The Year's End and the Continuing Journey

Greetings Everyone!

With the 2020-2021 Religious Education year having concluded, we have one final message to share with you.

We, Debbie and Paul, recorded this short video message to follow up from our final class on April 27.

We were glad to see so many of you, students and parents, at our final class:  We had a great time together as we prayed, reflected, and celebrated.

You, students, had some wonderful and moving thanksgivings to offer unto God, many of you mentioning your gratitude for family and friends.

The exit slip had a question about what you enjoyed about class this year:  The results overwhelmingly showed that you enjoyed the guest speakers, with 12 votes, followed by music videos with 5, and the Champions of Faith movie with 4.

We thank you, parents, for giving us the opportunity to teach your daughters and sons.  It has truly been a blessing to spend our time and efforts giving of ourselves by investing in their lives and faith, guiding them in faith formation leading up to and beyond Confirmation.

For me, Paul, as a former Julian student, it has been great for me to go back and, in a sense, relive my middle school experience, reconnecting with today's Oak Park middle schoolers and see what's happening at their schools.  

I'm also grateful for the help Debbie provided each week with class.  It was good to partner together in this venture.

Each of our students added something notable to our class, and we are grateful for what you contributed during our time of learning.  It has been wonderful seeing you engage with faith in your own unique ways.  And we enjoyed getting to know you during our time in class.

We thank you, students, for your patience and engagement as we navigated the abnormal circumstances to learn about God through virtual classes week after week.  You had many great reflections to share in submissions for faith boosters and other weekly activities.  Thank you for all the effort you made to participate in class.  For those of you accustomed to RE class on Sunday, we appreciate your adjustment to class on Tuesdays.  Thank you parents for your part in supporting your daughters and sons in the different format for our class this year.

We learned about topics including salvation history, Scripture, Sacred Tradition, the Eucharist, our mission as people of God, the Church, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the 7 Gifts of the Spirit, Theology of the Body, and liturgical seasons: Advent, Christmas, Lent, the Triduum, and Easter.  We also watched Champions of Faith Baseball Edition and heard from those in the MLB about what faith means to them.  

We also had many guest speakers join our class to share their perspectives on faith.  We offer a big thanks to all of them: Paige Krohn, Mrs. Baer, Father Kevin Ripley, Aura Lee and Nathan Kelly, Bernie Rupe, Will Haeni, Dan and Ann Ruggaber, and Father Bob Hutmacher.  Thank you also to Ms. Lawrence and Father Rex for joining class for Confirmation-specific sessions.

And Paul offers a big thanks to his great college friend Roy Miller, who provided invaluable technical assistance so that we could meet for class via Zoom.  (And congratulations to Roy and his wife Rogenique, who, on May 7, celebrate 6 months since their wedding in November 2020.)

While our time together has concluded, we are always still available to offer spiritual support to you for your continued growth in faith in any way we can.  Please feel free to contact us whenever you like for questions or information about faith resources, to share specific prayer requests, or just to drop us a line.  We look forward to seeing what God will do in your lives in the future.

Remember, even as you grow older and take more responsibility for yourself, there are still times when it's okay, and even important, to ask for help.

The class website will remain available indefinitely, so please feel free to refer back to it whenever you like.

We also offer you this YouTube playlist, which includes songs we listened to in class, and other uplifting songs:.

We encourage you to keep learning about God and growing in relationship with Him.  There's so much out there to discover about God as you open up the treasure trove of our Sacred Tradition.

We prepared gifts for you, including a personal, handwritten note from us.  Included in the envelope with the note is a list of suggested spiritual practices for continued growth in faith.  Please feel free to also continue anything you did as a Faith Booster for Confirmation.  Also in your envelope is a Catholic ID card that can serve to remind you of who you are, and you can even use it as a bookmark.  Another gift is the book Holy Wind, Holy Fire, so you can keep learning about the Holy Spirit through appearances in Scripture.

Please be assured of continued prayers for all of you and your families, especially in the middle school-high school transition.  And we pray that you continue growing abundantly in faith upon the foundation that is already in place, and that God will do great wonders in and through you.

In honor of our time together this year, a donation has been made to Chicago Voyagers, whose executive director, Bernie Rupe, Paul's uncle, visited class this year.

May you have a successful end to the school year, and may you and your families have a restful, enjoyable summer. 

We look forward to seeing you at Church for Mass and other parish events as those church functions resume.

And remember, we all remain connected as part of One Church: All my relations.

We are bound together by the God Who loves us, and created us special, as Pope St. John Paul II said in his message on December 25, 1978: "...the human being is single, unique, and unrepeatable, someone thought of and chosen from eternity, someone called and identified by name."

Furthermore, we rejoice that God delivered us from sin and restored us to New Life in Christ, with a new purpose.  (Pope Benedict XVI shared about this in a homily on April 16, 2012.)

And, as Jesus says in John 14:26 NABRE, He guides us by the Holy Spirit: "The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in My name—He will teach you everything and remind you of all that [I] told you."

So let the Alleluias keep rolling, as we celebrate and live the reality of the Resurrection and the Life we have in Christ.  Let's keep Partying Hard with Jesus Christ!
 
God's Blessings,
Debbie Lopez
Paul Rubio

“For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that He was buried; that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…”
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NABRE

"The flower of earthly splendor in time must surely die,
its fragile bloom surrender to You, O Lord Most High.
But hidden from all nature, the eternal seed is sown,
though small in mortal stature, to Heaven's garden grown.
For Christ, the Man from Heaven, from death has set us free,
and we, through Him are given the final victory."
--verse 2 of "O God, Beyond All Praising"

Close-up photo of Easter lily flowers on the altar inside Church from Resurrection Sunday a few years ago

 

Christ's Risen Presence with us: April 20 Class Update

Easter Season Greetings Everyone! Alleluia!

The Paschal Candle in Church by the ambo

Recap of Last Class

During the Easter Season, we celebrate how Christ has made a way for us to Heaven, and how we can experience Heaven while on the way there, which gives us a new outlook on life. We heard about that in the story of Father Burke Masters, the chaplain for the Chicago Cubs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnj7FyZUUsc

We hope your daughter/son enjoyed hearing his story, even if s/he isn't a Cubs fan.

Indeed, by the Resurrection, the Real, Living Presence of Christ has come so close to us.  One of the most powerful ways we experience the Risen Christ is in the Eucharist.  While it is a great mystery of our faith, God makes Himself known through the offering of the Body and Blood of Christ.

No matter where we go in the world, Christ is offered in the same re-presentation of the Last Supper at every Mass.

One way to stay connected with Mass when you travel out of town is to find a Church using the Mass Times website.

Simply enter in a location and the search results will list nearby parishes and information on Mass and other offerings.

Paul shared a story he heard at a Lenten Mission in early March 2020, about a conversation a bishop had with a Muslim while the bishop was with a pilgrimage group in Israel.  The Muslim asked three questions about the Eucharist, and here is a representation of the conversation.

How does the bread and wine become flesh and blood?

We eat food for nourishment so that we grow all throughout our lives--we certainly don't look the same as we did the day we were born.  And when we eat food and drink liquids, we don't turn into the food and drink:  Rather, they became flesh and blood within us.  Similarly, the bread and wine became the flesh and blood of Christ.

How can the vast God fit into finite pieces of bread and a cup of wine?

You can view this screen by looking at it with just one eye, just as you can see it with both.  The whole of the screen fits into one eye.  Similarly, God can fit into small morsels.

How can God be present in multiple pieces of the consecrated host when broken?

This one post is read by multiple people, and the information from one person goes into multiple people's brains.  So God is present in the multiple pieces of the broken consecrated host.

As we keep growing in relationship with God, we gain greater insight to better understand this mystery and all mysteries of our faith.

Activity for this Week

We provided these instructions at the end of class: Take an object that can serve as a reminder about faith and put it in some place where you will see it regularly this week.  Stick a piece of paper by it that reads "Reminder about Faith" or something similar.  You may also draw something that serves as a reminder about faith.

Please note that there isn't anything that needs to be submitted for this activity.

You are also welcome to participate in a service activity of creating notes for residents at Belmont Village.  Please contact Paul for more details and a list of names.  There are many residents on the list, and if we can get multiple students in class to participate, we could get notes to all of them.

Looking Ahead

We are going to meet for our final class of the Religious Education year on Tuesday, April 27, from 7-8 PM in Church.

All students are welcome to bring up to 4 family members.  We ask parents to register ahead of time as part of our protocols for gathering in Church.  The link for the registration form to get free tickets was sent via e-mail.  Please contact us if you need the link again.

During our final class, we're going to spend time in reflection and prayer.

We're really looking forward to seeing you.

As usual, please feel free to contact us with questions, for any clarifications, etc.

We pray God's blessings and much Easter joy to you.

We remain connected as One Church:

All my relations,

Debbie Lopez

Paul Rubio

Additional Information

There was one exit slip question from a previous class:

Why did Jesus accept the fact that a lot of people still hate Him?

Because of sin, people turn away from God and even oppose His work in the world.  Jesus came to do God’s work, and people weren’t willing to accept Him.  But Jesus remained obedient to the Father, knowing that God’s power was greater than any opposition He would face.

Here are some additional links from what we did in class.

The opening music for class was the song "All Things New" by Steven Curtis Chapman.

It is based on the passage Revelation 21:1-5.

We listened to a short excerpt of the Newsboys song "God's Not Dead", which references a lion, the symbol for St. Mark, whose Gospel we're going through this year, and whose feast day is typically April 25.

The closing song was "Glory Bound" by Matt Maher.

This article tells about a Mass celebrated at the US-Mexico border a few years ago. It contains a powerful image of Bishop Kicanas distributing communion to someone through the border fence.

Here's a view of the sanctuary inside our Church from up in the dome.

Here's a view of the Ascension dome from the fourth floor of Percy Julian Middle School.

Nestled in the fit pit are q-tips from Confirmation back in February, burned to create the fire for lighting the Paschal Candle on Holy Saturday.

Paul is wearing a commemorative hat from the first night game played at Wrigley Field, on August 8, 1988.  Paul thanks his mom for getting this photo.  Paul showed this hat in class this past Tuesday.

Easter Symbols: April 13-20 Class Update

Easter Greetings Class!

The joy of Resurrection Sunday, the central event of our faith, and the pinnacle of the Church liturgical year, pours forth into the following 50 Days.  May you come to know the joy of the Risen Lord deep within you throughout these 50 Days and beyond.

Here's the view inside our Church, splendidly decorated for Easter Season.

Recap of Last Class

We started class with an Alleluia, since we now sing it again joyfully at Mass.

Our opening prayer was the song "Alive", telling the story of the Resurrection from the perspective of St. Mary Magdalene.

God demonstrates His power over sin, evil, and death through the Resurrection of Christ, by which He brings life to the world.

So the Cross becomes a sign of victory, and so are the wounds which Christ bears is His Risen body, which we read in John 20, from which was taken the Gospel reading for this past Sunday, which was Divine Mercy Sunday.  (To illustrate, we watched a short scene from the 2007 PBS NOVA documentary "Forgotten Genius", which is a biography of Dr. Percy Julian.)

Here is the Divine Mercy image inside Church.

The Exultet is a hymn chanted at the start of the Holy Saturday Easter Vigil Mass, telling about how God saved His people throughout history, culminating in the glorious Resurrection of Christ.  We spent time listening to it during class, directly from the archived livestream of the Vigil Mass recently at Ascension.

Another recording of it, with the lyrics, is available here.

This photo is from Easter Season in a previous year in Church when banners were displayed showing imagery from the Exultet.

We concluded class with the "Amen" song from the movie Lilies of the Field, which tells the story of Christ's life, sung by Homer Smith, portrayed by Sidney Poitier.

Activity for the Week

Please pick one of these activities to do during this week, and then submit a short reflection of 1-2 sentences at this link.

1. Write Easter notes to residents at Belmont Village.  Please contact Paul for information on where to send them.  If you aren't able to do them in time for Resurrection Sunday on April 4, it would still be fitting to send them to the residents as cards for the Easter Season, which lasts for several weeks after Resurrection Sunday.

2. Listen to an Easter Season hymn from this collection and reflect on it.  If you listen to the entire collection of songs, that counts as an in-depth option.

3. Read one of these articles about the Easter Season: 

Keeping Easter Joy Alive

The Paschal Candle

The Triumph of Easter

4. Listen to music in G.F. Handel's oratorio Messiah: "Hallelujah Chorus", "I Know that My Redeemer Liveth", "Even So in Christ", "Worthy is the Lamb"

Reflect on what stood out to you in the lyrics.

If you listen to all of these, that counts as an in-depth option.  Another in-depth option is to listen to the entire Messiah, about 2 hours long.

5. In-depth option: Spread some Easter joy to those in need by and go with your family to the grocery store to buy donations for the monthly St. Martin's Food Drive.  Then, in the above link, state that you picked this option.

Looking Ahead

On April 20, we'll gather virtually to continue unpacking themes related to the Easter Season and Christ's Risen Presence among us.

On April 27, we're planning to gather in Church to conclude the RE year.  More details are forthcoming.

As usual, please feel free to contact us with questions, for clarifications, etc.

The Joy of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

God's richest Easter Blessings,

Debbie Lopez

Paul Rubio

Above is the Paschal Candle by the ambo, and below shows the top of the candle by an image of the victorious Christ, Lamb of God.

Triduum Symbols: March 23 Class Update

Greetings Everyone!

We are getting closer to the high point of the Church year, the Paschal Triduum, which recalls the central events of our faith, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.

Recap of Last Class

During our most recent class, we spent time on the symbols of the Triduum.  They include the bread and cup that were part of the Jewish celebration of Passover that have become incorporated into the New Covenant in Jesus Christ, Who offered His Body and Blood for our salvation.  This New Covenant was established with a new commandment, to love one another as God, in Jesus, has loved us.  We celebrate what happened at the Last Supper specially on Maundy Thursday and also experience every time we attend Mass. 

We also had a brief meditation/prayer with the Cross, similar to the custom of the Veneration of the Cross at the liturgy of Cross Friday.

And we had a demonstration with a room being lit up progressively with light, like what happens at the Holy Saturday Easter Vigil Mass.  It is an amazing visual effect as the lights getting brighter in Church through the Liturgy of the Word, leading to the Gospel of the Resurrection, recounting the central event of our faith.

We also touched briefly upon two important celebrations during the month of March: the Feast of St. Patrick on March 17 and the Solemnity of the Annunciation on March 25.

There are some links at the bottom of this post about these topics from class.

Looking Ahead

We are not scheduled to have class again until April 13.  That class will be in the Second Week of the Easter Season, and we'll spend time unpacking the meaning of the Season that follow Easter/Resurrection Sunday.

We don't officially have class scheduled on March 30 because it is District 97's Spring Break week.  However, we invite you to join an additionally-scheduled class on March 30, during which we'll pray the Stations of the Cross, a prayer liturgy that allows us to ponder more deeply Christ's Passion and how it speaks to our lives and our world today.  This class will start at the usual time of 7:00, and should last no later than 7:40, and may even end earlier than that.

Activity Options for the Coming Weeks

You will do two different activities in the weeks until our next scheduled class on April 13, preferably one option for Lent, and one option for Easter Season..

Please start with one of the following options and then submit a short reflection of 1-2 sentences at this link.

1. Pray the Stations of the Cross.  Here are some options available online:

Our Sunday Visitor

Traditional Stations by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Scriptural Stations of the Cross by Pope St. John Paul II, which has a different sequence of events

You're welcome to use any of the above formats for praying the Stations, or any other format you find online or in a print resource.

Joining class on March 30 will count toward this option as an in-depth option.

2. Spend time listening to the hymn "Go to Dark Gethsemane", which was used in part at the end of class on March 30.  (This version has a 30-second introduction before the singing starts.)

3. Watch Father Bob's Triduum reflection or Mrs. Ondrlas's Easter Sunday reflection on the Ascension YouTube channel.

4. Read and reflect on the Scriptures passages for Palm Sunday, or any of the days of the Triduum, Maundy Thursday, Passion Friday, Holy Saturday, or Resurrection Sunday.

If you choose Palm Sunday, you can read the Procession Gospel, the 1st reading, the Psalm, and the 2nd reading.  If you read the entire Passional story from the Gospel of St. Mark, that counts as an in-depth option.

If you choose Holy Saturday, please read the Gospel reading, the Epistle reading from Romans, and then pick any of the Old Testament readings and read it along with its Psalm.  If you read all the readings for Holy Saturday, that counts as an in-depth option.

5. In-depth option: Attend any of these Triduum liturgies or watch the livestream of them, at Ascension or a different church.  (Paul proclaims the first part of St. John's Passion narrative on Passion Friday.)  Here is the Ascension YouTube channel where livestreams and archived liturgies are available.

6. Watch one of the videos for Best Lent Ever and write a short reflection on what stood out to you in any of the videos.  All videos, for the current day and past days, are available for viewing at this link.  The reflection for Holy Saturday has some particularly good insights for Easter/Resurrection Sunday.

7. Read from the Words for the Weary Lenten booklet.

8. Write Easter notes to residents at Belmont Village.  Please contact Paul for information on where to send them.  If you aren't able to do them in time for Resurrection Sunday on April 4, it would still be fitting to send them to the residents as cards for the Easter Season, which lasts for several weeks after Resurrection Sunday.

9. Send a get-well note to a former Irving student awaiting surgery.  Please contact Paul for details on where to send your note.

10. In-depth option: Watch Lenten Vespers for Palm Sunday, March 28, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception occurs.  You can watch it on the basilica's website, where there is also a leaflet posted so you can follow along.  Or you can watch it on the YouTube channel, live at 3 PM CT that day, or archived later.  It lasts about 30 minutes.

11. Listen to an Easter Season hymn from this collection and reflect on it.  If you listen to the entire collection of songs, that counts as an in-depth option.

12. In-depth option: Spend time with the Divine Mercy Chaplet.  You can read the article on this webpage on the Ascension Parish website, and follow the instructions to pray the chaplet.  You may also view an archived recording of the chaplet prayer on the Relevant Radio website, about 35 minutes long in total.

If you pick more than two of the above options to do, that counts the same as an in-depth option.

We pray that you have a blessed time in these final days of Lent, during Holy Week, and the Triduum.

We pray you have a joyful Easter/Resurrection Sunday and great start to the Easter Season.  

And we pray you have a restful, enjoyable Spring Break.

We remain ever connected as One Church in our Savior, Who died and rose again:

All my relations.

God's blessings,

Debbie Lopez

Paul Rubio

Here's the crown of thorns bush in the Desert Room at the Oak Park Conservatory. Jesus was crowned as a cruel joke during His Passion, and is now exalted as King because of the Paschal Mystery, His Death and Resurrection, by which we are saved.

Additional Links

Paul previously recorded two videos that speak about Triduum symbols:

Here's the video for Maundy Thursday.

Here's the video for Holy Saturday.

Paul thanks his parents for assistance with these videos.

We also watched these two music videos in class:

This video is Chris Tomlin's performance of "Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)", which embellishes the well-known Christian hymn, interspersed with scenes from the 2007 movie Amazing Grace, telling the story of William Wilberforce's campaign to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire.

This video is for Michael W. Smith's song "Purified". While not written specifically about Lent, its lyrics speak to what Lent is about.

Here again is the video about St. Patrick, by Chris Stefanick.

Please note that Chris releases a short video every week on Tuesday on a topic about the spiritual life.

Here's the video of YouTube stars Mat and Savannah Shaw singing the Beatles song "Let it Be".  While the words weren't intended to be about the Blessed Mother, they speak to the words she offered in her Fiat: "Let it Be".

This dad-daughter duo has made many great videos singing songs to spread joy and encouragement over the past year.  Please feel free to check out their YouTube channel.

Here's a short video with the scene of the Annunciation in the 2006 movie The Nativity Story.

Here's a link to the news story about Prince William's night out on the streets of London.  It connects well with how Christ humbled Himself and died on the Cross for us, as described in Philippians 2:6-11, the 2nd reading for Palm Sunday.

Each of Us Is a Gift: March 16-23 Update

Greetings Everyone!

Recap of Last Class

Our opening prayer was the 2nd reading for the 4th Sunday of Lent, Ephesians 2:4-10.

Our closing prayer was the Gospel reading for the 4th Sunday of Lent, John 3:14-21.

You can find both of them here.

Both speak to the Good News that, though we disobeyed God and turned away from Him into Sin, He delivered us from sin and restored us to our purpose in life, because we are worth fixing, kind of like Sally states emphatically in the courtroom of Radiator Springs in Cars.

That purpose is a major part of the Theology of the Body teachings of Pope St. John Paul II, which we spent time unpacking in class.

Theology of the Body teaches that our bodies are sacramental because they are a visible sign revealing the invisible reality of God.  God is love because, in Christ, He gave Himself totally to us as a gift, and each of us is called to be a gift by sharing God's love with others.

Hopefully, you enjoyed the chance to be a gift to others by sending an encouraging message to a friend at the end of class.

If you would like to see the presentation referred to during our class time, here's the link.  It is about 50 minutes long.

Also, here's the video we watched with the interview featuring Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, who is Roman Catholic.

Activity for this Week

Pick one of these options and submit a short reflection of at least 1-2 sentences here.

1. One of the ways we can be a gift to others is to practice one of the Corporal or Spiritual Works of Mercy.  Pick one to practice this week, and then reflect on it.  Please note that the monthly food collection for St. Martin de Porres Parish is this weekend, and is a great way to feed the hungry.  You're welcome to shop for food donations and then drop them off at church, even if you aren't staying for Mass.

2. Watch this short, 4-minute video in which Chris Stefanick talks about St. Patrick.

3. Friday, March 19, is the Feast of St. Joseph, and this is the Year of St. Joseph.  Spend some time with the Litany of St. Joseph.

4. Watch this reflection video on St. Joseph by Matthew Kelly of Dynamic Catholic.

5. Watch one of the videos for Best Lent Ever and write a short reflection on what stood out to you in any of the videos.  All videos, for the current day and past days, are available for viewing at this link.

6. Read a daily passage from the Words for the Weary Lenten booklet.

In-depth option:

7. Lenten Vespers at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception occurs every Sunday of Lent live at 3 PM CT.  You can watch it on the basilica's website, where there is also a leaflet so you can follow along.  Or you can watch it on the YouTube channel, live, or archived later.  It lasts about 30 minutes.

Please note, you can pick more than one of the above options and that counts the same as an in-depth option.

Looking Ahead

In our next class, we'll spend some time unpacking the symbolism of the Paschal Triduum, the three sacred days of the Church year in the latter half of Holy Week, commemorating the Death and Resurrection of Christ, the central events of our faith.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions, for any clarifications, etc.

Here again is the video Paul shared in class in celebration of his milestone birthday, the song "Glorious" performed by the One Voice Children's Choir.

Below is a photo of Paul, courtesy of his dad, holding a birthday card he received from his grandma, which reads, "You are a gift."  That statement is a great truth that applies to all of us.  Indeed, each one of you is a gift with the purpose of revealing God to others.  Furthermore, you each have a melody within you that becomes a glorious symphony when we join our melodies together, living in praise of God.

Thank you for being part of Paul's milestone birthday celebration on Tuesday.

Keep thinking Spring!  The vernal equinox starts Spring 2021 at 4:37 AM CDT on March 20.

We are connected as One Church:

All my relations.

God's blessings,

Debbie Lopez and Paul Rubio

In the St. Patrick window in Church, he is holding up a three-leaf clover to teach the Trinity.

St. Joseph appears on the outside of Church above the entrance doors, near the large, circular rose window.

Champions of Faith: March 9-16 Class Update

Greetings everyone!

As of March 11, we've reached the midpoint of Lent 2021.  The following Sunday, March 14, is Laetare Sunday, from a Lain term that speaks of joy, for we're halfway through the Lenten journey to Resurrection Sunday.  The priest at Mass wears lighter-colored vestments to mark the occasion.

Recap of Last Class
We spent the vast majority of class time watching the documentary Champions of Faith: Baseball Edition.  We heard from many in the MLB, including Mike Piazza, David Eckstein, Jack McKeon, Mike Sweeney, and others, who shared about what difference faith makes in their lives, both on and off the field.  We thank you for staying a few extra minutes past our usual end time of 8:00 to watch this film.  We hope it was worth your while and that you enjoyed it and gained some new insights about faith from it.

The film is available for free in its entirety on YouTube.

Our opening prayer was 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, which has an athletic metaphor, as did our closing prayer, 1 Timothy 6:11-16.

Activity for this Week
Please continue to spend time this week offering up one prayer intention for each day.

At this link, please submit a reflection. Submissions are due by class time on March 16.

You can share an example of a specific prayer intention, or describe in general terms what it was like doing this prayer activity.

You're welcome to use the same intentions from last week, or offer up a whole new set of intentions.

We also want to offer some in-depth options for prayer this week.

Friday evening, March 12, is Stations of the Cross prayer, about 1 hour long.  To find out about registering, and for more info, please visit this webpage.  More info is forthcoming about a March 26 Stations of the Cross prayer.

Taize prayer from last week Friday, March 5, is archived and available on YouTube, about 1 hour long.

Lenten Vespers at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception occurs every Sunday of Lent live at 3 PM CT.  You can watch it on the basilica's website, where there is also a leaflet so you can follow along.  Or you can watch it on the YouTube channel, live, or archived later.  It lasts about 30 minutes.

Pretzels are a traditional Lenten food.  Customarily, Paul makes homemade pretzels and brings them into class.  If you're interested, you can make pretzels at home:

This recipe comes from a special Lenten bulletin that was given out 9 years ago at Ascension.

Mix 1 package active dry yeast with 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 ½ cups lukewarm (100-110 degree) water. Mixture should bubble.  Stir in 1 teaspoon salt and 4 cups flour.

Place on floured board and knead in 1/2 cup more flour.  Knead about 8 minutes.  Divide into pieces, roll into ropes, and shape into pretzels.  (As you fold the "little arms", pray the Lord's prayer or another Lenten prayer.) Let rise until about double in size.  (Sometimes, I skip that part of the recipe, and they still bake okay.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place pretzels on greased cookie sheet.  Brush with mixture of 1 egg yolk mixed with 2 Tbs. water, and sprinkle with kosher salt—the egg mixture part can be skipped, but it does give the pretzels a nice gleam.  Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown.

When I made the recipe with the given amounts of ingredients, it yielded about a dozen or so pretzels, but it can yield more depending on the size you make them.

If you choose one of these in-depth options, please use the submission link above to share a reflection on what stood out to you in any of these prayer liturgies, or what it was like making pretzels.

Looking Ahead
We're planning for part of class time on March 16 to be spent on a basic introduction to Theology of the Body, which is a collection of teachings by Pope St. John Paul II.

We also have a survey with 4 questions about your experiences with faith, at this link.  It should only take a couple minutes or so to complete.  We'll give the chance to complete it during class, but you're welcome to do it during the week.

Please feel free to contact us with questions, for clarifications, etc.

Praying God's abundant blessings on the second half of the Lenten journey,

We remain connected as One Church: All my relations,
Debbie Lopez and Paul Rubio

Here's a scene at the altar in church.

Keep thinking Spring! Lent is the Church's springtime, and the name of this season comes from the fact that the days "lengthen" at this time of year as we head toward the glorious celebration of Christ's Resurrection, which we celebrate each Sunday, even during Lent.

The Franciscans, Plus Visions of Glory: March 2-9 Class Update

Greetings everyone!

Recap of Last Class

In our most recent class, Father Bob visited. 

As we started, we offered up the St. Francis Prayer.  While it may not have been written by him, it speaks to the spirit of his life.

Then, Father Bob shared about the story of St. Francis of Assisi and how his life's circumstances led him to embrace a life of poverty for the sake of Christ and start the Franciscan order.  Father Bob also talked about the order today and his vocation in it.

Then, we continued with Lenten themes.  Lent is a journey that leads to the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ.  This past Sunday's Gospel story of the Transfiguration, which is always on the Second Sunday of Lent, gives a glimpse of the glory that is to come, to encourage us on the journey.

Every time we come to church, especially for the sacraments, we have the opportunity to experience a taste of God's glory.  Even during Lent, Sundays are considered a "Little Easter", as we gather for Mass to celebrate God, Who is alive and present in His Word, in the Body and Blood of Christ on the altar, and in the assembly.

Mass equips us to live our lives faithfully for Him and as a blessing to others during the week, living out the Mission God has given us, which is what the phrase means that the priest utters at the end of Latin Mass, "Ite Miss Est": "This is the mission."

Gathering at Mass, and spending time in prayer, helps us know God's presence guiding us through whatever we face in life.  Paul shared the story of participating in a Native American Sweat Lodge ceremony while spending time on a Reservation in northeast Nebraska 8 years ago.  This ceremony is intended as a purification rite, and, as Paul experienced it, symbolizes how we grow in faith and closer to God as we strive toward Him, even in the face of difficulties.  As Roman Catholics, we believe God in His mercy purifies us from the effects of sin through a process called purgatory.  And God is able to work His redemptive power even in our challenging circumstances, as He has demonstrated redemption in the Cross.

Activity for this week

At the end of class, everyone took time to write down one prayer intention for each day of this week.  The intentions can be for a person in your family, someone else you know, or a greater need in the world, like those who are in poverty or facing violence.  In answer to a question that arose from the exit slips, prayer intentions are sometimes called petitions, because we ask God for something, which can be asking for something to change.  It can also be an intention or petition for someone's well-being.

At the start of each day, offer up a short prayer for that intention. It's a great way to incorporate prayer into your life each day, especially during Lent.

While we didn't mention it in class, you can do this activity over the next two weeks.

Please submit a reflection on this activity at this link. You can share the specific intentions you offered, or share more generally what it was like doing this activity. Submissions are due by class time on March 16.

Looking Ahead

In our class on March 9, we're going to spend almost all of class time watching a documentary called Champions of Faith: Baseball Edition.

This film is a little over an hour long, so class will extend past our usual end time, concluding between 8:00-8:15.  But we hope the extra time is worthwhile because it is an excellent film.  Paul has shown it to his 8th grade classes that past two years, and they have enjoyed it.  We hope you like it as much as them, especially if you have any interest in sports, and most especially any interest in baseball.

As usual, please feel free to contact us with questions, for clarifications, etc.

We remain ever connected as one Church:

All my relations,

God's blessings,

Debbie Lopez and Paul Rubio

The window for Saint Francis of Assisi in our Church

In this photo, Paul, on a trip to Florida 4 years ago, is at the Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine, FL, the site of the first permanent European settlement in North America. On the day the Spanish landed there, September 8, 1565, they celebrated Mass for the first recorded time in North America. The Mass was held at the spot where the Cross is behind Paul.

Paul at the shore of the Atlantic Ocean in Pompano Beach, FL, earlier this week with the floating device that has been a fixture in class each week as we swim in the ocean of God and encounter His presence.