Announcing:
Saint Mary's Press winner for the week of March 14, 2011!
Congratulations to Brandi Christovich!

Brandi will receive a copy of Everyday Justice: 365 Reflections, a $14.75 value.

Everyday Justice
Author: Alan J. Talley, Scott Holsknecht

Everyday Justice brings the principles of Catholic social teaching to teens, whether they are using it as a companion for a social justice course, to broaden their personal understanding for justice issues, or as a reflection guide while they are on a service project. But more than that, it inspires them to respond to our Gospel call. Each day begins with a quote from the Scriptures, a Church document, or an advocate of justice and is followed by a reflection, a prayer, and a call to action.

Everyday Justice
ISBN: 978-0-88489-858-0, paper, 384 pages

Lessons from Saint Patrick

Later this week we will celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. Beyond the "kiss me, I’m Irish" T-shirts, the wearing of shamrock pins, and the pinching of anyone who is not wearing green, there are lessons that we as ministers to young people can learn from both the facts and the fables about Saint Patrick.

In case you didn’t know, Saint Patrick was not Irish. He was born into a noble family in the fourth century in what would later be known as Britain. At a young age, he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland as a slave. As a slave, he worked as a shepherd, and it was in this solitary life that Patrick discovered God among the splendor of God’s creation. After several years in captivity, he returned home and later became a priest. God called him back to Ireland to preach and share the Gospel. At the time, Ireland was considered an extremely barbaric land where few had traveled to share the Good News. Patrick bravely returned to the place of his enslavement and worked to preach and bring the Gospel to both the few Christians in Ireland and those that had yet to encounter Christ. Patrick was later appointed Bishop of Ireland. One of the legends about Saint Patrick is that he used the shamrock, a symbol familiar to the people of Ireland, to explain the Trinity.

So what can we learn from the model of Saint Patrick for our ministries? First, we can look at his example of going outside his comfort zone to respond to God’s call. When Patrick returned home after his enslavement, he could have chosen to return to the comfortable life of a nobleman. Instead, he responded to God’s call to devote his life to sharing the Gospel as a priest. Do we listen to and accept God’s invitation to sometimes choose the less comfortable road in life in order to do his work?

Second, Patrick was willing to go and preach the Good News in a place where others feared to or refused to go. In our ministries we have the opportunity to reach out to young people in a variety of settings. Following the model of Saint Patrick, we can look not only to our churches and schools as the venue for sharing God’s love with youth, but also to sporting events, malls, and any other places where we encounter our youth. Additionally, we can seek out young people in the most dire circumstances such as juvenile detention centers.

Lastly, do we take advantage of what young people know in order to share the Good News? Just as legend has it that Patrick used the shamrock to teach about the Trinity because it was something familiar to the people of Ireland, we can look for opportunities to use technology, contemporary pop culture, and current events to help today’s young people encounter God.

Saint Patrick is an amazing example for those of us involved in ministry. This year we can take advantage of his feast day to do more than simply wear green. We can use Saint Patrick’s Day as an opportunity to grow in our ministries and discover new and exciting ways to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with young people. The other day I encountered an Irish blessing that I had never heard before, which I would like to use to wrap up this "Focus on Faith": "May the smile of God light you to glory"—and as always, I pray that God will continue to bless you and your ministry.

Peace,
Steven McGlaun

Click Here for More Information

More Symbols of the Trinity
From Catholic Connections: God, Revelation, and Faith Catechist Guide

Materials Needed

Gather the following items, one for each small group of four or five:
- sets of markers
- sheets of newsprint

Gather the following additional item:
- a one-dollar bill

1. Explain that the shamrock is just one way of symbolizing the Trinity. There have been other ways too.

2. Take out a dollar bill. Pass it around and tell the young people to find the pyramid on the back. At the top of the pyramid is a triangle with an eye in it. Above it is written "Annuit Coeptis," which means "He approves our undertakings." Ask the participants why the triangle would be an appropriate symbol for God. [The three sides represent the three Persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.]

3. Divide the large group into small groups of four or five. Give each group a set of markers and a sheet of newsprint. Direct each small group to draw its own symbol of the Trinity. Tell the young people that they do not have to focus on geometrical shapes or numbers. You may want to suggest a few ideas to stimulate their thinking (animals, mountains, clouds, rivers, man-made objects, or fictional characters).

4. Ask each small group to present its symbol to the large group.

Second Sunday of Lent
March 20, 2011
Matthew 17:1-9

Opening Prayer
Jesus, we are grateful that you restored our potential to experience life after death through your death on the cross on Good Friday. Continue to strengthen us through the power of the Holy Spirit so that we can be holy in all ways in our everyday lives. Amen.

Context Connection
The focus of this Sunday's Gospel is the Transfiguration of Jesus. This account can also be found in the Gospels of Mark (9:2-13) and Luke (9:28-36). In all three accounts, Jesus appears with Moses and Elijah on the top of a mountain; he is witnessed by the inner circle of disciples--Peter, James, and John.

Matthew opens his account, "Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves" (17:1). In the Scriptures the symbol of the mountain is a privileged place of divine revelation. Matthew wants us to be aware that something very important about Jesus is going to be revealed on this mountain--that he is the Son of God. Jesus "was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white" (17:2). Matthew's emphasis on the appearance of Jesus's face directly relates to Moses, whose face shined as the sun when he descended from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:29-30). In this way Matthew presents Jesus as the new Moses. Then "suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with [Jesus]" (17:3). Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the prophets of the Old Testament. In the context of Matthew's Gospel, the appearance of Moses and Elijah with Jesus shows that Jesus has come to fulfill the Law and the prophets. The story presents the three figures existing in perfect harmony.

Matthew captures for us the disciples' reaction to this most unusual occurrence. Peter says to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" (17:4). Peter wants to hold onto the moment as long as possible, to remain in this glorified state by erecting three structures to contain the experience. Then God speaks, "a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, 'This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!'" (17:5). We have already heard these words spoken by God at Jesus's baptism in the Jordan (Matthew 3:17). Here Matthew adds "listen to him." The voice frightens the disciples and "they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear" (17:6). Again Matthew draws a parallel between Jesus and Moses. In Exodus 16:10, 19:9, 24:15-16, and 33:9, God reveals his presence through a cloud.

Jesus responds by touching his disciples and telling them to get up--to not be afraid. Jesus becomes their comforter. The Transfiguration ends abruptly: "when [the disciples] looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone" (17:8). Then, on their trip down the mountain, Jesus instructs the three disciples not to share what has happened until after he has been raised from the dead.

Tradition Connection
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "'All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity.'1 All are called to holiness" (paragraph 2013). Every baptized person is called to this high standard of holiness. A dimension of holiness is charity--the way we love others. During Lent we are asked to be particularly mindful of almsgiving, that is, sharing our wealth with those who are in need. This should be a common practice for any Christian throughout the year, but during Lent, we are asked to reassess this aspect of our life and be more attentive to perfecting this Christian practice on a regular basis.

Holiness can be obtained only by embracing the cross of Jesus: "The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross" (Catechism, paragraph 2015). Jesus showed us that the way to holiness and unification with God the Father in the Resurrection is through the cross. Easter Sunday could never have happened without the experience of Good Friday. Through our Baptism, we die with Christ (our first regeneration) and enter into a way of life that understands that pain and suffering are part of the journey to resurrection: The Transfiguration "is the sacrament of the second regeneration": our own Resurrection.2 From now on we share in the Lord's Resurrection through the Spirit who acts in the sacraments of the Body of Christ. The Transfiguration gives us a foretaste of Christ's glorious coming, when he "will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body."3 (Catechism, paragraph 556)

As Christians, we can only strive for holiness. Holiness is possible only through the grace of God and the prompting of the Holy Spirit, who serves as the catalyst for doing Christian deeds. Through the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, Christians find guidance in how to act in all circumstances of their lives. The seven traditional gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, right judgment, courage, knowledge, reverence, and wonder and awe (see Catechism, paragraph 1831). The fruits of the Holy Spirit are "charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity4" (Catechism, paragraph 1832).

Holiness happens when the Holy Spirit moves us interiorly to love God totally--with all our soul, heart, and mind. Loving God completely inspires us to love others because they have been fashioned in the image and likeness of God. To love another human being is to love God.

Wisdom Connection
Matthew wants his readers to notice the harmony that exists among Jesus, Moses, and Elijah at the Transfiguration. Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the prophets not to do away with them because they are the foundation of Christianity. Harmony exists between the Law and the prophets of the Old Testament and Jesus and his teachings. Fulfilling the laws and prophecy of the Old Testament does not mean replacing or discarding them, but bringing them to fullness--expanding them even further with new insights of the Gospel.

A second point Matthew makes is through the voice from the cloud, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" (17:5). God the Father acknowledges Jesus as an honorable person, the Son of God, whose activities are pleasing to God. Because of Jesus's unique relationship with God the Father, God instructs the disciples to listen to Jesus. God invites the disciples, and us, to trust in Jesus--to trust in his way of life. God asks us to take a risk, to listen to Jesus's words and put them into action.

Acknowledgments
The scriptural quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition. Copyright © 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

The quotations labeled Catechism are from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America. Copyright © 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Inc.--Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

The Lord's Prayer is taken from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers. Copyright © 1988 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Inc., Washington, DC. All rights reserved.

Endnotes Cited in Quotations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
1. Lumen gentium 40 § 2.
2. St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae III, 45, 4, ad 2.
3. Philippians 3:21.
4. Galatians 5:22-23.

Saint Brigid of Ireland

Since the "Focus on Faith" article is about Saint Patrick, whose memorial is March 17, I thought it would be appropriate to present another patron saint of Ireland in the "Saint Spotlight."

February 1 is the memorial for Saint Brigid of Ireland.

As a child, Brigid heard Saint Patrick preach, and one legend has it that Saint Patrick later heard her final vows. Saint Brigid of Ireland was responsible for the founding of several convents throughout Ireland and is credited with inventing the double monastery, a monastery for both monks and nuns.

For more information about Saint Brigid of Ireland, go to http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-brigid-of-ireland/.