Announcing:
Saint Mary's Press winner for the week of April 23, 2012

Congratulations to Mary Kyser!

Mary will receive a copy of The Catholic Youth Prayer Book, an $18.95 value.

Help youth understand the meaning of Christian prayer. Introduce them to traditional and devotional prayers of the Church, as well as to contemporary styles and methods. Assist youth in developing the habit of daily prayer. This all-in-one resource for prayer forms was specially written for teens, in the PRAY IT! STUDY IT! LIVE IT!® model, like The Catholic Youth Bible® and The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth. It is the most expansive prayer book for teens. But The Catholic Youth Prayer Book does more than teach about prayer. It helps teens become prayerful people.

The Catholic Youth Prayer Book
ISBN: 978-0-88489-559-6, paper, 232 pages

"Bullying"

The movie Bully was recently released and is receiving a great deal of attention. In his review of this documentary for the Catholic News Service, John Mulderig begins with the following description of the film:

With the poignant documentary “Bully” (Weinstein), filmmaker Lee Hirsch sheds light on a widespread and tenacious social problem and provides a valuable—though not unproblematic—starting point for important family discussions.           

I have not yet seen this film, but I want to bring it to your attention because this film is helping to raise awareness of an issue that is all too prevalent and detrimental to the youth we serve: bullying. Bullying is a sad reality for many of the youth with which we work, and its effects can have dire consequences. Bullying is a topic we need to address with young people, and we must be ever vigilant for the warning signs that a youth is being bullied.

The United States government web page www.stopbullying.gov provides resources to help adults address the topic of bullying. This site includes the following list of signs to look for to identify youth who might be victims of bullying or who bully others:

Signs a Child Is Being Bullied
Look for changes in the child. However, be aware that not all children who are bullied exhibit warning signs. Some signs that may point to a bullying problem are:

• Unexplainable injuries
• Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics, or jewelry
• Frequent headaches or stomachaches, feeling sick, or faking illness
• Changes in eating habits, like suddenly skipping meals or binge eating. Kids may come home from school hungry because they did not eat lunch.
• Difficulty sleeping or frequent nightmares
• Declining grades, loss of interest in schoolwork, or not wanting to go to school
• Sudden loss of friends or avoidance of social situations
• Feelings of helplessness or decreased self esteem
• Self-destructive behaviors such as running away from home, harming themselves, or talking about suicide

Kids may be bullying others if they:

• Get into physical or verbal fights
• Have friends who bully others
• Are increasingly aggressive
• Get sent to the principal’s office or to detention frequently
• Have unexplained extra money or new belongings
• Blame others for their problems
• Don’t accept responsibility for their actions
• Are competitive and worry about their reputation or popularity

In addition to www.stopbullying.gov, the National Catholic Educational Association has a list of ideas for schools to help create an anti-bullying plan. You may also want to check out the resources highlighted by Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS), which is an organization formed as a collaboration between the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops / Migration and Refugee Services and the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services. Lastly, in this week’s Make It Happen feature, we have provided a reflection for youth on the topic of bullying.

We each have a responsibility to work for the safety of young people, and sadly this often means helping to protect them from their peers. One way we can do this is by guiding them in truly understanding the teaching of Jesus: “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31) and by providing a safe environment free of bullying. I pray that together we can create a bully-free environment for our youth, and as always, I pray that God will continue to bless you and your ministry.

Peace,
Steven McGlaun

“Cyberbullying in Scripture?"
from By My Side: A Teen Prayer Companion

Do to others as you would have them do to you.
(Luke 6:31)

Although Jesus never witnessed cyberbullying, he knew that people did not always treat one another well. He gave us clear instructions about how to treat one another. There is no way around it: bullying is wrong. Although we may not be the one doing the bullying or the one being bullied, we do have a responsibility to speak out against it, report it, and be sure it is stopped. If we truly want to "do unto others," that means we never bully, and we never encourage bullying. It also means we do something about it because we'd want someone else to do that for us.

Compassionate Lord, help me to have compassion for those around me and to be a voice for those who need help.

Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 29, 2012
John 10:11-18

Opening Prayer
Jesus, as the good shepherd you continue to guide us to restful waters and to feed us through the Eucharist. May we take your example of caring for others deeply and integrate it into our way of living. May we follow your example of being servants for others. Amen.

Context Connection
The most forceful line of this Sunday's Gospel is "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (10:10). The access to this abundant life is through Jesus, "I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture" (10:9). The metaphor John uses is that of a shepherd, an image well known in the Old Testament. God was often spoken of as the shepherd of the Jewish people. Leaders and especially kings were also seen as shepherds for the kingdom of Israel and after its division for the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. During the exile in Babylon, the Jewish prophets spoke of God as the future shepherd of the people. They also hoped for a future Davidic leader who would shepherd the people of Israel. See Jeremiah 3:15, Micah 5:4 (NRSV), Micah 5:3 (NAB), or Zechariah. In Ezekiel we hear an insight to the future shepherd in chapter 34, verses 11-16. This new leader would be a good shepherd caring for his flock.

John interjects something new. With his image of the good shepherd from Ezekiel, "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (10:11), he presents a key insight that says Jesus is the Davidic good shepherd, the hope of the Jews since the Babylonian captivity. Jesus is the good shepherd because of his freely chosen sacrifice on the cross. It is Jesus's act of self-giving that brings about the salvation of all. Therefore Jesus is the gate that gives access to good pasture, and he is the protector of the sheepfold. Those who enter are saved. Those who go out find good pasture and abundant life among the community of believers. It is through Jesus that others are given life in abundance.

Psalm 23 is the responsorial psalm for this Sunday. It is familiar to us. After the Passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus, Christians read into this psalm the importance of being nurtured through the Eucharist as sheep in the pasture. To find pasture is to find life. Those who seek pasture through Jesus find life in abundance. As the good shepherd, Jesus leads us to green pastures and refreshing water, an abundance of life. It is here that Jesus restores our souls, our broken spirits, and gives us direction toward righteousness in our lives. Even in times that challenge us, we believe that Jesus is there to guide us and comfort us. Through the sacraments Jesus continues to strengthen us for the journey of life. Our heads are anointed with oil to show how precious we are in the eyes of God. The Eucharistic banquet is prepared to nurture us. Our God is a generous God, and thus our cup overflows. God gives us life in abundance. Because Jesus came to give us life, and to have it in abundance, we are called to share it with others, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life" (Psalm 23:6).

Tradition Connection
The image of the good shepherd in the Old Testament depicts the qualities of both a good king and of God. That image is carried on into the Christian community and serves as an example for leaders at all levels in the Catholic Church. On Holy Thursday, the start of the Triduum, the ritual that the Church uses is the washing of the feet to remember Jesus's example and words to his disciples. After washing his disciples' feet, Jesus said, "So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you" (John 13:14-15). Washing the feet of guests was relegated to the slave. But what Jesus did for his disciples was to give them an example of leadership for the new community he had formed, to be the servant to the servants.

This concept of caring deeply for the members of the Christian community continues to the present day. We give the title of pastor to those priests who lead parishes. The origin of the word pastor in Latin is "shepherd." A pastor is the ordained servant-leader of a parish. The concept of servant-leader is even reflected in one of the titles for the pope: Servant of the Servants of God (Servus servorum Dei).

John emphasizes the quality of this kind of pastoral leadership through the phrase "good shepherd" in contrast to bad shepherds. A good shepherd wants what will be good for his flock. The good shepherd gives guidance and care to those for whom he is responsible. He provides not only for their physical needs but also for their spiritual needs. The love of the shepherd for his flock is complete and enduring to the extent that he would lay down his life for the sheep. "Intrinsically linked to the sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry is its character as service" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 876). Just as Jesus came to give us life and to have it abundantly, those who follow Jesus as leaders in the Church are asked by Jesus to make sacrifices so that those they serve will have life and have it abundantly.

Wisdom Connection
John sets forth in his Gospel the image of the good shepherd to serve the Christian community as a way to assess their present leadership. The example for leadership given to us by Jesus is one of servant-leadership, placing the good of another before our own personal gain. A servant-leader washes the feet of all members of the community. A servant-leader provides pastoral care for each member of the Christian community, even if it means seeking out the lost and restoring them to the community. The model of leadership that John presents in the image of the good shepherd and in the washing of the feet in chapter 13 clearly shows that leadership in the Christian community should be based on service to others and not on power over others.

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.

Copyright © 2008 by Saint Mary's Press, 702 Terrace Heights, Winona, MN 55987-1318, www.smp.org. All rights reserved. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Thank you.

 

Saint Gianna Beretta Molla

April 28 is the memorial for Saint Gianna Beretta Molla.

April 28 is the memorial for Saint Gianna Beretta Molla. Gianna was born in 1922 in Milan, Italy, into a large, pious family. She was a wife, mother, and pediatrician. Facing a difficult delivery of her fourth child, she made it clear that if the doctors could save only one person, they should save her child. The baby was delivered, but Gianna died from the complications. Gianna was canonized in 2004 and is the patron saint of pregnant women and against abortion.

For more information about Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, go to http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-gianna-beretta-molla/.