Archives for 2017

Essential Tools – Youth Bible

By Catechist's Aide on January 16, 2017 0

As catechists, we want to take every opportunity we can to introduce scripture into our classrooms. We use the New American Bible – Revised Edition (NABRE), which of course corresponds to the text that the children hear in Mass. But, there are other texts which are perfectly acceptable to use. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops provides a listing of all approved Bible texts that Catholics can use for their personal study. That being said, I like to tell my students, that the version of the Bible they should use – is the one that they will read!

In all seriousness though, many students simply are not comfortable reading the Bible for a number of reasons – everything from words they can’t pronounce, to places they’ve never heard of, to feeling that the Bible is out of touch with what is happening in their lives 2000 years later. In a future post I’ll go into more detail on ways to make the Bible more approachable for your students, but one place that I like to go for ideas of how to connect Scriptures to our youth is The Catholic Youth Bible by Saint Mary’s Press. I confess that I have an older edition (from 2000) that I use, so it may be time to upgrade to the latest edition. The good news (pun intended) is that Amazon sells used books and I found a listing for the current edition in “like new” condition for less than $5 -Sold!

Lesson Plans

By Catechist's Aide on January 10, 2017 0

Check back soon for complete Lesson Plans on the Sacraments, the Creed, the Commandments, Prayer and much more.

Epiphany Sunday & the Sacraments

By Catechist's Aide on January 9, 2017 0

We’re back in class on Monday, after the Christmas break, and we will begin our study of the Sacraments. While preparing the lesson, I wanted to do a quick recap of the very special feasts and holy days that we just experienced during the Christmas season.

I wanted to focus on Epiphany Sunday because I felt the students were least familiar with this day when the Son of God is made manifest to the world.

The Traditional date of the Feast of the Epiphany is January 6th which marks the end of the twelve days of Christmas. The feast was moved to always fall on the Sunday that falls between Jan. 2 and Jan 8. Despite the confusion with the timing, the significance of the feast is compelling to all Christians. The revelation of the Christ child to the three wise men symbolizes his revelation to the Gentile world. It tells us that God’s call goes out to all nations.

We don’t know if, when the wise men set out, they knew what they could expect to find at the end of their journey, but we do know that something compelled them to follow the star. They were called, and they heeded the call, reminding us of the desire within each of us to seek God.

Upon arriving at the stable, they bow down in worship before the child and offer him precious gifts. This seems completely illogical for these highly educated and worldly men – to fall down at the crib of a powerless infant, yet this is what they do.

Perhaps the most important takeaway, however, is the final line in Matthew’s gospel where the visit is recorded. He says, “And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.” (Matthew 2:12) As the story goes, Herod, was king of Judea, and he secretly asked the magi to return to him after finding the child Jesus. Understanding that Herod meant to harm the child, they instead chose not to share that information with him and returned home another way. Looking a little deeper at this scripture verse, it reveals that these men were changed by their encounter with the Son of God.

What a perfect lead-in to our study of the sacraments! At their core, the sacraments are places where we encounter Christ, just like the magi in Matthew’s gospel. And, like the magi, we too are changed by that encounter and leave following a different path.

Why Middle Schoolers?

By Catechist's Aide on January 4, 2017 0

I’ve heard that people feel about teaching middle school students a lot like they feel about broccoli – you either love it or you hate it. Well, I love them both! Yes, middle school students present a special set of challenges, but I have also found these students to be incredibly open and honest, not afraid to ask tough questions, and they have a real desire to learn about their faith.

I initially began teaching Religious Education to middle school students because in our diocese, students are confirmed at the end of the eighth grade. For many students, this is the last year that they will receive any type of formal religious education. When my own son was beginning his Confirmation preparation, I asked to be his catechist. So, I started out teaching seventh grade one year, and eighth grade the next. That way I had the same group of students for what I saw as two critical years in their faith formation. I wanted them to see that I was making a commitment to them, and I think it really worked out well.

There were some overall goals I had as a catechist. First was obviously instruction in the faith. It’s important to know what we, as Catholics, believe. Second, I wanted to focus on how what we believe affects how we live. It’s not enough to be able to rattle off a list of commandments or sacraments, or to recite a dozen different prayers, if there’s no connection between knowing and believing, and how we live our lives. I wanted to stress to these young candidates that the power of the Holy Spirit which they would soon be receiving in Confirmation is transformative, and If they are receptive to the Spirit, they will become true disciples of Jesus, following his way.

The Solemnity of Mary

By Catechist's Aide on January 1, 2017 0

Today we celebrate not only the beginning of the new year, but the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and the World Day of Peace.

It’s tempting to focus on the same, tired, old resolutions we seem to make every year. But, celebrating Mary’s Motherhood of Jesus, which all began with her faithful “Yes” to God’s plan, helps us to put things in the proper focus. A new year presents us with an opportunity to ponder what God is asking of us, and to pray for the strength to say “Yes” to it reflexively as Mary did at the Annunciation.

Mary, as the Mother of God, underscores her importance not only as the conduit through which Christ physically entered into the world and humanity itself, but it reinforces her continued importance to all Christians today as a direct conduit to her son, our divine Lord and Savior. Recalling Jesus’ words from the cross, “Woman, behold, your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’” (Jn 19:26-27) further emphasizes that Mary’s role in salvation history did not end when she gave birth.

Some twenty years ago, Pope John Paul II wrote about that moment on the cross:

Jesus’ words acquire their most authentic meaning in the context of his saving mission. Spoken at the moment of the redemptive sacrifice, they draw their loftiest value precisely from this sublime circumstance. In fact, after Jesus’ statements to his Mother, the Evangelist adds a significant clause: “Jesus, knowing that all was now finished….” (Jn 19:28), as if he wished to stress that he had brought his sacrifice to completion by entrusting his Mother to John, and in him to all men, whose Mother she becomes in the work of salvation.

The reality brought about by Jesus’ words, that is, Mary’s new motherhood in relation to the disciple, is a further sign of the great love that led Jesus to offer his life for all people. On Calvary this love is shown in the gift of a mother, his mother, who thus becomes our mother too.

for more on this subject, read: https://www.ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/jp2bvm49.htm

There is something else I’m thinking about this new year. As 2016 drew to a close, Pope Francis spoke about a debt that we owe our young people, to help them find purpose in their lives. It got me to thinking about the even younger people and our collective responsibility to teach them about the faith into which they have been baptized. As a mother and a catechist, I know it’s not always an easy task to get kids excited about their faith, but we do owe it to them, and to future generations. These children are the future of the Church. So this year, I am praying, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, to help these young people find purpose and value as children of God and a deep desire to grow ever closer to Him.