Dear Parents,
In this third candidate session, we discussed the cost of Discipleship. Here are some of the main points:
- Jesus didn’t hide from people that following him was going to come at a cost.
-
Jesus willingly gave up his life. No one took it from him. He made a choice to sacrifice. And he invites us to do the same. Not be crucified in a literal sense, but to “deny ourselves.”
-
Taking up your cross to follow Jesus may mean... giving up sleeping in so that you can get to Mass on time. It may be having to explain to your family and friends why being Catholic is important to us, especially when they don’t understand or don’t appreciate our faith. It may mean giving up some bad habits.
-
Jesus is close to us in our suffering. Remember, the cross doesn’t have the final word. We believe Jesus rose from the dead. Our pain doesn’t have the last word. We have hope in Jesus that there is more than just this life.
NOTE: In the context of describing suffering in the life of a disciple, candidates heard stories that included the experiences of the death of the speaker's teen and young adult friends, in spite of prayer and a close relationship with God. If you find that you would like support and/or resources to follow up on this topic with you child, or you would like to view the video yourself, please let me know.
FOLLOWUP QUESTIONS FOR PARENTS:
-
ASK: What was something that stuck with you from your activity (I'm Catholic, but..."), small group time, or prayer time?
-
SHARE: What do you think is the hardest thing about being Catholic? What is the best thing?
-
DISCUSS: What are some practical ways we can “take up our cross” and “deny ourselves” in daily life?
-
PRAY: Read through the theme scripture from tonight (below), slowly, listening for what God is saying to you through the passage. Perhaps use the lectio divina method to guide you: https://tinyurl.com/LectioDivinaStepByStep
TONIGHT'S THEME SCRIPTURE: TAKE UP YOUR CROSS
“Whoever wishes to come after me
must deny himself,
take up his cross
and follow me.”
(Mt. 16:24)