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“RUN” July 15–20, 2013
LIFE JOURNAL
by sanctus real
RUN Wake up, oh my soul You’ve been sleeping far too long So wake up, oh my soul Stand up and be known You’ve been hiding far too long Just stand up and be known You gotta run, run, run into the arms You gotta run, run, run into the arms You gotta run, run, run into the arms of love
Don’t lose heart when you’re feeling low When the road looks long and you don’t know If you have the strength to make it home You’re not on your own Don’t lose heart when you’re feeling low When the road looks long and you don’t know If you have the strength to make it home You’re not on your own You’re not on your own
There’s only one way to find your help One place to lose yourself One way to find your help
You gotta run, run, run into the arms You gotta run, run, run into the arms You gotta run, run, run into the arms of love
So reach out for your hope Let these arms hold you close Reach out for your hope
You gotta run, run, run into the arms You gotta run, run, run into the arms You gotta run, run, run into the arms of love
You gotta run, run, run into the arms You gotta run, run, run into the arms You gotta run, run, run into the arms of love You gotta run, run, run into the arms You gotta run, run, run into the arms You gotta run, run, run into the arms of love
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  This LIFE JOURNAL is a tool for your personal spiritual growth. Putting thoughts on paper helps us to be more reflective about what we feel and think. Journaling prayer opens our mind and heart so that we are better able to hear what God really wants of us. Writing about life challenges and revisiting that writing later can help us to gain clarity in our relationships with God, ourselves and others. Your journal is personal and private, a mirror in which to see yourself. Never allow yourself to be pressured into revealing its contents, although, on the other hand, you may profit from choosing at times to share some of it with other trusted individuals. If you continue to journal, patterns of acting, relating, and thinking may emerge as tools for selfunderstanding. We begin to see evidence of God’s work in our lives, reminding us of our inner beauty and gently confronting our limitations. Use this LIFE Journal during journal/quiet times, free time, personal prayer time, group discussions, morning/evening reflection, reconciliation, etc.. Encourage yourself to continue this or another journal in the days, weeks, and months after LIFE Week.
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Three O’Clock Prayer Lord Jesus, We gather in spirit at the foot of the Cross With your Mother And the disciple whom you loved. We ask your pardon for our sins Which are the cause of your death. We thank you for remembering us In that hour of salvation And for giving us Mary as our Mother. Holy Virgin, take us under your protection And open us to the action of the Holy Spirit. Saint John, obtain for us the grace Of taking Mary into our lives as you did, And of assisting her in her mission. May the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit Be glorified in all places through the Immaculate Virgin Mary. Amen.
Marianist Doxology May the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit Be glorified in all places through The Immaculate Virgin Mary. Amen.
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Canticle of Mary My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; He has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed; the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name. He has mercy on those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm and has scattered the proud in their conceit, Casting down the mighty from their thrones and lifting up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has come to the aid of his servant Israel, to remember his promise of mercy, The promise made to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever. May the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit Be glorified in all places through the Immaculate Virgin Mary. Amen
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Marianist Life Line The exercise we did here reminds us of the Important dates, events and people in our lives. Here are some dates that are important in the life of the Marianist Family.
Dates 1754 1761 1789 1797 1801 1816 1817 1849 1949 1976
Marie Thérèse Charlotte de Lamorous born William Joseph Chaminade born Adele de Batz de Trenquelléon born Fr. Chaminade exiled to Spain First Marianist Lay Communities founded Daughters of Mary Immaculate (Marianist Sisters or FMI) formed Society of Mary (SM) formed SM province established in the US FMI province established in the US First Marianist LIFE Summer Program in Dayton
January 10 January 22 February 2
1801
May 25
1816
August 13 September 5 1818 September 12 September 14 September 18 October 2 1817 October 12 1797 December 8
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Feast Days
Adele Day—Foundress of the Marianist Sisters and the Marianist Family Chaminade Day—Founder of the Society of Mary and the Marianist Family, beatified September 3, 2000 Presentation of the Lord—Anniversary of the Foundation of the Marianist Lay Communities Mary, Help of Christians—Anniversary of the foundation of the Marianist Sisters Blessed Jakob Gapp, SM—Marianist martyr, beatified November 24, 1996 Mary, Queen of Apostles—First profession of vows Holy Name of Mary—Patronal feast of the Society of Mary Marie Thérèse Day—Foundress of the Misericorde (House of Mercy) and the Marianist Family Blessed Carlos Eraña Guruceta, SM; Blessed Jesús Hita Miranda, SM; Blessed Fidel Fuidio Rodriguez, SM—Marianist martyrs, beatified October 1, 1995 Guardian Angels—Anniversary of the foundation of the Society of Mary Our Lady of the Pillar—Anniversary of the graces received by Fr. Chaminade Immaculate Conception—Patronal feast of the Marianist Sisters and Marianist Lay Communities
if the Spirit moves you:
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Day 1
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introduction to journaling
morning journal time reflections
  Amidst the busyness of life it is difficult to take the time to be alone with the Lord. This week you will have time every morning to spend 15 minutes alone with God before we pray together as a community of faith. Your LIFE Journal is a tool prepared to help you reflect and pray during our morning times and at other times. Please use the time well and listen to what the Lord is saying in your heart and in your mind. Allow God’s deep and profound love to find a home in you and amazing things will happen in your life. Use this time to be alone and offer to God whatever is happening in your heart and mind. God loves you more than you can possibly imagine and this time with God will bless your day and your life in ways not imagined. Open yourself up to the joy and surprise of God’s grace. You will then taste and see the goodness of the Lord. The late Cardinal Bernardin, who early on served as the Archbishop of Cincinnati, was a great supporter of young people and often was involved in youth leadership programs. In his later years he was stricken with cancer and eventually died from the disease. During his illness he wrote that we should spend time and pray to the Lord when we are healthy because it becomes more difficult when we are ill and things are not going well in our lives. Developing these habits now will bless you for a lifetime. Please use this time to be alone with the Lord. It is not to be used for any other purpose or with any other person. Do not talk with anyone during individual reflection time so that you and others may benefit from time alone with the Lord. Please go only to assigned areas during individual and journal time. Thank you for taking this time to allow God to nourish your soul. You will be better able to nourish and lead others because of your openness to working on your inner life. God bless you!!!
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morning journal time reflections
morning journal time reflections
  Everyone of us has inside a continent of undiscovered character. Blessed is the one who acts as the Columbus to their own soul. C. Wallis
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morning journal time reflections
  I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 12
Romans 1:11-12
morning journal time reflections
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morning journal time reflections
Session 6 | Healthy Love of Self (Self-Acceptance) When we live in fear of being our true self, we tend to compare ourselves to others. This then sometimes overpowers the person we are inside and we don’t allow that person to come to the surface or don’t “see” ourselves clearly. Reflect for a few minutes on the skit and talk. Answer these questions and we’ll discuss them. 1 Which person’s story in the skit most related to your life experience?
2 How do you respond to those issues in your life?
3 What is getting in the way of you accepting and loving yourself as God does?
4 What is getting in the way of you accepting God’s love?
5 Reflect on the things which are hardest for you to forgive in yourself.
6 Write down one or two things which are the hardest for you to forgive in yourself.
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Session 6 | Part II 1 Read this passage a few times. Let it sink in and speak to you; to whatever you need to hear from God at this time. isaiah 49:13-16 Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth, break forth into song, you mountains. For the Lord comforts his people and shows mercy to his afflicted. But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me." Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. See, upon the palms of my hands I have written your name; your walls are ever before me.
2 Isaiah tells us that God has written your name on the palm of his hand, that God will never forget you, and will love you with more tenderness and faithfulness even more than a mother loves the child of her womb. This love of God is the real source of our love for ourselves, of our self acceptance and of our “I Am” list. 3 Make a list of verbs or adjectives that describe who you are. These can be positive or negative—just descriptions of who you are. Be honest and own your strengths—God has blessed you and you are made in God’s image and likeness. God knows of your weaknesses too, and loves you without condition or reservation. God loves you so much that God is actively pursuing you. Allow yourself to be caught! Natural Gifts cooking writing music sports baby-sitting cleaning sewing math selling
Spiritual Gifts nursing listening teaching art talking dramatics singing schoolwork comforting
My own “I Am” list
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praying organizing helping others mechanics gardening boating horseback riding others (list)
wisdom counseling perseverance helping others respect understanding encouragement sharing miracles
patience listening welcoming knowledge love hope authority praying peacefulness
sincerity humility preaching kindness serving forgiveness faith healing tongues
generosity truthfulness prophecy working hard feeding others interpretation teaching doing good joy
4 After you have listed about 10 (or more) positive qualities on your “I Am� list, say a prayer to God asking which three qualities or gifts of yours God wants you to appreciate, accept, celebrate, or develop in your life right now. How does God want you to risk to be yourself? The important thing is to pray, asking God to help you choose the qualities. 5 Once you have chosen the qualities or gifts, write them below in your journal. This will be used at our Baptismal Renewal Eucharist later this evening. Be sure to write down the reason why they were chosen. 1
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3 These have been chosen because...
Three ways in which I can risk and dare to better accept myself and share my goodness are... 1
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Session 6 | Reflection Find a space Settle down into a comfortable position Relax, Listen, and Reflect: This is a form of prayer. Be aware of God’s presence, action and love in your life as you reflectand write. Write about the following questions in the space below: 1 What are the significant events that have happened in the past day-and-a-half? Which are especially memorable? Were there any difficult or awkward moments? Were there any exciting and joyful moments? What, from the past day-and-a-half do you most want to remember in the future?
2 What have you learned about yourself? What have you learned about others? What have you learned about life in general? What questions do you still have?
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Session 7 | Prayer Fair 1 Describe both prayer styles you experienced.
2 What prayer style(s) do you think would be useful to take back home (personally & in your LIFE group)?
3 How can we incorporate these prayer forms into our Home LIFE group?
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Session 11 | Discovering God in Your Life Spend a few quiet moments reflecting and take some time to answer the following... 1 At this point in my life, how would I describe my relationship with God?
2 Since God is always near, what do I do to push God away?
3 Something I could do to improve my relationship with God would be...
4 For me, being committed to God, living as his disciple means...
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Session 11 | Discovering God in Your Life | Creative Activity   When you have finished with the journal questions, use the paper and markers or take a piece of clay and shape it into an image of who God is for you. You can create an image based on the talk, scriptures, your answers to the reflection questions, and/or your own experiences. Depending on your own experiences, your image may be that of a good friend, a teacher, or even a question mark if you are unsure of where Jesus fits into your life at this time. For example, some scripture images are Bread of Life, Good Shepherd, Vine and the Branches, Light of the World. After creating your image, write in the space below why you created the image you did and how it represents the image of Jesus for you. In a few minutes, your moderators will be asking you to share your image with the rest of your group.
  God created humankind in his image; in the divine image he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1: 27
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Session 12 | Trust Spend a few quiet moments reflecting on the Trust Walk activity we just did. 1 Explain what it was like to let go and allow yourself to be guided?
2 What did your guide do to make you feel safe and comfortable?
3 Write about an experience or leadership challenge where you felt blinded?
4 What might this experience teach you to do when you feel lost or unsure about where you are going?
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5 What gifts did each person bring to the community during this activity?
6 How do you see God working in your Home MLC?
7 Write about a time when you allowed yourself to let go and be guided by God?
  Those who believed shared all things in common. Acts 2: 44
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Social Justice Module Throughout the module use this space to record your reactions and reflections on what you experience.
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MAJOR THEMES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING Life and Dignity of the Human Person “Our belief in the sanctity of human life and the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching.” Every person is created in the image of God. Every person is precious. All social laws, practices, and institutions must protect, not undermine, human life and human dignity—from conception through natural death.
Call To Family, Community, and Participation
The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers “Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation.” Workers have rights to decent work, just wages, safe working conditions, unionization, disability protection, retirement security, and economic initiative. The economy exists for the human person; the human person does not exist for the economy. Labor has priority over capital.
Solidarity
“How we organize our society—in economics, and politics, in law and policy—directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community.” We are social beings. We realize our dignity and human potential in our families and communities. The family is the basic cell of society; it must be supported. Government has the mission of protecting human life, promoting the common good of all persons, and defending the right and duty of all to participate in social life.
“We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences.” The Church speaks of a "universal” common good that reaches beyond our nations borders to the global community. Solidarity recognizes that the fates of the peoples of the earth are linked. Solidarity requires richer nations to aid poorer ones, commands respect for different cultures, demands justice in international relationships, and calls on all nations to live in peace with one another.
Rights and Responsibilities
Care for God’s Creation
“The Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met.” The Church upholds both personal responsibility and social rights. The right to life is fundamental and includes a right to food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, and essential social services. Every person has the right to raise a family and the duty to support them. Human dignity demands religious and political freedom and the duty to exercise these rights for the common good of all persons.
“We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation.” Good stewardship of the earth and of all its creatures (including human beings) is a complex challenge. Humans are part of creation itself, and whatever we do to the earth we ultimately do to ourselves. We must live in harmony with the rest of creation and preserve it for future generations
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable “Catholic teaching proclaims that a basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring.” The Church does not pit one social group against another but instead follows the example of our Lord, who identified himself with the poor and the vulnerable (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Giving priority concern to the poor and the vulnerable strengthens the health of the whole society. The human life and dignity of the poor are most at risk. The poor have the first claim on our personal and social resources. 25
evening journaling
Day 5 How would you describe LIFE week to others?
In the space below, attempt to summarize your experiences this week—the joys, the laughter, the prayers, the challenges, etc. Most importantly, reflect on the entire week honestly.
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move into the
Day 5
a letter to myself
Preparation: Find a space, settle down your mind, and listen to what God is saying to you in this moment.
Reflection Time:
Open your Bible to Psalm 139. Read the scripture passage slowly and reflectively. Spend some time writing a Letter to Yourself—you will be given paper.
Part 1 | Reflect on your LIFE experience Some of the new friends I have made are... The one thing I liked best about this week is... My first feelings as I arrived here last Monday & my feelings now are... This week has affected my relationship with Christ by... One thing I can do to live as Jesus’ disciple is... The ways I will tell my parents and friends of this experience will be... This LIFE program was really worth it to me because...
Part 2 | Personal Canticle/Prayer Write your own canticle/prayer on the “YES” God is calling you to make through your LIFE experience. Use the Canticle of Mary on page 5 in your journal for inspiration.
Part 3 | Closing When you are done, seal the letter in an envelope, write your name and address on it, and give the envelope to the moderator in the room. The rest of the time can be used for quiet time before supper. At some point, meet with your LIFE moderator and your home group and share together some of your thoughts about the past week and how you hope to bring this spirit back home.
future…
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Artwork courtesy of Bros. Charlie Wanda and Joseph Barish, SM.
www.marianist.com/life