Confessions of a Mega Pastor- Chapter 2

The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life." "The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch." (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1324)

We are so blessed to be able to receive Christ in Body and Blood every time we attend Mass! And, yet, how often do we take it for granted. I don't mean to and I'm certain you don't either. We just do. My friend's mother followed him in converting to the Catholic faith. It was the Eucharist that drew her to Catholicism. Chalice (yes, that's her real name!!) was a communion minister in the Methodist Church for years. One day while cleaning up in the sacristy, she dropped a blessed  host. She was advised to throw it away. Chalice ended up consuming it. She realized in that moment that she had never viewed Communion as "just a symbol" and felt it was Christ's Real Presence...but her denomination didn't teach/believe that. 

Real Presence can be one of the most difficult aspects of our faith to explain to our children and, yet, it is the most important. Take some time to read, ponder, and pray the Bread of Life (John 6:22-59) discourse, just as Sr. Rose did with the author. Reading it and letting the words wash over you, how can you believe anything else? I think one of the saddest things about other Christian denominations (many, not all!!) is that they don't believe in transubstantiation. Most everything about their denominations is terrific. Me? I can't live without the Eucharist and the way Roman and Orthodox Catholics teach this doctrine. Transubstantiation is the word used to explain the miracle the occurs during the Eucharistic prayer. It explains that though physically (biologically, chemically, etc.) the same, the bread and wine are spiritually transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit into Christ's Body and Blood. 

While I don't usually recommend wikipedia for research purposes, this article does a good job of explaining what the different Christian denominations believe and teach about the Eucharist. 

Last Lent, I took up veiling, the process of wearing a chapel veil anytime I was in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Truth be told, I really liked it. It just became an inconvenience, so I stopped. Several of my friends throughout the country had been doing it and I felt inspired to try it so for 40 days, I did. No, it wasn't because my hair is my crowning glory and distracts men during worship or I feared a nun smacking me. I did a lot of reading about veiling before trying it and it described the spiritual act of taking an extra step before being in our Lord's presence. WOW! Now that I could get behind!! When veiling, I felt more focused and more reverent. It was beneficial to my prayer life.

I share that story, only to ask, what are some other ways we can be more reverent towards the Eucharist and/or help our students become more reverent. Even if it's just between Masses for 10 minutes on Sunday, there is always time to take the children up around the altar and show them the tabernacle. When I teach PK3 & PK4 students in the school, we visit the church. I encourage friendly waving "hello" and "goodbye" to Jesus. At Christmas, we'll kneel around the tabernacle and sing "Happy Birthday". This might seem too casual or irreverent, but it isn't. We perform these acts with love for Christ and joy in our hearts. The students stare in awe at that beautiful, gold box and glimmering sanctuary lamp. I tell them that Jesus is everywhere, but he exists in a very special way inside the tabernacle.

I'm working to incorporate (short, age-appropriate) periods of Eucharistic Adoration into our sacramental prep. It's the only time in prayer where we can look at Jesus, face-to-face, in the same way we would a dear friend. I want our students to feel as comfortable with Jesus as they do around their friends and family. You might argue that the chapel veil created a distance, but for me, it didn't. I was putting on my best to see the most special person in my life. Wow!

• Do you teach Real Presence with your students? Has that been easy/difficult?  (We're going to stay on this topic for 2 or 3 posts. I'm working on another post full of resources, crafts, and teaching idea on the Eucharist.) 
•  What role does the Eucharist play in your life (personal and/or as a catechist)?
• What steps can you take to give the Eucharist the reverence it deserves?

Confessions of a Mega Pastor- Chapter 1

     In chapter 1, Allen Hunt describes the Catholic Church as an old house filled with rich treasures. Before we delve into the treasures (as he defines them) of the Church, let's discuss our own journeys and views of the Church. I'll put my answers in italics so you can easily differentiate the questions from my personal responses.

• When/how did you discover (or rediscover) the Catholic Church? 
• What are the top treasures of the Catholic Church, in your opinion? 
• What aspects of the Catholic faith do you  most enjoy sharing with young people? (It doesn't necessarily have to be a part of your curriculum.)

I look forward to our discussion!

      I am a cradle Catholic raised by another cradle Catholic and a convert. I can't remember a Sunday in my life without Mass as a family. We were taught to minister in our church from a young age. One parish we attended had a children's Mass. Starting at the age of eight I was in the choir, a lector, and was in charge of posting the song lyrics on an overhead projector. From what I gather, this may have been similar to the gym Masses I've heard about at Ascension. 
     By the age of 10, I was disenchanted with the Church and God. Despite living my faith on the outside each week with my family (as an altar server and volunteer for vacation bible school), I entered periods of anger and doubt. I was being bullied at a Catholic school. Surely, if there was a God, that wouldn't be permissible! After 5 long years of anger, I got involved in my high school youth group and truly found the Church again. By the age of 15, I had decided I wanted to study theology in college and enter ministry.
       While I certainly have periods of frustration with the Church and find certain issues difficult to deal with at some moments, I think the Church is full of rich beauty, truth, passion, and grace. We are blessed immeasurably. For me, the Creed (Nicene or Apostles) sums up the important aspects of our faith. All else is on the outskirts: the trinity, forgiveness of sins, etc. is at the heart and soul of who we are.  
       I think the top treasures in the Church are Christ's Real Presence in the Eucharist, our devotion to  Mary and the Saints, and the Sacraments. Apostolic succession moves me to my core, especially as I see our beloved Pope Francis live the simple, communal life of early Christians. I love sharing the beauty of the liturgy as well as the grace of the sacraments with young people. Preparing young people for sacraments and witnessing these moments is the true joy of my job.

Welcome!

My Dear Ascension Catechists,

     I know some of you had struggles posting before and lost your comments in cyberspace. You will need to always check how you are posting, even if it's anonymously or your comment will not go through. Please see photo:


 
      I hope and pray you find this site useful as a tool for  dialoguing about our ministry, sharing ideas, and of course, discussing our book for the year. During the 2013-2014 school year, Ascension catechists will be reading Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor by Allen Hunt. If you don't have time to read or just prefer listening to a speaker, you can download a talk by Allen Hunt based on this book at Lighthouse Catholic Media or purchase a CD of the talk. Both are less than $5. More copies of the book may be purchased through the Dynamic Catholic Institute.

     Just a few basics for our discussion here:

• Keep it civil. It can still be lively and spark debate, but use respectful language and such, especially when we discuss "hot button" issues.
• I have the authority to delete posts and will do so only if it is necessary due to language, insensitivity, etc. 
• I won't make this a "locked" blog that you have to join to post. This will give you the freedom to post anonymously, if you choose.
• If you don't post anonymously, please sign each comment with your name (first is sufficient), day you teach, and which grade you teach. This will help us better understand your point of view and give suggestions when we discuss how to share topics in the classrom. (Ex: Mary, Sundays, 3rd grade)

     I am so excited to offer this! I have invited our RE Board members to participate as well. SPRED Catechists will be joining us as well!!

God bless,
Kathleen