For those of you unable to read this article published on December 7, 2016 on LinkedIn at:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/breaking-our-assumptions-teens-mark-mann?trk=hp-feed-article-title-like I am sharing this for your consideration and thoughts. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Today’s new insight comes from Sharon Galgay Ketcham: “Helping teenagers imagine how they might contribute to God’s redemptive movement in the world [unveils] their potential. When parents, youth pastors, and church leaders train their eyes to look beyond [society’s] ‘dominant problem narrative’ (that is, most teenagers are broken, deficient and in need of our help), to recognize teenage potential and provide a place in the church for teenagers to practice using their gifts – teenagers will find a meaningful purpose in the church. “The busyness of teenagers is connected to the longing of adults to help problematized teenagers make it into adulthood. Imagine if we saw teenagers as Christ does: full of potential to join God’s purpose.” I would add to see youth as Christ does means to recognize and affirm how teens are already engaged in God’s work in the world. I do not wonder that many young people are engaged in making a difference for good in their schools, their work places, their families, their circles of friends, in the local communities. Church leaders do not necessarily see it because all of this is taking place outside the Church. And teens may simply lack the religious language to explain it to us. But the Second Vatican Council affirms that “the laity ... make the Church present and operative in those places and circumstances where only through them can she become the salt of the earth” (Lumen Gentium, no. 33). Now this is not to say that some young people are not experiencing problems or even crisis at this moment in their lives and they are in need genuine care. But adolescence itself is not a disease. Ketcham proposes that we flip the script. What would the Church’s ministry with youth look like if it started from a place of affirmation? Teenagers are not a problem to be solved; they are the possibility for parents and youth ministers and church leaders to recognize how God is at work in the world… and perhaps, more importantly, at work in our lives. [The quote is an extract from an interview with Sharon Galgay Ketcham, published in "The State of Youth Ministry", a report from Barna in partnership with Youth Specialties and YouthWorks, 2016.]
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Fr. Walker shared this brief reflection, and I send it along for your consideration:
A young lady was having a heart to heart conversation with her grandmother about school, careers, and relationships. "Tell me, Grandma," she asked, "at what age are men most fun?" Grandma replied, "Men are like record players. They play at different speeds according to age but they are nice to have around at 33, 45, or 78." Grandma, turns out, was only partly right. All of us, not only men, play at different speeds, and many of us, much like the world, find ourselves moving faster all the time. Sometimes we have no choice. Our lives are busy. We have responsibilities. People depend on us and so we have to be where we're needed. However, in life, we need a slower gear. We have that slower gear but it often falls into disuse. Life is more than the sum of our days. It's more a matter of the depth and experience of our relationships. And going slow must start with an inner awareness of ourselves and knowing that our happiness and peace can only come to us in the simple and profound appreciation for our lives as a gift from God. Do you know the average adult breathes 32,040 times per day? Each breath is a miracle and a gift from the God who knew each of us in his mind and heart BEFORE we were conceived. Take time each day, slow down, become aware of each breath and the mystery of your life. Don't have time? Can't afford it? Better yet, can you afford not to? 25 C's for Evaluating Religion Internet Sites |
4/23/2015
Learning more to Foster a Culture of Encounter With Young Disciples with 1,300 others!
Read NowAfter months of preparation with the National Association of Catholic Youth Ministry Leaders (NACYML), I am so excited that the MOOC (Massively Open Online Course) has begun. We are now in week 2 and have already heard:
-- The Most Reverend Frank Caggiano, Bishop of Bridgeport,
--Tom East,. Joan Weber and Angel Barrera with the Center for Ministry Development and
--Dr. Ansel Augustine from the Archdiocese of New Orleans
They discussed points from chapters 1 and 2 of the Holy Father's "Evangelii Gaudium" (The Joy of the Gospel).
There have also been Live Chat/discussions on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET.
Furthermore, these presentations are breaking open in our Networking Learning Groups, including the "Ohio Dioceses" group.
And if that wasn't enough, quotes from the documents and speakers are being tweeted (#NACYMLMOOC), Pinned (https://www.pinterest.com/nfcym/fostering-a-culture-of-encounter-with-young-discip/ ) and Facebooked (https://www.facebook.com/NACYML).
There are participants from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, etc. as well as from all over the US. Some are new volunteers, others have been involved in ministry for decades. I LOVE the variety as the different perspectives are helping me expand my own understanding.
IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO GET INVOLVED!
We still have 3 full weeks of class,
and the past presentations and chats have all been recorded and posted.
You can do this work at any time you have available (i.e. 5 a.m. over coffee before the household is awake....on your lunch break.... midnight if you are a night-owl) and it is FREE!
Upcoming presentations will be by Fr. Joe Espaillat, Dr. Carolyn Woo and Bob Rice.
If you complete the Learning Journals and submit them to me ([email protected]) for review, you can also earn hours towards your Catechist certification.
Enroll now at: www.nacyml.org/moocRegister.htm
For those of you already part of it: THANKS for join in. I hope you have been able to enjoy the presentations, discussions and insights shared. There will be time at the May 27th Youth Ministers Gathering for you to share some of your learnings with the group face-to-face. So, jot down a few notes on what has been inspiring you and what practical ideas you have taken from the course.
If I had my life to live over again, I would ask that not a thing be changed, but that my eyes be opened wider.
~ Jules Renard
I will admit, there are many times when I replay memories and yearn to have a "do - over" -- too often I speak too flippantly,
or I missed moments I could have savored,
or I have been in too much of a hurry to truly experience a moment...
Sound at all familiar? I am sure I cannot be on the only one, but I envy you if you have already mastered this (perhaps you can help teach me?)
This must help to explain the wisdom of the Church in giving us the season of Lent each year.... time for us to examine our lives,
our choices,
our conscience
and see what can be done differently in the future
(not a do-over, but at least a do-better opportunity!)
Today's quote now shapes my Lenten reflection:
How can I live with my eyes open wider more often in the future...
... to see needs of others that I may be able to assist?
... to see the good in stressful or negative situations?
... to see pain behind forced smiles?
... to see love rather than malice, hostility, anger, or hatred?
... to see more of God's amazing creations?
....to see the face of Christ in more of the people I encounter!
The lyrics to Jesse Manibusan's "Open My Eyes, Lord" continues to have deeper meaning for me:
and St. Joseph, on your feast day, may you also strengthen me!
Amen!
Great reflection for Spy Wednesday
(Did you know this term used by some folks for today?)
The first time I recall being really challenged by the question of "Why would Judas do this" was after seeing the Passion play/musical "Tetelestai" as a teen wherein the creators placed Judas in a prominent role.
As much as I may want to be like John or Peter,
I have to ask:
How am I like Judas?
When do my greed...
Ego...
Desire to be connected to powerful people...
Feelings of knowing-it-all...
Lack of trust...
betray my love of Jesus?
Looks like I have much on which to reflect today...
Thank you Fr. Jim for posting this on Facebook for many of us to contemplate. It brings a new/different aspect to this most Holy Week.
--Cindee
----------------------
By Fr. James Martin, SJ
Why did Judas do it?
The Gospel readings for today and tomorrow ("Spy Wednesday") focus on Judas's betrayal of Jesus. But why did Judas do it?
. . . . . .
A few years ago I served as a “theological adviser” to an Off-Broadway play, called “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot,” that put Judas on trial for Jesus’s death. We spent many hours sifting through the possible reasons for history’s most famous betrayal.
The Gospel of Mark gives no motivation for Judas's sudden betrayal. Confusing things further, Matthew has Jesus telling Judas at the Last Supper, "Do what you are here to do," which seems to imply some acquiescence, or at least foreknowledge, on Jesus’s part. Matthew attempts to clarify things in his account by introducing the motive of greed: "What will you give me if I betray him to you?" Judas asks the Jewish high priests.
The Gospel of John echoes this theme: before the Last Supper, Judas is depicted by the evangelist as the greedy keeper of the common purse. When Jesus is anointed in Bethany, shortly before his crucifixion, Judas complains, asking why the money was not given to the poor. In an aside, John writes, "He [Judas] said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it."
Thus John paints Judas as greedy, and dishonest as well. Finally, Luke's gospel tells us that at the Last Supper "Satan had entered into Judas." Daniel J. Harrington, SJ, told me that this phrase from Luke explained "either everything or nothing."
There is another hypothesis that sometimes remains unstated by commentators: the evangelists concocted the entire story of Judas's betrayal for dramatic purposes. Some have posited that the one who betrayed Jesus could have come from outside the Twelve, and that Judas was simply a convenient fall guy. Similarly, Judas may have been invented as a generic "Jewish" character in order to lay the blame for the crucifixion on the Jewish people. The name “Judas” (the Hebrew would be Judah) lends credence to this idea. So might Paul, who suggests that Jesus was “handed over” not by Judas or anyone else but by God.
But a wholesale invention is unlikely. Mark wrote his gospel around 70 A.D., only a few decades after the death of Jesus. Luke and Matthew wrote some 10 to 15 years later. The Christian community of that time still would have counted among its members those who were friends of Jesus, who were eyewitnesses to the Passion, or who knew the sequence of events from conversations with the previous generation. They most likely would have criticized any wild liberties taken with the story. Rather, as Father Harrington told me, "Judas's betrayal of Jesus was a known and most embarrassing fact." The ignominy of having Jesus betrayed by one of his closest friends is something the Gospel writers would have wanted to avoid, not invent.
Overall, none of the Gospels provides a convincing reason for why one of the 12 disciples would betray the teacher he esteemed so highly. Greed fails as an explanation—why would someone who had traveled with the penniless rabbi for three years suddenly be consumed with greed? (Unless he was indeed stealing from the common purse.)
William Barclay conjectured that the most compelling explanation is that by handing Jesus over to the Romans, Judas was trying to force Jesus's hand, to get him to act in a decisive way. Perhaps Judas expected the arrest to prompt Jesus to reveal himself as the long-awaited Messiah by not only ushering in an era of peace, but overthrowing the Roman occupiers. Barclay noted that none of the other traditional explanations (greed, disillusionment, jealousy) explain why Judas would have been so shattered after the crucifixion that the Gospel of Matthew has him committing suicide; only if Judas had expected a measure of good to come from his actions would suicide make any sense. "This is in fact the view which best suits all the facts," Barclay concluded.
Finally, there is an explanation at once simple and complex: sin. Why do we do what we know is wrong? It is an inexplicable mystery. Perhaps Judas’s reasons for betrayal were obscure even to himself.
. . . . .
From "Jesus: A Pilgrimage":http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Jesus-James-Martin/?isbn=9780062024237
Image: "The Taking of Christ in the Garden," by Caravaggio.
Webinars are online (web) seminars that allow students from all over the country/world to participate together with an expert, teacher, motivator, author, leader or facilitator. "Live" participants who join the webinar in "real time" often have the chance to ask questions, offer additional insights or respond to questions during the session. Many of the sessions are recorded and made available any time.
Key advantages of webinars are:
1. No travel time to and from the session.
2. Shortened commitment time then without the travel involved.
3. Can be done about anywhere you have an internet connection, so that can be in your office, at home, or (with earphones) while you wait for your child involved in a sport, dance, music, etc.
4. You can learn from speakers who may never come to this area. It is incredible to be able to ask an expert a question and get his/her direct response!
5. You can learn about almost ANY topic, if you search long enough.
6. Affordable -- most of offered inexpensively, and many are FREE.
7. You can interact with participants from all over the region, country or world, depending on the webinar.
So, check your internet connection (speed, bandwidth) and computer/tablet/smartphone sound,
and if they are compatible, then start looking for the topics you most want to learn about via webinar!
I shall offer a few suggestions:
+ Members of the National Association of Catholic Youth Ministry Leaders receive FREE access to monthly webinars with topics directly of interest to our ministries with teens. Membership is only $60 for the year and has additional benefits like discounts on conferences and resources, membership news, etc.
Check out the current webinar listing at:
http://www.nacyml.org/oncoursewebinar.htm
For membership, click here:
http://www.nacyml.org/join.htm
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+ For only $25 per session (discounted in bulk), the Center for Ministry Development offers monthly topics related to ministry with youth, young adults, and families. You can also review past sessions and get the handouts. See their listing at:
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=t7vhojcab&v=001hgLWFIFcpZ0JYanF1r5qEJcoDgSIbQDbOqRCmNzLl1eueeO61O6UWORSLGnSdmY0Lpwf5FffWpn1G48DSGdifs_ieRotp-CgKige_4MVuFg-qF7NSYIP9TPXChuu-OqCAaokmvJJLEmVKHW6f-HkrdgGL5j5_34n28ei2IBxSeEAjXTzkciersKNfr6qAtLVQVOEOZfK3ZPzdenP3LM92IaPQel3t_iHg5O0NXcG6U4ZxweLtpr2VnyqhfKj2K9HuLVHlx4eGsSIM8tMxmY_FXdFWtfKZVLMwABBgFa7SG4dHO129pDI3cD2L6xbfDfk5YQue84M7jwFQV_vaqBwChxlojy2QkmdJMQY9T82RFFBaNMZRPzRR-Yhf-FIEagcUM-EfXlZyv_do6E7iV4R0Q%3D%3D
--------------------------
+ Paulist Evangelization Ministries (Paulist Fathers) offers sessions during this Year of Faith with helpful ways we can deepen our personal faith and share with others. Most (all?) have been free of charge, but you must pre-register. Check out upcoming topics at:
http://www.pemdc.org/yearoffaith/
------------------------------------------
+ St. Mary's Press offers a number of webinars that help make use of tools they produce
See their offerings at:
http://www.smp.org/webinars/
-----------------------------------
+ Joe Paprocki offers insights on his Catechist's Journey site. While he has worked mostly with DREs and children's programs, there are topics of interest to those of us working with 'older children' as well.
http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/webinars-2/
--------------------------------
+ Ave Maria Press offers free webinars for parish minister's professional development.
https://www.avemariapress.com/webinar-videos/
----------------------------------
WHAT OTHERS MIGHT YOU RECOMMEND?
How have webinars helped your ministry?
How have webinars helped your personal growth as a minister?
What new things have you learned by participating in a webinar?
How have webinars helped you encourage continued formation with your team, vo
+ Loyola Press 3-minute retreat
A different daily theme with image and Scripture. If I cannot find at least 3 minutes to pray, then I am in the wrong line of work ;-) Here is today's:
http://www.loyolapress.com/3-Minute-Retreat-wounded-healers.htm?updatedate=7/7/2013%206:30:09%20AM&utm_campaign=3-minute-retreat-daily-email&utm_medium=link&utm_source=email-link
+ The Five Loaves
A weekly reflections "between Sundays" with reflections from various ministers with related song.
http://www.thefiveloaves.com/
+ St. Anthony Messenger Saint of the Day
A brief bio of a saint celebrated that day along with a prayer. I often post these on my Facebook page for teens and young adults to read as well.
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintofDay/default.aspx
And one for your teens:
+ Any Given Sunday from the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston,
a free weekly, lectionary based reflection by various youth leaders and artists. I have posted a few of these on my Facebook page as well for teens.
http://www.anygivensundayproject.com/
Let me know what some of your favorite online resources are as well!
*** Note: The Office Blog is now inactive, but posted for continued reference as needed (6/30/21) ***
Cindee Case, MPS
Former Director of the Diocese of Youngstown Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry (2/2002 - 6/2021)
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