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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, “Eucharist Empowers Catholic Teens for Mission” 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 20, 2013.

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 © 2013 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 Commission 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

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Contents Welcome to Living the Eucharist

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Meeting 1: The Eucharist and You

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Preparing for the First Sunday of Lent

Meeting 2: Grace in the Real Presence

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Preparing for the second Sunday of Lent

Meeting 3: Evidence

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Preparing for the third Sunday of Lent

Meeting 4: Sharing the Gospel

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Preparing for the fourth Sunday of Lent

Meeting 5: Small Things with Great Love

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Preparing for the fifth Sunday of Lent

Meeting 6: Eternal Life

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Preparing for palm sunday of the passion of the lord

Lectio Divina A Way to Pray with the Scriptures EUCHARIST EMPOWERS CATHOLIC TEENS FOR MISSION

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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 Eucharist and You preparing for the first Sunday of Lent

Meeting 2: Grace in the Real Presence preparing for the second Sunday of Lent

Meeting 3: Evidence preparing for the third Sunday of Lent

Meeting 4: Sharing the Gospel preparing for the fourth Sunday of Lent

Meeting 5: Small Things with Great Love preparing for the fifth Sunday of Lent

Meeting 6: Eternal Life 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 Mass 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 about 10 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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Try not to talk while others are speaking.

Participate in the meetings. Share your thoughts with the group in accordance with your comfort level. n

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Affirm the contributions of others.

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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 “Eucharist Empowers Catholic Teens for Mission” on pages 33 to 39 of this booklet. n

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Sharing the Gospel WARM-UP: SOMETHING WORTH SHARING We have all had experiences in our lives that are so outstanding that we are almost compelled to tell others about it. In the space below, describe a relationship, event, service, experience, or product that has that kind of quality. Choose something that you are more than willing to share with others.

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LOOKING BACK During last week’s meeting, we discussed how our example or the witness of our lives leaves a mark or imprint on others. We evaluated our witness in light of several audiences. (See last week’s Action Challenge on page 14.) How did you do with addressing some of the areas in need of improvement?

Were there some audiences or contexts that were more challenging than others? Share your experience.

VIDEO PRESENTATION: “SHARING THE GOSPEL” THEME DISCUSSION AND INTERACTION Compose a tweet or Facebook status on the video in the space below. Share it and explain it to the group.

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opening prayer

Collect

for the fourth Sunday of Lent O God, who through your Word reconcile the human race to yourself in a wonderful way, grant, we pray, that with prompt devotion and eager faith the Christian people may hasten toward the solemn celebrations to come.

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.

When you hear the word “evangelization,” what images, feelings, or experiences come to your mind?

How important do you feel sharing the Gospel with others is to being Catholic?

How would you characterize your present practice of sharing your faith with others? Choose what best describes you. Please explain your choice.

YOUR TAKE… The theme for our meeting is “Sharing the Gospel.” Consider the following questions: How would you define sharing the Gospel? What does sharing the Gospel look like in real life?

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An Arctic river—frozen at the mouth

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Secret agent for Christ—subtle in my approach

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All action but few words

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Don’t really think about it too much

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Doing my best/making progress

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Not sure about my own faith

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Win some and lose some

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Discussion (continued) In the video, St. Paul said, “Don’t be afraid; rely on the Holy Spirit.“ Jesus told the Apostles, ”Do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say” (Luke 12:11-12). What has been your experience of this teaching? What do you think are the keys to allowing the Spirit to speak through us?

What would you say are some of the most significant obstacles that stand in the way of you sharing your faith with others? How can we clear or address these obstacles?

If someone asked you, “Why do you believe in Jesus Christ?” how would you respond? How would you share your story of faith?

ACTION CHALLENGE We are surrounded by people who are in need of the love of God. Maybe you have a friend who is grieving, struggling with alcohol or substance abuse, showing signs of spiritual hunger or searching, or feeling alone or excluded. Prayerfully choose one or two people who come to mind. Prayerfully consider how you might reach out. How can you practically be and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with this person or persons?

Record your plan below:

Initials of Person(s): Actions:

Initials of Person(s): Actions:

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Praying the scriptures for lectio divina

Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul.

He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage.

You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come.

closing Prayer

Prayer After Communion O God, who enlighten everyone who comes into this world, illuminate our hearts, we pray, with the splendor of your grace, that we may always ponder what is worthy and pleasing to your majesty and love you in all sincerity.

Through Christ our Lord.

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VIDEO COMMENTARY: “SHARING THE GOSPEL” Evangelization. The word itself can make the average Catholic nervous, uneasy, or hesitant. Somehow, evangelization doesn’t even sound Catholic! Many Catholics associate the word and practice with television evangelists or religious door-knockers. We may even have negative feelings based on an awkward “evangelistic” encounter or experience with someone outside of our faith tradition.

SHARING OUR FAITH IS CATHOLIC Regardless of how we may feel about evangelization, the term and practice are thoroughly Catholic. Perhaps the best-kept secret of Catholic teaching is that evangelization is front and center to our faith. In the apostolic exhortation On Evangelization in the Modern World, Pope Paul VI stated, “The task of evangelizing all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church” (14). The reality is, evangelization is as Catholic as the Eucharist.

CARING ENOUGH TO SHARE Although evangelization is central to our Catholic faith, and the mandate to evangelize is standard for all the baptized, many of us struggle with sharing our faith with others. Few of us want to be perceived or labeled as pushy or judgmental. We may feel that by sharing what we believe, we are being disrespectful of others’ beliefs. Could sharing what we believe, what we hold dear to our hearts and lives, be disrespectful? Perhaps the ultimate form of disrespect is not caring enough to share with others a message that can powerfully and positively change their lives. How deep is our love and care for others if the potential for an awkward situation gags us from sharing something of eternal value? How real can the Good News be to us if it’s choked from expression in order not to chance misunderstanding?

If you are concerned about sounding judgmental, or being disrespectful when sharing your faith, that’s good news! You are the least likely to be what you fear. Your wariness will most likely inoculate you from the malady of evangelistic insensitivity.

THE SIMPLE MESSAGE Another common obstacle that can stifle us from sharing our faith is not knowing enough or what to say. Perhaps someone will expose us as a theological lightweight by grilling us with a litany of unanswerable questions. Sure, it’s important to learn about our faith and articulate the reason behind belief. However, very few people get argued into believing.

The truth is, we probably already know enough to be very effective evangelizers. We really only need to know and live one mandate in order to make an evangelistic impact: the two great commandments. When we love God with all our heart, mind, and strength, and love others as we love ourselves, we have the foundation for evangelistic success.

A REAL EXPERIENCE OF FAITH By knowing and loving Jesus, we have a personal and meaningful experience of faith. It’s real to us, and it’s hard to deny or contradict that experience. When the Pharisees kept theologically badgering a man born blind whom Jesus healed, the man simply stated, “One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see” (John 9:25). In a similar manner, we can debate things theologically, but in the end no one can deny our personal experience of faith, an experience of God’s transformative power in our lives.

THE LANGUAGE OF EVANGELIZATION Finally, when we love others we embody the gospel message. We put flesh and bone and skin on Jesus’ love. By loving others we speak the language of God: words and actions that open wide the doors to the Kingdom of God.

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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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Step TWO:

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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Eucharist Empowers Catholic Teens for Mission The Eucharist feeds us so we can become strong for mission. The Eucharist prepares us to be sent to do God’s work in the world. In order to understand how this works, we need to appreciate that each and every person has a calling in life. Each of us has a mission. By living your life faithfully, it gradually becomes clear what that mission is.

Yet there is more. As followers of Christ, our personal mission is part of something greater than ourselves. We are part of God’s loving plan for the world, revealed in Jesus. We are part of the Church. The Eucharist stands at the center of this great plan.

Our Mission and Purpose in Life Discovering and living out our mission can be quite an adventure. Yet God helps us every step of the way.

Consider the story of St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556).

He was the youngest son of a Basque nobleman. He was brought up to be a soldier. He fought for the glory of Spain and for the honor of his king. All his hopes came crashing down, however, when he was hit by a cannonball during the siege of Pamplona in 1521. His leg was broken, not set properly, and then broken and reset a second time. It took a long time for him to heal.

During his recovery, Ignatius was bored and restless.

He looked for something to read to pass the time.

He wanted to read stories about knights and battles, chivalry and fighting. That was his life! But the only books available were a copy of a life of Christ and some stories of the saints.

He read them. And he got interested. His imagination was captured. Through prayer, he became inspired with a new calling. Just as he had once given his best, his all, for the honor of his country, he now found a greater and better goal: to give his best, his all, for the honor

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