Vincent will receive a copy of The Catholic Youth Prayer Book, Second Edition, a $15.95 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, Second Edition does more than teach about prayer. It helps teens become prayerful people.

The Catholic Youth Prayer Book
ISBN: 978-1-59982-333-1, leatherette, 232 pages

by, Joanna Dailey

Life is a journey, and getting there is not always, as the saying goes, "half the fun." This is proven to me several times a year as I make trips to various places for various reasons. My most consistent destination is Winona, Minnesota—the headquarters of Saint Mary’s Press. The editorial team meets there a few times a year for "work weeks" and once a year for the annual Educators’ Summit. Traveling to Winona from Terre Haute, Indiana, involves a car trip to the airport (about one and one-half hours in duration) and a stopover (thus two plane flights and a layover in-between).

One chilly December morning, I was off once again for Winona. I arrived at the airport in my usual early-morning daze. Wishing to get rid of my big heavy suitcase (full of books I needed for my work), I opted for curbside check-in. The friendly and cheerful ticket agent asked, "And where are we going this morning?" I responded with a blank look. "I’m not sure." I couldn’t remember the stopover! "Chicago?"

I handed the agent my boarding pass.

He looked at it and handed it back to me with a flourish. "Miz Dailey," he announced with a triumphant smile. "You are going to Minneapolis-St. Paul!"

Thank God for boarding passes! When beginning a journey, it always helps to know where you are headed!

As I reflected on this incident, it occurred to me that, in the realm of grace, a baptismal certificate is a kind of "boarding pass." It allows us entry to our journey, and promises that God will be with us all along the way. And it also points us to our final destination. With this certificate backing us up, we will take many little journeys and almost certainly endure many an uncomfortable layover of one kind or another. (As Saint Teresa of Avila once remarked, "Life is like a night in a bad inn.") But we will keep moving—even two steps forward, one step back—toward our goal in this life and in the next, "God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above" (Philippians 3:14 GNT).

(I have to note here that I have a particular fondness for my baptismal certificate because, in my pre-teen years, it gained me entrée into the local movie theater. As a tall pre-teen, I was not always believed at the box office when I told them that I was under twelve and should be allowed in for the under-twelve price. My mother called the parish of my Baptism and got a copy of my baptismal certificate to use as proof. I still have this copy, and it is, like my life, a little worn from being folded and unfolded through the years, and a little tattered around the edges.)

A popular book by Dr. Seuss is often promoted as an appropriate gift for a high school or college graduate: Oh, the Places You’ll Go! This is God’s promise to us, too, in Baptism. It is not so much a matter of geography but of growth. As Jesus told us, "There are many rooms in my Father’s house" (John 14:2 GNT). Even during this earthly journey, we find ourselves in various "rooms" at various times as we follow the path laid out for us. Sometimes we choose the places we’ll go. And sometimes, as Jesus warned Peter, someone "will take you where you don’t want to go" (John 21:18). It is all part of the journey begun in Baptism.

You might challenge your teens to find out their baptismal anniversaries, to get a copy of their baptismal certificate and display it in a place of honor, and to remember their Baptisms with at least as much gratitude as they remember their birthdays. You might like to keep a list of Baptisms and celebrate a group baptismal anniversary once a month—in honor of all those in your group baptized that month. (This would consist of an appropriate Scripture reading and the renewal of baptismal promises, with the anniversary teens carrying lighted candles. A few simple refreshments can then be served. See "Make It Happen" in this newsletter for a sample celebration.) At the end of the school year, celebrate all the baptismal anniversaries of the summer.

At Baptism, what did our parents and godparents ask for us? Faith. This is something to be remembered and celebrated. Our journey began with faith. And it will end, as Saint Paul reminds us, with vision. (See 1 Corinthians 13: 11–12.) At the end of our earthly journey, God’s ticket agent will read that baptismal boarding pass and say to us, with a triumphant smile, "Disciple of Jesus, get on board! You are going to the City of God, the New Jerusalem!"

Blessings on your ministry!

Peace and joy,

Joanna

A note on the Year of Faith: Pope Francis has just announced that two great popes, John XXIII and John Paul II, will be canonized on the same day in 2014—April 27, the First Sunday after Easter. This Sunday has been known as Divine Mercy Sunday, the Sunday on which Blessed Pope John Paul II established the feast of Divine Mercy. The Year of Faith opened at this time last year (October 11, 2012, the 50^th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council). So it should be closing soon! But announcing these two canonizations seems to be a fitting end to this Year of Faith which brought us, so unexpectedly, a new Pope and also a new perspective on the Church and the world as we continue to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Overview: This celebration and renewal of baptismal promises would be appropriate for a monthly baptismal anniversary celebration, the opening of a Confirmation class, or a celebration at the beginning of Lent, when the entire Church unites in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in order to prepare for the annual renewal of baptismal promises at the Easter Vigil.

Materials needed:

• a Bible
• two readers, one for the Invitation to Prayer and one for the Scripture passages. (The readers should be given time to practice first. For convenience the first few times, the teacher or catechist may take the role of Reader I.)
• candles for those renewing their baptismal promises
• (If traditional candles are not allowed, electric candles can be substituted. Or, make paper candles as follows: Cut a white sheet of 8 and 1/2 by 11-inch paper in half. Roll it lengthwise and tape together in three places with cellophane tape. Cut out flames, including a tab at the bottom, from yellow construction paper. Insert the tab of the flame into the top of the paper candle and tape with cellophane tape.)
• a person to distribute the candles
• a small altar on which is placed a crucifix or an icon of the Resurrection
• A Baptismal Anniversary Celebration

Reader I: Invitation to Prayer:
Dearly beloved in Christ,
We are gathered here to celebrate the baptismal anniversaries of [names, or "our group"]. They [we] have been baptized into the life of the Trinity, and, as we celebrate this renewal of that happy and glorious day, we prepare our hearts by listening to the Word of God.

Reader II : A reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint John.

All stand.

The reader then reads John 3:1–8, the story of Nicodemus. The candles are distributed to those renewing their baptismal vows.

Renewal of Promises

Reader I: Will those who are renewing their baptismal promises please come forward? [Or, remain standing. Participants may be asked to stand before a small altar on which a crucifix or icon of the Resurrection has been placed.]

Dear friends in Christ,
When you were an infant or a child, your parents and godparents introduced you to faith in Christ by asking that you be baptized. Now that you are old enough, you can speak for yourself. As you make these promises, consider the consequences of living life as a follower of Christ. To each question, answer: I do.
Do you reject sin so as to live in the freedom of God’s children?
Do you reject the glamor of evil, and refuse to be mastered by sin?
Do you reject Satan, father of sin and prince of darkness?
Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth?
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was born of the Virgin Mary,
was crucified, died, and was buried,
rose from the dead,
and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting?

Reader I: This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

All: Amen.

Reader I: Congratulations and best wishes on your baptismal anniversary! Please join us for refreshments.

[The baptismal promises are taken from "The Rite of Baptism for Children," The Rites of the Catholic Church, Volume I, The Liturgical Press: Collegeville, Minnesota, 1990.]

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 13, 2013
Luke 17:11-19

Opening Prayer

Jesus, help us see the many blessings that you provide in our lives and, in seeing, create grateful hearts within us. You know our needs even before we give voice to them in prayer. We thank you for all that we hold dear in our hearts. Amen.

Context Connection

Luke begins this Sunday's Gospel with the short line "On the way to Jerusalem" (17:11) to once again focus the reader on Jesus' ultimate goal of preaching in Jerusalem. The story for reflection this week is about the healing of ten lepers, a story that is unique to the Gospel of Luke. Technically, the act of being "healed" refers to restoring meaning to life, where being "cured" refers to solving a biological or medical problem. Therefore, in the story the lepers are not simply cured of their leprosy but also are restored to their community and to life itself.

According to Jewish Law during this time in history, lepers could not live in villages and towns with the rest of the population. They had to live in colonies of lepers outside the community. This is clearly defined in Numbers 5:2-3. In Leviticus 13:45-46, lepers were required to shout out a warning to others of their approach so the "healthy" populace could avoid coming in contact with them. These particular components of the Mosaic Law were vigorously enforced after the return from the Babylonian Exile (587-537 BC).

Jesus, on his way to Jerusalem, enters a village in the northern part of Israel, somewhere near the border between Galilee and Samaria. You can locate this area of Israel on map 6 (B2 and B3) in The Catholic Youth Bible®. The Gospel, however, does not give an exact location. Outside the village is a group of ten lepers. One is identified as a Samaritan, and the other nine are presumably Jews. The lepers keep their distance and make their presence known by shouting out and identifying themselves as the Law requires. What they say is very interesting: "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" (17:13). Jesus' response is immediate. Even though he does not approach them and touch them, Jesus simply commands, "Go and show yourselves to the priests" (17:14). The lepers do as Jesus tells them, and they are healed because they put complete trust in the word of Jesus.

This mixed group of nine Jews and one Samaritan, usually bitter enemies, are uncommonly equal as outcasts because of their illness. Their companionship indicates the desperate nature of their condition, as they are forced to depend on one another. After they are healed, the Samaritan is no longer welcome to be part of the group. He realizes that he cannot go to the priest in the Temple in Jerusalem because he is a Samaritan and thus forbidden from entering the Temple. Instead, he returns to Jesus and honors him by lying prostrate in front of him, thanking him for his healing. Then Jesus responds by asking: "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" (17:17-18).

We never do understand why the other nine do not return to thank Jesus. It is possible that they are simply preoccupied with other things, not necessarily less grateful than the Samaritan. Now that they have been restored to the community, they can participate with family and friends in all the normal activities. The ingratitude of the nine may be shocking to us, but the real point of the story may be that the one grateful returnee was a Samaritan--an outcast in Jesus' day. Luke ends the story with an important message: "Your faith has made you well" (17:19).

Tradition Connection

In faith the lepers asked Jesus for what they needed, and because of the depth of their faith Jesus gave them what they asked for. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that "when we share in God's saving love, we understand that every need can become the object of petition" (paragraph 2633). Each Sunday as a worshiping community, we collectively offer our petitions during the Prayers of the Faithful. These prayers of petition ask Jesus to hear our needs and the needs of the world. It is hoped that our daily prayer contains prayers of thanksgiving and praise as well as petition. Whatever form of prayer we use, the Scriptures tell us it is important to pray in all ways at all times. "Christ, who assumed all things in order to redeem all things, is glorified by what we ask the Father in his name.1 It is with this confidence that St. James and St. Paul exhort us to pray at all times"2 (paragraph 2633).

Christian prayer is buoyed up by the hope in the risen Christ. The New Testament has few prayers of lamentations, which are found frequently in the Old Testament. Even though we still wait for the Second Coming of Jesus, it is with great hope that we wait. Our prayer should reflect this great hope that spills out as prayers of thanksgiving to God for the redemptive actions of Jesus.

Wisdom Connection

The ten lepers who asked Jesus for mercy acknowledged that he could not only heal them but also restore them to the community. They had faith that Jesus would heal them. The faith of the lepers led to their physical healing. But, for the Samaritan, this healing brought salvation through wholeness and a restored relationship with God. In our own lives, we may want to examine the reasons we also fail to remember the source of our own healing and grace. In the sacrament of Penance, we ask for the saving mercy of Jesus so that we can be restored to the community and a right relationship with God.

In this Gospel story, the Samaritan--an outcast--is the positive example of faith. We learn from the Samaritan that to be disciples of Jesus Christ is to always have grateful hearts. We see everything we have and those we encounter as blessings--blessings from God that strengthen our relationship with God. How often have we taken our blessings for granted, not because we are not thankful but because we forget to say thank you or express our gratitude? In recognizing our blessings, we give thanks and praise to God.

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.

Endnotes Cited in Quotations are from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

1. Cf. John 14:13.
2. Cf. James 1:5-8; Ephesians 5:20; Philippians 4:6-7; Colossians 3:16-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18.

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 20, 2013
Luke 18:1-8

Opening Prayer

Jesus, thank you for showing us the importance of prayer in our Christian lives through the example of prayer you set in your own life. Help us to always be persistent in our prayer. Amen.

Context Connection

In Sunday's Gospel the story's two characters are the main focus: the widow and the judge. We learn quickly that the judge is a person "who neither feared God nor had respect for people" (18:2). He is not exactly the kind of judge that any one of us would pick if we were heading to court. This judge does have, however unfortunate, a reputation that seems to be widely known. All that we are told about the woman is that she is a widow, but to Jesus' audience that term is packed with meaning. First, a woman in the culture of Jesus' time could not speak for herself. She had to rely on her husband to speak on her behalf or, if her husband was dead, her eldest married son. From the story we conclude this woman had neither because she was speaking on her own behalf. She represents the voiceless by speaking out in a culture where she is not supposed to be heard, and she does it on a regular basis each time, saying: "Grant me justice against my opponent" (18:3). We may have been struck by the description of the judge, but the people hearing Jesus speak would have been struck by the unconventional action of the widow.

Another insight we can glean from this passage is that the judge is not Jewish, nor does he subscribe to Jewish norms. Within the Torah are specific instructions that oblige someone like the judge to provide care for the widow. (See Deuteronomy 10:18, 14:29, 16:11, 24:19-21, and 26:12-13.) This judge is not religious and has no qualms about denying her request.

The widow continues to go to him, again and again, asking for justice to the point that she wears out the judge, who says, "Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming" (18:5).

Then Jesus emphasizes to his listeners, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them" (18:6-8). This is the main point of the Gospel, one we need to hear today. God will quickly hear our cries for justice. God, who is love, has no capacity for tolerating injustice.

Tradition Connection

Praying and living a Christian life are inseparable. You cannot have one without the other because they are conjoined. Scripture tells us that, as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to pray without ceasing: "Pray constantly . . . always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father."1 St. Paul adds, "Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance making supplication for all the saints "2 (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2742).

Sometimes we forget how important prayer is, and we become discouraged or lazy. In reality, prayer is love that is humble, trusting, and persevering. This kind of love opens our hearts to three facts about prayer: (1) it is always possible to pray, (2) prayer is a vital necessity, and (3) prayer and Christian life are inseparable. He "'prays without ceasing' who unites prayer to works and good works to prayer. Only in this way can we consider as realizable the principle of praying without ceasing"3 (Catechism, paragraph 2745). For more information about these three aspects of prayer, read paragraphs 2743-2745 in the Catechism.

The Church reminds us that it is necessary to pray without ceasing, with patient faith, for Jesus promised us that he always responds to prayer offered in faith. The Old Testament story of Jacob wrestling with the mysterious figure all night before meeting Esau (Genesis 32:22-32) is held up as a symbol of prayer in our spiritual tradition. From this story springs forth the symbol of prayer as a battle of faith and as the triumph of perseverance. Even though the mysterious stranger never reveals his identity, he blesses Jacob at dawn upon Jacob's instance. Luke reminds us on this Sunday to "Pray always and [do] not lose heart" (18:1).

Wisdom Connection

If this judge--who does not comply with the basic standards of care for the less fortunate--finally gives in to the persistent pleas of the widow, will not our God--who is infinitely more righteous--hear our persistent prayer? This Sunday's Gospel reminds us that we must be steadfast in our prayer. We need to pray always in all ways. Perseverance in prayer, without our becoming discouraged, is a characteristic of a disciple of Jesus. Persistence paid off for the widow, and so will we be rewarded if we persist in our prayers to God. The widow is an example for Jesus' disciples of what it means to remain strong in their faith even when the odds are against them. Persistence in prayer is important but easy during the good times; persistence in prayer is even more important during the difficult times when God seems absent from our lives or deaf to our plea. Swift justice is given to those who persist in calling upon God, the just judge.

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.

Endnotes Cited in Quotations are from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Ephesians 5:20.
2. Ephesians 6:18.
3. Origen, De orat.12: J.P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Graeca (Paris, 1857-1866) 11, 452C.

Next Friday, October 18, is the feast of Saint Luke, patron of writers and editors. At the beginning of his Gospel, Luke lays out his editorial plan to his friend Theophilus, to whom the Gospel is addressed:

"And so, your Excellency, because I have carefully studied all these matters from their beginning, I thought it would be good to write an orderly account for you" (Luke 1:3). Luke’s "orderly account" includes some of the most famous parables of the New Testament: the Good Samaritan, the Good Shepherd, and the Prodigal Son. His Gospel is sometimes called "the Gospel of the Holy Spirit" and he highlights the work of the Holy Spirit in the early Church in the second volume of his work, the Book of the Acts of the Apostles.

Read more about Saint Luke at http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/saint.aspx?id=1172.