www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Prayer An event of grace

Hello,

I promise I will end this with a prayer request, but bear with me while I tell you the story.

Last Friday, the Hispanic Prayer group organized a Healing Mass (which, in this particular case was a quite normal liturgy, with the priest staying a little while after the Mass to pray for those who requested it).

We thought it was a good idea to invite our Jr. High group so we all had a common celebration.

It turns out I had to watch over one of my 18-month old god-daugthers, so I could not pay much attention to "the gang", but some of them were quite unruly.

I decided that enough was enough, and this was as good an opportunity as any to resign to this group and let it disband, after all, if their parents couldn't or wouldn't teach them how to behave in church, why should I.

Well, I was lucky I didn't get on a boat this weekend, because, as you might suspect, my Jonah-like train of thought needed correction, and it came swiftly and promptly.

Yesterday was Catechetical Sunday, and the leaders of the Jr. High group were invited to stand up and renew our commitment and receive a blessing together with the rest of the catechists in our parish. I was still thinking "ok, let's exit on a high-note, at least".

But then Fr. Alex gave his homily. Fr. Alex did not celebrate Mass on Friday, so if he knew about our kids' misbehavior, it was only from gossip.

Still, his homily was about his first catechists: his parents, who took him every Sunday to Mass and by doing that, they taught him how important it was, and how much their parents loved each other because they did this important thing together and with their family.

Something clicked.

I had to backtrack my thoughts and think again: If the parents of these kids couldn't or wouldn't teach them how to participate in the Eucharist... who would?

Would I also abandon them to their own devices?

If I love the Eucharist so much, would I let them keep calling on their cell phones, chatting, fighting, cursing, etc. during Mass?

Can I honestly worship God knowing what else is going on in His holy temple?

So the prayer request is:

Please pray for our community, so we can find the best way to teach these kids to love and respect the Eucharist and the Liturgy.

My current working idea is to take one kid at a time and for a month, or two, or three, whatever it takes, sit next to that kid each Sunday, and teach them the different parts of the Liturgy, the postures, the responses, the importance of it all, the love shown to us by the Lord in every gesture, every word of our Liturgy.

Maybe after a couple of months I can convince one kid, and then move on to the next one.

Maybe a year from now, we will have 4 or 5 misbehaved kids LESS than today.

Maybe two or three others would like to join my endeavor.

Maybe we can actually change the status quo, instead of surrendering to it.

But I can only do one at a time.

So please pray for the teenaged children of St. Pascal Baylon. Pray that God opens their hearts to His love, that He gives us the right words, that He makes our hands firm enough to really make a difference, but not hard enough to hurt them and send them away, that we may not fall to the temptation of abandoning our children, who desperately need God (just like each and every one of us) and some of them do not even know they do.

Thank you, and God bless you all.

Shalom,
Memo

May the hearts of St. Pascal Baylon's teenage parishioners be transformed into the receptacles of God's love and mercy!

Amado

As one that works with children every day (I mean mainly teens) you learn as much from them as they do from you. I always pray this simple prayer everyday;

"Lord help me to learn your ways and to teach your truth that it may help someone to know You. Guide my words and thoughts in living as an example of your Holy ways".

It is the best I can offer, but I have seen miracles with youth. Keep at it by livng the life, for that teaches more than words, especially with our young minds and souls.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+

May the scales fall from the eyes and hearts of the children and parents, that they may behold the beauty and wonder that Christ has for them in the unbounding love and freedom of his arms. May they burn with the flame of the Holy Spirit, kids, parents, and teachers(love, perseverance and stedfastness), that cannot be extinguished. Let them become lights set upon the hill top to lead the way for many souls to Christ. Let them know that they are in your presence Jesus and bow down in praise and worship before your mighty throne of grace. In your name Jesus we ask all.