February 22 Class Update: Proclaiming the Reality of Christ

Greetings everyone!

Recap of our Last Class

At the start of class, everyone had the chance to think about their Lenten plans using a planning sheet I gave everyone.  As a reminder, you won't need to turn anything in for your Lenten plans, but please use that sheet as a guide to help you get Lent started on the right note.

February 22 is the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, which commemorates when Christ acclaimed Simon Peter for his profession of faith and gave him a special leadership role in the Church as the first Pope, handing him the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, which is the teaching authority of the Popes and the Bishops.

We looked at that day's Gospel reading in Matthew 16:13-19.

This scene is depicted in a window in our church:

As Christ asked His disciples Who He is, so He asks each of us, and we are called to let our profession of faith translate into actions for God's glory as we proclaim the Good News.

We also watched two more videos in the series on the Mass, the Lord's Prayer and the Rite of Peace.

This Week's Activity

For this week, please spend some time with Scripture.

Go to the USCCB webpage with the daily readings calendar, and pick any date.  Then, choose any one of the readings for that day: the first reading, the responsorial Psalm, the second reading, or the Gospel.

Then, submit a 1-sentence reflection on the reading you chose in this form.  You can submit a response of a phrase that stood out to you, something you liked about the reading, something you learned, or what God is teaching you through it.

If you read all readings for one or more days, you get extra credit, so please note that in your submission if you choose this option.

Submissions are due by class time on March 1.

Please also remember your contribution to the collection of supplies for inmates is due on March 1.  Please bring a pack of blank cards (like the kind from the Dollar Tree store), postage, or $1 to cover the cost of supplies.  Remember, you are expected to use your own money from allowance or money from doing extra chores.

Looking Ahead

We're going to shift our focus toward Lent as we gather in class on March 1, which is Fat Tuesday.  Lent starts the next day on Ash Wednesday, March 2.  Mr. Smyth plans to stop by class and talk about the Lenten project for this year, which will provide furnishings and other materials to help homeless people transition to their own housing.

The plan is to also continue with the video series on the Mass.

Please save the date of March 15.  While we don't have class scheduled that evening, we're planning for the 8th graders to be involved with the 6 PM Evening Mass that day.  Since it is a Tuesday, this Mass will only last about 30 minutes.

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

We remain connected as One Church, built on the rock solid foundation of faith in Christ: 

All my relations.

God's blessings to you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

Paul

Our opening prayer in class was the Amen song from the movie Lilies of the Field, starring Academy Award-winning actor Sidney Poitier, whose birth was February 20.

Our closing prayer was the song "O Church Arise" by Christian artists Krysten and Keith Getty.

We watched a segment toward the end of the Liberty's Kids episode "The Man Who Wouldn't Be King", starting at the 18:33 mark. It is free to watch on YouTube at that link.

Here are photos from the Old Senate Chamber of the Maryland Statehouse in Annapolis, where General Washington resigned his commission as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army when the Continental Congress was meeting there.  I took these photos when my family stopped there on our way to a vacation in Washington, D.C. in July 2011.

Also, there was a question from the exit slips about multiple people at the altar during Mass.  There are special Masses when multiple priests will concelebrate.  Other times, a deacon will assist the priest at Mass, and be standing to the side at the altar.

By the way, for those of you who are Longfellow alumni, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's birthday is February 27.