I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day He rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of Saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
For this task, pay special attention to the 10th Commandment and the first Beatitude in Matthew and Luke.
1. Create a visual that emphasizes a point of connection from the 10th Commandment and the first Beatitude.
2. Include your visual in a post in your blog in which you write about “the poor” and the “poor in spirit.” What are some examples of “good desires” or goodwill intended to help the poor and poor in spirit? How can you, your school, your community, province, and country do more to show goodwill to the poor and poor in spirit?
Tip: the Catechism of the Catholic Church is also helpful here:
Read paragraphs 2534-2550 and then read the brief review in paragraphs 2551-2557
“O Jesus, divine Shepherd of the spirit, you have called the Apostles in order to make them fishermen of men, you still attract to you burning spirits and generous young people, in order to render them your followers and ministers to us” (Pope Paul VI launching the 1st World Day of Prayer for Vocations)
Reflection Question:
Vocations are a calling to serve the Lord and share your talents that God has provided, some examples would be to answer the call to enter a community of Faith such as a priest or nun or for the lay person whether it is the profession you choose or one’s decision to marry or not, God has a role for you.
What calling does God have for you?
Discussion Question:
The call for vocations is primarily focused on our youth, generally prior to adulthood. Does the call stop once one has chosen his career and become an adult or do you think we could be called throughout our life?
In this time of Thanksgiving, what beauty do I see within and around me?
How does this invite me to give thanks to God in worship, service, and life?
What challenge do I face in my daily life that can dim my spirit?
“Whatever does not bring you more joy or make you more alive is too small for you.” What does this statement mean to me?
“Every part of the earth is sacred. Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons and daughters of the earth. All things are connected.” – Chief Seattle
Many everyday phrases were first used in the Bible. Match phrases to meanings.
1. a drop in the bucket (Isaiah 40:15)
2. At their wits’ end (Psalms 107:2)
3. A man after my own heart (I Samuel 13:14)
4. Give up the ghost (Job 3:11)
5. As old as the hills (Job 15:7)
a. Unable to handle anything more
b. A kindred spirit
c. A small amount of a plentiful commodity
d. Very, very old
e. To die, to cease working
Our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth or power. Those rewards create almost as many problems as they solve. Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live so that our lives matter, so that the world will be at least a little bit different for our having passed through it … If a person lives and dies and no one notices, if the world continues as it was, was that person ever really alive? I am convinced that it is not the fear of death, of our lives ending, that haunts our sleep so much as the fear that as far as the world is concerned, we might as well never have lived. — Rabbi Harold Kushner
What does Kushner mean by saying we hunger to make the world “a little bit different”?
Write your own reflection entitled, “What My Soul Hungers For.” To foster a meditative spirit, embed a snippet of instrumental music (mp3) in your post.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
1. Gratitude: Begin by thanking God in a personal dialogue for whatever you are most grateful for today.
2. Awareness: Revisit the times in the past twenty-four hours when you were and were not the-best-version-of-yourself. Talk to God about these situations and what you learned from them.
3. Significant Moments: Identify something you experienced today and explore what God might be trying to say to you through that event (or person).
4. Peace: Ask God to forgive you for any wrong you have committed (against yourself, another person, or him) and to fill you with a deep and abiding peace.
5. Freedom: Speak with God about how he is inviting you to change your life so that you can experience the freedom to be the-best-version-of-yourself.
6. Others: Lift up to God anyone you feel called to pray for today, asking God to bless and guide them.
