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December 7, 2007
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Advent blessings and welcome to Faith Formation
Update, a free monthly e-newsletter for catechetical leaders with a focus on parish catechesis
beyond textbooks and classrooms. I'm Jeanne Hunt. In each issue I offer a brief starter and
my "Every Family" column. My co-worker and fellow
religious educator Joan
McKamey offers media resources and ideas in her "Seen
and Heard" column. Our co-worker Chuck
Blankenship suggests other faith formation resources for adults from St. Anthony Messenger
Press in his column, "Sowing Sampler." Finally,
we encourage YOU to share views and program ideas about this month's topic on our online
bulletin board, "Faith Formation Forum." As
we prepare our hearts and home for the nativity may God send a few Epiphany moments to
surprise us.
—Jeanne Hunt
p.s. You're receiving this either because you signed
up, or because you're a loyal customer of St. Anthony Messenger Press. We will never send
you unwanted e-mail. There is an unsubscribe link at the bottom of this page.
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One of the impossible dreams of catechesis is to engender
moments of epiphany for young adults. It is the challenge of the junior high catechist
to teach with such a passion that these young adults will, for the first time, see Jesus
Christ as someone real and meaningful in their lives.
It is so easy to share faith with little ones. They are ready and willing
to see a Jesus who is their invisible best friend. But that childlike ideal fades as adolescence
arrives and the prove-it-to-me age begins. What can parents and catechists do to encourage
a personal epiphany for the young adults in their lives?
One of the best ways to understand evangelization for young adults
is to get into their skin. Their language and culture is beyond the reach of most catechists.
I recommend a wonderful book that bridges the generation gap. I
Choose God: Stories From Young Catholics, by Chris Cuddy and Peter Erickson, offers
21 down-to-earth stories of very real young Catholics. These young people are looking for
truth in a culture that is evasive and offering little in the way of values and inner peace.
As I entered the journey of each storyteller, I was amazed at the common connections with
new life in Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church that play out with different details but
the same ancient quest. The book abounds in epiphany moments…21 to be exact.
For this baby boomer, a collection of sacred stories like this gives
hope for those who will follow us on the road to the Kingdom. There are differences in
the language, in the music and in the clothes, but the deeper presence remains the same.
We all encounter Jesus Christ in an epiphany that opens our eyes to something beyond us
and that endures throughout our lives.
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A cherished friend of mine (with whom I now correspond
far too infrequently) taught me something important about prayer. We interned together
at a retreat center, serving on a team that gave retreats for high school students. Whenever
Colleen (now Sister Colleen Maura of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration of
Clyde, Missouri) led or contributed to team or group prayer, she prayed for a greater awareness
of God’s presence. Her constancy in making this request in prayer led me to deeper
exploration of my own prayer and awareness of God’s presence.
We celebrate God’s presence made manifest in the person of Jesus—first
at Christmas and again at Epiphany. We associate this celebration (officially a solemnity)
with the coming of the three kings (Magi). That these “wise men from the East” traveled
to acknowledge the presence of God in the child Jesus is remarkable. The fact that these
men were gentiles also speaks of the reality that, through Jesus, God is made manifest
and available to all people.
What difference does it make whether one is aware of God’s presence?
I have found that it makes a big difference in my life. I have faith that God is present
with me and within me at all times and everywhere. I have had many experiences of God’s
revelation through the words and actions of other people and through life events. I know
that God speaks to me through Scripture and the wonders of creation as well. While I believe
it, I can also forget it quite easily—or take it for granted and not really think
about what it means.
Including a prayer for awareness of God’s presence whenever I
pray has changed me—for the better. I am more conscious of God as my constant companion.
I more readily look for the ways that God is at work even in the difficulties I encounter.
I more readily draw on God’s strength, compassion and patience—whatever is
needed from me by another, especially when my own well of those resources seems dry. I
am better able to keep things in perspective because I benefit from God’s view of
things.
As our Church calendar moves toward the celebration of the Solemnity
of the Epiphany of the Lord, I invite you to reflect on the meaning of the Epiphany in
your own life and in the life of the Church. I have selected a clip from the audiobook Eternal
Seasons: A Liturgical Journey With Henri J.M. Nouwen to share with you. This work
is a compilation of selections from Nouwen’s books, arranged in order of the Church
year. In the selected clip, you’ll hear a brief introduction by the editor, Michael
Ford, and just two of the many offerings on Epiphany and the “Feasts of Epiphany” (from
Anthony of Egypt 1/17 to Shrove Tuesday) in this book. Click here (Windows
Media | RealMedia)
to listen to the audio clip.
This audiobook can serve you in a variety of ways as you prepare for
each season and celebration of the Church year. Selections of it can be shared regularly
at pastoral staff meetings and gatherings of the worship commission and those responsible
for art and environment in your worship space. Introduce RCIA participants to each season
and some of the celebrations of the liturgical year by using a reflection or two from Nouwen’s
writings. Share selections at meetings of catechists and school teachers, at parish council
meetings and gatherings of local catechetical leaders.
Walk with Christ through the Church year—and invite others to
join you—ever mindful of God’s presence within you.
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In my parish, one of the highlights of the Christmas
season comes when we are given the opportunity to share the blessings we have received
with those outside our parish who have more pressing needs. One of those groups is a parish
we call our “twinning” parish in Central America. All through the year we
have fundraisers benefiting our twin community. We send a group of volunteers to work there
during the summer, and we pray every week for the twin community. Our efforts help the
members of our twin parish materially, but we, too, are enriched as a parish by our efforts
and by their response to us.
Dennis O’Connor, a Catholic journalist from Cincinnati, has
written a wonderful new book explaining how parish communities can establish a faith-based
partnership with a “twin” parish in another region or country. Bridges
of Faith: Building a Relationship with a Sister Parish is the ultimate source and
guidebook for members of churches, schools and other faith communities who want to experience
the benefits of these spirit-filled relationships. If your parish doesn’t yet twin
with another community, this book would be a great place to begin exploring the concept.
Dennis O’Connor has also written a handy journal, Bridges
of Faith Personal Journal, for use when making trips to a twinning parish.
It is full of tips and insights, from simple hygiene and handy items the pilgrim should
pack to practical tips for better appreciating cultural differences. Reflection questions
and plenty of space for writing personal observations make this journal a great item
for recording your hopes and dreams for building that bridge of faith.
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