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.

February 23-March 2 Class Update

Greetings Everyone!

Recap of Last Class

In our most recent class, our opening prayer was an African-American spiritual, "Lift Every Voice and Sing", which is regarded as the Black National Anthem.

We spent much of our class time with our two special guests, Dan and Ann Ruggaber.  They are a retired couple Paul got to know at St. Teresa's church during his college years.

They drew from their life experiences and shared their perspectives on faith.

One major take-away that Ann mentioned is that in Confirmation, we receive a great gift from God, and we are called to give of ourselves by getting involved in the life of church in a way that God calls us to, and be a blessing to others.  Now is a great time to explore what ways you can get involved.

Also during our class, we touched upon an important part of Lent, especially in the readings for Sunday Mass: covenant.  Ever since our good relationship was broken by sin, God has sought to reconcile us.  He did so through a series of covenants, which we hear about in the Sunday Mass readings, culminating in Jesus Christ, Who reconciled us to God by His Death and Resurrection, the Paschal Mystery.  Reconciliation is a big theme in the 2nd reading for Ash Wednesday Mass, 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2, which speaks powerfully about how now is the time to seek after God.  This passage was our closing prayer in class.

As mentioned before, Lent started centuries ago as an intensified period of preparation for those who were planning to be initiated into the Church, and remains so to this day.  For those of us already baptized, it's an opportunity for us to better understand what it means to be in relationship with God and how we can grow in it more deeply.

Activity for this Week

Here are several options for an activity to do during this week.  We hope that this activity will help you continue growing deeper in relationship with God, building upon the foundation laid in baptism and confirmation as we continue in this Lenten season.

Please submit a short reflection of at least 2 sentences at this link.  Submissions are due by class time on March 2.

1. Spend some time reflecting on the idea of covenant in the readings for Sunday Mass.

Here are some options based on the Year B readings, which we're doing this year:

Genesis 9:1-17

Genesis 22:1-18

Exodus 20:1-17

2 Chronicles 35:14-16, and 19-23

Jeremiah 31:31-34

There are other options available for Years A and C.  Please feel free to contact us if you want help looking up those options.

2. 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.

3. The booklet "Words for the Weary" was distributed to all RE families. Write a short reflection on any of the reflections in the booklet.  If you haven't gotten one, they should still be available to pick-up in Church.

4. In-depth option: Watch Lenten Vespers, about 30 minutes, from the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, offered every Sunday of Lent at 3 PM CT.  You can view it on this webpage, where the video will be available live on Sunday afternoon, and a program is included so you can follow along.

It is also available for viewing live or archived afterward on the Shrine's YouTube channel.

5. In-depth option: Friday, February 26, is a Jewish holiday called Purim, which celebrates how God delivered His Chosen People from destruction through Esther.  Spend some time this week reading the book of Esther and reflect on what stood out to you.  You can read this book in one sitting, but you're also welcome to read the book over multiple days.

Looking Ahead

We're scheduled to have Father Bob join us in class this coming Tuesday, March 2.

And we'll continue exploring Lent and what it means for our lives in faith.

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

We remain connected as one Church:

All my relations,

God's blessings,

Debbie Lopez and Paul Rubio

Above and below are photos Paul took on the morning of Sunday, October 4, at the time of sunrise while traveling by train through the Arizona desert near Petrified Forest National Park.

Remember, even in deserts, places that are dry, there are signs of life.  Even in our penitential desert time of Lent, God is at work, working great wonders.

February 16-23 Class Update: Starting Lent

Greetings everyone!

We hope your journey through Lent 2021 has had a blessed start.

Recap of Last Class

It's customary for us to gather as a community on Fat Tuesday evening to pray while burning the palms outside, and we adapted that liturgy into our class time for our opening prayer.

This was last year's palm burning.

Good job to Colin, Ariana, Mariana, Peter, and Meredith for proclaiming Bible-based passages during our prayer liturgy.

Paul shared a little bit about Pope Francis's trip to Mexico, which was 5 years ago this week. You can read messages from that trip archived here.

We also spent some time focusing on Lent, which is a journey to the Paschal Triduum when we celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ.  On the way, there is so much for us to experience as seek to grow more deeply in relationship with God Who has saved us in Christ, in Whose death and resurrection we participate in our own baptism.  Ultimately, the process, the journey, is as important as the destination, the end goal.

In thinking more about Who God is, and our relationship with Him, we took up the matter of suffering once more.  Back in September, Bishop Barron discussed talked about it in a homily.  We watched part of it, starting just after the 8:00 mark, in which he seeks to make sense of suffering with a story from his childhood, when he took his dog Tiger to the vet for shots.

While God doesn't take away suffering, He enters into our suffering, as Christ humbled Himself and came to Earth to share in our sufferings.  It's similar to a story from George Washington's life:  We watched a scene from the Liberty Kid's episode "The Man Who Wouldn't be King", in which George Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and returned to private life, rather than seize power for himself, an act that amazed even King George III.  (This show was Paul's favorite when he was in middle school and debuted on Labor Day 2002, the day before he started 6th grade at Julian.  The entire episode is available to watch for free, with ads, at the above link.)

This resignation scene happened on December 23, 1783, at a meeting of the Continental Congress at the Maryland State House in Annapolis.  Paul visited there during a family vacation back in the summer of 2011. Below are photos showing the room where it happened, which is the Old Maryland State Senate Chamber.  An addition was built to the capitol building for increased capacity, and this room is now preserved for historical purposes.

General Washington walked away from power as he sought not his own interests, but the greater good of the United States and its people.  In a similar way, Christ humbled Himself in obedience to the Father, Whose will was to save us, as St. Paul writes in Philippians 2:5-11.

At the end of class, our closing prayer was from 2 Corinthians 5:14-19.  Lent is an opportunity for us to conform more closely to Christ, because He has made us into a "new creation".

Activity for this week

We have so many wonderful prayer traditions as Roman Catholics.  Please take some time this week to explore these prayers.

You can view examples on the EWTN website.

The Our Catholic Prayers website provides numerous examples of traditional prayers, too.

There are also examples on the website Preces Latinae. Please note that the text of these prayers are in Latin and English on this website.

Please spend time with one of these prayers, and then submit a short reflection on what stood out to you in that prayer and why you picked it.

You're also welcome to spend time with a prayer that isn't in one of the above links, even something you did as a faith booster for Confirmation preparation.

Some prayers, like the rosary or Divine Mercy Chaplet, are longer and more involved, but there are examples in the above listed websites that are much shorter, too.

You may submit your reflection in this Google form.

Responses are due by class time this Tuesday, February 23.

Looking Ahead

We're scheduled to have two guest speakers in class this coming Tuesday, a retired couple Paul knows from college.  There are sure to have much to share from their life experiences in church work and social justice work.

And since Lent is a time for us to understand more deeply what it means to be in relationship with God, we'll explore that more in class, too.

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

We remain connected as One Church, bound together in the Holy Spirit,

All my relations,

God's blessings,

Debbie Lopez

Paul Rubio

February 9-16 Class Update: Preparing for Lent, and Our Mission

Greetings everyone!

It was truly a blessing to be part of Confirmation last weekend, and, even in the midst of pandemic, to see God mightily at work as you professed your faith and were sealed in the Holy Spirit.

Recap of Last Class

In our class this past Tuesday, our opening prayer was the song "Receive the Power", which was the official song for 2008 World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia.  Its lyrics speak about the power of the Holy Spirit that leads us to worship God and sends us to live as a light in the world.

Then, we had a special guest star, who is a TV star of sorts:  We heard from Paul's friend Will Haenni, who studied meteorology at Valparaiso University in northwest Indiana and is currently a broadcast meteorologist for WWMT-CBS 3 TV in Kalamazoo, MI.  He talked about how much of a positive impact being part of a church community has had on him throughout his life, especially during college and post-college years.  He encouraged everyone to start each day with 10 minutes of prayer, taking time to volunteer in service, and show a positive attitude and kindness in every situation.

Paul then shared the story about Belong Designs, a Colorado-based apparel company his cousin Mark co-founded.  Their slogan is "When you follow your passion, you find where you belong."  This slogan is part of their mission, which has driven their product from its start back in 2013.

In some respects, this slogan speaks to the life of faith:  God desires for us to be filled with passion for Him as we use the gifts and talents He's given us, and truly find that we belong to Him as a daughter or son of God and as part of the community of faith in the Church.

God has granted all of us in the church community the mission to live our faith and be a blessing by making Him known in the world.

The passage of 2 Timothy 1:6-14, which was our closing prayer, speaks richly about the call of God to guard the gift of faith He gives us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We're going to spend the next few weeks learning more about how to live out our mission as baptized and confirmed people of faith.

Also during class, we touched briefly upon Lent, which starts on Ash Wednesday, February 17, in the coming week.

Many centuries ago, people preparing for initiation into the church went through a long preparation process, which culminated in an intensified 40-day period right before their baptism at the celebration of the Resurrection at Easter.  We now observe this 40-day period as Lent.

Still to this day, those in the process of joining the church intensify their preparation during Lent.

For those of us already baptized, it's an opportunity for us to spend time growing more deeply in our relationship with God, so that we can be ready on Resurrection Sunday to proclaim our faith through the renewal of our baptismal promises, just like happened at Confirmation liturgies.  Ultimately, the Death and Resurrection of Christ means something for us as we grow closer in relationship with Him, conforming ourselves more and more to be like Him.

Activity for this Week

Please take some time this week to think about a plan for how you'll observe Lent, through pray, fasting, and almsgiving.

Here is a sheet, in JPEG form, that you can use to sketch plans:

It was also sent to all your parents via e-mail in JPEG and PDF formats.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of suggestions for how to spend time growing closer to God during Lent:

Dynamic Catholic has the Best Lent Ever program.  You can subscribe via e-mail and get a short video, usually under 5 minutes long, sent to you Monday-Saturday.

Relevant Radio offers Father Rocky's 40 Lenten Lessons on the Mass, which includes a short e-mail sent you to Monday-Saturday with an explanation of some part of the Mass.  There is also an optional to listen to an audio version, and a short video version, too, which is new this year.

You can spend a little bit of time each day reading and reflecting on Scripture, including the Sunday Scriptures.  You can find the readings for each day of the week on the USCCB Bible website.  There is also an option for getting the readings sent to you via e-mail daily.

You can also think back upon some of the faith boosters you did in preparation for Confirmation and pick one that you liked to continue doing during Lent.

There isn't anything you have to submit, but please take time to think about what you'll do during Lent and how you'll make the most of it for God.

Looking Ahead

We'll spend some time on Lent and its practices at our next class on February 16.

**Please note that the original schedule doesn't include a class on that day, but we ARE meeting that evening at our usual time from 7-8 PM, to make up for being off on January 19, which was a scheduled date.**

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

We remain connected together as one Church, bound together in the Holy Spirit: All my relations.

God's blessings,

Debbie Lopez

Paul Rubio

The candles on the altar during Confirmation liturgies representing the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Light a Candle: Candlemas Day

Merry Candlemas Day!

Candlemas is the 40th day after Christmas, and was traditionally the end of the Christmas Season.  (It’s also the midpoint of the winter season, which would connect with the legend of Groundhog Day.)  It is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.  Luke 2:22-40 recounts how the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph brought the Baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord.  There, a godly man named Simeon praised God when He saw Jesus, the Messiah, with these words:

“Now, Master, You may let Your servant go in peace, according to Your word,

for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You prepared in sight of all the peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for Your people Israel.

 

Luke 2:29-32 NABRE

These words are regularly prayed by priests and religious brothers and sisters in the Nighttime Compline Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours.  It’s a great prayer to offer right before you go to bed as you give thanks to God for another day and the ways you encountered His Presence and seek His blessing for a peaceful night of sleep.

February 2 is traditionally a day when candles are blessed at Church, hence the name Candlemas.  As a gift, you are getting a small tea light candle, which received a special priestly blessing.  Please take it home and light it, in a candle holder or something similar, like when you have dinner with your family, and be reminded of Christ, the Light of the World, and the Light you have received from Christ in baptism.

Because it is blessed, you must be sure the wick is burned down completely before it goes in the garbage.  It should stay lit for a total of 30-40 minutes of burn time.

Also, there is a window in Ascension Church that depicts the scene of Christ's Presentation in the Temple. It is above the side entrance doors near the sacristy, around the corner from the Virgin Mary's altar, and at the far end of the parking lot, close to the Ascension School building.

We look forward to the upcoming celebration of Confirmation this coming weekend.

God's blessings,

Debbie Lopez

Paul Rubio