They are calling this Liquid Mountaineering, and it is based on Matthew 14:25. See if you can tell what the verse is about, but you should go read it yourself (Click Here).
Since so many of you are going to the lake during the summer I thought you might want to try this.
Here is the video:
Bubble Buster: Ok, now that you watched the video, I have to let you off the (fish)hook. This is just a hoax video as an ad for the shoes that they show you in the video. There isn’t a cool new sport for walking on water, but the video was fun, right?
Christians (of all ages) are called to live out a life that society would consider “not normal”. This is one of the challenges of living a life of faith, becuase most people want to “fit in”, to be “normal”. But what is “normal” life calling us to? What are we giving up to “fit in”? and what are we gaining to be Christian?
Christ said, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (John 18:23) What do you think He meant by this statement? Do you see any ways in which this applies to your own life?
Just think for a couple minutes what some of your “normal” friends are like. What are their priorities? Do they care about the Earth, or about their ageing grandparents, or about forgiving others? What is it like to communicate with these “normal” people?
To live as a Christian means to “witness” to a different way of life. Loving one another is our special way of life and this love is acted out by forgiving (70 times 7), loving our enemies, being concerned for the poor, the sick or injured, and spending time in prayer. The Little White Book (for Easter 2010) says that “our witness may not always be dramatic, but even in the small things we do, we follow a very different way of life”.
I am glad to have you with me in this “different way of life”. God bless you.
Is your generation, the so-called “Lost Generation”, really lost? Take a look at this short (1 min 44 sec) video created by a 20-year old about what life may be like in 30 years for this “lost” generation.
This video is the 2nd place winner for a contest by AARP called “U @ 50″ asking respondents to consider life in 30 years. How does this interpretation fit your thoughts? How does this fit into the Christian image of life?
I would call this video a parable. A parable is a story that creates an image in our mind, using something that is familiar (or “normal”) and then turns that image in a way that has us re-think what should be “normal”. You can check your bible for any number of examples of parable by Jesus (i.e. The Good Samaritan – Luke 10:25-37).
We had several of St. Edward youth gather for “Things beginning with ‘M’” spring meeting. Tony, Val, Hanna, Logan, Ryan & Dominic participated.
We started the meeting by taking part in the May Crowning ceremony.
Afterwards we went to Room ‘B’ for pizza and some discussion of the May events: Mother’s Day, May Crowning, May Pole, Messiah, Mary & Marriage.
To wrap up the meeting we all made wrist rosary with beads and stretchy string (or ribbon). The youth enjoyed the challenge and fun of beading and ended up with a great gift to give to their own mother next weekend – made by their own hands. Domonic found that he has some latent skill in jewerly making and Tony finally found something he wasn’t so good at (his words, not mine).
Check out pictures from the May Crowning and the Meeting in the slide show below or view them on Picasa by clicking here.
We had the April Younth Ministry meeting on Sunday April 11th, 2010. It was a week later than usual since the celebration of Easter was last weekend.
At this months meeting we continued the Lent & Easter theme. To remind us of prayer and fasting we made hand rolled pretzels in the church kitchen. From CathlicCulture.org we lerarned that Pretzels were originally developed in Ancient Roman family homes as far back as the 4th Century. Pretzels are breads made using only water flour and salt to remind themselves that lent is a time of fasting and focus on God – not celebration and rich foods like creams, meats and cheeses. The “Pretzels” were formed into a symbol of a person with their arms folded across their chest in prayer.
The Pretzel Prayer:
We beg you, O Lord, to bless these breads which are to remind that Lent is a sacred season of penance and prayer. For this very reason the early Christians started the custom of making these breads in the form of arms crossed in prayer. Thus they kept the holy purpose of lent alive in their hearts from day to day, and increased in their soulds the love of Christ, even unto death, if necessary.
Grant us we pray, that we too, may be reminded by the daily sight of these pretzels to observe the holy season of Lent with true devotion and great spiritual fruit. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
We also discussed some Christian meaning for the Jelly Beans given at Easter.
After making our pretzels we created fun little Chalkboard Easter Rabbits (I’ll call them T’wabits). The little chalboards are great for short messages (like tweets on www.Twitter.com). I found this craft on www.AllFreeCrafts.com and we all had fun gluing them together in funny ways. Check out the picture show below to catch a glimpse of a T’wabit.
Here are pictures from the Youth Ministry Meeting on April 11th.
On March 12th, 2010 the St. Edward Parish Youth Ministry group presented the Living Stations of the Cross.
Through the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit the Youth Ministry group enacted a moving and spiritual portrayal of the 14 Stations of the Cross to an audience of approximately 50 lenten pilgrims at St. Edward Parish.
The “cast” comprised of 11 youth:
Jesus – Ryan Cox
Pilate – Anthony Thomas
Chief Priest / Judas – Joe Hosa
Roman Guards – Noah Patoray & Greg Ferechak
Mary -Valerie Thomas
Simon of Cyrene – Anthony Thomas
Veronica – Hanna Rhiel
Weeping Women of Jerusalem – Logan Hunkus, Amanda Leone, Halee Sepulveda, Anna Marie Thomas
We (as humans) love symbols. We love to assign meaning to everything we see and use. Sometimes we do this in a good way and sometimes, maybe, not so good. Our symbols express our life, they tell others more about us with us actually having to say it all.
What are some of the symbols in your life? What do they tell others about you? What do they tell you about yourself?
The early Christians used symbols extensively in their faith and worship. Many of those symbols we still use today. One that you are sure to know is the cross itself. To a non Christian, a cross may simply be two pieces of wood in a specific arraignment. No deeper meaning. To us it means something Holy or Sacred. It is a symbol to remind us of the passion Christ; that he died for our sins. That he was rejected by men, but still he forgave them. It may remind you of church, or time with family. It may bring to mind special prayers. Point being – this symbol means many things, and different things, to each of us. But, having the symbol makes us think and that is important.
During Lent, try having different symbols around you. I brought the Crown of Thorns plant to our meeting, and a sketch of Jesus with His crown of thorns. These are two power symbols of Lent. I also mentioned (in the last post) about the knotted rope in the church and its meaning. Maybe there are some things around your house that could help you to think about the way you are living and what changes you could make to be more like Christ.
In yesterday’s Gospel reading (Luke 13:1-9) Jesus tells a parable about a landowner, gardner and a fig tree. Like all parables, there are many layers of meaning here and hopefully you can gain something by reflecting on His message. Here is my reflection, maybe you can relate:
I have been emotionally & professionally struggling for a couple of years now. Sometimes I feel I grow a little, and sometimes I even produce a little fruit, but it is not much. Like the fig tree, I keep standing around in the sun, looking up. Each morning I think that surely today I will know what I am supposed to do – today I will take action, I will flower or blossom or produce good fruit. I have taken in good nourishment from my roots, both in knowledge and in food. I am in good health and sound mind. Yet I struggle to generate fruit – to fulfill my purpose. Does this mean that I too should be “cut down”, removed from my job, or given up on by my friends or loved ones? I hope not, I know I am of value. I just need another year.
Thankfully, for those of us who feel like we are not “producing” the fruit that we should, God still believes in us. God is the good gardner. Sometimes the hardest part of growing is being patient with ourselves.
During this lent, perhaps you can reflect on the areas in your life that you need to be more patient with yourself.
Maybe, you need to look at someone that troubles you; your parents, your brother or sister or even a friend, and say to yourself – “I will not cut them down just yet, maybe they need another year.”
