Vacation Bible School: Day 4

Apollo the Caterpillar

In our penultimate VBS day we learned that no matter what happens, we can trust in God!

In the morning we learned the verse for the day: "I am convinced that [nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God."  This passage (maybe familiar because it was featured in yesterday's post in the music paragraph) is from Romans 8:38-39.

During the Bible story, we got to carry a real wooden cross as we learned about the crucifixion and the resurrection (Matthew 27:32-28:20).  Jesus trusted in God even in the midst of his very real pain and questioning.  We can do the very same!

Musically, we learned "We Can Trust Him" (track 10 or you can listen to a bit by pressing the play button next to the tittle).  This song, based on Psalm 33:43 reminds us that we can trust in God and in God's works.

Due to Friday's busy clean up, there will be no blog.  But check back next week for a final blog wrap-up piece.

Vacation Bible School: Day 3

Scout the Bald Eagle

Day 3 of Sky VBS saw us exploring how no matter what people do, we can trust in God!

In the morning, we learned the key verse (along with hand motions) taken from Isaiah 40:31 -- "But those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles."

We began our two-day trek into the Paschal Mystery as we journeyed into the Garden of Gethsemane in search of Jesus and heard about his arrest and trial (Matthew 26:36-27:31). This story reminds us that Jesus faced betrayal and still trusted in God in the end.

Music brought out a slower song, "Nothing Could Keep Me From You," (track #4; or press the play button next to the song here) which is based on Romans 8:38-39.  This song and verse remind us that God's love breaks through all potentially divisive powers of the universe.

Come back tomorrow for installment #4 VBS blogging.

Vacation Bible School: Day 2

Orville the Flying Pig

During day 2 of Sky VBS, we learned that no matter how we feel, we can trust in God!

Our key verse for the day was taken from the Gospel of John, Chapter 14, verse 1 -- "Do not let your hearts be troubled, believe in God."

In our Amazing Blue Bible Adventures, we learned about the raising of Lazarus (John 11).  Even when we feel our worst (and who hasn't said "I feel dead!"), we can trust in God to bring us new life.

During music, we learned yet another catchy song, "Counting on God."  Listen to it on CD track 7 or click on the play button next to the song here.  No matter what's going on in our life, we can count on God to be there for us.

Check back tomorrow for more VBS fun!

Vacation Bible School: Day 1

Pat the Bat

At today's Sky VBS, we learned that no matter who we are, we can trust God!

Our key verse for the day was from 1 Samuel 16:7: "The LORD does not see as mortals see...the LORD looks on the heart."

We also heard about the faith of the Roman centurion from Matthew 8:5-13.  Jesus healed his daughter after Jesus saw the faith the Centurion had.  May we have that same faith in our lives!

During music, we learned "You, You, You," which you can listen to by clicking on the play button next to the title on this page.  This song reminds us that it doesn't matter who we are, we can trust God!

Visit tomorrow to see what we have in store for Day 2 of VBS!

4 Ways to Grow in Faith this Summer

Summer and faith go hand in hand

Tomorrow we turn the calendar to June.  Children all across Fairfax County will wave goodbye to their school buildings for the summer and engulf themselves into summer activities: camps, sleep overs, and (hopefully) reading a book or ten.

The summer is also a great opportunity to continue their faith formation in the home.  Here are three ways your child (and your family) can grow in your faith this summer.

Weekday Mass
Try attending a weekday Mass once or twice a week with the family.  At St. Mark, the weekday Mass is in the chapel, providing an intimate worship setting you and your family might not be familiar with.  Make sure to place an unconsecrated host from the glass bowl to the gold ciborium for every person receiving communion.  Before going to Mass, check out the readings with your family beforehand using the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop's website dedicated to Mass readings.  Use the calendar on the right hand side to find the day.

Mass is celebrated at 9:15AM Monday through Friday, at 7:30PM on Monday and 6:15AM on Friday.

Vacation Bible School

This year, give VBS a try.  It's a week full of faith, fun, and community.  Each day focuses in on a different Bible story about Jesus, with each activity reinforcing the story.  Whether it's children interacting with the story during the story time or singing songs with similar themes beforehand, they will learn about God while having fun.

This year's VBS is from July 9-13 and features Sky VBS, which focuses on trusting God in all situations.  Watch a trailer about this year's VBS to learn more information.  Or visit Our Sunday Visitor's website dedicated to the Catholic version of Sky, which we'll be using.

We also need teenage and adult volunteers to help run VBS, so the whole family can attend or help!

Read the Bible
Public schools often have "summer reading lists," with dozens of books teachers recommend (or require) their students to read during the summer.  Why not add the Bible to the list?  Read a Bible story out of a children's Bible before going to bed at night with little kids.  Or if you have older kids, pick and read a Gospel together (maybe Mark's Gospel, since he is our patron saint!).  Any Gospel is a good place to start, as are the Old Testament stories of Abraham (Genesis 11-25), Joseph (Genesis 37-50), and Moses (Exodus 1-15).  Some of the Old Testament stories can be complicated!  Talk to Isaac if you have any questions.

Watch a Movie
A few times this past year, the blog has highlighted teachable faith moments within two popular Disney movies, The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast.  This summer will also feature Friday Family Movie Nights at St. Mark with kid-friendly movies focused on positive values.  Check the bulletin and information desk for more details.

What do you recommend?  How does your family grow in faith during the summer?

Image Credit: Bonnie Woodson on Flickr

Praying With Children At Night: the Examen

I see the moon, and the moon sees me...

The day is drawing to a close.  It's time to get ready for bed and prepare for tomorrow.  Practically speaking, this means brushing teeth, putting on PJs, and packing the backpack for another big, big day.  But what about our day with God?  How do we wind down the day with God and prepare for tomorrow -- and help our children to do this too?

Enter Ignatian spirituality, a branch of Catholic spirituality that prays through the events of the day.  I wrote a blog post on praying the Examen as an adult in the winter, but didn't mention a way to pray this way with children.  Well, now you can.

With the help of this blog post on praying with 12-year olds, I developed a worksheet to help children and adults to pray.  Below is a five-step prayer:

1. Start with a period of relaxation.  Throughout the day events and choices can overwhelm and pull at us.  Not even children are immune from tension.  This period of calmness allows us to ask the Holy Spirit to inspire us in our prayer.
2. With the strength of the Spirit, we work our way through the day, from beginning to the present moment, and list at least three things that we're thankful for.  Big or small; meaningful or seemingly irrelevant; whatever you're thankful for write them down.
3. Again, working back through the day, we think about what happened.  What sort of feelings or emotions came to us today?  When did these occur?
4. From this list, we focus on one item and ask God to teach us.  Spend a few moments in conversation with God, then complete the sentence "Maybe the message is/Maybe God is trying to tell me..."
5. Finally, we ask God to help us learn from our day today and live a better tomorrow.  Complete the prayer, "God, please help me to..."

The worksheet is embedded below.  The top half of the contains the guidance for praying the examen while the bottom half can be filled out as you pray.  A PDF version of this form can be downloaded by clicking here and pressing Ctrl + S.


May God be with you and your family as you pray your nightly prayers!

Photo Credit: Patricia Kashtock on flickr

Sky VBS - Coming July 9-13 to St. Mark Catholic Church!

Sky VBS is coming this summer to St. Mark Catholic Church!  More information forthcoming.  For now, check out this video:

2 Online Stations of the Cross

A wooden cross

Each Friday at 7:30PM during Lent, St. Mark has a communal Stations of the Cross.  But what if you're unable to make the Stations on Friday?  Below are a few options for your family to pray the Stations at home.

Stations for Children
Loyola Press has put together a multimedia Stations of the Cross that can either be downloaded or viewed online in Flash format.  Each station features a brief description as well as a non-gruesome picture.  The primary audience for these stations are children.  If you're interested at engaging your children further with these stations, ask them to come up with their own picture of each Station.  You'll be surprised at what they come up with!

Shadow Puppet Stations
Put together by Jesuit Brother Edward Sheehy, the YouTube video below features a different take on Stations of the Cross, with shadows playing the part of the characters with "Were You There?" playing in the background.  This almost 9 minute video is more of a meditation than the traditional Stations of the Cross, as the only words spoken announce each Station.  Everything else is dependent on your imagination.


How does your family pray during Lent?  Do your children know about the Stations of the Cross?

Image: Janaka Dharmasena / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Raising Children of God

A February 27th article in the American Magazine pointed to four tested ways to raise your children Catholic.  Written by a mother of four, these ways resonate with my (Isaac's) upbringing.

Below are two of the the four ways (another post later in the week will cover the other two).  The entire article can be read here, but only if you have a subscription to the American Magazine.

Involvement
Consider your own participation in the life of the community.  Your children will mirror your modeling of the faith, for better or for worse.  Try to involve them in however you volunteer at the parish.  Are you a catechist? Ask them for help on a lesson plan.  Are you a Eucharistic Minister?  Pray with your family before Mass for you to be the EM God wants you to be.  Are you a lector?  Practice reading with your child.  When they get old enough (5th grade for St. Mark) they can become an altar server.  And when they get even older (middle school) they can become a lector.  Eventually, they'll see the good that you do and want to follow in your footsteps.  My mom played flute in the choir, and now I share my musical gifts with our community.

Intellectual Engagement
Do you have an 8th grade understanding of literature?  Or math?  Or science?  Our religious education shouldn't end with 8th grade either.  As an adult, continue your own intellectual development of our faith.  Visiting the RE blog or other faith-filled websites is a start.  So is reading a good book or two about our faith.  Encourage your children to think about our faith off the St. Mark property.    Prepare for Mass before going to Mass.  Talk about Mass afterward, asking if anything stood out, a particular prayer or phrase.  Quiz them on the Gospel.  Ask them good question after their RE classes.  Read the Bible together once a week or more.  Whatever works for your family, do it.

Check back later this week for the other two ways.

What do you do to engage our faith intellectually?  How are you involved?  Or how would you like to be involved?

Beauty & the Beast: 2 Teachable Moments

This past weekend I had the opportunity to see the re-release of Beauty & the Beast (in 3D!).  After adjusting to the (somewhat) cheesy-ness of the 3D, I immediately did what any good DRE does, think about how this film applies to our Catholic faith.  As I did with the Lion King re-release in 3D, here are two key faith and moral moments/themes to talk about with your children after the movie.

Belle's Selfless Love
Belle's father, thrown in prison at the hands of an angry beast, is sick with a potentially deadly illness.  Upon seeing her father, Belle feels like she only has one choice: to save his life by offering herself in a prisoner exchange.

Highlights

• Belle's love for her father and her desire to save his life drives her to selflessly give up her future in exchange for her father's life.  Although we're not always faced with such a high stakes choice, we decide daily how to love and interact with our family.  Self-sacrifice in small things goes a long way.
• Even though Belle knew what she did was right, it still hurt and caused her much sadness.  The same is true for us.  Sometimes doing the right thing hurts emotionally, but at the end of the day we need to follow our conscious to love one another.
• Lumiere (the candlestick) stands up to the bully, suggesting that the Beast let Belle stay in better living condition.  We should always be concerned with how others are treated, especially the downtrodden and the poor.  But our concern needs to move us to action, like it does for Lumiere.

Love: the Foundation of Good Relationships

Love, love, love.

A much wider theme throughout Beauty & the Beast is the importance of love in a relationship.  The reason Gaston wants to marry Belle is not because he feels a great love for her, but rather because desire to have "the best" in everything in life, even at the expense of other's freedom -- he's willing to throw Belle's father into the insane asylum if she doesn't marry him!  Furthermore, Gaston has no respect for Belle's desires and interests (throwing her book into the mud).  He doesn't love her, but wants to use her for his own benefit.

Contrast that to the relationship between the the Beast and Belle.  Although it starts a little rocky (the Beast has anger issues), the Beast develops a genuine concern and love for Belle, even allowing Belle to return home at the risk of remaining a Beast forever.  Before that, the Beast risks his life to go after Belle, protecting her from a pack of wolves.  And of course, in the memorable scene, the Beast gives Belle what she most desires (well, after her freedom) -- a room full of books.  The Beast takes the time to get to know Belle so that he gets to know how to best love her.  

Then there's Belle.  Her love is not based on the exterior, but on the interior of the person.  Gaston's physical strength and appearance isn't enough to offset his arrogance and conceited nature.  The Beast's physical appearance is appalling (as is his temper), but she looks past the former and helps him with the latter as she falls in love with who the Beast is on the inside.

Summary

• Don't be like Gaston.  In any circumstance.  Pretty much at any point ever.
• Like the Beast, we need conversion of heart to love well.
• Love like Belle.  Look into the heart and past the exterior and help your friend overcome difficulties.

Which moments in Beauty & the Beast do you find helpful to talk about with your children?

Image credit: epSos.de of flickr

Car Conversation: On Your Way to Mass

Kids in the car!

It can be a struggle to get in the car, but once you're there you have a great opportunity to engage your children in preparing for Mass.  Here are a few ideas:

• If possible, you can have someone in your car read through the Gospel.  Talk about the Gospel for the few minutes you have.  Your kids will be more focused during the Gospel after having talked it through.
• Only one driving?  When we're at Mass, we have a chance to bring in all that happened during the week and pray through the events and circumstances of our lives.  Have everyone answer and share one of each the following:
• What are you thankful for this week?
• What do you need need forgiveness for this week?
• What sacrifices have you made this week?
• What do you need to pray for for this upcoming week?
• Need some quiet time?  Ask everyone to spend a few moments conversing with God (AKA praying).  Sometimes when we're running close to the start of Mass, this quiet time is important to help us transition  into Mass.

What sorts of conversations do you have in the car with your children before Mass?  Is it pure chaos?  Leave a comment below and share.

Image Credit: Thomas Widmann on flickr

A New Years, a New Opportunity

My sister once told me that she has four major reflective moments each year to assess how she is as a human being: the beginning of Lent, her birthday, the beginning of Advent, and New Years.  Tomorrow will be New Year's Eve.  How are you and your family?

Growing up, my parents encouraged us kids to participate in "giving things up" during Lent, but not before thinking about what we did with our time.  This taught me that reflection is necessary before action (or resolution).  As I grew older, this practice transitioned into making New Year's resolutions, something I continue to this day.  Thanks Mom and Dad!

Help your children cultivate that sense of self-reflection.  Encourage them to think about how they are and who they would like to be; how they spend their time and how they would like to grow.  Here are some practical tips to help you do that.

Be specific
"I will be awesome" is a great resolution...if you want to fail.  Instead, think of specific areas in your life and encourage your children to do the same.  What do you do (or don't do) that you want to change (or start to do)?  Try something challenging but doable.

Use this format

• I will _________.  I plan to do this by __________.
  
      OR
• I will not __________.  Instead, I will _________.

Example A (for adults): I will spend more time with my family.  I plan to do this by silencing my phone during dinner.
Example B (for children): I will not watch 2 hours of TV a day.  Instead, I will play my musical instrument, read, and play with my Legos.

Start with yourself
You can't pass on what yourself don't already practice.  Before encouraging reflection in your children, take sometime when you 're alone (even if it's in the restroom) and be with yourself and with God.  Have you had something peculating for months that you think would be a good resolution?  Is there a glaring area of need for balance in your life?  Or maybe this will be the year when you finally do XYZ.  If you don't try, it won't happen.  Try something challenging, but doable.

Encourage your children
Guide your children through a similar process as mentioned above.  Help them think about their own lives, how they treat their family and friends, how the spend their time, how much screen time they have, etc.  As with yourself, encourage them to try something challenging but doable.

Share your resolution
Maybe your resolution will be to be more forthcoming in your relationships: "I will share my resolution with my family.  I plan to do this by printing the resolution out and giving it to my family so they can hold me accountable."  Sounds like a great plan.

But seriously, if you keep your resolution to yourself, it'll be tough to keep.  As the old saying goes, "When shared, joys are multiplied and burdens are divided."

...And may you and your family have a Happy New Year!  See you in 2012!

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image Credit: jeff_golden
Image Credit: Carlos Maya

First Penance

Jesus brings us mercy and forgiveness

On Saturday, December 10 over 100 St. Mark children celebrated First Penance.  In the moments and days afterward, I asked them how they felt and their responses were somewhere between “good!” and “awesome!” Everyone likes to be forgiven, even second graders!

Grace permeates the moments surrounding this and other Sacraments, even when the moments don’t feel graceful. For example, these very same students minutes before Penance were on pins and needles, nervously going through the Penance dialogue and examination of conscience as they waited in line (some for 45 minutes). But when the time came and they found themselves moving from the front of the line to the priest, they were ready. God’s life, love, and mercy are shared in this Sacrament, which each child felt “good” or “awesome” about. God was there in the preparation before, the celebration of, and the peace found after Penance, bringing forth new life and joy.

These children remind us that the feeling coming from confession trumps the anxiety leading up to that moment, and that forgiveness of sins is both possible and important. May their witness be an example to us all!

Five Family Advent Ideas

Yesterday we learned about Advent in two minutes.  So how do we practice preparation in our family?  Here are five ways your family can prepare for Christmas this Advent.

Decorate

My wife and I started a tradition last year of decorating our house on the third Sunday of Advent.  Why the third Sunday?  Because it's Gaudete Sunday!  It's a Sunday of Joy and we mark that time as a Church by using rose (pink) colored vestments at mass and light the rose (pink) colored candle.  Decorate with various greens, religious icons or drawings or pictures, lights, a creche (see below) and of course all the usual Christmas decorations.

Use an Advent Calendar

There are many Advent calendars to choose from online.  Here's one for a family (PDF) and one for children (PDF).  For you parents, here's one you can do online, which I do every year.  It includes a short quote or video clip and an action to do each day. On the First Sunday of Advent, it featured an excellent video clip from Lord of the Rings -- so you know it must be good.

Or, make your own calendar.  On the days from today to Christmas, write a different action you or your family can do in preparation for the coming of Christ. For example, write a Christmas card to a relatives, clean the house for guests, or make Christmas presents instead of buying them.

Make a Creche
At the manger scene, you can gather each night for prayer. Tell your kids to place one piece of straw in the cradle for good deeds they or their family did that day. The more good deeds, the softer the cradle becomes for Jesus. My family has a tradition of placing baby Jesus in the cradle when we come back from Christmas Mass on Christmas Eve.  Use that or create your own tradition.

Use an Advent Wreath
Light candles corresponding to the candles lit at Mass on Sundays and pray around the wreath every day.  Need your wreath blessed?  Try this family Advent wreath blessing from Loyola Press or this blessing from our own US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Donate
Gather some clothes, toys, and other items to donate to a local charity. Try donating a favorite toy or favorite article of clothing. It may be difficult, but giving up our favorite items can foster a deeper love for others and remind us that others deserve the best we have to offer.

How does your family prepare for Advent?  What's your favorite family tradition?  What do you hope your children pass on to their children?  Share your ideas, leave a comment.

Link: Taking Young Children to Mass

Children and mass

"How do we bring our young children to mass?"  This question is on the minds and lips of many first time and veteran parents who risk stares if their young children make even a peep at mass.

Much ink has been spilled by way of pamphlets and brochures to help parents raise their kids in the faith.  A new article on ForYourMarriage.org distills many suggestions and presents them through the eyes of a couple with two young children.  Among the suggestions I found most interesting:

We physically hold our children in our arms during Mass. In fact, we adopted the position that our children’s feet do not touch the ground during Mass until they are three years old. This helps in many ways. The children get a get a better view; as they grow and mature we can talk them through the stories and the actions; and we have a bit more control over their behavior. If an infant or toddler gets squirmy, often switching who is holding them is enough to calm them down. Otherwise we might play a quiet game of “point to the…candles, priest, altar, cross, etc.”

Read the rest of the article for more tips on bringing children to mass or leave a comment to share your own.

Image Credit: Mandy_Jansen