Our Great Journey
This week our theme is “Humbly Blessed”/ Humildemente bendecido based on Matthew 23:1-12/ Mateo 23:1-12
Opening Prayer:
All pray the Sign of the Cross
Youth: Lord, Jesus Christ, in your holy face, we see the face of God.
Adults: Help us to keep our eyes always fixed on you, so that in everything we do, we may be pleasing to you.
Youth: May we love you and follow you all the way to God’s kingdom,
All: where you live and reign with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.
In addition to our prayers from the heart, our prayers for November are The Glory Be and the Morning Offering. Please pray these prayers daily to learn. The Morning Offering is a great prayer to start the day, before leaving the house in the morning.
Using the Bible, invite a family member to read the Gospel aloud.
Things to talk about:
- What is a hypocrite?
- What is Jesus trying to teach us in this Gospel?
- Do you know anyone who brags? What’s it like to be around someone like that?
- What does Jesus mean when he says, “the greatest among you must be your servant.”?
- Who is God calling us to serve today?
Things to do:
- Practice the virtue of humility this week. Let others go before you, when possible, and try not to boast.
- Do a random act of kindness this week and only tell your parents/kids. (Rake leaves from a neighbor’s yard!)
- We continue to celebrate the Saints all month. Research each family member’s Saints feast day. Look up who the Saint is for the day each person was born. Click HERE for research.
- Watch a video together about a Saints life, Check out FORMED. Our parish has a free subscription. Available in both English and Spanish. We love the Brother Francis videos for kids. (Go to FORMED.org/signup, Enter parish zip code 30066, Select Transfiguration, Enter your name and email)
Closing Prayer
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for the examples of the Saints. I desire to join in their company, worshipping you forever in heaven. Please help me follow their footsteps and yours, Jesus Christ. Please help me to conform myself to Your image, seeking Your will in all things, as the Saints did. Please help me to devote myself, and all that I do, to Your Glory, and to the service of my neighbors. Amen.
October is Rosary Month. Join us on Friday evenings, 7:00 p.m. to Pray the Rosary for Peace in the Middle East. We are praying a Rosary Novena and will continue to gather to pray the Rosary through December 8. This is a great way to learn the Rosary prayers.
Catholic Insights
In this Gospel, the scribes and the Pharisees are concerned with status, position and keeping up appearances, but Jesus reminds his followers that to be a disciple means to be a servant. They have great knowledge in the Jewish law and say the right words; this is what Jesus means when he says they “sit on the chair of Moses.” Jesus points out that they preach but do not practice. This is the essence of hypocrisy.
At it’s best, Christian humility makes God present. Someone who speaks divine truth in a humble way can change a life. Humility reveals God’s presence at work in the power of the Gospel. It means to serve as Jesus did, finding joy when grace transforms another’s life. We are truly blessed in our humility.
St. Clare of Assisi, even though she was born into wealth, humbled herself to become a religious sister after meeting St. Francis. In the middle of the night, she left her parents’ home and exchanged her rich clothing for a simple habit. Francis cut all of her hair. St. Clare spent her life barefoot, owning nothing and devoting herself to prayer and the service of God. Toward the end of her life on Christmas Eve 1252, Clare was upset that her illness was keeping her from Mass in the new Basilica of St. Francis. Suddenly, she was blessed with a vision of the Mass on her wall, both hearing and seeing it miraculously from several miles away. Because of this vision, she is the patron saint of television and the patron of sore eyes. Her feast day is August 11.
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