January 25 Class Update: God with Us and Close to Us

Greetings everyone!

It was so great to be back in class and see all of you this past Tuesday.

To recap, we did some further follow-up to the Christmas Season and the Incarnation of God in Christ by thinking about how great gift Christ is to us, our very God becoming human to be close with us and be with us forever.  We read a commentary from a teen-geared Student Bible I got as a gift back in 7th grade.  And remember the baby pictures and seeing my teddy bear?  God continues to make Himself known to us, especially at Mass, as I shared with a two different stories.

Then, we heard from our guest speaker, Ms. Baer, an Ascension parishioner and a special education teacher at OPRFHS.  She talked about her faith experiences in her life growing up and in college.  She also shared about her time at World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid and her trip to the Holy Land for the Christmas Season 2019-2020.  Thank you, Ms. Baer, for visiting and sharing so many wonderful insights.

This coming week is a special Holy Day, on Wednesday, February 2.  It comes 40 days after Christmas, and it's called the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.  It's also known as Candlemas, and it's customary to bless candles at Church.  (Furthermore, it's the halfway point of winter.)

On the way out of class, everyone got a small tea candle to take home.

The activity for this week is to light the candle, and remember that even in the darkness of this world, the Light of Christ that shines brightly.  I suggest doing so when you sit down with your family for a meal.  The wick should burn down after about 30 minutes of being lit.  It can go on a plate or in a candleholder.

These candles are blessed, so it's important to treat them with care.  It should only go in the garbage after the wick is burned down.  Thank you, Father Rex, for blessing the candles.

There is nothing to submit for this week's activity.

We will be meeting virtually on February 1 from 7-8 PM.  I will send Zoom access info via e-mail to your parents.  Only the 8th grade class is meeting virtually that evening.

The plan is to spend some time on the meaning of Candlemas and continue with the Mass video series.

We're planning to be back in class on February 8, and that evening will give you the opportunity for reconciliation.  More details are forthcoming.

I am in the process of sending out progress reports for each student in class to the parents via e-mail.  It includes a spreadsheet showing completion of the activities.

As usual, please feel free to contact me with questions, etc.

We remain connected as One Church in God, revealed by Christ, the Word Made Flesh:

All my relations.

God's blessings,

Paul

Pope Francis greets the crowds from the Popemobile before the World Youth Day 2019 Concluding Masss

P.S. As class started, we watched this music video of the English dance version of the 2019 World Youth Day theme song, "Here I Am"/"Hagase en mi Segun Tu Palabra".

Here's the international/multilingual version of the same song, which includes video footage of sites in Panama.

Here's the Spanish-language version with lyrics.

Here's the prayer for the 2022 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.  Scroll down on the page to see the prayer in the text surrounded by the green box.

Here's a link to the readings for Sunday, January 23, 2022.  These same readings were proclaimed at the Closing Mass of World Youth Day 2019 in Panama, celebrated by Pope Francis, which I attended.

Here I am with my Teddy Bear in the park by the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, when I was about 4.

Here I am at work with my teddy bear on Bring a Stuffed Friend to Work Day. Thank you to my co-worker Dianna for the photo.

Here I am at Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine, FL.  The cross behind me marks the spot of the first Mass celebrated in the present-day USA on September 8, 1565.  I thank the fellow visitor for photographing me.

Here's the chapel in Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, Panama, where I attended Mass on January 29, 2019, before returning to the USA.