Homespun Homily: On Holy, Vulnerable Ground
By Lori Fontana
How many of you, dear readers, have cared for a loved one who is very ill? I am in the midst of caring for a family member who has suffered a debilitating illness, and it has given me much time to ponder and pray. Seeing her so debilitated is heartbreaking, but it is also breaking my heart open to many truths that I believe God wants to teach me.
My journey to care for my loved one was long and winding, both figuratively and literally. Literally, I had to work feverishly to “clear my calendar” to make the time and space to come. Though I only work part-time (for Robert! – I’m chief cook and bottle-washer, or rather, bookkeeper, event planner, and of course, sometime writer!), most of my work cannot be done remotely. So there was a long “to-do” list to complete before I traveled.
The trip itself was long – across the country; and while I am always amazed at the speed of air travel, gosh those airplane seats are smaller and smaller, and even on a flight of 3,000 miles, all you get for sustenance is a bag of pretzels and some cold water or hot coffee. And don’t get me started on the airplane restrooms…aghhh!
The figurative journey was an interior one – mental and emotional. Before coming, I worried and fretted: would I be physically strong enough to give the needed help? How would we pass the time – the many hours over many days of just being present to each other? Would we be relaxed and comfortable, or tense and uncertain? Would the family like my cooking?
Thankfully, I pushed through the hesitancy and doubt…and here I am. And what a tremendous grace it has been.
On my first day here, I was helping to give my loved one a sponge bath. I’ve given thousands of baths to my babies and toddlers but never to someone near my own age. I was overcome with such a feeling of tenderness and a sense of the holiness of the moment – ministering to someone who is so in need of help and vulnerable. I am aware of my role as caregiver, yes, but in a flash of clarity, I understood that I, too, share in her very same vulnerability and fragility, because I am human. None of us is beyond the reach of illness or accident or aging; and we are all going to die.
Coming face-to-face with this basic truth, I know I have several choices. I can run – to activities, media, fun; I can hide – behind clothes, possessions, obsessive exercise; I can deny – with food, drink, drugs, unhealthy relationships. Or I can embrace the end to which all of us are heading.
It’s just a fact that when we are certain about where we are going, we are better travelers. We move forward with intention, with gusto and JOY, because in the light of eternity, we can see more clearly what really matters. Oh, we can count on making detours. Sometimes we will circle back or veer into dead ends, even with our clearer vision. But we will stay on course to our eternal home, following God’s beckoning, God who is pure love and who loves us completely, totally, without reservation.
Yes, God loves us, but that doesn’t mean we won’t suffer, which points me back to the grace of caring for my loved one. Overnight, much of who she is had seemed to vanish. She can walk only with help; she cannot cook, drive, or write. Individual words are clearly spoken, but her thoughts are often jumbled, especially with the mixing up of “I,” “you,” “she,” “me,” etc. The mystery is that, no matter her physical, mental, emotional state, truly, she is beloved of God. As the Lord tells us in Isaiah 43:4, ”You are precious in my eyes, and glorious [honored], and I love you.” No one is excluded from God’s love.
As I tend to my loved one’s needs, I am so aware that I stand on holy ground and am called to a holy mission. As John Michael Talbot sings, “Christ has no body now but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he moves compassion on this world; Christ has no body now on earth but yours.” [from St Teresa of Avila]
I’ve never had this role before. Helping to feed, dress, toilet, and bathe another adult is a very intimate, and sometimes very intimidating, job. But with the eyes of faith, it becomes a sacred duty, an honored task, and an act of love. In this hard and holy work, the Holy Spirit is revealing to me my smallness, my weakness, and also my greatness. I, human, am diminishing each day; but also I, human, am Jesus to another. This is holy ground, indeed!
I’m left with two things to ponder. First, I will be leaving. I will travel to an airport, get on an airplane, and fly across the country, returning to my own daily routine, my own bed. I’m basically in control of my life. I leave these hardships behind, but my loved one remains here, struggling each day to do the most basic life activities such as brushing her teeth. How often do I brush my teeth mindlessly, while doing two or three other things?!
Second, I’m reflecting on the many, many people who cope with a loved one’s debilitating illness every day, for long weeks and months, even years. It can happen in any of our families or circle of close friends. And, taking it a step further, the one with the debilitating accident or illness could be me.
It’s only in faith that I can stave off the anxieties and fears that accompany thoughts of these possibilities. Jesus is our hope; he knows firsthand our human journey, has endured many trials and sufferings, and promises to be with us “in good times and in bad.” And he also gives us the Holy Spirit to strengthen and guide us. That is the power of our faith – not that we avoid all troubles, but that we are given the power and the wisdom to endure them.
February 5 is “Present the Children to God Sunday!”
By Robert Fontana
Last year we suggested that in observance of the Feast of the Presentation (February 2), the day we remember that Mary and Joseph presented Jesus to God in the temple, we too should present our children to God at Sunday worship.
Let’s do this with our kids and grandkids. Let’s have a grand procession into the church with all the children of the Church. Let them march in with balloons, streamers, and banners while playing horns, beating drums, and banging tambourines to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord” as did King David who entered Jerusalem in festive dance! Let the entire Mass be filled with exuberant joy as we present our children to God, the children who are not simply the future Church, but the Church now! Even as young ones, they are discovering how much they are loved by God and how much God wants to use them to bring God’s love to the world of their daily lives.
I wrote the Archbishop of Seattle in November suggesting that he encourage the pastors in the archdiocese to observe “Present the Children to God Sunday.” I have not yet heard back from him. Lori and I proposed this to our pastor, and he said, “Go for it!” Here’s the tentative plan.
Essay/poetry contest— In order to build some interest in this day among the young, we are going to host an essay/poetry contest with prize money. Topic: Care for the Earth (in response to Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Laudato Si – see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOgF2Kgel6k for a 4-minute video for children.) Write a poem or a 100-word essay on what it means for you to “care for the earth” during this time of climate crisis.
First place: $25 Second Place: $15 Third place: $10
We are opening up this contest to our young readers. Scan and email your essay or poem – one entry per person – to Robert@catholiclifeministries.org. We will select winners for the following age groups: High School (9th – 12th grade); Middle School (6th – 8th grade); Primary School (Kinder – 5th grade). Please be sure to write the author’s name, grade level, and phone or email on the entry. Winners will receive a check in the mail!
Liturgy for Present the Children to God Sunday
¨ Children with banners and streamers process in at the beginning of Mass behind the Word of God. The choir sings “O When the Saints Come Marching In.” If possible, a trumpet player will lead the procession.
¨ With the opening prayer, the presider prays a prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of the children of the Church.
¨ Children who have been prepared serve as lectors and read the Scripture readings.
¨ The presider invites the children with the winning essays or poems to read them during the homily.
¨ Children who have been prepared lead the prayers of the faithful.
¨ During the Preparation of Gifts, children are invited to bring a dollar for the Children’s basket on the altar or a canned food item for St. Vincent de Paul.
¨ All the children present are invited around the altar as the presider begins the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The children are asked to return to their seats following the Our Father.
¨ As part of the final blessing, the presider invites the children to come forward as he gives each one a holy card from the parish (see below), commemorating the day and containing a short prayer the children are invited to pray daily.
¨ Cake and refreshments await the children and their families in the parish hall.
Pandemic, War in Ukraine, Drug Abuse, Refugees, and EASTER!
If you are suffering through any of these horrors or others that are painful and frightening, you might think that Jesus, the Kingdom of God, and Easter are not meant for you. You are living your Garden of Gethsemane, your Good Friday…and resurrected life and spirit-filled existence are a distant dream. But you would be mistaken! Because Easter and Pentecost happened over 2,000 years ago at a time quite similar to ours. Ordinary Jews, women and men of faith and their children, encountered the risen Jesus amid the terrors of Roman rule, the corruption of the religious elite and the wealthy, the ravages of disease and sickness, and the daily grind of work and struggle to make ends meet.
The Risen Jesus did not transform their circumstances, but he did change their hearts, helping them to live with hope in the midst of evil, corruption, sickness, and the demands of daily life. The Risen Jesus empowered them to make a difference within the circumstances of their lives, to be a power for good! The risen Jesus can do the same for you and me. This month we share with you the Stations of the Resurrection, a spiritual exercise designed to help you meet the risen Jesus as the did disciples. May Jesus reveal to you how deeply you are loved by God, and how you, too, can be a power for good within the circumstances of your life, however difficult those circumstances might be.
Easter JOY!
Robert & Lori
Stations of the Resurrection
Introduction: We walk the “Stations of the Resurrection” to remind us that Jesus, the Risen One, who revealed Himself to the disciples over two thousand years ago, is seeking to encounter us now within the ups and downs, joys and sorrows of our lives. Jesus will show Himself to any heart that will welcome Him, even a heart filled with doubt.
Station 1: Jesus Is Placed in a Tomb
L – We adore you, O Christ, and we love you.
All – Because by your death and resurrection you have set us free.
Joseph of Arimathea…went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus…he took him down, wrapped him in the linen cloth and laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses watched where he was laid. Mk 15:43-47
Response: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
St. Therese, the Little Flower
L – We adore you, O Christ, and we love you.
All – Because by your death and resurrection you have set us free.
The women who had come from Galilee with him followed behind, and when they had seen the tomb and the way in which his body was laid in it, they returned and prepared spices and perfumed oils. Then they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. But at daybreak on the first day of the week they took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. Luke 23:55-24:3
Response: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
From the Saints: O living flame of love that tenderly wounds my soul in its deepest center… How gently and lovingly you wake in my heart, where in secret you dwell alone; and in your sweet breathing, filled with good and glory, how tenderly you swell my heart with love. St. John of the Cross
Station 3: Peter and the Empty Tomb
L – We adore you, O Christ, and we love you.
All – Because by your death and resurrection you have set us free.
The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; the others who accompanied them also told this to the apostles, but their story seemed like nonsense and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb, bent down, and saw the burial cloths alone; then he went home amazed at what had happened. Luke 23:10-12
Response: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
From the Saints: May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be…May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing that you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into our bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of you. St Teresa of Avila
Station 4: Mary Magdalen and the Gardener
L – We adore you, O Christ, and we love you.
All – Because by your death and resurrection you have set us free.
Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping… she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” …Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord…” John 20:11-16
Response: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
From the Saints: For we are so preciously loved by God that we cannot even comprehend it. No created being can ever know how much and how sweetly and tenderly God loves them. It is only with the help of his grace that we are able to perservere in spiritual contemplation with endless wonder at his high, surpassing, immeasurable love which our Lord in his goodness has for us.
St. Julian of Norwich
Station 5: The Road to Emmaus
L – We adore you, O Christ, and we love you.
All – Because by your death and resurrection you have set us free.
…two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus…Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” …One of them, named Cleopas, said to him…, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?…The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene… how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him…Some women from our group…were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” Luke 24:13-24
Response: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
From the Saints: God commands us to love Him, not as much as He deserves, because He knows our capabilities and therefore He does not ask us to do what we cannot do. But He asks us to love Him according to our strength, with all our soul, all our mind, and all our heart. St. Padre Pio
Station 6: Breaking of the Bread
L – We adore you, O Christ, and we love you.
All – Because by your death and resurrection you have set us free.
[Jesus] said to them, “…Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” …As they approached the village to which they were going…they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Luke 24:25-32
Response: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
From the Saints: Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts, Thou fount of life, thou Light of men [and women], from the best bliss that earth imparts we turn unfilled to Thee again. We taste Thee, O Thou living Bread, and long to feast upon Thee still: We drink of Thee, the Fountainhead, and thirst our souls from Thee to fill. O Jesus, ever with us stay, make all our moments calm and bright; Chase the dark night of sin away, shed o’er the world Thy holy light.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Station 7: Hearts Burning Within
L – We adore you, O Christ, and we love you.
All – Because by your death and resurrection you have set us free.
Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning [within us] while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
Luke 24:32-34
Response: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
From the Saints: Jesus is my God. Jesus is my Spouse. Jesus is my Life. Jesus is my only Love. Jesus is my All in All. Jesus is my Everything. Jesus, I love with my whole heart, with my whole being. I have given Him all, even my sins and He has espoused me to Himself in tenderness and love. Now and for life I am the Spouse of my Crucified Spouse. Mother Teresa
Station 8: The Locked Room
L – We adore you, O Christ, and we love you.
All – Because by your death and resurrection you have set us free.
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. [Jesus] said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit.” John 20:19-22
Response: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
From the Saints:
Place your mind before the mirror of eternity! Place your soul in the brilliance of glory! And transform your entire being into the image of the Godhead Itself through contemplation. So that you too may feel what His friends feel as they taste the hidden sweetness which God Himself has reserved from the beginning for those who love Him. St. Clare of Assisi
Station 9: Doubting Thomas
L – We adore you, O Christ, and we love you.
All – Because by your death and resurrection you have set us free.
Thomas, called Didymus,…was not with them when Jesus came…he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” John 20:24-28
Response: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
From the Saints: Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace, that is enough for me.
St. Ignatius of Loyola
Station 10: The Beloved Disciple
L – We adore you, O Christ, and we love you.
All – Because by your death and resurrection you have set us free.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” John 21:1-7
Response: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
From the Saints: Love transforms one into what one loves…To join two things together there must be nothing between them or there cannot be a perfect fusion. Now realize that this is how God wants our soul to be, without any selfish love of ourselves or of others in between, just as God loves us without anything in between.
St. Catherine of Siena
Station 11: Paul Meets Jesus
L – We adore you, O Christ, and we love you.
All – Because by your death and resurrection you have set us free.
…For you heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it… when [God], who from my mother’s womb had set me apart and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles…
Gal 1: 11-16
Response: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
From the Saints: My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. Thomas Merton
Station 12: Peter, do you love me?
L – We adore you, O Christ, and we love you.
All – Because by your death and resurrection you have set us free.
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” …He then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” …He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Response: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Station 13: 500 Disciples See Jesus
L – We adore you, O Christ, and we love you.
All – Because by your death and resurrection you have set us free.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ…was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me. For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 1 Cor 15:3-9
Response: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
/a>From the Saints: Our Lord very humbly revealed words to me…you will not be overcome…and these words: “you will not be overcome” were said very insistently and strongly, for certainty and strength against every tribulation which may come. He did not say: you will not be troubled, you will not be labored, you will not be disquieted; but he said, you will not be overcome. God wants us to pay attention to these words, and always to be strong in faithful trust, in well-being and in woe, for he loves us and delights in us, and so he wishes us to love him and delight in him and trust greatly in him, and all will be well… God, of your goodness give me yourself, for you are enough for me. St. Julian of Norwich
Closing Prayer
Antiphon: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Oh, good and loving God, Father of Jesus, give us the gift of faith that we might welcome the risen Jesus into our hearts.
Antiphon: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Jesus, beloved Son, crucified and risen, draw us into the Father’s love.
Antiphon: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Holy Spirit, living flame of love, empower us to bring the love of God to all we meet especially those who are poor and spiritually abandoned in any way.
All: We cannot love God unless we love each other, and to love we must know each other. We know Him in the breaking of bread, and we know each other in the breaking of bread, and we are not alone anymore. Heaven is a banquet and life is a banquet, too, even with a crust, where there is companionship. Dorothy Day
Glory be to the Father…
_________________
photo of Ukraine child ©palinchak/123RF.COM
So much to pray for; may we give you one more issue?
By Lori and Robert Fontana
Many of you may recall that about three years ago we asked you to sign a petition to the Archbishop of Seattle supporting our request that he vindicate the work that I did in the Diocese of Yakima in exposing the cover up of clergy sexual abuse by diocesan leaders. Since I first became aware of diocesan cover-up and opposed it in September, 2004, up to the present, I have been vilified and retaliated against by church leaders from the Diocese of Yakima. Not only was I banned from teaching at any Catholic institution in the diocese, but diocesan leaders also interfered with my working in other dioceses.
Pope Francis published a document in 2019 stating that whistle-blowers must be protected, and that Archbishops were responsible for investigating local bishops. On the strength of that new policy, and the continued interference in our work from Yakima officials, we decided to write the Archbishop of Seattle, Paul Etienne, to intervene. He initiated an investigation led by an attorney/investigator from out-of-state who would be an independent investigator. The investigator completed his work in the Fall of 2020. His report is sitting on the desk of an unnamed Vatican official. The “wheels of justice” turn slowly in Rome. Remember, after the Lutheran Reformation, it took 500 years for the Vatican to allow the Mass to be celebrated in the local vernacular instead of in Latin.
Recently, Lori and I made a short retreat. In our reflection, the Holy Spirit placed it on our hearts to be more intentional about surrendering this issue to God in prayer. To that end we wrote the following prayer, and we are inviting friends and CLM benefactors and sponsors to pray it with us. Our hope is to pray the prayer as a Novena in the nine days leading up to the Feast of St. Joseph on March 19, March 11 – 19.
Good and gracious God, Father of Jesus, and our Father,
We need your help. Over three years ago we petitioned the Archbishop of Seattle to vindicate the work that Robert did in the Diocese of Yakima to expose the cover-up of clergy sex abuse of minors and vulnerable adults by diocesan leaders. The case has been investigated and the information gathered has been sent to a Vatican office where it now sits awaiting review and a decision.
Our God, we surrender this entire process to you. We are confident that our appeal is just. If clergy and lay employees of the Catholic Church are too fearful of retaliation to speak out about suspected abuse of a child, youth, or vulnerable adult, or about abuse cover-up by church leaders, then no child, youth, or vulnerable adult is safe.
Pour out your Holy Spirit upon the Vatican officials who are reviewing the documents of this case. Help them to look at the material through the eyes of the thousands of victims who have prayed that someone would stand up for them, protect them, and advocate for them, but no one did. Give our church leadership the wisdom and courage to do what is right to make our church a safe place.
We entrust this prayer to you, Holy Abba, through your Beloved Son, Jesus who told his disciples to ““Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Mt 19:14
“Present the Children to God” Day
By Robert Fontana
No, there is no such thing as “Present the Children to God Day.” BUT I THINK THERE SHOULD BE! … celebrated on February 2nd or on the first Sunday in February.
February 2nd is the Feast of the Presentation, a day when Catholics and other Christians remember the Biblical story of how Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem to present the newborn child to God:
When the days were completed for their purification – according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord… Luke 2:22
Let’s do this with our kids and grandkids. Let’s have a grand procession into the church with all the children of the Church. Let them march in with balloons, streamers, and banners while playing horns, beating drums, and banging tambourines to make a joyful noise unto the Lord as did King David who entered Jerusalem in festive dance! Let the entire Mass be filled with exuberant joy as we present our children to God, the children who are not simply the future Church, but the Church now as young ones discovering how much they are loved by God and how much God wants to use them to bring God’s love to the world of their daily lives.
It’s a simple message, but it needs to be done in an over-the-top fashion oriented towards children who are usually ignored by the adult way of doing things at Sunday Mass. I read a study that by the time the average Catholic child is 11 or 12, he or she has checked out of Church, and Church / faith has very little or no meaning in her / his life. Part of the problem is the dominant American culture, so alluring in its offerings for pleasure and material success. These enticements can easily distract children and youth away from a life in the Spirit that can be far less tangible and, frankly, less fun.
But we Catholics and other Christians also make it hard for children and youth to find faith relevant to their lives because Sunday worship is something they must endure, and because the daily purpose of being a follower of Jesus is poorly understood.
We cannot change all this at one Sunday Mass and parish event. But we can invite our parishioners, those families who are regular participants and those who come just at Christmas and Easter, to bring the children to church on the Feast of the Presentation (or the first Sunday of February) and join with the parish community in presenting the children to Godin imitation of Joseph and Mary.
What would such a presentation look like?
- Let the presiding priest skip his processional entrance so that the focus is all on the children who are welcomed by Father and invited to process around the church as they make a joyful noise of song and praise. Banners, streamers, balloons can be prepared ahead of time, and children could be invited to bring from home any horn, drum and/or tambourine to carry with them up and down the aisles while the cantor leads the community in singing a joyous hymn such as Ode to Joy.
- The ministries of lector, cantor, and choir could be filled by children who have been trained to do the readings and lead singing for the psalm response and songs.
- Father could invite a few children who have prepared to help with the homily, to share stories of how they know that God loves them and how each tries to show that love in daily life.
- During the preparation of gifts all the children could be invited to come forth and place canned goods in front of the altar to be given to the local food bank or St. Vincent de Paul Society.
- Children could be invited to join Father around the altar and to repeat his gestures as he leads the community through the Eucharist prayer.
- Children would then return to their seats after the Our Father to give their parents the sign of peace.
- After communion the children would be invited to gather around the baptismal pool/font. The entire assembly then would extend hands over them as Father invites the Holy Spirit to come upon the children and invites the children to open their hearts to the Holy Spirit. After concluding with “Amen,” the children bless themselves with the baptismal water and return to their parents.
Conclusion: Father would remind the children that they are the Church of today. God needs them and so does the community of faith. “Grab your instruments, children, and process with me out of the church to the parish hall to continue our celebration!” After Mass, there would be cake and ice cream and fruit for all in the parish center, along with face painters to offer the emblems of an angel or a butterfly.
“Present your Child to God” Day is not an event on the Church calendar, but I think it should be!
