This week was a particularly busy week. We continue to celebrate the triumph of our Lord over death, we had a Mega-SNS, a lock-in, and a trip to the escape room. This week was all about living it up because God gave us such a great life to live. We celebrate this gift by being the most of ourselves and seeking to glorify God in everything we do. Although my knees are not happy with me for the pain I put them through this week, it was definitely worth it.
We begin with the Mega-SNS where we enjoy our time together for two extra hours. We played a new game called consequence trivia where we had to do challenges to steal lost points. It was outrageously fun to play. A little gross, but mostly fun. I even wore an old suit to play the part of game show host. It was a great time playing basketball, hide and seek, and watching movies. We of course also enjoy our fair share of snacks.
Five days later we did it all over again, except this time we spent the night, thus having even more fun. I hope by now we all caught up on sleep because we certainly did not sleep from Friday into Saturday. We began the lock-in discussing how to move forward from the soul training we endured during Lent. We discussed our concerns and desires. In April we are focusing on moving forward and so we started out by laying the foundation with the help of Sacred Scripture and small group discussion. We enjoyed movies like The Greatest Showman and hit the basketball court again. After a few rounds of hide and seek we returned to the house to play video games and cards. We also ate more amazing food and had good conversations. The air hockey table was a spot for great competition. After watching the sunrise and realizing that sleep was necessary, the lock-in concluded.
This past Sunday we visited the escape room in North Olmsted to practice our team work and problem solving skills. The group in the Mad Scientist room made it out with slightly under ten minutes to spare, while the Sherlock room group ran out of time. They were very close to getting out. Afterward the teens enjoyed a stop at Malley's for some chocolate and milk shakes. It was a great Sunday. We are energized and excited to host the eighth graders at our first open house of the year. We look forward to sharing the greatness of StCYM with them.
As I continue to walk with this group, I am reminded of how awesome life can be. It is easy to get caught up in life taking care of the little things and lose site of the precious gift we have. The teens help me realize the beauty of this gift. St. Clarence is blessed with a great group of teens. I am continuing to learn about them and enjoy what I am learning from them as well. Teens today are in great need of support because they are living adult lives more and more. I don't remember being half as busy as society keeps them today. We should consider it our duty to pay attention to them and walk with them lest we lose them. Teens are a great asset to the Church and its mission.
Pax,
Johannes
26 March 2018
StCYM: Holy Week (25 MAR 18)
We have reached the final stretch of Lent. This week we reflect on the significance of Christ's Passion. We reflect on what was given to humanity as a result of God the Son's dying knowing of the coming rising. This week we finished up our discussion series with knowing our purpose in life and what happens after we die. Personally, it was interesting to hear the perspective of the teens regarding various topics.
Following the discussions, we watched the second half of The Passion of the Christ. This was a very raw portrayal of our Lord's Passion. The violence was very intense, but done with purpose and not simply for show. I noticed myself reflecting on Christ's wounds and their significance. It is our sinfulness that caused Christ's wounds. He is completely innocent, yet took the punishment owed us. What an act of love!
Throughout the movie there are flashbacks of Christ's ministry. He shows us God's goodness despite our failings. The primary mission of Christ is, indeed, salvation and not condemnation. This is not to ignore the fact that we have the free will to condemn ourselves, should we not believe and follow Christ and His teachings. However, Christ came to show the world God's light and His love for creation. He then taught us to go forth and share this same love ourselves!
Holy Week completes the saving work of God. God became flesh so that he could shoulder the weight of condemnation for it. Once this is complete, God moves ever forward in sharing the love that is born out of sacrifice. Love born out of sacrifice is the strongest form of love since it requires a complete denial of self in varying degrees. God's form of love is the strongest in existence because He, being the most perfect being, sacrificed Himself. Christ denied His divinity on the Cross by remaining on it. Christ could have chosen to come down, but remained.
This denial of the highest degree of perfection should motivate us to glorify God in all that we do! God took care of the hardest part and gives us the Holy Spirit to keep up the little things. We are truly an Easter people as St. John Paul II proclaimed. It is during Holy Week that we recognize this amazing potential due to God's supreme sacrifice. Let us go forward boldly and prepare ourselves, once again, to celebrate the victory.
19 March 2018
StCYM: The Passion of the Christ (18 MAR 18)
Last night we met once again to continue our Lenten journey. To begin the night we played two good rounds of "Lean On Me", a game where you and a partner are back to back and have to stand up without using your hands for support. It was Seniors vs. the World and the Seniors swept the World 2-0. Following the madness, we had good discussions on the topics of Satan and also Homosexuality as we continued our discussion series based on Life Teen's 100 Things Every Catholic Teen Should Know. We finished our last hour with the viewing of the first half of The Passion of the Christ.
The Passion of the Christ is arguably the best Christian film ever produced. In my humble opinion it even beats the legendary The Ten Commandments. The reason I find it so good is the amount of attention that was paid to the details in the portrayal of Christ's Passion. The film is in Aramaic and Latin, which is astonishing because those two languages are considered dead. While Latin is technically still alive as it is the official language of the Holy See and the Church and Aramaic is only used by a small group of peoples in areas in Syria, Turkey, and Iraq (Syriac Christians), the contemporary world does not truly know these two languages. Experts were hired to translate the script from English into Aramaic and Latin.
The second reason this film captivates me is the attention to how Christ's Passion connects to key people in Christian history (Mary, Peter, John, etc.) using specific imagery and the like to make those connections noticeable, yet not to the degree where they take away from the natural flow of the story being told. The reality of the violence Christ faced is also very impactful. When you weigh your guilt against Christ's innocence, while seeing his torment, the film has a striking reality to it that goes far beyond what is normally felt when watching films based on a true story. The Passion is felt in the heart.
Next week we will conclude our discussions, review our Lenten journey, and then prepare for Holy Week. We will also conclude our viewing of the film. It is my prayer that it has a prolonged impact on our faith as we prepare to move forward into the Easter season and beyond. I wish you all a fruitful remainder of Lent. God bless you.
Pax,
Johannes
The Passion of the Christ is arguably the best Christian film ever produced. In my humble opinion it even beats the legendary The Ten Commandments. The reason I find it so good is the amount of attention that was paid to the details in the portrayal of Christ's Passion. The film is in Aramaic and Latin, which is astonishing because those two languages are considered dead. While Latin is technically still alive as it is the official language of the Holy See and the Church and Aramaic is only used by a small group of peoples in areas in Syria, Turkey, and Iraq (Syriac Christians), the contemporary world does not truly know these two languages. Experts were hired to translate the script from English into Aramaic and Latin.
The second reason this film captivates me is the attention to how Christ's Passion connects to key people in Christian history (Mary, Peter, John, etc.) using specific imagery and the like to make those connections noticeable, yet not to the degree where they take away from the natural flow of the story being told. The reality of the violence Christ faced is also very impactful. When you weigh your guilt against Christ's innocence, while seeing his torment, the film has a striking reality to it that goes far beyond what is normally felt when watching films based on a true story. The Passion is felt in the heart.
Next week we will conclude our discussions, review our Lenten journey, and then prepare for Holy Week. We will also conclude our viewing of the film. It is my prayer that it has a prolonged impact on our faith as we prepare to move forward into the Easter season and beyond. I wish you all a fruitful remainder of Lent. God bless you.
Pax,
Johannes
12 March 2018
StCYM: Death Row Story (11 MAR 18)
Last night we were honored to welcome Joe D'Ambrosio and our Pastor, Fr. Neil, to Sunday Night Session. It was a night focused on the incredible story of a death row inmate (Joe) fighting to be exonerated. To begin the night, we of course feasted on delicious mozzarella sticks and chicken nuggets. Once we were about done getting our fill, we watched the episode of CNN's Death Row Stories that told Joe's story.
As a man who cares for justice and has a degree in criminal justice, this episode was hard to watch without getting upset. The lies by the investigators, the inconsistent affidavits, the lack of proper investigation, the inconsistent medical evidence, the lack of evidence, etc, all made for a terrible case. I am amazed that a capital murder trial could be so tainted. I am also amazed at Joe's resilience throughout the ordeal. I question if I would have fought so hard for so long (22 years) or if I would have given up after a mere few years and accepted my fate (death). I hope my inclination would be to keep fighting.
What Fr. Neil did was incredible. He visited the imprisoned as Christ teaches us to do, but he went even further, he fought for justice. It was a long battle, that with the courageous actions of witnesses and judges, turned out in favor of Joe. What captivated me the most about Joe coming out of death row was his embrace of silence. He briefly discussed the noise of prison life and how there was no peace for 24 hours a day so, he would simply sit in darkness and silence or go outside and simply stare at the stars.
I think this is a fitting story during Lent when we wander into the desert to look inside ourselves and realize God's goodness. Joe prayed for 22 years for God to deliver him and He did. Many of us would say, "Wow, it took God 22 years to answer Joe's prayer; the prayer of an innocent man!" However, as Joe reminded us, God doesn't work on our time. We are not privy to the wisdom and knowledge of God. We often believe God is hurting us or abandoning us. That is a lie! Reject this lie immediately when you hear it! It is also important to note that Joe has forgiven those that did him wrong and that wanted him dead! This is profound! How hard is it for us to forgive those who merely offend us, yet this man who was sentenced to die can forgive those that sent him to death row. This is very Christ-like and something we should emulate.
As we move forward toward the Victory of Christ, I challenge us to recognize the noise and make time to simply be in silence and appreciate life itself. Let us praise God for simply being. I know I certainly need to embrace silence, because there is profound power in it. It often amazes me that when we have less, we actually have more. The less we have, the more God can occupy. And what God occupies is certainly good.
Pax,
Johannes
Deus Providebit!
As a man who cares for justice and has a degree in criminal justice, this episode was hard to watch without getting upset. The lies by the investigators, the inconsistent affidavits, the lack of proper investigation, the inconsistent medical evidence, the lack of evidence, etc, all made for a terrible case. I am amazed that a capital murder trial could be so tainted. I am also amazed at Joe's resilience throughout the ordeal. I question if I would have fought so hard for so long (22 years) or if I would have given up after a mere few years and accepted my fate (death). I hope my inclination would be to keep fighting.
What Fr. Neil did was incredible. He visited the imprisoned as Christ teaches us to do, but he went even further, he fought for justice. It was a long battle, that with the courageous actions of witnesses and judges, turned out in favor of Joe. What captivated me the most about Joe coming out of death row was his embrace of silence. He briefly discussed the noise of prison life and how there was no peace for 24 hours a day so, he would simply sit in darkness and silence or go outside and simply stare at the stars.
I think this is a fitting story during Lent when we wander into the desert to look inside ourselves and realize God's goodness. Joe prayed for 22 years for God to deliver him and He did. Many of us would say, "Wow, it took God 22 years to answer Joe's prayer; the prayer of an innocent man!" However, as Joe reminded us, God doesn't work on our time. We are not privy to the wisdom and knowledge of God. We often believe God is hurting us or abandoning us. That is a lie! Reject this lie immediately when you hear it! It is also important to note that Joe has forgiven those that did him wrong and that wanted him dead! This is profound! How hard is it for us to forgive those who merely offend us, yet this man who was sentenced to die can forgive those that sent him to death row. This is very Christ-like and something we should emulate.
As we move forward toward the Victory of Christ, I challenge us to recognize the noise and make time to simply be in silence and appreciate life itself. Let us praise God for simply being. I know I certainly need to embrace silence, because there is profound power in it. It often amazes me that when we have less, we actually have more. The less we have, the more God can occupy. And what God occupies is certainly good.
Pax,
Johannes
Deus Providebit!
26 February 2018
StCYM: Soul Training I (25 FEB 18)
Yesterday we began our soul training for this Lenten season.
We discussed getting back to basics. We watched a video of Marine recruits
during their first hours of Basic Training. They didn’t have freedom, they were
stripped of their hair and personality, and they were beginning a reprograming.
To train a recruit in the military that recruit has to go back to the basics.
Even the psyche of the recruit is retrained. During Lent it is a good time to
get back to the basics of our spiritual lives and perhaps even reset ourselves.
In order to get back to the basics, we chose 24 topics to
discuss over the next few weeks using Life Teen’s “100 Things Every Catholic
Teen Should Know” as a guide. To discuss these topics, we will dig into the Scriptures
and catechism. We began our journey discussing how we take our faith seriously (“God’s
not playin’ games”), whether Christ rose from the dead (“Did Jesus really rise
from the dead?”), and the death penalty. We incorporated current events such as
seeing people fall from their faith and the recent Florida school shooting.
When it comes to being serious, being a witness is a key way
to be serious for Christ. Answering our call to love those who are hardest to
love (like the school shooter) or entering a frightening situation with courage
are powerful ways to display our seriousness for the Gospel. Regarding the
validity of the resurrection, we discovered the historic accounts outside of
Sacred Scripture about Jesus. Knowing the truth of the resurrection should embolden
us to live lives for Christ. We also discussed the death penalty and what the
Church teaches regarding state sanctioned executions. We discovered that the
Church actually teaches that it should be only used as a last resort when
protect the public is impossible. It turns out that in our society it is
possible, and so we should find ways to eliminate it.
Next week we will continue our journey through Lent as
partake in Soul Training: On the Edge. We will discuss what it means to be on
the edge by analyzing minimalism, risk taking, and near occasions of sin.
Following the training session, we will continue our catechesis by discussing
more of the topics we chose. I pray your Lenten journey continues well and that
your relationship with our Lord continues to grow.
Pax.
18 December 2017
StCYM: NCYC Reflection Day 3
As we continue through the season of Advent, I figured this would be a good time to share my personal reflections on the National Catholic Youth Conference that we participated in a few weeks ago. This reflection will be about day three.
Reflection on NCYC Day 3 18NOV17
- I am learning a great deal about the holiness of the family. Despite this, I still do not feel drawn to have a biological family. The pattern of consolation will not change. I consider this great comfort as I recently struggled with confusion. I pray for courage.
- I am so grateful for the many prayer and adoration opportunities available here at NCYC. God is good!
I was very busy on day three and very exhausted at the end of it, which explains why I did not write much. I will provide more substance here. During day three we attended Mark Hart's breakout session entitled, "Moving Forward: Biblical Truth You'll Need for Your Future". It was a good discussion of God's love for us and desire for us to thrive, while incorporating His revelation in Sacred Scripture. Of course Joshua 1:9 stuck out to me when he discussed it, since it's our main verse for the retreat.
Day three ended with the Vigil Mass. It was a great display of the Universal Church. People from different places and speaking in different languages were all together to celebrate the Mass. It was beautiful. The bishops and other clergy were excited to see and hear the 25,000 teens. The energy was great.
Following the Mass we returned to our hotel. We discussed our top three favorite parts of NCYC. I am grateful for the chaperones that helped. They were absolutely amazing and the teens enjoyed their company. I also enjoyed getting to know the teens better. It was amazing to see everyone experience their faith as a group. I was moved to tears of joy on more than one occasion during NCYC.
NCYC was a rejuvenation of the fire of faith that we all possess through our Baptism and Confirmation. The season of Advent is a time of preparation and rejuvenation as we make preparation in our souls for Christ! Who are you preparing for? Are you preparing for the world or for Christ? Bring this question to Him in prayer as we continue our march toward Christmas.
Pax
Reflection on NCYC Day 3 18NOV17
- I am learning a great deal about the holiness of the family. Despite this, I still do not feel drawn to have a biological family. The pattern of consolation will not change. I consider this great comfort as I recently struggled with confusion. I pray for courage.
- I am so grateful for the many prayer and adoration opportunities available here at NCYC. God is good!
Credo Domine!
I was very busy on day three and very exhausted at the end of it, which explains why I did not write much. I will provide more substance here. During day three we attended Mark Hart's breakout session entitled, "Moving Forward: Biblical Truth You'll Need for Your Future". It was a good discussion of God's love for us and desire for us to thrive, while incorporating His revelation in Sacred Scripture. Of course Joshua 1:9 stuck out to me when he discussed it, since it's our main verse for the retreat.
Day three ended with the Vigil Mass. It was a great display of the Universal Church. People from different places and speaking in different languages were all together to celebrate the Mass. It was beautiful. The bishops and other clergy were excited to see and hear the 25,000 teens. The energy was great.
Following the Mass we returned to our hotel. We discussed our top three favorite parts of NCYC. I am grateful for the chaperones that helped. They were absolutely amazing and the teens enjoyed their company. I also enjoyed getting to know the teens better. It was amazing to see everyone experience their faith as a group. I was moved to tears of joy on more than one occasion during NCYC.
NCYC was a rejuvenation of the fire of faith that we all possess through our Baptism and Confirmation. The season of Advent is a time of preparation and rejuvenation as we make preparation in our souls for Christ! Who are you preparing for? Are you preparing for the world or for Christ? Bring this question to Him in prayer as we continue our march toward Christmas.
Pax
11 December 2017
StCYM: NCYC Reflection Day 2
As we continue through the season of Advent, I figured this would be a good time to share my personal reflections on the National Catholic Youth Conference that we participated in a few weeks ago. This reflection will be about day two.
Reflection on NCYC Day 2 18NOV17
- Day one ended with great music and prayer. The teens are filled with energy!
- Day two was a full day in downtown Indianapolis. We began with Sarah Kroger leading us in praise and song. We then heard a powerful witness from a former refugee who came from South Sudan.
- She was followed by Sr. Miriam, SOLT who gave her witness, which was heavy. God is showing His grace through her rough life. Early teen alcoholism, promiscuity, abuse, rape, etc. She experienced so much darkness. God delivered her and called her to speak to the young as a nun.
- The breakouts were great. I learned about the saints and why to be Catholic. Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers was incredible! He was not afraid to talk tough issues. He taught us not to be afraid of Truth.
- Lunch as a group was great! The evening session was awesome. Matt Maher was the performer (he also helped with Adoration). The teens went to Confession! It ended with the Benedictines and compline. Back at the hotel [one of our own] gave a powerful witness!
One of the cool things to see was how open the teens were to trading their hats. The participants of NCYC bring unique hats to trade with one another. This is a really cool way to interact and get to know others from around the country. Advent is a season of preparation, but also of fellowship. We are not called to prepare for Christ alone. We are called to community. NCYC was a great display of the universality of the Church.
I am grateful that the teens were so receptive of myself and the other amazing adult chaperones. We all became an awesome family. I greatly enjoyed my time with them. Despite the lack of sleep and the long days, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I feel confident saying that everyone else feels the same.
Pax
Reflection on NCYC Day 2 18NOV17
- Day one ended with great music and prayer. The teens are filled with energy!
- Day two was a full day in downtown Indianapolis. We began with Sarah Kroger leading us in praise and song. We then heard a powerful witness from a former refugee who came from South Sudan.
- She was followed by Sr. Miriam, SOLT who gave her witness, which was heavy. God is showing His grace through her rough life. Early teen alcoholism, promiscuity, abuse, rape, etc. She experienced so much darkness. God delivered her and called her to speak to the young as a nun.
- The breakouts were great. I learned about the saints and why to be Catholic. Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers was incredible! He was not afraid to talk tough issues. He taught us not to be afraid of Truth.
- Lunch as a group was great! The evening session was awesome. Matt Maher was the performer (he also helped with Adoration). The teens went to Confession! It ended with the Benedictines and compline. Back at the hotel [one of our own] gave a powerful witness!
Credo Domine!
One of the cool things to see was how open the teens were to trading their hats. The participants of NCYC bring unique hats to trade with one another. This is a really cool way to interact and get to know others from around the country. Advent is a season of preparation, but also of fellowship. We are not called to prepare for Christ alone. We are called to community. NCYC was a great display of the universality of the Church.
I am grateful that the teens were so receptive of myself and the other amazing adult chaperones. We all became an awesome family. I greatly enjoyed my time with them. Despite the lack of sleep and the long days, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I feel confident saying that everyone else feels the same.
Pax
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