. Reading for Comprehension What surprises the narrator when he encounters the infant? Name two traditional images of the Nativity in the poem. Name two images of Christ's Passion in the poem. Why does the Babe weep in Southwell’s poem? Reading for Understanding How does Southwell’s poem represent Christ as true God and true man? Activities Write your own short poem or journal entry that reflects your love for humanity, in spite of human sinfulness. Research and write a short synopsis of the life of St. Robert Southwell. Answer: When did he live? Why was he martyred? When was he canonized?
The Advent candles remind us that Jesus himself is the "light of the world" (Jn 8:12). Follow the directions for short prayer service you can use with your class in the weeks before Christmas. Materials needed taper candles (one for each student) slips of paper (two for each student) pens or pencils Directions Have the students write on small slips of paper specific elements of darkness in their own lives (e.g., a jealous friend, an incident of prejudice, a time of loneliness) and on other slips of paper specific ways that Jesus brought light to their lives (e.g., a special friendship, a caring teacher, a favorite spot in nature, peace through participation in the sacraments). Arrange a large space where the students can sit in a circle. Distribute unlit taper candles. Keep the room semi-dark. Call on one of the students to begin by sharing one occasion of darkness he or she wrote about. Repeat the process around the rest of the circle with each student sharing about darkness. Then begin the sharing again, this time with the student sharing about how Jesus brings light. After the first person shares, light his or her candle. The person with the lit candle chooses any person in the circle and lights that person's candle. The person with the newly lit candle shares how Jesus brings light and then lights a third person's candle. Continue until all of the candles are lit. Consider concluding with a song with lyrics that describe Jesus as the light of the world.
As part of the celebration of two upcoming Marian feasts—the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe—ask your students to complete one of the following. 1 Report on the history and practice of one of these popular Marian devotions: the Angelus Marian novena Rosary litany of the Blessed Mother first Saturday devotion 2 Mary's Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55) describes in her own words her willingness to giver her entire being to God. Read a Scripture commentary on the Magnificat. Write an essay explaining something of its origins. Then choose three verses that would give encouragement to the poor. Explain why you chose the verses that you did. 3 Research and report on one of the following Marian apparitions: Guadalupe, Mexico Lourdes, France Fatima, Portugal Champion, Wisconsin, USA 4 Develop a lesson for primary-age children that explains the Church's belief in the Immaculate Conception so that they can easily understand its meaning.
With the simplicity and wonder of the shepherds, we find God, who is one like us, born of the flesh. Inspired by Luke 2:6-20, this guided meditation is written by Fr. Thomas Catucci. Choose instrumental Christmas music to play in the background. Have your students find a comfortable place and close their eyes. Read the meditation. Pause slightly on each ellipse. Pause slightly longer on paragraph breaks. Total time: 11 minutes. And we pray: Lord Jesus Christ... Be with us as we meditate... Guide us in our prayer... For we trust in you... And in your Holy Spirit directing our thoughts and our dreams to discovering you in our lives... Be with us Lord... Guide us in peace... Stay near... Be near... With your eyes still closed... Travel past the sunset... Into the darkness of a winter in ancient Israel... Gliding over a huge desert...you can see a large cliff ahead of you... Come to rest on that cliff...overlooking the desert... You are alone... And very safe... And nothing can harm you... The heat of the desert has cooled... It's winter...but still warm... Feel how pleasantly comfortable you are... Look around you... Ahead of you is the vast expansive desert... Outlined in moonlight... If you look with care...the darkness of the night is broken with a slight flow at the horizon...the final curtain of the day... Breathe deeply...notice how clean the air is...how clear...how sweet... Overhead you can see a multitude of starts...so many stars As if you are standing in the middle of...and yet beneath...all the constellations... Clusters of stars twinkle and blink above you... Turn around and see the most wondrous gathering of stars imaginable... There...to your right... A star that seems brighter than the rest...near the horizon... As if four or five stars cluster together... An incredibly bright mark in the sky... One or two stars in the cluster...seem to hand a little lower than the others... As if pointing to the earth... Pointing to someplace in the desert... They blink...they pulse...as if they want you to notice something special... You search... Leaving the cliff...lifting up from the ground...gliding toward those bright starts on the horizon... Follow your instinct...follow your curiosity...follow the star... Look down and notice a few tents huddled beneath you...on that plateau...and their campfires...flickering...glowing... Continue to fly...toward the outskirts of the city up ahead... A city with thick and heavy walls... An ancient city with many dirty streets...with flickering torches...in the doorways... Passing a large building...you can hear voices and the noise of people eating and drinking... You can hear laughter...and singing... And it's crowded...too crowded... Continue on... Gliding over the furthest city wall...back to the quiet... To the countryside... Up ahead...a ridge of small hills... Then coming nearer, you see openings...the entrances to caves... One seems to glow...lit with a large campfire at the entrance... And above...the tar cluster seems to point here... As if you were standing directly beneath the tail of the star... Rest here a moment...outside the cave... Look around... Listen...hear the muffled sounds of sheep...bedding down for the night...content Walk through the flock... They part quickly...making a path for you... Up ahead...several men sit and lean close to the opening of the cave... Two are bald...with white beards... There are a couple of younger men... And three young boys...just children... They all wear soft, warm animal hides...sandals...they carry wineskins and long staffs... They turn and look at you...silently... And they smile...their faces almost glow with wonder...with joy... A wonderful thing has happened... God has done something great here...now...and you are part of it... The shepherds seem proud...happy... And they step back, out of your way...as if they had been expecting you... Is there anything you want to say to them?... Anything you want to do? They point toward the entrance of the cave... You approach...slowly...enter...and look around... There are cows, a few goats, a donkey... Everything is hushed...even the animals...so satisfied...so still... Beneath you...there is soft straw to walk on...dry...clean...crisp... Step closer...into the light... There are two figures...resting...beside the flickering fire... You can feel the warmth of the firs on your face... A woman holds a bundled baby sleeping quietly... The husband looks so proud of his wife and newborn... He turns to you..to welcome you...to lead you...to the mother and the baby... Is there anything you want to say to him?... Anything you want to do?... The mother leans against a thick pile of straw... She holds the child close to her...cradled in her arms and wrapped in tattered strips of cloth... Then she looks up into your eyes and smiles... She is so very proud... She lifts the cover from his face so you can see... The baby...beautiful...happy...blinks...smiles... And something deep within you knows that God has been born into the world... Here...now...God has become human...become just like you... God has been born...a new baby... The light from the fire seems to make his face glow...so bright... Then the mother invites you to come closer... She raises her arms...offering the child to you... She slides the new born baby into your waiting arms... You can feel the warmth..the softness..the movement of gentle new life... Life... The life of God...in your arms..fragile and alive...and so real... Is there anything you want to say?.... Anything you would like to do?.... And the mother explains that she has been asked...by God..to take care of Jesus... She is to care for him...until he is old enough to be given to the world... To protect him...nurture him...and to love him... But she need your help... Can you?...Can you help care for this child of God?... Can you help God grow?...Can you care for him with love?... Is there anything you would like to say?... Anything you would like to do?... Mary gently...carefully...takes the baby back into her arms... She tells you that you also have God...within you... And God must grow there too... Your task is to bring God to the world as well... And she can help you with that... Mary asks if God can use your hands to help others... She takes your hands...kisses them softly...making your hands holy... Then she asks if God can use your ears to hear the cry of others... Then she gently kisses your ears...anointing them... She asks if God can use your heart to love others... And she softly touches your heart with her kiss to consecrate your heart to God... She hugs you in her arms with the infant baby... And thanks you... She nods to you...and you now know...that within you...rests Jesus... Ready to grow... Ready to use your hands... To use your ears... And to love others with your heart...Christ's heart... Be at peace... Know that God will always remain within you... And will never leave... God will always love others through you... Know how sacred you are... Feel the loving heart of God within you... And be at peace... And rest... Think of all you've seen... All you've heard... And all you've felt... And know that God is ready within you... In your hands, your arms, your heart... And you can bring him to others so they will know God too... He is within... Within... When you're ready to leave Israel...and come back here... Know that God is still with you...and will never leave... You are not alone... There are so many people who need you... And need God... Now come back here... And be at peace... When you're ready you may slowly open your eyes... And I would ask you not to talk to others or distract them... Just quietly think about what you've experienced... And be at peace... Peace.
Earlier this year we had the honor of publishing an excellent introduction to the Bible by Franciscan University professor John Bergsma called Bible Basics for Catholics: A New Picture of Salvation History. Dr. Bergsma, who is a colleague of Dr. Scott Hahn, is known for his fun and creative drawings that illustrate the deep meaning behind the Old Testament biblical texts. He has a unique approach to teaching the Old Testament that all religion teachers can learn from and teens will surely enjoy. What is really remarkable about this book is the memorable drawings of challenging texts. In a world with so much technology, students learn more visually today than ever before. Dr. Bergsma's drawings act as excellent teaching tools for the modern learner. Earlier this year, Dr. Bergsma gave a webinar titled, "How to Get Through the Bible in an Hour," in which he shared brief samples of his creative illustrations. Here is the recording of that webinar: Watch his presentation on YouTube or Vimeo. Dr. Bergsma works really fast in this presentation, so you may want to watch and rewatch the way he teaches certain stories in the Bible: Creation, Abraham, Moses, David, the Prophets, and the Eucharist. You may even want to pick out clips from the presentation to show to your students. Dr. Bergsma's book, Bible Basics for Catholics, gives a step-by-step explanation and discussion that dig deep into the key Old Testament stories that illustrate God's covenants throughout salvation history. Teaching Bible Basics to Teens Whether you teach a course on Sacred Scripture or occasionally include a lesson or two on the Bible, reflect on the following questions: How can I use images to teach about the meaning of the Old Testament and the New Testament? What connections can I show between the Old Testament and the New Testament? How can I help students see God's "covenant" in the texts we will study? How can I use humor to spike my students' interest in the Bible? Bible Basics for Catholics is also available as an eBook on the Kindle and Nook or on the iPad using the Kindle or Nook apps.
Assign either as a group or individual project the task of describing Salvation History, or the Bible, in 50 words. This means describing everything from the creation of the first humans all the way to the early years of the Church, described in the New Testament. An example from an unknown source follows: God made Adam bit Noah arked Abraham split Joseph ruled Jacob fooled Bush talked Moses balked Pharaoh plagued People walked Sea divided Tablets guided Promised landed Saul freaked David peeked Prophets warned Jesus born God walked Love talked Anger crucified Hope died Love rose Spirit flamed Word spread God remained You can choose to share this example with the students prior to the assignment or not. You might give an example of one or two lines. Rhyming verses are optional. Tell the students that the only rule is that they describe Salvation History in 50 words or less. To extend the assignment, have them create posters or slides with their work. Allow time for class sharing.
Ask your students to choose one of the following thesis statements around the topic of marriage and family life to serve as the foundation for a five paragraph essay. Tell them to introduce the thesis in an opening paragraph and then support it with at least three body paragraphs that includes examples and evidence. They should summarize their position in a concluding paragraph. The paper should be about five-hundred words. Married couples who follow the teachings of the encyclical Humanae Vitae have a happier and more satisfying marriage. There are several examples of married saints worthy of emulation. Because of Christ and the founding of the Church, women were given more esteem in married life. Divorced Catholics have served the Church well in ministry.
