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.