eCatechist

Peace and Blessings for 2012

Thank you for your support and encouragement. We look forward to serving you and working with you in the new year.

Mystery Revealed by Julie Quinn, www.juliequinnstudio.com.

Conversion of St. Paul

On January 25 we celebrated the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, the event in which the ‘most ferocious enemy of the Church became its most zealous son and missionary’. How is Paul’s conversion described in the New Testament, in his own words and in the accounts in the Acts of the Apostles? Marcel Uwineza SJ looks closely at how Paul and Luke portray the change affected in Paul on the Damascus Road.

From Thinking Faith

Bibles for all Fourth Graders

Yesterday in our fourth grade faith formation class we presented each of our 16 children with a copy of the New Testament in the New Common English Translation.

On the inside front cover we wrote a personal note to each:

 

Dear Jolana,

This New Testament is our gift to you.

May the Word of God enter your heart, form your faith, be a beacon for you to follow, and enliven your life.

Love,

Mr. and Mrs. Pierson

To create a special and personal experience we called each child to the front of the room, read our note, and then presented the Bible to them.  

Instead of reading the passages from Bible when they are presented in the child's book, we will use their Bibles. Each child will highlight the title or the first lines of the selection. In this way the children will have a collection/index of the Bible stories that we are covering throughout the year. A great summary. Children will be given their Bibles at the last class to take home with a recommended list of 10 -12 Bible stories to guide them in their summer reading (one a week).

Our goal is to teach Biblical literacy. This is a very important skill that is certainly achieavable by the end of fourth grade, if not earlier.

Learning Outcome: By the end of fourth grade each child will understand the content of the New Testament and locate passages by book, chapter and verse. 

To find out more about the Common English Bible visit www.commonenglishbible.org. My review can be found here. Read Review

Dan and Margaret Pierson, fourth grade catechists at St. Rober of Newminister Parish, Ada/Grand Rapids, MI 

Common English Bible

  

In the summer of 2011, the Common English Bible Committee, an alliance of five publishers that serve the general and Christian markets, released the Common English Bible.

Paul N. Franklyn, associate publisher and project director of the Common English Bible explained that “the Common English Bible is not simply a revision or update of an existing translation. It’s a bold new translation designed to meet the needs of Christians as they work to build a strong and meaningful relationship with God through Jesus Christ. A key goal of the translation team is to make the Bible accessible to a broad range of people; it’s written at a comfortable level (similar to USA TODAY) for most people who read English.”

Combining scholarly accuracy with vivid language, the Common English Bible is the work of 120 biblical scholars from 24 denominations in American, African, Asian, European, and Latino communities, representing a variety of academic institutions.

A few of the Catholic translators were

Raymond F. Collins, STD, The Catholic University of America,

Carol J. Dempsey, OP, PhD, University of Portland, Portland, OR

Daniel J. Harrington, SJ, BD, PhD, Boston College School of Theology & Ministry, Cambridge, MA

Luke Timothy Johnson, MDiv, PhD, Candler School of Theology, Atlanta, GA

Pheme Perkins, PhD, Boston College, Wayland, MA

(A complete list is a available on the website)

“It’s an honor and a pleasure to be associated with this good project,” says Daniel J. Harrington, SJ, translator of Maccabees. “Based on the best modern biblical scholarship, the Common English Bible conveys the message of the Bible in a clear, accurate, and inspiring way.”

In my interview with Fr. Harrington he noted that it “is a great translation and fine to use. It uses simple American English and is a great resource for catechetical settings.”

Paul Franklyn said,  “The Common English Bible is committed to the whole church of Jesus Christ. That’s reflected in the dedicated work of a diverse team with broad biblical scholarship. As a result, the English translation of ancient words has an uncommon relevance for a broad audience of Bible readers—from children to scholars.”

The Common English Bible translation is available in multiple print and electronic editions, with and without the Apocrypha. Reference books supporting the translation are also available. See the website for the entire list.       www.commonenglishbible.org.

My wife Margaret and I have given each of our  fourth graders in faith formation a personal copy of the Everyday Softcover Outreach New Testament ($1.99). We see this as a great opportunity for helping children to actively engage with the Bible - highlighting favorite stories, underlining verses, and making notes. We can see that the children and their families are beginning to make Bible reading an ongoing prayer and faith practice at home.

Books and the Communion of Saints by Mickey Maudlin

Books are the communion of saints. I am sure there are mystical non-book-based realities to our fellowship with past believers, but mostly we know about those who have gone before us through their books. I have tried to imagine what I would know about God and the Christian life if I was forced to forsake books and was limited to the people I have personally encountered, but it is impossible. I began my Christian life by reading—reading C. S. Lewis and John Stott at first; soon I was introduced to Tozer, Nouwen, Merton, Buechner, Peterson, Foster, and Willard. Without their stories, advice, and teachings, I fear I would have run aground spiritually, having never left the shallows and cast out upon the deeper waters.

But I do not have to imagine this deprivation, because we are blessed with a surplus of riches for our communion. While many lament the demise of books, we actually live in a golden age of reading, with more writings and resources at our fingertips (literally) than ever before in history. Augustine and Calvin would be sorely tempted to envy us if they could see what we can easily download or order.

 

Continue

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time - January 29, 2012

The Story and You

The Little Ones - January 29, 2012

 

For permission to print, copy and use with your children in a faith formation class or Sunday bulletin, contact Jim Burrows at www.jimburrowsartist.com

Happines Revealed

Happiness Revealed  is the title of a project by Louie Schwartzberg, the founder of Blacklight Films. This is a nine (9) minute TED presentation, the first 3 ½ minutes feature Louie and what he has been doing for the last thirty (30) years. Besides learning what a wonderful gift your eyes are, you are treated to beautiful time-lapse images of flowers. Then he introduces you to his latest project where you will meet a delightful young girl and a reflective elderly gentleman. This is one of the most profound pieces I have ever seen on gratitude. It ends with this suggestion “Let your gratefulness overflow into blessing all around you.” You will not be wasting your time to watch this film at http://tiny.cc/zmo6m.

From Catechetical Weekly of January 23, 2012.

Words of Grace - Daily Reflections and Prayers for Catholics

Words of Grace is a new quarterly booklet of Daily Reflections and Prayers for Catholics that connects the daily Scripture readings from the Mass with the treasury of wisdom found in the Church’s rich spiritual tradition. Besides offering a brief daily reflection related to the Mass readings and a thought provoking prayer starter question, this handy and easy-to-use booklet also offers a variety of other engaging features such as Bible history, prayer from the day's saint, and brief explanations of various words related to Catholic liturgy, theology and spirituality.

Perfect for parishes, prayer groups and individuals, this handy, 4" x 6" booklet can be purchased on either a one-time or subscription basis for surprisingly affordable prices

Download Words of Grace for January, February, March, 2012. Download Quarterly 1.1.2

For additional information contact All Saints Press

Words of Grace for Catechist Formation and Certification. While Words of Grace is a devotional, it also offers information and background on all aspects of the Catholic faith. It is for this reason that I recommend that each issue (quarter) of  Words of Grace can be used for the education and certification of catechists. At the the end of each quarter, a catechist would complete the Catechist Learning Page and present it to the local catechetical leader for review and certification. Recommend 2 clock hours of credit.

Download Catechist Learning Page.

Praying with Children

"Always ask for absolute quiet before you begin to pray together. Invite children to quiet themselves - and wait until they do so. They will need time to move from activity to stillness, just as grown-ups do." Gwen Costello

From "This Lent Make Prayer Your Priority" in RTJ's Creative Catechist, February/March 2012.

30. Is the eucharist still a life-changing experience?

 As we examine Paul’s teaching to the Corinthians, we should not how the eucharist was an enactment of the life-changing choice to join the Christian community. The way it was celebrated showed that the community was dedicated to a different type of community life style—one where social status, gender, race, ethnic background, wealth, power and privilege took a back seat to care for one another, sharing of goods and nourishing one another as we wait together for Christ’s return and work for a world of justice, love and peace.

            Like those Corinthians, the celebration of the eucharist feeds and energizes our conversion into the community of Christ’s body on earth. It remains always a sign of the tension between ours society as it now is and as it envisioned by Christ. Like them, we have left our familiar home with its comfort of the status quo and committed ourselves to belong to the new family of God that is trying to live the values of Jesus’ kingdom today. The eucharist provides us with the nourishment we need to follow the Christian “Way” so that as Paul so intensely desired, all may come as brothers and sisters “in Christ” to the table of the Lord’s Supper.

 

From Paul and the Eucharist: The Heart of Christian Community

By Steve Mueller

©2011 Steve Mueller

Paul and the Eucharist will be available as an e-book in the summer of 2011.

God Qualifies the Called by Jenifer Truit (Advice to Catechists)

God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called! As we begin the New Year, I invite you to reflect on that thought for a moment. There are over 500,000 catechists in the United States.  Certainly the vast majority – hundreds of thousands – of these volunteers come to their work without a teaching degree, a theology degree, or perhaps without any degree! God has called you, by virtue of your Baptism, and you have responded.  Trust that He will provide you with all of the grace you need to get the job done, and get it done well. Happy New Year! 

Jenifer Truitt, Coordinator of Religious Education

St. Oliver Plunkett Catholic Church, Snellville, GA

www.enjoybeingcatholic.blogspot.com

29. What can Paul teach us about the way we celebrate the eucharist today?

 Although there are many differences in the way we celebrate the eucharist and the way Paul’s communities did, nevertheless we still share some important attitudes about it. First of all, the eucharist was an intensely social experience. As the church has emphasized after Vatican II, the eucharist is not just a spectacle that we go to see, like a porting event or a concert, but something that we must be involved in. The changes in the liturgy have also reminded us once again of the meal symbolism with the altar as the central table at which the community gathers.

 

From Paul and the Eucharist: The Heart of Christian Community

By Steve Mueller

©2011 Steve Mueller

Paul and the Eucharist will be available as an e-book in the summer of 2011.

28. How did the celebration of the eucharist change after Paul’s time?

 When we compare how Paul’s community celebrated the eucharist and how we do today, we notice several important changes. By the middle of the second century, the celebration had shifted from a full meal on Saturday evening with no designated celebrant to a Sunday morning ritual led by the bishop or priest in which the community shared only a small piece of bread and the cup. Another major change occurred in the fourth century when Christians were allowed to build their own churches for celebrating the eucharist and the ritual took on the more formal style that we are accustomed to now.

 

From Paul and the Eucharist: The Heart of Christian Community

By Steve Mueller

©2011 Steve Mueller

Paul and the Eucharist will be available as an e-book in the summer of 2011.

Catechetical Resources for Roman Missal, Third Edition

You are sure to slip up if you sleep through Mass these days. You will find yourself reverting back to the now "old" translation that was part of your "autopilot Mass mode" before the Roman Missal, Third Edition officially made its debut.

Surely these autopilot relapses will continue in the months ahead, yet we are getting more and more familiar with the new translation of the Mass prayers and responses. Therefore, despite the flurry of preparation before the changes, for many people, now is when they are beginning to wonder and ask what these new words mean and why the changes have taken place. It is not too late to catechize those in your formation sessions. (Is it ever too late to catechize on the Mass?)

Two resources are particularly helpful.

The Mass Explained for Kids, ©2011 by Daughters of St. Paul, is a colorful booklet worth purchasing for all the young people in your program or school. On the left-facing pages of this booklet are the prayers and responses of the liturgy, a mini-missal. On the right-facing pages are color-coordinated and visually connected word bubbles with definitions and explanations of the text that is found on the left-facing pages. This booklet is designed to help children follow along, understand, and learn how to pray the Mass. For catechists wondering how to "put into words" an explanation of the changes, this booklet can be a sure guide!

Word for Word, ©2011 by Life Teen, Inc., introduces middle school youth, teens, and even parents to the new Roman Missal. If you need an antidote to some grumbling about the changes, this resource puts forth one of the most positive perspectives possible. Included for each age grouping are four complete learning sessions and a DVD clip that is lively, positive, and effectively informative. After using this resource in your formation sessions, the faithful will no longer ask, "Why the changes?" but rather, "Why have they taken so long?"

May the new translation of the Mass be for all of us an opportunity to grow in our understanding and appreciation of the Mass. Let the lifelong formation continue!

Review by Tricia Tranel
Resource Center Specialist
Education Resource Center
Archdiocese of Dubuque

A member of the National Association of Catechetical Media Professionals (NACMP)

27. How did the eucharist show the community’s unity?

 Paul recognizes that the “many” who share in the one loaf (perhaps indicating that the community shared a special single loaf at their eucharistic meal) at the supper are “one body” in virtue of doing so (1 Cor 10:16–17). Communion with the body and blood of Christ creates both a union with the risen Christ and a union between the members where the usual social distinctions cannot be allowed to exist. Thus Paul emphasizes that sharing in the eucharistic meal and taking part in idolatrous meals are incompatible. One cannot be joined to Christ and to what is sinful.

            People who eat unworthily are not recognizing that the food symbolizes the body and blood of Jesus nor acting as befits the recipients of his salvation. They are also failing to recognize that the people gathered together for the meal are present as the one body of Christ and must be treated in Christian love.

 

From Paul and the Eucharist: The Heart of Christian Community

By Steve Mueller

©2011 Steve Mueller

Paul and the Eucharist will be available as an e-book in the summer of 2011.

Christmas Articles on Thinking Faith...

The Thinking Faith editorial team would like to wish all of our readers and contributors a very happy and holy Christmas. Thank you for all of your support in 2011!

Christmas articles on Thinking Faith...

Christmas as Advent
For many people, Christmas Day marks the end of a hectic few weeks of festivities; for the Church, however, it is the beginning of the celebration that we prepare for throughout Advent. But why, asks Philip Endean SJ, do we anticipate anew the coming of Christ each year? Perhaps we should think of Christmas itself as a time of expectation.  Read >>

http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20101229_1.htm

 

A picture worth a thousand words
The familiar imagery of Christmas helps us to capture, as best we can, our understanding of God becoming man – but how can we grasp the wonder of the birth of Jesus through what can often seem like a trivial celebration? Philosopher, Gerard J. Hughes SJ invites us to find, in the pictures on our Christmas cards and the presentation of our cribs, something of both the simplicity and the mystery of the Incarnation, for which our words are inadequate.  Read >>

http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20101223_2.htm

 

What was the first Christmas really like?
Can we ever really know what happened in Bethlehem at the first Christmas? Nicholas King SJ suggests that while they may not provide a historical account of the birth of Christ, the gospel narratives still ultimately convey the meaning of the event that we celebrate on 25 December. What are Matthew and Luke telling us about God in the Nativity stories with which we are so familiar?  Read >>

http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20091223_2.htm

 

And so this is Christmas...
Cathy Molloy introduces Karl Rahner’s ‘Understanding Christmas’, and invites us to find the silence in the midst of our Christmas activity to contemplate the meaning of what we are celebrating.  Read >>

http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20081224_2.htm

 

On going to Mass at Christmastime only
Over the coming days, regular churchgoers will be joined at Mass by many people who are largely absent from parish life – but what are we to make of this increase in Mass attendance? Michael Bossy SJ asks whether the presence of occasional Mass-goers on these rare occasions is a mere pretence for the sake of show and ‘tradition’, or if it should be welcomed as something of genuine spiritual value.  Read >>

http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20101222_2.htm


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With best wishes,

The Editor.

It's Christmas in Heaven by Br. Martin

I have always been fascinated with what other people think Heaven is like. It is intriguing that whenever artists try to represent Heaven, or writers try to describe it, or movies try to show it, Heaven usually comes across as rather boring, the only attraction being that one is not suffering in Hell. While not suffering in Hell has much to recommend it, one does hope that there's more to Heaven than sitting on clouds wearing white robes and playing small harps for ever and ever!

Representations of Heaven in comedies are always entertaining. I remember an episode of "The Simpsons" that has Marge imagining two Heavens: one for Protestants, and one for Catholics. Protestant Heaven is a classy country club with people talking through their teeth. Catholic Heaven involves a Hispanic party with Jesus being tossed up in the air with a blanket, and then everyone breaks into a river dance. "Oh dear," says the Protestant, "it appears Jesus has gone native."

A screamingly funny portrayal of Heaven comes towards the end of "Monty Python's Meaning of Life." Here, Heaven is a giant Las Vegas stage show, complete with chorus girls. The main singer is singing a song that proclaims that everyday is Christmas in Heaven.

Because these are comedies, they reveal much about ourselves in parodying our ideas of Heaven. Being human, our ideas of Heaven involve our prejudices as much as they involve our faith. Let's be honest: our ideas of Heaven often are about who gets in, and who doesn't. We should strive to be better than that.

Generally speaking, I think it is safe to say that for most of us, Heaven is an idealized version of life as we know it. I believe this is natural and unavoidable. After all, this life is what we know. And there is much to recommend this way of thinking about Heaven. As Christians we believe God created all that exists, and that it is redeemed and good. Therefore, what our experience of life is can more often than not be our starting point when thinking about Heaven.

An interesting phenomenon is what I think of as "The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side of the Fence" phenomenon. That is, cultures that are more rural tend to think of Heaven as a magnificent city, with streets paved with gold and all that. Whereas cultures that arc more urban will generally conceive of Heaven as a pristine forest with friendly wildlife. Rightly considered, both of these ideas can lead to intuitive insights as to what Heaven may be like.

One of my favorite metaphors for Heaven goes something like this:

Heaven and Hell are identical. In Hell, everyone is seated at a lavish banquet. However, no one can eat anything because the silverware is so long that one cannot use it to reach one's mouth. Heaven is exactly the same thing. But instead of trying to feed themselves, everyone uses the long silverware to feed each other.

When it comes to me, I personally have two concepts of what Heaven is. One is trivial, the other not so trivial. In my trivial version, Heaven is me at a really good local coffee shop, drinking really good coffee and eating home­made coconut cream pie for breakfast one day, pecan pie the next. Outside is parked my cream-colored 1965 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III with a blue interior. The music inside the coffee shop is always perfect.

In my not-so-trivial version of Heaven, Heaven is more a state of being, and is rather more abstract than physical. Simply put, Heaven is ultimately a state of falling deeper and deeper in love with God and everyone else. And this falling deeper in love is never ending.

No one can definitely say what Heaven will be like. I would be so bold as to assert that the only things we can count on is that we will be with God, or perhaps it is God who will be with us. As Jesus said, "I am with you always." And as the name Emmanuel is defined, "God with us." Whatever the case may be, as Lady Julian of Norwich has it, "All shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."

—    Br. Martin

 

Reprinted with permission of St. Gregory’s Abbey, Abbey Letter 248, Christmas 2011

 

CONTACTING THE ABBEY Mailing address -St. Gregory's Abbey 56500 Abbey Road Three Rivers, MI 49093 Telephone -269-244-5893

9:30am - 11:15am or 2:30pm - 4:15pm Eastern Time Monday through Saturday (please do not telephone at other times or on Sundays or holidays) E-mail -

Guest reservations and information -guestmaster@saintgregorysthreerivers.org Mailing list -

office@saintgregorysthreerivcrs.org Abbot Andrew -abbot@saintgregorysthreerivers.org

Information about becoming a monk or participating in the July Program -novicemaster@saintgregoiysthreerivcrs.org

Books and calendars may be ordered, prayers requested, and donations made at our website -www.saintgregorysthreerivcrs.org

Where Is Your Star?

by Steve Mueller

 

When was the last time you really noticed the stars? I remember once when my son had a homework project to look at the night sky and find several stars and indicate the constellations to which they belonged. As I held the flashlight so he could draw the configurations, I realized how much we have lost by not being star-gazers.

As Christmas approaches, we are reminded about some important ancient star-gazers—the Magi. Their close attention to the stars led them to discover the surprising presence of God in a newborn child. Their experience and example can help us discover God’s surprising presence in our lives too. So let us examine the star that lured them on their journey and led them on their way to find the newborn king.

 

Star of Wonder

 The word Magi, meaning “wise ones,” was an ancient Persian description of those who searched for wisdom. This wisdom search was guided by the presupposition that the divine realm, the heavens above where God dwelt, was much more perfect and powerful than our own earthly realm. The wisdom teachers recognized that in the beginning the divine creator had established the hidden order of our world. So by examining the workings of this order, they thought that they could discover the fingerprints of God’s activity and then live their lives in harmony with it.

In their world, since human power and technology could not change their lives in any really significant ways, they concluded that the heavenly powers controlled events in our world. The divine influence carried out through the planets and the stars (considered to be powerful living beings and not just chunks of inanimate matter) flowed downward from above to cause and control events on earth. Thus what first happened in the sky revealed what was happening and would soon happen on earth. The Magi’s attention to the stars and their discovery of a new star was the important clue that God was doing something new and extraordinary that would change our world order.

What does it take for us to notice the new and extraordinary breaking into our lives? Like the stars in the sky, so much is going on in our lives that we often fail to notice the underlying directions or configurations of events. And even when we do, we usually do not associate these events with God’s power at work. So we are not well attuned to the discovery of God present in our ordinary life.

To learn from the Magi, we might ask ourselves some questions. Where is your new star, the event happening in the midst of your everyday activities that lures you beyond the ordinary? Where is the bright light that draws your attention, that catches your eye, that causes you to stop for a moment and wonder? Is it something in your situation at home or at work? An accident or a diagnosis of a serious illness? Is it the face of a beloved? The antics of a child? When was the last time you were simply caught short of breath by a sunset? or music? or the beauty of the world? Events like these are similar to the star of the Magi. These are events that cause us to wonder about our self or our life. Where are we being drawn? How is the one beyond our ordinary calling us forth to venture on a journey to God’s very self.

 

Star of Light

Seeing the new star was an event that apparently only some careful star-gazers like the Magi noticed. But more importantly, even this new sky event was just a happening until the Magi were able to figure out its significance. Their new star, like our lives, was an event in need of interpretation. Unfortunately, so much of what happens to us everyday goes without our finding much significance for it. Like the Magi, first we need to learn to notice, to pay attention to what is going on in order to discover God’s presence with us.

Simply seeing a star is not yet a recognition of its meaning. The star is just a star until it becomes a sign for something else. So how does a star become a sign? The star becomes a sign when it is brought into juxtaposition with something else. We give it a meaning by letting the star point to something more than itself. When the star becomes a pointer to the presence of God, then it means more than it simply is. We move beyond the star itself to discover what it points to.

The Magi associated this surprising new star with the birth of a “newborn king.” The star was not simply a light in the night sky, but a light to illuminate an event that was happening in our world. They connected the newly appearing star that revealed God’s new order with a newly born child who would reorder life on earth. Finding the star was the clue for finding the newborn king. The star was not only interpreted in connection with the events of their lives, but it also allowed them to discover the meaning of events going on around them.

But even when the star became a sign for them, the identity and significance of the child were still obscure. The meaning of events could be further clarified only when the Magi sought the help of the Jewish scripture scholars to specify what remained unclear. By seeking from those who knew the meanings of scripture, the Magi were able to learn the identity of the child as the Jewish Messiah, that is, the promised figure whom God would send to deliver Israel.

The Magi thus remind us that the events of our own lives are also in need of interpretation. Although “stuff happens” as the bumper stickers proclaim, still we need to discover the meaning of the stuff. How can the events of our lives become signs pointing to God’s presence? Like the Magi, we can arrive at an initial set of meanings for our lives. But we can only gain fuller insight by searching the scriptures for the deeper meaning. The events of our lives remain only vague and unspecified until we juxtapose our personal story with the scriptural story of God present with us to save us. When we recognize that this salvation story is also our own life story in relation to God, then we have the right clues to discover God’s presence in our midst and cues for how to respond to God. We need to learn to read the scriptures if we want to learn to read our lives.

 

Guide for Our Journey

The Magi’s star is not just a source of wonder and illumination but it is also the guide for their journey. They follow out the implications of what they have found and let it guide them into a new perspective. A journey is a good way to discover a new meaning for ourselves. As we move outwardly toward our goal, we are changed inwardly by the trip. The Magi follow their star and finally find the child in the lowliest of surroundings.

It requires “eyes of faith” to affirm that this vulnerable child in ragged swaddling clothes is the great king whose birth will change the course of the ages. So even though they are not Jews, they are smart enough and willing enough to acknowledge his royal status, pay him homage, and pledge their lives to him. Their commitment is expressed in their gifts. Having found and identified God present in their lives, they offer gifts that stand for themselves. They offer the treasures of their realms—gold, frankincense and myrrh—as signs not only of their reverence for the greatness of the royal child but also of their willingness to give themselves. As the poet John Greenleaf Whittier says, “It is not what we give, but what we share, for the gift without the giver is bare.”

Once their gifts have been given, the Magi return to their land and their previous lives. But their discovery of the star and the journey it led them on would certainly change them, as T.S. Eliot’s imaginative poem about the Magi makes so wonderfully clear. We too will be changed by our desire to discover the divine in our midst. Like the Magi, once we have experienced God’s surprising presence in us and around us in the events of our lives, life can never be the same again. We will see the same old things, but in a brand new way. When we wonder, when we illuminate our lives by using scripture, and when we dare to follow our star to find God in our midst, we certainly will be changed forever.

 

Matt 2:1-13

(1)When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, (2)saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”(3)When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.(4)Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. (5)They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet:(6)’And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.’“ (7)Then Herod called the Magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.(8)He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.” (9)After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. (10)They were overjoyed at seeing the star, (11) and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (12)And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way. (13) When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”

 

Focus on Source of Hope

Hopeless! How often do we hear this as the description of our life. We feel overwhelmed at how complex our problems are. Our young people are confronted with the specter of being the first generation of Americans whose lives may not be better than that of their parents. Social problems like broken families, poverty, homelessness, graft, greed and corruption seem insoluble. We want to throw up our hands because there seems to be nothing that we can do. Where can we find some good news that will give us a source of hope?

As Christmas approaches we are invited to find some meaning for our lives by juxtaposing the scriptural story of Jesus’ birth to our own situation. Can the good news as Matthew proclaims it offer us any help for our hope? Since we are people looking for something, I suggest that the Magi, the wise persons who also were looking for something, can become models for our search.

 

Five Myths About Christmas

By James Martin, SJ in the Washington Post.

26. How did the eucharist create community?

 The Lord’s Supper both creates unity in the body of Christ and is the most obvious manifestation of it. Entry into the Christian community allowed believers to share in a sacred meal, the eucharist, which commemorated the death and resurrection of Christ. By eating of the bread and drinking of the wine in the eucharist, Christians participated in a personal fellowship with the risen Christ, whose body on earth they now are. Paul described it as living “in Christ”. Through the communal participation in the one bread “the many” become one body, i.e., one church, which is constituted by the Lord’s Supper and understands itself as the body of Christ.

 

From Paul and the Eucharist: The Heart of Christian Community

By Steve Mueller

©2011 Steve Mueller

Paul and the Eucharist will be available as an e-book in the summer of 2011.