Faith Formation from Home
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One moment that you will see in common in all great saints' lives is what we will call "the moment of surrender". At some point in all of our lives, we hit a point when we realize we are no longer in control, that what we are facing is so much bigger than what we can handle, and that we NEED God.
This week we are going to start focusing on little and big ways that we can surrender to God in our daily lives. In a time of such uncertainty, it is important to remember that God is always there and He is always in control.
May God bless you and keep you safe this week!
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50 Ways to Celebrate
the 50 Days of Easter
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Looking for fun and creative ways to celebrate Easter all season long? The fantastic blog
"Look to Him and Be Radiant"
has a FANTASTIC list of crafts and activities for all age levels to help your family live liturgically and celebrate the joy of Easter!
Click on the link provided and it will take you to the main activity page. From there, you can click on the graphic and look at instructions for individual activities.
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NOTE:
Resource provided for a second week in a row in case you missed last week's learning newsletter.
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"Everything that I am,
Everything I long to be...
I lay it down at your feet.."
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Matt Maher
is probably one of the best known Christian artists of the last 10-20 years. This gorgeous song is one that it often used during Eucharistic Adoration and Praise & Worship services. While listening to this song, we are reminded to bring everything to Jesus. At the foot of the cross, we lay before Jesus our hopes, dreams, worries, and fears. Take them Jesus and help us to do Your will!
Click on the link and follow along to the lyrics of this beautiful song!
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Why are there so many
versions of the Bible?
Chances are you have heard or read a popular Bible quote and were confused that the wording was slightly different than how you have heard it before. Or maybe you were at your local
Dollar Store
and saw a nice little $1 mini Bible for sale but were totally confused when you opened it up and saw verses beginning with "Thee", "Thou", and using old English style words that we don't use today.
Whenever you see abbreviations such as NABRE, NIV, ESV, KJV, and so worth after a Bible passage or on the cover of the Bible, this refers to the Bible translation.
The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
However, as the Church grew, there was a pastoral need to translate the Bible into other languages to make it more accessible to people around the world. However, this was not an easy task! As you might know from taking a language class, sometimes certain words and phrases do not translate well into other languages. This is the dilemma that early theologians (such as Saint Jerome) faced as they tried to translate the Bible into other languages. What has resulted from these efforts is that some translations of the Bible follow more of a "word-for-word" approach versus others that follow more of a "thought-for-thought" approach. For Bible reading beginners, this may not seem like a big deal. However, for deep diving into the Bible and its meaning, it is helpful to learn from theologians who have studied the original Biblical texts in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Bible studies such as those produced by Ascension Press or the Augustine Institute are a great resource to learn from knowledgeable theologians who can explain the deeper context behind the Bible based on their advanced studies.
Arguably, there is not one "perfect" version of the Bible.
As Catholics, the main thing you want to look for is that your Bible has the correct number of books (since the Protestant version excludes 7 Wisdom books).
Also, certain translations are more difficult depending on your age and reading ability. Most beginners will find translations such as the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) or the Revised Standard Version (RSV) to be approachable translations to start with. Before purchasing a Bible, use a tool such as
biblegateway.com
to read a few passages in different translations to see which translation you find to be most helpful! Lastly, to make sure you buy a Catholic translation, purchase from a Catholic bookstore such as "The Catholic Company" or "Prospect Hill" (Brockton, MA).
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Reflection Questions:
- Have you ever tried to talk to someone who didn't speak the same language as you? Was it hard for you to communicate what you wanted them to know? Why is communication and language an important skill for getting to know people?
- Have you ever been in a situation where someone used you to reach a bigger goal and didn't recognize your role in it? (Maybe during a school project or a big sports game?) How did that make you feel?
- How can the virtue of humility help us to keep perspective when we find success or are trying to achieve big goals?
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Genesis 11
"The Tower of Babel"
The story of
"The Tower of Babel"
is a fantastic example to continue our examination of the literary genre of "etiology" in the Bible! So far in our Genesis journey, we have seen how the author has explored the themes of sin, free will, consequences of sin, God's mercy, and our relationship with God, creation, and one another. In this story, the author explores what happens when people forget God and choose instead to find glory for themselves.
The story starts off seemingly innocent as the people work together to build a tall tower to reach the heavens. However, it is why they are building the tower (
"to make a name for themselves"
) that is the reason for God's alarmed reaction. The people wanted to show how great they were all on their own without God's help. The tower sent this message of
"We don't need God!"
to the world.
As a result, the people are punished by having their languages confused so they couldn't understand each other. Now, again, this is not meant to be a scientific or historic explanation of why we have so many languages. Rather the author is using the curious fact that we have so many languages as the foundation for a bigger message.
The bigger message is that we do need God! And that our successes are a result of the gifts & opportunities He gave us!
It is important that we understand our right relationship with God and give Him glory for the blessings that He gives us.
Another more relatable message one might get from this story is that when we live for just our own glory we often lose real connection with people along the way.
We can lose sight of our original goal and see people as just tools to get to the top rather than recognize the efforts that all put into a particular goal.
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This week our featured "saint" is in the first stage of sainthood (
"Servant of God"
), meaning it could be many more years before the pope canonizes him and he is officially declared to be a
"Saint"
.
Refer to the infographic below regarding the 4 stages of sainthood.
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Servant of God
Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo
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Life:
October 6, 1882 - November 19, 1970
Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo,
"Mary's little old man"
, was born and died in Naples, Italy. He became a priest of the Franciscan Order at the age of 23. Throughout his life, he dedicated himself to prayer, penance, and simple living. He was a prolific writer who focused many of his works on analyzing the Holy Scripture. He was known to write thousands of letters in response to people's questions and was even said to have prophetic abilities.
Fr. Dolindo is remembered for his devotion to helping people who were suffering both spiritually and physically. He was known to come to people's aid through spiritual direction and assistance in medical needs. It is said that he had no fear of those who were sick and possibly contagious. Furthermore, many healing miracles have been attributed to his intercession.
Perhaps, Fr. Dolindo's deep understanding of others came from his own personal suffering. Throughout his life, he chose a life of extreme simplicity and poverty. During the last ten years of his life he was completely paralyzed.
Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo's case for sainthood is in the process of being analyzed. At this time he has received the title of
"Servant of God"
. During his life, he was praised by Saint Padre Pio as being a saint!
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"O Jesus, I surrender myself to You; take care of everything!"
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"A
novena
is a personal commitment that one makes to pray for nine consecutive days to ask God for answers to a specific request, struggle, or intention. The novena prayer is repeated each day and can be accompanied by reading and reflection. Novenas can be prayed throughout the year and are often prayed in preparation for a feast day of the Church."
(Definition by "The Abbot's Circle)
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The Novena of Surrender to Jesus
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The Novena of Surrender to Jesus
was given by God to Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo. The main focus of this novena is surrendering all of our thoughts, worries, and anxieties to Jesus, giving God total control. This novena is a very calming choice for people struggling with anxiety and situations out of their control.
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TV Shows, Movie, & Book Recommendations
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Book Recommendation
Ages Baby - ~Age 5
"Articles at Mass: Roman Catholic Picture Book"
by Ellen Tomaszewski
You might find yourself learning new things as you use this little board book with your little ones! This is a great starter book to help your toddlers learn about the different objects they see at Mass and their purpose. The pictures are large and bright and the descriptions are not overly complicated. This is an excellent learning tool and could even be used as a review book for older children or 2nd graders preparing for First Holy Communion! 10/10 Recommend!
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Book Recommendation
Ages 3 - ~Age 7
"Father Ben gets ready for Mass"
by Katie Warner
This Catholic storybook is a great way to introduce your children to the beauty of the Mass and the vocation of the priesthood from the priest's perspective! As Fr. Ben prepares for Mass, children will learn about what he does to prepare and will be able to interact using the different action points throughout the story. Instructions such as
"Dip your finger into the water font"
and
"Make the Sign of the Cross"
help to reinforce the different gestures we make when going to Mass. This would also be an excellent way to prepare younger children for their First Holy Communion!
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"I need nothing but God,
and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus."
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
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