Venite a vedere

Advent

Families may find that Advent is the most difficult liturgical season to keep.  With Santa appearing in the mall before Thanksgiving, and Christmas lights twinkling from lampposts before the first Sunday of Advent, and the sudden barrage of toy and gift catalogues in the mailbox warning that if we don’t order before one date or another, our gifts won’t arrive on time, anxiety becomes the prevalent feeling in families during Advent.
    They come to church to find a moment of respite, to remind themselves of the true meaning of this season; however, they are not always ready to hear that this is not the season to place plastic reindeer in the lawn.  All their neighbors have already festooned the eaves with twinkling lights, and the fir trees will be picked-over and dried out if they don’t got straight from Mass to the nursery.  It is best to be gentle with them.  Rather than reading them a list of “shalt-nots”, suggest alternatives.
    Perhaps they can buy a tree early, but decorate it for Advent.  Winding purple ribbon around the tree and hanging ornaments that have a special meaning for Advent, will provide families with the perfect opportunity to slow down and appreciate the meaning of the season.  Images from the lectionary readings for Advent can serve as inspiration for choosing ornaments for the Advent tree: a mountain of the Lord, plowshares and pruning hooks, a candle or star to indicate the Light of the World, a large sun, Noah’s ark or even the dove with an olive branch in its beak are all images that may be made into simple paper ornaments and placed on the tree to deepen a family’s meditation on the readings for the first Sunday of Advent.  A family night of reflection during which these readings are proclaimed by the light of an Advent wreath, and all the materials for making the ornaments are provided, would be the perfect setting for helping families begin to see themselves as owning something much richer than what consumerist culture has to offer.  Subsequent Sunday readings offer equally rich imagery for this project.
    Suggest that while all their neighbors have the plastic Santas and lighted wreathes decorating their homes, perhaps they can decorate with purple.  If they have a nativity scene, they could leave the Holy Family in the box, leaving the empty stable as a reminder that we are still waiting.  If they absolutely can’t wait for December 25 to flip their Christmas lights on, perhaps they could light them gradually, letting the light build.
    Celebrating the Advent saints is another way for families to build traditions in keeping with the spirit of the Advent season.  The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe both occur during this holy season.  Encourage families to create a shrine to Mary and to think particularly about her pregnancy as she waited for her baby to be born; as a family, they could find a small bag and pack it with things they will need for the birth (just as women, who are close to their due date, pack a bag for the hospital) of Jesus in their hearts: a small empty crib (from the nativity scene), a Christmas grace they plan to say together at Christmas dinner (Loving God, your Son was a human child who ate and drank just as we do.  Even though all the food that the earth produces was created through him, he raised his eyes to heaven and gave you thanks and praise for all your good gifts.  May we always follow the example of Jesus, our brother and greatest friend, and thank you for all you give. Amen), a box of matches to light the final candle on their Advent wreath, a book of Christmas carols, or other objects that have a special meaning to the family.  The bag can be called “Mary’s bag.”  Saint Lucy is another great Advent saint.  Some cultures celebrate her with processions, by baking special rolls, and by placing wreathes of lights on their daughters’ heads.  Those who do not already have a beautiful family tradition may want to place a stone on their dinner table (because Lucy remained firm in the face of torture and death), a candle (“Lucia” means “light” and she remained faithful to Christ, who is the Light of the World), and a small mirror (because her example of purity offers us the opportunity to examine our own consciences).  Finally, rather than filling children’s shoes with candy on St. Nicholas day, parents might explain that this saint was tremendously generous to the poor and then spark a conversation about how the family might help the needy.  A special “St. Nicholas chest” on the family table could collect the family’s stray pennies.

Christmas

Parents and children have a particular contribution to make to our understanding of and devotion to this great Solemnity.  The Gospels, out of respect for the sanctity of the beginning of life, seem to draw a veil over this experience of the Holy Family.  In spare language, they tell us merely that Mary brought forth her firstborn son, that she clothed him, and that she laid him in a manger.  They tell us nothing of the pain she experienced, who cared for her in labor and afterwards, how she cleaned her child, her first attempts to nurse the baby, the midnight waking, or what she used for diapers.  How was it the first time the baby sneezed?  Did she worry over the remnant of his umbilical cord?  What unexpected joy and love flowered in her heart as she tended to all these details?
    Parents have experienced all these things and more.  For each family, there are certain constants, even as each experience is unique.  The Christmas season is the ideal time for families to share pictures and stories of their children’s first hours and days with one another and with their children.  Sitting before the family nativity scene, they can read the Gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus and then tell their children about the funny or alarming or beautiful things that happened at the time of their births.  Then they can try to imagine what Mary pondered in her heart about this new child in her arms.  These reflections will serve to enrich their understanding of and appreciation for Mary.  In addition, they can begin to ponder this divine Child in their own hearts, to make the Christ child their own.  Like Mary, they can treasure the words of the Shepherds and the gifts of the Magi.  Like Joseph, they can begin to feel a father’s responsibility and desire to protect this most precious gift of the Father.
    A parish-wide family night of reflection could include a solemn reading of the Gospel of Luke, a procession with a figure of the Christ child that ends at the empty manger in the parish nativity, a couple of testimonies given by new parents about their lived experience with an infant, and a baby shower, with baby gifts that can be left before the figures of the Holy Family and later delivered to a local shelter.  Remember to include a lot of candle light and lots of Christmas carols!
    Closer to the Baptism of the Lord, a parish night of reflection to celebrate recent Baptisms in the parish might be a perfect opportunity for mystagogy.  Place a large glass bowl of water, a large white pillar candle and a plain white garment on a table at the front of the room, read the prayer of invocation over the water that the priest or deacon says during a Baptism, and then help the families to “unpack” this rich prayer.  Invite them to imagine the Holy Spirit moving over the waters of Creation and that first spark of life that began through his power.  Then think together about the new life that the water, again through the work of the Holy Spirit, has brought to the newly baptized.  Meditate together about Noah and the flood and discuss how Baptism is like each Christian’s own personal Flood.  Likewise, consider the slavery of Israel and what the waters of the Red Sea accomplished for those Moses brought safely through.  These Old Testament references can provide an opportunity to explore the hidden dimensions of Baptism and the power it imparts.  Next, for each participant, light a small taper from the one large pillar on the table.  When each person has a lit candle, read the prayer from the Rite of Baptism: “Receive the light of Christ…”
After the prayer, turn out the electric lights in the room and allow for a time of silence; then sing Alleluia or any hymn concerning the Light: I Want to Walk As a Child of the Light or The Lord is My Light and My Salvation.  Make certain all the candles are extinguished safely when the singing is over.  Let the participants bring their candles home (if a priest is present, ask him to bless all the candles before the families leave).       

Ordinary Time during Winter

When Jesus called the first disciples, did they feel as if they’d reached a destination when they met the long-awaited Messiah?  Or were they, like all the Baptized today, only just being born into a new life, the start of a great adventure?
    The Lord calls us by name, we know that we belong to him, and then we are sent into the world, on missionary journeys of discovery.  This is the constant pattern of life for the disciple.
    In order for families to feel that they belong to the parish community, they need to feel known, called by name.  On the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, consider providing nametags and pens at the doors before Mass begins, and before the Opening Song, invite parishioners to turn and greet one another.  Challenge them to learn the names of two people they didn’t know before.  Then ask them to pray for those two people during Mass and in the coming week.
    At a family night of reflection, ask families to do some research about the meaning of their own names before they arrive (they may also want to research the meaning of their Confirmation names, if they have been confirmed).  Then, when everyone is gathered, ask for volunteers to share what they learned.  Provide the etymologies of different biblical names, including Jesus (“he saves”), Mary (“beloved”), Simon (“the one who listens”) Peter (“the Rock”).  While the names we were given at birth are very significant, the name by which the Lord calls us is something much richer than the name on our birth certificates.  When God says, “I have called you by name and you are mine,” he is speaking of a “name” that incorporates all our talents, all our gifts, all our loves, and all that attracts us.  Have the people present jot on a piece of paper some of the “meanings” that would be a part of this “name” by which God calls each of them.  Then provide old magazines and catalogues, glue sticks, scissors and paper and have the families create a big collage that represents the things they’ve jotted down.  Each person can do a separate collage, or the family can join together to make a family collage.  The important thing is that the collage will represent the name God uses to call them.  When the collages are done, collect everyone for a moment of quiet, light a candle and read Psalm 139 together.  Announce that these collages represent how God calls them.  Ask them to think about what God is calling them to.  Then let them choose either to take their collages home or to leave them in a basket at the foot of the altar in the church.
    Other family catechesis can take place around the Feast of the Presentation in the Temple.  Before the gathering, create a simple worship aid with the Night Office of the Liturgy of the Hours on it; make enough copies for each family to have one.  Have each family bring a candle (or provide candles, if the parish has the means).  Light a large candle at the front of the room and dim the lights so that the flame becomes a focal point.  Read Luke 2:22-33 and ask everyone present how Simeon was able to recognize the Christ child.  Explore what it might mean to have the Holy Spirit rest on a person.  How did Mary feel when this stranger came and took her baby from her arms?  Why would Joseph and Mary feel so amazed when they themselves knew who Jesus was?  Did their understanding deepen and grow with their encounters with the shepherds, the Magi, and now with Simeon?
    Then begin to explore the meaning of Simeon’s canticle.  How is Jesus “a light for revelation”?  What do we see in his light?  How does this light accompany and strengthen us?  You may provide materials for decorating the candles that the families brought.  Small holy pictures, symbols, buttons, or sequins may be attached with straight pins.  Some craft stores sell sheets of colored wax, which may be cut and pressed onto the candles.  Candle decorating pens also exist.  Have the families think particularly about the light of Christ and how and what it enlightens in their lives as they chose decorations for their candles.
    Have a priest or deacon visit to bless the candles when the families are done decorating them.  Then allow the families to light the candles, if they so wish, while everyone prays the Night Office of the Liturgy of the Hours.  Allow the families to take home their candles and their worship aids and encourage them to pray the Night Prayer each night before bedtime.
   

LENT

A Saint Joseph’s Table celebration provides the perfect opportunity to amplify and enrich parishioners understanding of Lent.
    Invite families to help prepare the hall for the feast.  Before all the activity begins, gather everyone for a reading of the Gospel.  But make sure everyone has washed hands first!  Have a vase of dried wheat on a table in front of everyone, as a focal point.  Light a candle and solemnly proclaim John ?:?? “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”  Provide every family with a small paper cup half filled with soil and a wheat seed.  Let them plant the seed in their dirt.  Then speak with them about all that happens to the seed – how it lies quietly in the earth, waiting for moisture; how it sends a tentative, fragile root down, seeking the fluid and nutrients it needs; how the first shoot appears like a tiny green promise, and in a field of wheat the earth looks suddenly as if it has a green film on it; how our work, after the initial planting, is quiet expectation and hope.  Then speak about weeding and watering as the plant grows and the seed slowly vanishes to make way for this new, richer life.  Be slow and meditative.  Point out the wheat in the vase and discuss with them how that one seed came to produce so many more seeds on one plant – dwell on the fact that the seed had to be buried, hidden, and dead in order to give way to this new life.  Read the verse from John again.  Then describe how much human energy is needed once the wheat is ripe: to cut the wheat, to separate the seeds from the chaff, to grind the wheat into flour.  Then show everyone a handful of wheat flour and explain that now the families will contribute their work to bring this flour to an even more glorious fruitfulness.  Pass out copies of a simple recipe for bread and provide the dry ingredients (flour, salt and yeast pre-measured and bagged for convenience – each family should have enough to make a small dinner roll) along with bowls and mixing spoons.  When each family has mixed the dry ingredients, provide warm water and let them mix and knead.  This dough will be baked and served at the Saint Joseph’s Table.
    Give the families an opportunity to wonder about their contribution to the feast.  How are we like the grain of wheat that died?  How is Saint Joseph like the wheat?  What is the value of our contribution, our work?  What was Saint Joseph’s contribution?  Who will eat this bread?  Who did Saint Joseph tend and feed?  Why is this work so life-giving, how is it like Saint Joseph’s work?  In this verse, what does Jesus wish us to know about death and resurrection?  Once the families have cleaned up the mess, provide unlined index cards and pens so that they may copy the verse from St. John.  Encourage them to decorate the verse with pictures of wheat or other symbols of resurrection.  Either send the dough home with rising and baking instructions and directions on how to deliver the finished rolls to the feast, or let the dough rise on aluminum foil cookie sheets in a warm, draft-free place while the families create decorations for the Saint Joseph’s Table.  If there is no oven in the hall, transport the rolls to the rectory and bake them there.  End with a prayer to Saint Joseph: Loving and Eternal Father, Saint Joseph recognized the voice of your angel in his dream, and he followed you in everything.  Like Mary, Joseph said, “yes” to you with a willing heart.  Help us always to follow his example of trust and love.  We ask this through Jesus, who loves Saint Joseph as a father. Amen.  Remind the families to take home the seeds they planted.
    If the parish has candidates and catechumens, consider providing a “prayer tree” (instead of the fir tree used for the Saint Nicholas gift tree, use a bare branch stabilized in a pot of dirt) with paper ornaments in the shape of white garments or baptismal fonts or Paschal candles.  Each ornament will bear, on the front, the name (and perhaps even a Polaroid photo) of one who will celebrate the sacraments of initiation during the Easter Vigil.  Encourage families to take an ornament and each night, at their family meal, pray the prayer inscribed on the back (Beloved Father, enlighten the soul of your child, [name of the person], prepare him/her in your sacred ways and let your mercy and love guide his/her steps during this time of preparation.  We eagerly anticipate the day when he/she is reborn in the death and Resurrection of your Son and becomes united with us in the Body of Christ.  Protect [name of the person] from all evil so that he/she may serve you in holiness and righteousness and so come to meet you, one day, in the fullness of your heavenly kingdom.  Amen.)  Also invite the families to come to the Easter Vigil to celebrate with the neophyte they have sponsored!
            

The Paschal Triduum

During the afternoon on Holy Thursday, before the Triduum begins, gather families for a time to remember and celebrate the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper.
Prepare the room in advance.  Rather than having many smaller tables, try to configure the tables together to create one large table.  Spread the tables with white sheets.  Bring matzo crackers, concord grape juice, a simple undecorated ceramic plate and a goblet, two candlesticks with candles (don’t forget the matches!), and a standing crucifix.  Write down the names of the twelve disciples and Jesus, one name on each large, unlined index card, and staple twine in a loop to the cards so that they can hang from a child’s neck at chest level.
When the families arrive, give them each a name card and have them hang it around the neck of their smallest member who is able to sit alone at the table (age two and up).  As the name cards are distributed, say something brief about each of the apostles (for example: “Andrew was the first to follow Jesus.  He told his brother Peter, ‘We have found the Messiah.’” or  “Thomas is the one who said to Jesus, after he rose from the dead, ‘My Lord and my God!’”).  It might be better to reserve Judas for the leader or catechist in charge.  If it is possible that more than twelve families will take part, make sure to have extra blank name cards on hand.  Families can write their surnames on the cards, or they can choose a saint’s name.  Suggest that today we will join the disciples at the Last Supper.  Then teach everyone to sing, “Jesus, Remember me…” 
When all is ready, light a candle and read Mark 14:12-17 & 22-26.  Then explain that during the next reading, the families will do what the Gospel describes.  Instruct the children who are Peter and John to set the plate and cup on the table during the first part of the Gospel.  Likewise, ask the child who is Jesus to take the matzo in his hands, repeat the words read from the Gospel, and break it into as many pieces as will be needed; then he can repeat the words over the grape juice and pass the cup around the table.  Proclaim the Gospel a second time, pausing to allow everyone to fulfill their roles.  When the final verse is read, lead the grouping singing, “Jesus, Remember me…”  Then announce that while Jesus and the apostles were on the Mount of Olives, soldiers came and arrested Jesus and he was killed.  Place the standing crucifix on the table.  Then place the two candlesticks on the table and remind everyone what happened to Jesus on the third day after his death.  He rose again!  Light the candles.  Let the silence go for as long as possible as everyone enjoys the light.  Ask, “What are those words, the very loving words, that Jesus spoke over the bread?  And over the wine?”  Then ask, “Where do we hear those precious words today?”  Acknowledge that the priest repeats those words at every Mass.  Point out that Jesus is with us still.  He promised he would be with us always.  What a gift!  Then sing the Mystery of Faith and any other Eucharist songs that seem appropriate.
When the singing is over, serve grape juice and matzo in paper cups and napkins.

Easter

Families may need to revisit the prayers of the Easter Vigil to reflect more deeply on the mysteries they have celebrated. 
Before the evening of reflection, prepare the room in advance by placing a glass bowl of water and a large tray of sand (the sand should be deep enough to support a candle) onto a low table.  Decorate the table with a simple vase of flowers and a crucifix with the Risen Christ.  Place a box of white taper candles under the table (test in advance to make sure the candles will fit safely in the tray of sand).  The room should remain quite dim.  When the families arrive, give them all nametags and gather them outside the door to the room where the main meditation will take place.  Place a large, white pillar candle in the center of a small table covered with a white cloth.  Open a missal to the liturgy for the Easter Vigil.  This reflection works best when the various prayers have been copied onto small index cards in advance. 
Announce that tonight we will revisit these most precious prayers of the Easter Vigil so that we can reflect on what we experienced on that “most holy night” of the year.  Distribute the different cards with the prayers on them.  Then explain that when we have finished reflecting on the prayer of blessing the Easter Candle, we will have a procession into the room.  Explain that a procession is prayerful walking.  Also explain that the procession will stop three times; when the candle is lifted into the air, the leader will proclaim “The Light of Christ,” and everyone else should answer, “Thanks be to God.” 
Then, whoever has the first card may begin by reading, “Dear friends in Christ…”  Allow a short silence.  Perhaps repeat the key phrase: “When… Christ passed from death to life…”  Then point out that this is also our journey, as Christians.
The second card contains the blessing of the new fire.  After this second card is read, announce that we have all been invited to “the feast of eternal light.”
Each phrase of the preparation of the candle should be on a separate card, so that eight different children have the opportunity to read a small bit of the blessing and trace a part of the cross or one of the symbols on the side of the candle with their thumbs.
Light the candle.  Then the next person reads the prayer, “May the light of Christ…”
After that, lead the procession into the room that has been prepared.  Remember to stop three times to announce, “The Light of Christ” and pause until the response, “Thanks be to God” is finished.
Indicate that all may be seated around the low table and place the white pillar beside the bowl of water.
The next card will be the first stanza of the Exsultet: “Rejoice, heavenly powers!…”  For the sake of the children present, choose only three stanzas of this beautiful prayer.  Perhaps the other two could be as follows: “Accept this Easter candle …” and then, “May the Morning Star…”  Lead the whole group in singing, “Amen.”
Then read one of the resurrection accounts from the Gospel.  John 20:11-18 is very moving and beautiful.  When the solemn reading is concluded, call each person forward (it is very important to call them by name – if this poses any difficulty, make sure to give out nametags before beginning).  As each person comes forward, light a small taper from the big pillar, hold it so that they can touch it if they wish, announce, “Receive the Light of Christ,” and then place it upright and still lit in the tray of sand.  When candles have been lit for each person present, allow a rich silence, during which the group can enjoy the light.  Then sing all the Alleluia’s and Easter songs you know! 

Ordinary Time during Summer and Fall

Here are some ideas for linking parish picnics or fun days to the liturgy of the day:
1.    Bring the liturgy to the party.  Invite the parish priest to the site where the event will be held.  After an initial round of games, crafts, or icebreaker activities, have Mass in the open air.  Hold the meal and the singing afterwards.
2.    Invite the event planners to help prepare the liturgy.  An experienced liturgist could present the event planners with choices among various appropriate songs and prayers of petition.  The event planners could be responsible for enlisting the aid of extraordinary ministers, lectors, cantors, and ushers who will also be involved in the event so that recreation and worship might be seen as a “seamless garment.”  Decorating the church for the liturgy might be seen as simply part of planning for the event.  Appropriate floral arrangements might be placed both within the church, as well as at the site of the event.
3.    Researching various traditions surrounding the observance of feasts and saint’s days might yield interesting connections.  For example, Trinity Sunday provides the perfect opportunity to celebrate parish unity.  Various ministries and other parish groups could set up tables with information or even take part in a parish “parade” that could involve children on decorated bicycles and tricycles.  Children from the various groups could assist with some of the responsibilities at the Mass following the parade (where appropriate) and then there could be a great potluck agape in the Church basement.  
On the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, decorate the tables with glass bowls of water with petals or floating candles (to recall Saint John’s role in the Baptism of our Lord).  A dunking tub, car wash fundraiser, or water balloon toss might tie in nicely with the theme.  A morning event, such as a brunch, might be a lovely opportunity to introduce the recitation of Lauds.  All may learn a sung version of the Benedictus.
On August 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, instead of a May crowning, the parish could place a wreath of flowers at the feet of an image of Mary, or even a small globe.  The Order of Crowning an Image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from The Rites, Volume II, can be used for this purpose with only slight adaptation.  After Mass, hold a “Coronation ball” at which all can toast the Queen of Heaven.  Have the choir practice a medley of Marian hymns to be sung at this event.   
4.    At sporting events, consider making the rule that all players who wish to participate must first attend Mass in their team uniforms.
5.    Just as coffee and donuts are sometimes offered after Sunday Mass, a bonfire with cider and s’mores might be offered after the Saturday vigil Mass.