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Small Group Participant Booklet for Teens
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Lent Year
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Author, Welcome to Living the Eucharist, Meetings 1–6 n Mr. Frank Mercadante Frank Mercadante is the Executive Director of Cultivation Ministries in St. Charles, Illinois. He is an international speaker, trainer, and writer in Catholic youth ministry. He has authored six books, including Growing Teen Disciples: Strategies for Really Effective Youth Ministry, St. Mary’s Press, 2002. www.cultivationministries.com Author, “Growing in Holiness Through the Eucharist” n Rita Ferrone Rita Ferrone is an award-winning writer and speaker in the areas of liturgy, catechesis, and renewal in the Roman Catholic Church. She lives in Mount Vernon, New York. Author, “Lectio Divina: A Way to Pray with the Scriptures” n Rev. Thomas Ryan, CSP Fr. Thomas Ryan, CSP, directs the Paulist North American Office for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations in Washington, D.C. He has authored fourteen books, preaches ecumenical parish missions, and leads ecumenical and interreligious retreats and seminars throughout the U.S. and Canada. www.tomryancsp.org general Editor n Rev. Kenneth Boyack, CSP Editor n Ms. Paula Minaert Design and Layout n Pensaré Design Group, LTD Nihil Obstat: Rev. Christopher Begg, S.T.D., Ph.D., Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: Most Rev. Barry C. Knestout, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, Archdiocese of Washington, March 28, 2012. The nihil obstat and imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet is free from doctrinal or moral error. There is no implication that those who have granted the nihil obstat and the imprimatur agree with the content, opinions or statements expressed therein. Copyright © 2012 by Paulist Evangelization Ministries. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the copyright owner. Readings for lectio divina are taken from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 1998, 1997, 1970 by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, D.C. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, D.C. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Committee on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America © 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.— Libreria Editrice Vaticana. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica © 1997, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.— Libreria Editrice Vaticana. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Published by Paulist Evangelization Ministries 3031 Fourth Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017 www.pemdc.org
april 2012 printing
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Contents Welcome to Living the Eucharist
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Meeting 1: The Word of God: Reliable for Navigating Life
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Preparing for the First Sunday of Lent
Meeting 2: Word of Life!
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Preparing for the second Sunday of Lent
Meeting 3: A Creed to Live By!
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Preparing for the third Sunday of Lent
Meeting 4: My Soul Shall Be Healed!
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Preparing for the fourth Sunday of Lent
Meeting 5: Forgiveness!
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Preparing for the fifth Sunday of Lent
Meeting 6: Holiness!
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Preparing for palm sunday of the passion of the lord
Lectio Divina A Way to Pray with the Scriptures
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GROWING IN HOLINESS THROUGH THE EUCHARIST A Guide for Teens
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Welcome to Living the Eucharist Thank you for choosing to take part in a Living the Eucharist small group for teens. The Church needs you! Your natural energy, enthusiasm, and idealism are cherished gifts to the Church. From its very birth, young people have played an important and essential role in its life and mission. Your role is critical not only for the spiritual renewal of your own generation, but for the evangelization of the entire Church. Thank you for your participation. The Eucharist is central to our identity as Catholics. However, our understanding and experience of the Eucharist may be less than it could be. We may feel we are missing something. Our experience of Mass can be like watching a movie that won an Oscar for Best Picture, but not getting the plot: We are left with the feeling there is something deep and profound hidden within the storyline, but we missed it. We’re aware that somehow, something really great just went over our heads. Living the Eucharist is about helping us better understand and celebrate the story of the Eucharist, and merging the Story with our story. Furthermore, these meetings are designed to help foster Christian community, engaging interaction, and spiritual growth. Finally, may your experience of Living the Eucharist be FUN!
The Topics for Each Week You will nourish your spiritual life by focusing on six topics during your meetings. Meeting 1: The Word of God: Reliable for Navigating Life preparing for the first Sunday of Lent
Meeting 2: Word of Life! preparing for the second Sunday of Lent
Meeting 3: A Creed to Live By! preparing for the third Sunday of Lent
Meeting 4: My Soul Shall Be Healed! preparing for the fourth Sunday of Lent
Meeting 5: Forgiveness! preparing for the fifth Sunday of Lent
Meeting 6: Holiness! preparing for palm sunday of the passion of the lord
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The Format of the Meetings Your small group meetings will take about ninety minutes. Each meeting is divided into these movements: Welcome and Warm-Up n Includes mixers, ice-breakers, and community-building Looking Back n Sharing the past week’s victories and challenges Opening Prayer n Praying the Opening Prayer of the upcoming Sunday Mass Your Take Discussion n Introduction to discussion of the week’s topic DVD Video Presentation n Viewing a video presentation of the topic Theme Discussion and Interaction n Group discussion and activities on the theme Praying the Sunday Readings Using Lectio Divina n Reflecting on and praying the Scriptures Closing Prayer n Praying the Prayer after Communion from the upcoming Sunday Mass Announcements n Relevant information for the coming week Refreshments
Preparing for Meetings
After the Meetings
Your preparation for each meeting should take only a few minutes.
Try to integrate the insights from the meetings into your daily life by considering the following:
Reflect on your action challenge and the lectio divina reflection from the previous week. Be prepared to share about your experience.
Read and reflect on the Video Commentary (last section of each meeting).
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Read and reflect on the lectio divina passage for the upcoming meeting. n
During the Meetings In order to get the most out of each meeting, and have a positive group experience, consider the following points: Be respectful of the other group members by making good eye contact with people when they are speaking. Remember, our non-verbal communication (body language and tone of voice) often says more than our words. n
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Participate in the meetings. Share your thoughts with the group in accordance with your comfort level. n
Affirm the contributions of others.
Prayerfully reflect on what you wrote in your Action Challenge space (from the most recent meeting). Make a conscious effort to draw on the strength of the Holy Spirit in order to live out your action challenge each day.
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n Prayerfully reflect on any insights that arose out of your lectio divina experience in the last gathering. n
Pray for fellow group members.
Consider using the lectio divina method for personal prayer and reflection. For more information, read “Lectio Divina: A Way to Pray with the Scriptures” on pages 28 to 32 of this booklet. n
Make a conscious effort to connect your small group experience with the Eucharist by fully and actively participating in Sunday Mass. For additional insights into the Mass, read the section “Growing in Holiness Through the Eucharist” on pages 33 to 40 of this booklet. n
Try not to talk while others are speaking.
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Keep what others share during group meetings confidential. n
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T he Word of God: Reliable For Navigating Life
WARM-UP: TWO FICTIONS AND A FACT In any order, write two statements about yourself that are fictional or untrue, but believable, and one statement that is factual and true, but unbelievable. The object of the game is to fool the highest percentage of group members as they attempt to pick out the factual statement.
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P r e Pa r i n g f o r t h e f i r s t s u n d aY o f L e n t
theMe DisCussion anD interaCtion
opening prayer
1 n What do you feel is the main theme or central message of the video? What most caught your attention? Please explain.
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for the first sunDay of Lent
2 n If you were to tweet or text a message about God’s Word or the Scriptures, what would it say? Compose your tweet in the space below.
Grant, almighty God, through the yearly observances of holy Lent,
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that we may grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ and by worthy conduct pursue their effects. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
3 n How much influence do the Scriptures carry in your day-to-day life? Choose the option that best describes you. Please explain your choice. a. The only map I follow.
your take...
b. I take the Bible out from time to time when I need direction.
The theme for our meeting is “The Word of God: Reliable for Navigating Life.”
c. Stays mostly in the glove compartment. d. I pretty much use other maps, such as _____________ .
1 n Describe an experience of being lost or not being able to find your way. Maybe you were lost in a building, given wrong directions, or even failed by Google Maps or a GPS unit. Describe the situation and the feelings surrounding it.
viDeo presentation: “teCh taLk”
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e. Other Read the Video Commentary out loud. 4 n Have you ever experienced a form of spiritual vertigo or a cloudy time in your life? Describe an experience where the Scriptures spoke to you in a clear or powerful manner. 5 n How would you describe your level of engagement when listening to the Scriptures being proclaimed at Sunday Mass? What are the challenges or obstacles that stand in your way to being more attentive?
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ACTION CHALLENGE In what practical ways can we be more attentive to and engaged with the Sunday Mass readings? Brainstorm ideas as a group. Then record the ideas below, in the top box. Then, as a group, discuss and choose three to four of the best ideas offered. Record them in the bottom box. Finally, circle the idea that you are willing to put into practice over the next week. Share it with the group.
Brainstorm Ideas
Praying the scriptures for lectio divina
Romans 10:8-13 Brothers and sisters: What does Scripture say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart—that is, the word of faith that we preach—,for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. For the Scripture says, No one who believes in him will be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Insights from praying the Scriptures:
closing Prayer
Prayer After Communion Renewed now with heavenly bread, by which faith is nourished, hope increased, and charity strengthened, we pray, O Lord, that we may learn to hunger for Christ, the true and living Bread, and strive to live by every word which proceeds from your mouth. Through Christ our Lord.
Finalist Ideas 1 2 3 4
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VIDEO COMMENTARY: “TECH TALK” At the start of the Vietnam War, American Air Force flight instructors arrived in Southeast Asia to help train South Vietnamese pilots. While instructing a young South Vietnamese officer during a training mission, an advisor became alarmed while monitoring the planes from the ground. The novice pilot maneuvered his jet to a dangerously low altitude. The American advisor radioed the cockpit and instructed him to raise it up. The plane responded by dropping lower. Every time the instructor ordered him to pull it up the plane descended further. Finally, in a desperate plea, the flight instructor screamed, “Pull it up hard!” Suddenly, the jet plummeted from the sky and burst into flames as it struck the rocky terrain. When investigators sifted through the wreckage, they discovered that the jet crashed into the ground while flying upside down. The young serviceman experienced spatial disorientation. Often referred to as aviator vertigo, spatial disorientation can occur when a pilot flies in cloud cover or in darkness. As a result of not being able to view the horizon, pilots can lose the reliability of their senses and equilibrium. In order to avoid disaster, pilots are trained to rely on their instrument panel.
SPIRITUAL VERTIGO Like aviation vertigo, we can easily lose sight of the horizon, struggle to see our way through the clouds, and feel submerged in darkness. We can get spiritually disoriented by all the competing voices in our culture. We can lose our way with regard to what is important, how to live life, and living God’s plan for us. We need a reliable and trustworthy instrument to navigate life’s sudden turns, foggy roads, and coffee-black nights. We need a spiritual gyroscope to keep us steady and focused, and to provide a window to reality.
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As Catholics, we have that instrument. It’s the Bible, the Holy Scriptures. The Scriptures help us find our way to God, provide clarity on how to live, and give hope and consolation when submerged in darkness or inside life’s disorienting clouds. St. Paul taught, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 81).
INSTRUMENT RATED FOR LIFE Darkness or clouds can assault a pilot’s senses, causing him to misinterpret reality. In order to safely navigate this tenuous airspace, a pilot must become instrument rated. He must go through advanced training in order to “fly blind”: fully trusting and referencing his flight panel controls even when they completely contradict his physical and emotional sensations. Similarly, we must become “spiritually instrument rated” in order to safely navigate life’s often hazy airspace. To arrive safely at God’s will and plan for our lives, we must learn to interpret life through the lens of God’s revelation. Like the proper use of any instrument, the Bible requires understanding and skill. First, we must trust the instrument—trust that God gave us the Scriptures as inspired books that teach truth without error and lead us to salvation (CCC 107). Second, the Scriptures are living, as the Holy Spirit opens our minds to understand what God wants to reveal to us (CCC 108). Beginning with a prayer for understanding and guidance is crucial as we open the pages of our Bibles. Finally, individual passages from Scripture are best understood within the entirety and unity of the whole Scripture (CCC 112), within the living tradition of the Catholic Church (CCC 113), and within the support, guidance, and leadership of the parish community.
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SAMPLE - COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL L ECTIO DIVINA
Lectio Divina a way to pray with the scriptures Deepening communion with God is the invitation and adventure of our lives. We want this communion, and we are looking for methods that will help us realize it. We must have an experience of God if we are to pursue God with our whole heart, mind, and soul. Intellectual knowledge about God will not be enough to feed us and hold us. Lectio
divina (pronounced LEX-ee-oh dee-VEE-na) is an accessible way to have such an encounter.
The method is time-tested. The ecclesiastical writer Origen of Alexandria (185-254) and the monk John Cassian (360–435) trace out the method in their writings on prayer. The twelfth-century Carthusian monk Guido gave it sharper definition as a stairway of four spiritual steps—reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation—that came to be known as lectio divina (literally, “divine reading”). This process is a slow, contemplative way of praying with the Scriptures that enables the Word of God to become a means of union with God. The four steps with their classical Latin titles are: Step One:
Lectio – Listening to God’s Word
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Meditatio – Reflecting and pondering on God’s Word Step THREE:
Oratio – Praying from the heart in response to what God asks of me Step FOUR:
Contemplatio – Resting in God’s presence Lectio divina has no goal other than spending time with God through the medium of God’s Word. In doing this, there will be a gentle movement between the inner, spiritual activity of, on the one hand, reading, reflecting, and praying, and on the other hand, of receptivity. The spiritual activity is not outward but inward, taking us down into the depths of the soul, where the Holy Spirit is transforming our hearts to the heart of Christ.
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Growing in Holiness T hrough the Eucharist a guide for teens What does it mean to grow in holiness through the Eucharist? This reflection will invite you to discover for yourself how the Eucharist can help you to live a holy and joyful life. It is also aimed at helping you understand how your personal growth in holiness helps to build up the whole Body of Christ and involves you each day in the mission of Christ and the Church.
PART I GROWING IN HOLINESS: THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME
of these virtues. What do we do when we encounter the opposite, though? Do we give up on the Church? Do we lose our faith in what the Church is meant to be?
THE CHURCH: NOT A CLUB FOR SAINTS The message of Christianity is beautiful and lofty. But the people who are supposed to be living the message…? Hmmm. For many, that’s where the problem arises. Faith, hope, love—we all long to see pure and high expressions
It’s easy to point the finger. Sometimes the charge of hypocrisy is hurled at the Church: “Look at those people. They go to church on Sunday, but they don’t act the way they should. They’re hypocrites!” Young people can be especially quick to see the gap between what they know to be the Christian message and the failure of people in the Church to live it out. Their own ideals are high, which is a good thing. But when experience doesn’t match up to expectations, it can be painful.
The Eucharist is our most beautiful treasure. — Pope Benedict X VI
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