Marshmallows, My Lord and My God, Holy Listening, Review, Lectoring Tips & Next Youth Mass Apr 24th
Yum! We started off the evening with a quick construction ice breaker, competing to make the tallest structure with spaghetti and marshmallows. If your kids couldn't come, here are some updates and faith things to go over with them.
Main Points for this notice:
1. All youth are requested to participate in a youth mass at least once per year as part of youth formation. April 24, 4:30 outdoors, and May 16th at 11 am are the next 2. Please consider volunteering your child(ren) if they haven't participated yet. We are so proud to see them up there! Greeters, Servers, Announcements, 3 to 4 readers, Gift Bearers are needed. We may contact you if we are short on volunteers!
2. Parents of youth interested in singing with choir must keep in touch with Mr. Jeffrey Fischer in order to be notified of practices. While they don't occur often due to covid, they are required for participation. He usually has one the week before a special mass like the outdoor youth mass.
3. There is a Homework attachment called Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ regarding the upcoming Sunday readings. This is from The Religion Teacher website.
4. The Take-Home letter with an overview of the most recent YFF is attached.
5. The childrens' version of the readings for the April 24/ 25th mass are attached, in case your child is younger and would like to read. The missallette may be used for older youth or I can provide copies. These are from Adorers of the Most Precious Blood website. This is for Good Shepherd Sunday and a childrens' cross word is included.
6. Reading Tips for lectoring at mass are attached. These are from me! Praise Be to God I've been lectoring for over (gasp) 30 years and may have been to a training or 2!
7. The main blog below concerns some themes that go with mass. They are summarized from a series for parents at Loyola Press. We mentioned some of these briefly at the youth night, but they may be worth reviewing.
Review of Youth Faith Formation Topic: Liturgy of the Eucharist
Last time we met with the youth, we began by reading and discussing the story from the gospel of Luke of the Passover meal that Jesus shared with his apostles. We were learning about the beginning parts of Mass and Liturgy of the Word. You might notice parts of that story is read every week at mass as the priest says Jesus’ words when we remember his Last Supper before he died and then rose from the dead. Jesus invites us to remember and to celebrate that meal every Sunday. As Catholics, we call this special meal the Mass, which is another name for the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist.
Mass is so important to our catholic faith – Pope Francis says “At the very heart of the Gospel is life in community and engagement with others.”
The readings are also so very important, although we know they are sometimes hard to understand. But in the Gospel of John we hear:
“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”
There are a lot of themes in mass, and some indicate the ways we behave in mass in order to give Glory to God. The following are summarized from a series from LoyolaPress.com.
At the beginning and first parts of mass:
1. Reverence & Silence: We respect Jesus’ Real Presence in the tabernacle, by genuflecting, sign of the cross, silence before and after the readings.
2. Song & Praise: We participate enthusiastically in the responses and songs to praise God. Our hymns are based upon scripture and so are often prayers in and of themselves. God wants to hear our voices raised in song. The Gloria is sung in the beginning of mass to set the tone to praise God.
3. Listening to the Word, Jesus speaks to us through the readings. We call the readings the “Living Word that can be written on our hearts.” - The sacredness of the ambo is the place for the reading of the Word. When the reader approaches it, it is time to listen in a special way. The Liturgy of the Word should be treated as a special time to practice ‘holy listening’. What is Jesus trying to say to you through the readings? Remember 1 thing or 1 way to live your life better from Jesus’ teachings each week.
What word, phrase or image struck you? What story did you hear? What touched your heart as you heard this reading?
What is God saying to you? Take your time. Ask God to make His focus clear. What does this reading remind you of in your life at this particular moment?
4. Prayers of the Faithful: We pray for others in the world as a faith community every mass. There is a normal order for these prayers. We want youth to help write intentions for masses in which they have a role. If you feel inspired to contribute in this way please forward them to us. Remember to have a personal intention like a worry or a person to pray silently for at this time of mass as well. The official order is to pray for:
1. the needs of the Church
2. public authorities and the salvation of the whole world
3. those burdened by any kind of difficulty
4. the local community. (GIRM, 70)
This week we talked more about the 2nd half of mass, Liturgy of the Eucharist and Closing Rites, beginning with the presentation of the gifts, or offertory:
This begins the Sacrifice of the Mass : Mass is a sacrifice and a meal, both Jesus’ and ours. We bring our needs to God and in turn promise to serve people in our community, helping others in even the littlest ways. What does God want you to do in your daily life? “Go in peace, Glorify the Lord by your life,” by the way we live our lives. As the gifts are brought up at the offertory, add a silent offering, “God help me do your will.”
Liturgy of the Eucharist and Real Presence One of the mysteries of our faith is that we believe Jesus is present in the Eucharist, body, soul, and divinity. The bread and wine are changed by the Holy Spirit through the priest, acting in Jesus’ place, into the Body and Blood, not in appearance, but in substance, into Christ Jesus. So when we receive the Eucharist, Christ becomes part of our body and our spirit. It helps keep us holy and takes away our small sins. The tabernacle has the remaining consecrated Eucharist for the homebound and sick. So we genuflect as a sign of respect for the real presence of Jesus in church.
Thankfulness Eucharist is Greek for Thanksgiving. We give thank to Jesus for sacrificing his earthly life for us. After receiving Jesus into our body and heart, we make our prayer requests but also thank Him for all our blessings. Communion is also a time for praising Jesus in song. There is lots of opportunity for quiet, solitary prayer, but singing with community prayers can only be done together at mass.
Have you heard of this prayer after communion called the Sucipe by St. Ignatious?
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, All I have and call my own.
You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace, that is enough for me.
At the end of mass we are dismissed – sent forth. Sent on Mission. This is the final theme of mass:
Our Mission for the week: Greek for ‘it is sent”. At the end of mass we are challenged to Go forth, Go in peace, to Love the Lord and each other, Go, proclaim God’s Word. We respond Thanks be to God - we can only do these great things Thanks be to God. We say thanks for this mission to continue Jesus’ work in our lives and community.
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