November 16 Class Update: New Eucharistic Perspectives

Greetings everyone!

First of all, I want to commend everyone in class for your thoughtful reflections on the canonization prayers that you did as an activity earlier this month.  Please feel free to use any of those prayers for offering up a special intention, which may very well contribute to a miracle for that person's canonization.

Recap of Last Class

At the start of class, we spent time learning about Christ the King Sunday, the final Sunday of the liturgical year, which is November 21 this year.  We celebrate Christ, Who was once slain for our sins, and now is alive and reigns over all.

Christ the King appearing above the altar at St. John Berchman Parish in Chicago

The Christ the King Rose Window in Ascension Church, above the organ

Upon arriving at class, everyone had the chance to create a hand turkey to offer thanks for your blessings.

We also spent some time engaging with new perspectives on the Eucharist.

When we are at Mass, the Eucharist is an opportunity for us to remember the sacrifice of Christ, just like we have a variety of ways to remember people and events of the past.

Yet, we also re-present the sacrifice of Christ.

As I mentioned in class, I attended Mass at Sacred Heart Parish in Miami, OK, this past summer.  During the homily, the priest rolled a TV monitor in front of the congregation and showed this video, "The Veil Removed", which we watched in class.

And we all got to think about some new perspectives on the Eucharist from some Eucharistic analogies I heard from Father Bob Lombardo (now an auxiliary bishop of Chicago) at a Lenten Mission in 2020.

The Eucharist comes from a Greek word that means "Thanksgiving".  So in some respects, Thanksgiving Day is a holiday with Roman Catholic overtones.

Two Activities to Do

For the next two weeks, please take some time each day to write something you're thankful for, big or small.  You're welcome to use your Confirmation notebook, or to write on the back of your hand turkey sheet.

You won't have to turn in your thanksgiving list, but you'll have the opportunity to debrief about it at our next class. 

Also, in our last class, we discussed raising money for a gift card for a family in need as part of the Christmas Angel project.  We all agreed to contribute a minimum of $4.  Please note, that you must earn this money from doing chores or use allowance money, and not ask your parents for it.

You may bring the cash to class on November 30 or December 7.

This counts as a service activity for Confirmation preparation.

Please see below for an extra credit opportunity.

Looking Ahead

Please note, we are off on November 23, and we meet again on November 30.

We'll spend more time on the Eucharist, and also learning more about Advent.

I pray that you and your families have a blessed week with Christ the King Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, and the start of Advent.

Enjoy your time off, and we look forward to seeing you back in class on November 30.

As I celebrate Thanksgiving Day, I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of your faith journey in RE class this year.  Thanks be to God!

We remain connected as One Church, under Christ the King, Who is the Alpha and the Omega:

All my relations.

God's blessings,

Paul

P.S. At the start of class, Paul offered Psalm 100 as our opening prayer.

We also watched a short clip from the song "God's Not Dead".

And in keeping with Christ the King and the change of liturgical year, we also watched "The Circle of Life".  (Note that during this liturgical year, the Gospel readings have been mostly from St. Mark, symbolized by a lion.)

Here is George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation.

Here is Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation, which established it as an annual national holiday.

As an extra credit opportunity, read either proclamation--or both--and write a short reflection on what you learned from reading it.  You may submit your written comments at our next class.