The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth, Third Edition is an understandable and down-to-earth guide to all things Catholic. This book is an eye-opener and a page-turner, whether you are brushing up on specific Catholic terms and concepts or learning them for the first time.

The Subcommittee on the Catechism, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has found this catechetical text, copyright 2013, to be in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Now Available! Online correlation to the U.S. Bishops' High School Curriculum Framework: Click here!

The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth, Third Edition
ISBN: 978-1-59982-160-3, paper, 480 pages

by Joanna Dailey

Happy New Year!

We have already walked through the open door of 2014, and before we begin filling its days with our joys and sorrows, griefs and anxieties, we might pause a moment to consider the importance of what has been called "the sacrament of the present moment." As it has been said, "The past is over. The future has not yet begun. All we have is now."

This past December I had the great joy of visiting friends in New York City and environs, where I lived for 25 years. This visit became a pilgrimage from one significant person and place to another, over the course of a week. Yes, it was a trip down Memory Lane, but we do not live on Memory Lane. We live on Now Street, and spending even a short while in the present moment of the lives of my friends was a great privilege. During my visit, this saying of Jesus came to mind: "The poor you will always have with you; but you will not always have me" (Matthew 26:11, NABRE).

Since the Resurrection, we can say, "But we do always have you, and you are always with us, as you promised!" And this is perfectly true. Yet, Jesus was right when he pointed out that his time on earth with his friends was limited. He would always be with them, yes, but not like he was then—sitting next to them at a first-century table, sharing meals, strolling through Galilee or carried, asleep or awake, as a passenger in their fishing boats. They would not always have him that way. He was then, for them, the sacrament of the present moment.

And that is what we are called to be for others who live with us on Now Street. We can look back at the past with relief ("Thank God that’s over and never again!") or with gratitude. We can look toward the future with dread or with anticipation. But we can only live in the now, in the sacrament of the present moment. If we do, we find that we gain perspective on the past, and that the future unfolds naturally (with occasional bumps, to be sure) day by day.

So let us make our own the prayer of soon-to-be Saint Pope John XXIII: "Let us leave the past to God’s mercy, the present to his grace, and the future to his providence." With God’s grace, let us make life on Now Street the best it can be. As we encounter Christ in the now of our lives, let us share his presence as we become sacraments of the present moment for others.

Blessings on your ministry!

Peace and joy,

Joanna

P.S. The Make It Happen in the newsletter today has two activities instead of just one. Happy New Year!

Got Snowflakes?

Materials needed: plain white paper (not construction paper); scissors; cellophane tape

Just a reminder: Snowflakes made with paper and scissors can be used as an activity to illustrate the wonder of God’s creativity and our individuality. Just as each snowflake in nature is different, so is each human being. This is something to be celebrated!

To make a paper snowflake, fold a piece of paper into fourths. Cut an arc from one corner to the far corner. Fold the fourth in half and even out the circle. Cut into all the edges of the folded fourth with half-circles and triangles, etc. Then open the paper. You will have a snowflake to tape on a window or glass-paned door. Or, paste each snowflake to light blue construction paper. Hang together on one wall to make a wall hanging or a quilt-like focal point for a prayer space.

Invite each student to make several snowflakes, experimenting with ways to make each one different through different ways of cutting the paper.

Getting a Fresh Start: A Reflection Activity on New Year's Resolutions

Overview
This reflection activity gives the young people a chance to make a concrete resolution for the New Year and to create a symbol that represents that resolution.

Suggested Time
About 10 minutes

Group Size
This strategy can be done with any size group.

Materials Needed

• 3-by-5-inch index cards, one for each person
• pens or pencils
• envelopes, one for each person
• colored pencils or thin-line markers

Procedure

1. Invite the young people to consider an area of their life that needs improvement. For example, some may need to work harder in school or use more loving behavior in a family relationship. Others might want to improve their relationship with God, such as by praying more often or paying better attention to the liturgy.
2. Give each person one 3-by-5-inch index card, a pen or pencil, and an envelope. Make colored pencils or thin-line markers available to everyone. Tell the young people that they are to write on their card a resolution for improving the area of their life that they have just considered. Then, on the other side of the card, they are to draw a symbol that illustrates the resolution. For example, they might sketch a math book or a simple addition problem if their area needing improvement is academics, or a heart to symbolize the need for more loving behavior in a family relationship.
3. When the young people finish drawing, have them place their card in their envelope and write their name on the front of the envelope. Comment briefly that change is difficult and takes patience and persistence, but is always possible. Note that the support of other people is crucial in our efforts to become better people.
4. Close with the following prayer or with one you create spontaneously on the same theme:
O God, send your Holy Spirit to guide us as we face the challenges of making a fresh start. Bless our efforts and help us to remember that we are not alone. We have the support of one another and the guidance of your Spirit. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
5. Collect the participants’ envelopes and save them for at least one month. After that time distribute the envelopes to the young people to remind them of their resolutions and give them an opportunity to assess their progress.

Alternative Approaches

• In step 3 instruct the young people to write their complete address on their envelope. A month later, instead of distributing the envelopes personally, mail them to the young people.
• Use this activity as part of a New Year reconciliation service, giving the young people a chance to reflect on their actions of the past year and to resolve to improve in the coming year.
• Resolutions can be made at any time of the year. Consider doing this activity as part of a kickoff for a new school year instead of a new calendar year, or for any time you want to talk about new beginnings.

Scriptural Connections

• Ezek. 14:6 (Turn yourselves to God.)
• Acts 3:19–20 (Reform your lives and turn to God.)
• 2 Cor. 5:17–21 (We are made new in Christ Jesus.)

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 19, 2014
John 1:29-34

Opening Prayer

Jesus, John the Baptist recognized your true identity when, at your baptism, the Holy Spirit came to rest on you and did not leave. We pray that your Holy Spirit will be with us always and help us, through the example of our lives, to point others to you--for you are the way of salvation. Amen.

Context Connection
This Sunday's Gospel continues with the theme from last Sunday--Jesus is the Son of God. John the Baptist proclaims that Jesus is the one sent by God who ranks above all the prophets: "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me'" (1:29-30). The Gospel of John often uses an old symbol, such as the lamb, and attaches new meaning to it. For the Jews, the Passover lamb was a cultic offering that saved the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. The ritual of offering a sacrificial lamb was a rite of communion and reconciliation. It established anew the Jewish covenantal union with God and among the people of Israel. John calls Jesus the Lamb. However, Jesus is not a cultic offering but is God. Jesus transcends the cultic victim of the lamb of the Old Testament. In the person of Jesus, God enters directly into the human story and offers true reconciliation through the forgiveness of sins.

John the Baptist validates Jesus' true identity further: "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit'" (1:32-33). John is emphatic that Jesus is the one sent by God, clearly stating what God had revealed to him at Jesus' baptism: "I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God" (1:34). John gives witness to Jesus' true identity and the reason for Jesus' baptism: "that [Jesus] might be revealed to Israel" (1:31). Through a life of prayer, John came to understand that his mission was to reveal to Israel the Messiah, the Son of God. For John, the baptism of Jesus was a profound religious experience because God revealed God's self to him.

Tradition Connection
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us:

Through the prophets, God forms his people in the hope of salvation, in the expectation of a new and everlasting Covenant intended for all, to be written on their hearts.1 The prophets proclaim a radical redemption of the People of God, purification from all their infidelities, a salvation which will include all the nations.2 Above all, the poor and humble of the Lord will bear this hope. (Paragraph 64)

The prophets kept alive the hope of God's promise--to send a Messiah into the world to restore the relationship with God that was lost through the sin of Adam. Throughout Israel's history, it was the poor and the humble who were able to envision the time of right relationship with God. John the Baptist was the last of the great Old Testament prophets sent to point out to Israel the Messiah in the person of Jesus. John, as the immediate precursor of Jesus, is the one sent by God the Father to prepare the way:

St. John the Baptist is the Lord's immediate precursor or forerunner, sent to prepare his way.3 "Prophet of the Most High," John surpasses all the prophets, of whom he is the last.4 He inaugurates the Gospel, already from his mother's womb welcomes the coming of Christ, and rejoices in being "the friend of the bridegroom," whom he points out as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world."5 Going before Jesus "in the spirit and power of Elijah," John bears witness to Christ in his preaching, by his Baptism of conversion, and through his martyrdom.6 (Catechism, paragraph 523)

In obedience to the Father's will revealed through Jesus, John accepts his God-given role and offers Jesus his baptism. It is through this event that God chooses to reveal to John that Jesus is the anointed one:

After agreeing to baptize [Jesus] along with the sinners, John the Baptist looked at Jesus and pointed him out as the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world."7 By doing so, he reveals that Jesus is at the same time the suffering Servant who silently allows himself to be led to the slaughter and who bears the sin of the multitudes, and also the Paschal Lamb, the symbol of Israel's redemption at the first Passover.8 Christ's whole life expresses his mission: "to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."9( Catechism, paragraph 608)

Wisdom Connection
God entrusted John the Baptist with the task of making Jesus known to Israel. John presented Jesus as "the Lamb of God . . . the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit . . . the Son of God" (1:29,33,34). In a very true sense, John the Baptist was the Advent prophet who, in expectant hope, was confident that God would reveal to him the chosen one--the long-awaited Messiah. John understood that his mission was not to accrue a following of disciples and receive honor because of his preaching, but simply to point others to Jesus. To do this John had to be willing to see in every person who came to him to be baptized the potential that that person could be the Christ, the anointed one of God.

The Christian community can learn two important lessons from John the Baptist in this account. First, we must be willing to see in each person we meet the special purpose that God has for that individual in the redemptive work of Jesus--to see Christ in each person. Secondly, we must take seriously, as John did, our call from God to point others to Jesus. At Baptism, we receive a candle lit from the Easter candle as a symbol of the light of Christ in the world. We are asked to take that light and be Christ's presence wherever we go. Thus, we are called to lead others to Jesus through the light of our example--in essence pointing others to Jesus.

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 from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

1. Cf. Isaiah 11:2, 61:1; Zechariah 4:14; 6:13; Luke 4:16-21.
2. Cf. Isaiah 2:2-4; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 10:16.
3. Cf. Ezekiel 36; Isaiah 49:5-6; 53:11.
4. Cf. Acts of the Apostles 13:24; Matthew 3:3.
5. Luke 1:76; cf. 7:26; Matthew 11:13.
6. John 1:29; cf. Acts of the Apostles 1:22; Luke 1:41; 16:16; John 3:29.
7. Luke 1:17; cf. Mark 6:17-29.
8. John 1:29; cf. Luke 3:21; Matthew 3:14-15; John 1:36.
9. Isaiah 53:7,12; cf. Jeremiah 11:19; Exodus 12:3-14; John 19:36; 1 Corinthians 5:7.
10. Mark 10:45.

The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 26, 2014
Matthew 4:12-23

Opening Prayer

Jesus, you invited Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow you by making them fishers of people. Help us understand how you are inviting us to use our skills and talents to build your Kingdom. We are excited to be your ambassadors in the world today. Amen.

Context Connection
After his baptism in the Jordan River, Jesus goes into the wilderness of Judea, which is southwest of Jerusalem, for forty days and forty nights (Matthew 4:1-11). It is here that Jesus becomes aware of John the Baptist's arrest. Hearing this, Jesus goes back home to Galilee and makes Capernaum the center from which to carry out his ministry. In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus begins his public ministry only after John has been arrested, whereas in the Gospel of John Jesus is already preaching before John is arrested. Matthew's Gospel gives us the final account of John's execution by Herod Antipas in chapter 14, verses 1-12. For Matthew, both John's arrest and execution foreshadow Jesus' arrest and Crucifixion.

In verse 14 of Sunday's Gospel, Matthew gives us the reason Jesus moves to Capernaum--to fulfill the words of Isaiah. That Jesus came to fulfill the hopes of Israel is a recurring theme in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus is now positioned to begin his public ministry: "From that time Jesus began to proclaim, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near'" (4:17).

During the time of Jesus it was usually the disciple who sought out the teacher; however, Jesus reverses this and, from the outset of his public ministry, personally calls each of his disciples. In verses 18-22, Matthew recounts for us how Jesus calls Peter and his brother Andrew, the sons of Jonah, and James and John, the sons of Zebedee, to follow him. We discover later in the Gospel that Peter, James, and John become part of the inner circle of disciples that Jesus comes to trust in most. These four men leave behind their families and their work as fishermen to follow Jesus. Matthew expresses their actions in this way, "Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him" (4:22). These four men were integrally connected to the great fishing industry in Galilee, which was very profitable. It would be wrong to assume they were just country bumpkins; rather, they were a part of an established family business. They owned their own boats as well as nets and other fishing equipment. Interestingly enough, Jesus does not ask them to lay aside their skills as fishermen but, rather, to use those skills and talents for promoting the Kingdom of heaven: "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people" (4:19).

In the final verse of Sunday's reading, we are told what Jesus' public ministry will consist of: "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people" (4:23).

Tradition Connection
In Sunday's Gospel, Jesus personally calls the Apostles to follow him. Does Jesus continue to do the same today? Yes! Through Baptism, Jesus personally calls each of us to a life of holiness and Christian witness. This activity of Jesus in our life is called grace. God is the one who initiates the personal call to each of us through the Holy Spirit:

The first work of the grace of the Holy Spirit is conversion, effecting justification in accordance with Jesus' proclamation at the beginning of the Gospel: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."1 Moved by grace, man turns toward God and away from sin, thus accepting forgiveness and righteousness from on high. "Justification is not only the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior man."2 (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1989).

The first Apostles came to understand that they were called to a special relationship with Jesus, which resulted in a unique co-ministry with Jesus: "Christ's apostles knew that they were called by God as 'ministers of a new covenant,' 'servants of God,' 'ambassadors for Christ,' 'servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God'"3 (Catechism, paragraph 859). Today Jesus continues to invite and help us to understand how we are being called to live out our Christian vocation, which began at Baptism, as ambassadors of Christ to the world.

Wisdom Connection
From the beginning of his public life, Jesus preaches a message of reform--repent and change one's life in preparation for the coming of the Kingdom of heaven. Throughout this year, Matthew's Gospel will provide insights on how to bring about this kind of change in our lives. Jesus' call for change can be as dramatic today as it was for the first disciples. Peter and Andrew left their nets, their means of livelihood, to follow Jesus. When James and John were called to follow Jesus, they left their boat, a symbol of possessions, and their father, a symbol of security.

For Matthew, it is not only important to know what one is turning away from but also what one is turning toward. For Jesus it is not good enough to simply turn away from sin. We must also turn toward God with 100 percent of our heart and soul. God asks us to be who we are--fully and authentically--thus serving as credible witnesses of God in the world.

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 from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

1. Matthew 4:17.
2. Council of Trent (1547): Denzinger-Schonmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum (1965), 1528.
3. 2 Corinthians 3:6; 6:4; 5:20; 1 Corinthians 4:1.

The feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul marks the end of the Church Unity Octave, or the Week of Christian Unity. The octave (an observance of eight days) begins on January 18, the feast of the Chair of Saint Peter. It is fitting that these two feast days bookend these days of prayer, since the Church would undoubtedly not exist as we know it were it not for Saints Peter and Paul. You might like to prepare a short prayer service for celebration on one of these octave days.

More information on this week of prayer can be found at http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/ecumenical-and-interreligious/events/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity.cfm. It seems that this year’s prayer and materials were prepared by the Church in Canada, because the introductory materials are written from a Canadian perspective. However, if you skip to page 11, you will find an Ecumenical Worship Service which can easily be adapted for your local needs. You will need to read the explanatory notes beginning on page 11 in order to implement the prayer service, since parts of it require turning to the four directions (north, east, south, and west), in the tradition of some of the indigenous peoples of Canada.