Remembering the reason of the season, and praying for you and your loved ones...
May God's presence be ever more evident in and through your life!
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Idea for discussion: HOW DOES YOUR FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONG CONNECT TO CHRISTMAS? Ask each teen to consider their favorite Christmas song, and how it connects to the holiday. (This means they may have to think a little harder about how "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" intersects with the Nativity than "Silent Night" does!) Have a couple of your own ready to go to start the conversation.... Have them share in small groups, and let the groups pick one to share with the larger group. Challenge to add - as one teen says the name of a song, challenge the others to write down an many lyrics as they can... (shows the influence of music, and possibly how we can 'hear' without truly listening... after the song is presented, discuss any words or phrases they do not understand. Look up any you do not know to share the answers the following week!) Ones that are easily tied to the Nativity could include:
What others would you/your teens add to the list? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This can easily be adapted for use with YOUNG ADULTS (and you can probably have them play the songs from their cell phones for all to hear) and for FAMILY MINISTRY by asking families to work together as a small group. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One quick personal reflection on "Mary Did you Know?" and "Breath of Heaven" I recently read one article critiquing the theology of the first song, but I have to say that it was a transformational song for me along with "Breath of Heaven"... these two songs gave me a deeper respect for Mary, the Mother of God. Before reflecting upon the lyrics, I pretty much glossed over level of sacrifice and pain that Mary may have experienced in her saying "YES" to God via Gabriel. These two songs helped me to relate a bit more to the humanity of this young girl who once walked the earth. Perhaps I did did not before give her credit for having emotions, except for when I envisioned her crying during the Stations of the Cross. Since I have not experienced pregnancy, I never really thought much about how she could have felt which Jesus grew in her womb. Since I have not given birth, I had not really considered the physical pain being paired with emotional concerns for his health and safety and well-being even though she KNEW he was God's own son. However, especially in the second song, I learned that doubting or questioning are not the important aspect of the story... faithfulness is! Even IF Mary wondered if she were worthy, she remained faithful. Even if Mary didn't completely comprehend how Jesus would suffer as a young adult, she new He was in God's hands and she just needed to do what God called her to do, Who God called her to be. Isn't that we are all asked? While my epiphany moments began after first hearing "Breath of Heaven" back in 1992, I still pause each Advent to deepen my appreciation and work on my own openness to God's call in my life. ********************************************************************************************* Lyrics: "Mary Did You Know" (originally by Mark Lowry (lyrics) and Buddy Greene (melody)) Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water? Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters? Did you know that your Baby Boy has come to make you new? This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you. Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy will give sight to a blind man? Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy will calm the storm with His hand? Did you know that your Baby Boy has walked where angels trod? When you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God? Mary did you know.. Ooo Ooo Ooo The blind will see. The deaf will hear. The dead will live again. The lame will leap. The dumb will speak The praises of The Lamb. Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation? Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would one day rule the nations? Did you know that your Baby Boy is heaven's perfect Lamb? The sleeping Child you're holding is the Great, I Am. ********************************************************************* Breath of Heaven(CHRIS EATON, AMY GRANT) I have travelled many moonless night Cold and weary, with a babe inside And I wonder what I've done Holy Father, you have come And chosen me now To carry your son I am waiting in a silent prayer I am frightened by the load I bear In a world as cold as stone, Must I walk this path alone? Be with me now Be with me now Breath of heaven Hold me together Be forever near me Breath of heaven Breath of heaven Light up my darkness Pour over me your holiness For you are holy Breath of heaven Do you wonder as you watch my face If a wiser one one should have had my place But I offer all I am For the mercy of your plan Help me be strong Help me be Help me Breath of heaven Hold me together Be forever near me Breath of heaven Breath of heaven Light up my darkness Pour over me your holiness For you are holy Breath of heaven Hold me together Be forever near me Breath of heaven Breath of heaven Light up my darkness Pour over me your holiness For you are holy Breath of heaven Breath of heaven Breath of heaven I love this idea 'borrowed' from Catholics Mobilizing: An Advent Jar What’s an Advent Jar you ask? Well, it’s just like an advent calendar, except you use a jar and Popsicle sticks. This is a creative and fun way to incorporate prayer, scripture, service and family time into your Advent journey as a family (or with roommates or even alone). For this project you will need: Mason Jar 26 Large popsicle sticks (the ones that are like tongue depressors) – colored ones are best 2” Wide Ribbon ½” wide ribbon Fine tip Sharpies Glue dots Starting with a clean, empty mason jar, cut the wide ribbon long enough to wrap completely around the jar with a bit extra on the ends to fold over. Fold over one end of the wide ribbon about an 1/8 of an inch. Using glue dots or double sided tape, adhere the large ribbon to the jar. Cut the ½” ribbon long enough to wrap around the jar with enough extra to make a bow. Place the smaller ribbon so it lays over the wider ribbon and tie it around the jar using a bow to secure it. Once the jar and ribbon is done, it is time to make your advent jar popsicle sticks. Using a fine tip sharpie families (or roommates or even an individual, as I did) should select 26 things – either from the list below, or they can make their own – that they can do throughout Advent. Write one thing on each stick and place it in the jar. Each morning, take 2 seconds before running out the door to grab a stick and make that your goal for the day. Or if your family (roommates) gathers for dinner take the stick out before diner and talk over dinner about doing that item for the day. If you draw one that you can not do that day, simply place it back and draw another. 1. Say a prayer for someone who is sick or lonely 2. Drive around the neighborhood to look at Christmas Lights 3. Go out to the town’s annual tree lighting 4. Go to Church this Sunday as a family 5. Do something nice for some who you may not always like 6. Bake Christmas Cookies and listen to Christmas music 7. Read a favorite Christmas story together as a family 8. Decorate the Christmas tree as a family 9. Baking cookies for Santa – make extra to give to neighbors or those who are homeless 10. Read the Nativity story – Luke 2:1-14 11. Send a letter to a family member that lives far away 12. Set up the Nativity 13. Pray Psalm 25 together as a family 14. Write a note to a family member telling them one thing you are thankful for – about them! 15. Offer to help with a chore that is not normally “yours” 16. Make a Christmas Card for your favorite teacher and give it to them 17. Say a prayer at dinner for all those who are hungry 18. Do a kind act for a neighbor 19. Read the story of St. Nicholas whose Feast Day is celebrated during Advent 20.Make 5 Christmas cards and deliver to a hospital or nursing home 21. Make hot chocolate and watch a Christmas movie as a family 22. Pray the joyful mysteries of the Rosary as a family – dedicate your prayers to those who go without 23.Collect change for 5 days – the entire family collects all their extra change each day – donate what you collected to an organization that helps those who are sick. 24.Pray for those who do not have families during this holiday season 25.Wrap presents for friends and family 26. Write your own ideas..... (Could also write carious Scripture verses on each stick to help you remember to include the Bible in your daily life!) I found green and red craft sticks at Dollar Tree (40 for $1) as well as ribbon and a jar...so this can be done very inexpensively and can be used from year to year! Happy Advent! In a recent email I received from Twenty-Third Publications, they presented the following statistics: 23.3 The percent of Catholics who normally attend Mass every week or more often. 20.5 The percent of Catholics who attend Mass almost every week. 24.1 The percent who will most likely attend only on Christmas or Easter. 1 The number of opportunities we have at Christmas or Easter (or Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday) to welcome and coach those who attend Mass infrequently. Or as the old saying goes, you only get one chance to make a first impression! It seems important to think about this on Ash Wednesday, because we are first of all being reflective and looking for ways to change ourselves to become better disciples of our Lord Jesus. Secondly, our Churches tend to see a number of folks at Mass on Ash Wednesday that we probably did not see the previous weekend. Several years ago, I wrote an article for the Catholic Exponent regarding the number of young adults (ages 18 - 30s) who I called "CAPE Catholics" as they consider themselves Catholic, practicing Catholics even, but who may only attend Mass on Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and Easter (was an update on the C&E Catholics of the previous generation as it seemed that the two additional days were of importance to the young adults.) In any event, the point of the story was to encourage parishioners to WELCOME, SMILE AT, and BE GLAD to see the increased numbers of attendees at the Masses those days. {Article posted below.} We have a number of Catholics who feel very connected to God, and who know things about our beliefs, practices, rituals and prayer, but who are disconnected to a faith community because they lack the sense of community! Our young Church members do not see community as people who live nearby or who belong to the same institution....no, they want a deeper sense of community, wherein they feel wanted, treasured, accepted, and known. Therefore, as community members, it is up to us to welcome those with unfamiliar faces. Ask their names and invite them to additional events, activities or to return next weekend for Mass. While the point is not only to increase the numbers you read above, that should happen if more people feel connected to our God through our faith communities. Let is 'build the City of God' and grow the Body of Christ in our parish this Lent. At the 2013 National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in Indianapolis, emcee Jesse Manibusan stressed that "Being Catholic means everybody's welcome!" So, let us make sure we welcome them! =============================================== The Catholic Exponent Article from 2007 (similar article ran in 2004 or 2005) Welcome CAPE Catholics Cindee Case Special to the Exponent Did you notice a full Church on Ash Wednesday? It seems for the past several years, more and more people so come to this Mass to receive ashes. The Church was almost as crowded as on Christmas or Easter. As a child, I remember a couple times of the year when my parents would make sure that we were ready for Church earlier than usual. There was worry about getting a good parking place or seats in our regular pew. I found it fascinating to see the Church packed full with standing room only. I later learned that the “extra” people who showed up these couple of times a year were referred to as “C & E Catholics,” in that appeared for Christmas and Easter. As I grew older, I began to notice that Christmas and Easter were easy times for young adults to go to Church since it was usually tied into family time; plans for opening gifts or baskets were often scheduled around Mass. In a 2002 study done by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University, it shows that 62 % of pre-Vatican II Catholics (born before 1943) surveyed attend Mass every week or more, while 40% of the Vatican II generation (born 1943-1960) does, and only 26% of Post-Vatican II young adults (born after 1960) do. A large portion of this post-Vatican II group is often called “Generation X.” The CARA report states “members of this generation are relatively less likely to make long-term commitments, are more pragmatic and less ideological, and are relatively more interested in issues of identity and community than those before them.” Generation X makes up about 42% of adult Catholics. Instead of just Christmas and Easter, we now seem young adults on Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday, too. Sure, some cynics joke that they come then to “get something” – the ashes and palms. These outward signs of our faith are important. This is why the Church has “sacramentals” – to be signs of our faith. If the outward signs do not already reflect the inward faith, then they help to develop it. So, I think it is great that so many adults, young and older, take this step on four big celebrations –Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and Easter (thus my term CAPE Catholics.) The problem is then, that too many young adults do not realize all that they “get” at “regular” Masses. There is no understanding that they can “get” a community of faith there to support them and the Body and Blood of Christ transform them. The U.S. Bishops, in their 1997 document Sons and Daughters of the Light list four goals for ministry with young adults, all involving connections:
Our first step is hospitality. Like the theme song of the popular 1980’s TV show “Cheers” said, “You want to go where everybody knows your name,” we all tend to feel more comfortable going to a place we are known and welcomed. If our parishes truly are to be faith communities, we must know one another. Or at least be friendly towards one another. So, please, come Palm Sunday and Easter, smile and greet the new faces you see, or at least do not give them “the look” if they are sitting in “your” pew! Dare to say hello and welcome them to the community, and maybe even to invite them to return next week. After all, these CAPE Catholics help us understand the importance of these Holy Days and scaramentals in our Church. Cindee Case is the diocesan director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry and former Board of Directors President for the National Catholic Young Adult Ministry Association. I was excited in 2007 when I purchased the Amy Grant CD "Home for Christmas" as I had long enjoyed her voice and I looked forward to hearing her take on many favorite holiday tunes. A couple songs into my first listen, I was struck by a song that was new to me... a song that beckoned me to pause to reflect upon the "Advent experience" from the perspective of a pregnant Mary. While I was, of course, very familiar with the scripture stories and our popular traditions around Mary being visited by the angel to announce that she would found favor with God and would bear his son, as well as the dream that Joseph had that encouraged him to still marry Mary and raise the child with her. I knew of the journey to see Elizabeth her kinswoman. And, the search for a place to give birth is well known. However, I did not reflect much before on the pondering that must have taken place for Mary in between. The song "Breath of Heaven" is one possible take on her pondering. In case you are not familiar with it, the lyrics are: I have traveled many moonless nights Cold and weary with a babe inside And I wonder what I've done Holy Father, You have come And chosen me now to carry Your Son I am waiting in a silent prayer I am frightened by the load I bear In a world as cold as stone Must I walk this path alone? Be with me now, be with me now Breath of Heaven, hold me together Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy Breath of Heaven Do you wonder as you watch my face If a wiser one should have had my place? But I offer all I am For the mercy of Your plan Help me be strong, help me be, help me Breath of Heaven, hold me together Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy Breath of Heaven, hold me together Be forever near me, breath of Heaven Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy Breath of Heaven, Breath of Heaven Breath of Heaven (Songwriters CHRIS EATON, AMY GRANT, Published by © BUG MUSIC) This has since become a wonderful focus song for Advent for me. Mindful that God chose Mary to be a special vessel, I love the idea of her wondering if she should be the one? Was she strong enough? Smart enough? Holy enough? How well this explains our human doubts. Before receiving Holy Communion, how often do I wonder these same things. Basically, am I worthy? Well, of course not, as we admit that "I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof..." yet we, in His grace, continue "but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." Do I truly allow God's Word to enter into my soul? Much as Mary allowed the Spirit, or breath, of God to enter her, now must I be open to the Spirit coming in the presence of bread/host and wine. May it "pour over me (God's) holiness" to make me more holy in His name. Thank you, Lord, for speaking through Amy Grant in this way that grabbed my heart and encouraged me to reflect more deeply on the faith that Mary placed in you, and to allow that example to inspire me to take you more deeply "under my roof" as Christmas nears....but also for each and every time I receive you in the Eucharist. As I receive your body and blood, keep me mindful that I also receive a "Breath of Heaven." As the Christmas season comes to a close this weekend with the Baptism of the Lord, it saddens me that so many households packed away their trees, lights, and decorations -- some on December 25th or 26th, when the season was just getting started.
In contrast, I rejoice when I hear things like: + Our youth ministry went Christmas caroling at a nursing home on January 5th (which by the way is perfect as it is still Christmas season for we Roman Catholics and near the Feast of the Epiphany, but also the celebration of Christmas for Eastern Churches, so is still very timely! + Our parish celebrated Epiphany with a party, rather than squeezing one more thing in December when it is actually Advent. + Between Christmas and New Year, our youth get together to write out Happy New Year cards for military personnel. How did YOU help celebrate the Christmas season this year, during the actual season? What ideas might you consider planning for next Christmas? MERRY CHRISTMAS! |
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*** Note: The Office Blog is now inactive, but posted for continued reference as needed (6/30/21) ***Cindee Case, MPSFormer Director of the Diocese of Youngstown Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry (2/2002 - 6/2021) Archives
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