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.”
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I look around the church during mass (not often, but sometimes). Maybe you noticed the “knotted” ropes hanging around on banners. Did they stand out to you? You probably just thought “Huh, knotted fabric, that silly Sr. Theresa.” Ah, but the knots have a meaning.
Lent is a time of reflection and searching through our insides (especially the icky parts) and changing ourselves for the better. Sometimes we “tie-up” those icky parts we don’t want to face or show to others. Sometimes what we tie up isn’t icky, but instead are the good things that know we should be, but we don’t think are “cool” or “fun”.
The knotted ropes are the sanctuary to remind to find those knots within ourselves and work to loosen them. With less than 4 weeks left in lent, join me in getting “knotty” at church.
