The Pope is Coming… The Pope is Coming

Posted on August 12, 2015 by the Bouchers

Claire art churchCurrent events, like Pope Francis’ visit to the United States, give us an opportunity to reach out to people who aren’t regular church-goers. We recommend that parishes and religious groups invite people to view one of the major liturgies or addresses together in an informal setting. Here  are two suggested activities for part of the session. This handout can also be downloaded with a grid as Pope Francis is Here PDF

Celebrating Pope Francis’ USA Visit – September 2015

  1. Invite people to view one of the papal events together. B. Use one of these two exercises to help people share after the viewing.

EXERCISE ONE

Ask people to introduce themselves to one another and collect the initials of someone who can say ‘yes’ to each item below. Then after ten minutes, invite people to share one thing they like about Pope Francis with the last person they found.

Can name three popes Knows what country Pope Francis is from Owns a Bible
Made a promise to God at some time Goes to Mass once a week Was named after a saint
Has watched Pope Francis on media or TV Can name the first pope Ever thought about being a priest or religious
Knows their pastor’s first name Has volunteered at a soup kitchen Has reached out to a homeless person

Debrief

In the large group ask people to raise their hands for the categories. How many have…?

 Ask people to share what they like about Pope Francis. Ask them to share, with one other person, how they may have come closer to God or to the Church through this pope. Then conclude the sharing with a hymn and refreshments.

OPTIONAL: Give prizes for different responses and for people with the most initials, with the least.

 

EXERCISE TWO

 Use one of the following links as a handout (or another collection from google) to help people choose a favorite Pope Francis’ quote. Invite people to share what they like about the quote and about the Pope in small groups. Conclude the sharing time with a hymn and refreshments.

https://www.catholicvote.org/top-10-rio-quotes-what-francis-said-and-why/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/7034628.Pope_Francis

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Shipwrecked? In Need of Mercy?

Posted on August 4, 2015 by the Bouchers

file000596614899 (2) (1)How often have you, or a loved one,  experienced a shipwreck; once, twice, dozens of times?  The Good News of Jesus is that if we turn our lives over to him, we can receive the unconditional mercy of God in the midst of any tragedy. Pope Francis has proclaimed a worldwide “Year of Mercy” for 2015-2016. “Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy. These words might well sum up the mystery of the Christian faith. Mercy has become living and visible in Jesus of Nazareth, reaching its culmination in him.” (The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, 1)

St. Gregory the Great (540–604) prayed, “In the shipwreck of this present life, sustain me by the plank of prayer, lest I sink by my own weight. Instead, let the hand of your mercy raise me up.” We watched one of life’s shipwrecks at the end of our daughter Rose’s first semester in college. A letter followed her home stating that her decision to skip a lengthy final paper would mean a failing grade and the loss of a substantial scholarship. She would have to leave school. All three of us were in shock. No one had to remind us to pray, but how? All of our raw feelings tumbled out at the feet of Jesus.

We disciplined ourselves by giving Rose back to God in prayer, surrendering her college career and her future. That gave us enough peace to speak with her about her options. Then Rose called the head of her theatre and costuming department for his advice. More prayer followed while she was on the phone. After listening, Dr. Morton decided to help her by restructuring her credits. He gave her credits for extra work that she had done in the studio and reclassified the course in question. All was forgiven. God had truly raised her up, given her back her scholarships, and honored the small part our surrender prayers had played.

Prayers of petition are meant to be a first small step in pursuing God’s presence amidst difficulties. Too often we get stuck when something bad happens and rush to conclude that God didn’t listen. Instead, we must imitate Jesus: “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God . . . emptied himself, taking the form of a slave (Philippians 2:5-7). Simply lay all of your needs before God; then empty yourself of expectations and demands. It is in surrendering all things to the mercy of God that we are truly able to grow in prayer and in love for others.

(Adapted from Mending Broken Relationships, Building Strong Ones: Eight Ways to Love as Jesus Loves Us, p. 20-21, available on amazon

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What Do You Mend?

Posted on June 25, 2015 by the Bouchers

file0001202299886“What are you doing, Nana?” the small child asked.

“I’m mending the hem on your dress.”

“WHAT’s mending?” Her grandchild replied.

Is this word also gone from your vocabulary? When is the last time you repaired a hem or a button? Do you have needles and thread in your house? Did you take sewing in middle school? Our guess is that for many of you, mending and sewing are lost arts.

But even if you have never held a needle and thread, the experience of “mending” is an important part of the Christian’s vocabulary.  The dictionary tells us that ‘mend’ comes from the French – to free from defects, to repair, to set right. And God certainly challenges us to mend relationships, using the life of Jesus as a pattern.  Through Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist, we are empowered to build and mend life-giving relationships that both imitate Christ’s life and connect others to Jesus. And also through our ongoing surrender to the Holy Spirit, we create an atmosphere of love that knits people together, or grafts us into Jesus whether we are like small twigs or large branches. God fastens us to an ever-expanding Vine that courses with the love of the Trinity and our love.

Here is some of our mending:

It was an autumn day. We had driven over a hundred miles, complete with construction detours and hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic. Our three preschoolers were beyond cranky when we arrived at John’s parents’ house.  So John lined them up on the couch and read a book brimming with dramatic animal sounds. The kids were enthralled. “John, you really brought those animals to life and helped the children settle down. That was great—thank you!” Therese said.

John’s mother was flabbergasted. She teased us by patting herself on the back and exclaiming, “Boy. Am I wonderful! Call the television studio and have the president come and give me a medal!” Apparently offering and receiving affirmation was something foreign to Mom. She was taught that compliments would make a person have a “swelled head.” And for us, too, it was a new relationship skill based on a desire to build and mend our relationship. .. Since then, we have learned so many more things that we are sharing in our latest book, Mending Broken Relationships, Building Strong Ones: Eight Ways to Love as Jesus Loves Us. Check it out!

Watch a video about God’s gifts for mending relationships.

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