November 30 Class Update: God's Presence All Around

Advent Greetings!

It was great to be back in class after our Thanksgiving break.  May gratitude be an attitude that allows you to live life more fully.  Thank you for sharing your Thanksgiving reflections.

The altar at Ascension following Thanksgiving Day Mass

The Advent wreath in Church

Recap of Last Class

We started class focusing on Advent, a Season with a threefold purpose, awaiting Christ's 2nd Coming, the celebration of his 1st coming, and His coming to us even today.

I also shared a little about St. Mother Katharine Drexel, who used money from a large inheritance to fund church-based institutions to serve African-Americans and Native Americans.  Her birthday was on November 26.

Then, we continued learning about the Eucharist, through which we remember Christ's sacrifice in the past, even as we make it present again in our assemblies.  (I shared my middle school yearbooks, which is a way for me to remember my past, and certainly gave you the chance to see what it was like.)

We watched a video in which a priest recites the entire Eucharistic Prayer 2.

After discussing it, we started a series of videos that explain each part of the Mass.  We watched the first video, which is about the greeting at Mass.

Activities to Do This Week

There are 2 activities to do for this week.

1. Class Christmas Angel Gift

Thanks to those of you who submitted your money for our class Christmas Angel gift.

If you haven't done so yet, the money is due at our next class on December 7.

Please remember that you can use allowance money or by helping our with extra chores, not by asking your parents directly for it.

The minimum contribution is $4.

This project counts toward the 5 service projects for Confirmation.

2. Relevant Radio Advent Inspirations

This week, please take time to listen to 1 Advent inspiration soundbite from Relevant Radio.

You may find all of them at this link.

Pick any one of them to listen to, and then submit a 1-sentence reflection on what you learned from it at this Google form.

These soundbites are only 1 minute long, so this activity won't take too long to do.

It is due by class time on December 7.

Please see the Extra Credit Section below for more options.

Looking Ahead

In our next class on December 7, we'll spend some time learning about Mary, especially because of the upcoming Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  And we'll continue the video series on the parts of the Mass.  We're also planning to have another guest speaker.

Originally, December 14 was the class when we would attend the Christmas Pageant.  We will have an alternate plan for that class in lieu of the pageant, so please stay tuned for details.

And, because of a required meeting for 8th graders at OPRFHS on January 18, we're planning to excuse everyone from class and make it up on a different date.  Please stay tuned for more details that are soon forthcoming.

I pray you all have a blessed week, keeping ever watchful and mindful of God's presence all around you as we continue our journey through Advent to Christmas Day and Season.

We remain connected as One Church: All my relations.

God's blessings,

Paul

Extra Credit Opportunities

These activities are all optional.  They take more time to complete and they are great ways to experience our Roman Catholic traditions during Advent.

Listen to each day of the Advent Inspirations, running from November 28 through December 24.

Attend Taize Prayer at Ascension on Friday, December 3, at 7:30 PM, in-person or on YouTube.  (You can watch the YouTube video later.)  If you attend in-person, I will be there, so please feel free to come greet me when you see me.

Watch Advent Vespers at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. at 3 PM CST on YouTube, on the Sundays of Advent, December 5, 12, and 19.  You can find a booklet to follow along at this link, which appears right before the vespers prayer starts.  

You can watch the video after it happens, on any Sunday, including for last Sunday, November 28.  You may also watch the video recording of Vespers on November 28.  (The prayer actually starts around the 16:00 mark in the video, so it's only about 30 minutes long.)

Watch Advent Vespers streamed from Holy Name Cathedral on its YouTube channel at 4:45 PM CST on the Sundays of Advent: December 5, 12, and 19. You can watch the video after it happens, on any Sunday, including for last Sunday, November 28.

If your parents are able to take you to the Cathedral and you attend in-person, that one single prayer activity counts as completing 2 extra credit activities.  Free parking is available about a block away from the Cathedral, and the lot usually doesn't get too filled on Sunday evening.

Here's the song we listened to at the start of class, "Even So, Come".

It speaks to one of the purposes of Advent, as we await the 2nd coming of Christ at the End of Time, a theme that carries over from liturgies in the month of November, which focus on the Last Things.  We also await the celebration of Christ's First Coming on Christmas Day.  And we await Christ's coming into our lives even today, welcoming Him into our hearts and being aware of His presence all around us.

We watched this Busted Halo video that describes Advent in 2 minutes.

Here's the Eucharistic Prayer 2 video we watched.

And here's the video we watched about the Greeting at Mass.

We concluded class with this prayer for the canonization of Venerable Father Augustus Tolton.

The bread and wine at the back of Church before Mass, awaiting for procession to the altar

Statue of St. Mother Katharine Drexel inside St. Joseph Church, in Alexandria, VA, which she gave money to help start.

Here, Paul is posing with his hand by the tile he had inscribed in the mural at Julian at its dedication back on August 30, 2018.  (Thanks to the fellow atendee who took this photo.)  It's a great way to remember our personal experiences and the life of Dr. Julian.