What are you giving up for Lent?

Reading a comment made by Bill Winston on another post, I thought I would make a post regarding giving up something for Lent. When thinking about "giving up" something for Lent, I'm reminded of this verse: "Whoever wishes to be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in my steps." (Luke 9:23)

Most of the time we decide to give up something like chocolate, coffee, soda, etc. for Lent. And that is great! It helps us learn how dependent we have become on something like that, and it may even help us be a little healthier too! But are there other things we can give up or do during Lent? Many times people, DO something, such as help the poor, work in soup kitchens, or things like that instead of or in addition to giving up something during Lent.

Tomorrow's reflection on EWTN's webiste, gives a list of things we can give up in addition to what we may have already planned to give up.

Here's the list:

WHAT TO GIVE UP . . .

Give up complaining. . . . . . . .focus on gratitude.

Give up pessimism. . . . . . . . . become an optimist.

Give up harsh judgments . . .think kindly thoughts.

Give up worry. . . . . . . . . . . . . trust Divine Providence.

Give up discouragement. . . . .be full of hope.

Give up bitterness. . . . . . . . . . turn to forgiveness.

Give up hatred. . . . . . . . . . . . . return good for evil.

Give up negativism . . . . . . . . .be positive.

Give up anger. . . . . . . . . . . . . .be more patient.

Give up pettiness. . . . . . . . . . .become mature.

Give up gloom. . . . . . . . . . . . . .enjoy the beauty that is all around you.

Give up jealousy. . . . . . . . . . . .pray for trust.

Give up gossiping. . . . . . . . . . .control your tongue.

Give up sin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . turn to virtue.

Give up giving up. . . . . . . . . . . hang in there!

With that in mind, I thought we could all leave a comment about what we are giving up for Lent so that we can pray for each other during these 40 days of Lent. I'll start the list here, so make sure you leave a comment about what you are doing this Lent....

• For Lent, I am going to try to fast for 40 days. By fast I mean, I am going to use the rules of fasting that the Church uses--1 meal a day and 2 smaller meals that do not equal the one larger one, also no snacking in between (which is REALLY hard for me) and no drinks that would be considered food in between meals (which is hard for me too because I love my mango smoothies after a workout). I am also going to try to dedicate at least one hour of my day to prayer, which I hate to say I've slacked off on lately. Also, my husband, Chip, is going to give up one of his favorite things--McDonald's. So I ask that you please pray for us in our Lenten journey, just as we will pray for you.
  

-Kristy
†
J.M.J.

40 ways to get the most from Lent

I was browsing around Catholic Answers Forums tonight and noticed this post that I thought would be a good one to keep. It listed 40 ways to get the most from the Lenten season. I read through them and thought you might enjoy them. Here are the first five, and I will include a link at the bottom of the post to get you to the entire list.

• 1 Take 30 minutes to pray, ask the Holy Spirit’s guidance, look over this list, and make a few practical Lenten resolutions. Be careful. If you try to do too much, you may not succeed in anything. If you need to get up early or stay up late to get the 30 minutes of quiet, do it. Turn off your phone and computer. Don’t put it off and don’t allow interruptions.
• 2 Get up earlier than anyone else in your house and spend your first 15 minutes of the day thanking God for the gift of life and offering your day to Him.
• 3 Get to daily Mass.
• 4 If you can’t do Mass daily, go to Mass on Fridays in addition to Sunday and thank Him for laying his life down for you. Maybe you can go another time or two as well.
• 5 Spend at least 30 minutes in Eucharistic adoration at least one time during the week.

You can find the rest at Catholic Exchange. Enjoy!


-Kristy
†
J.M.J

What about fasting & abstinence?

Catholics today are sometimes confused about what fasting and abstinence are.  So I thought that this would be a good time to sort of define it all!

In the Latin Church, abstinence means refraining from eating the meat from mammals or fowl, and soup or gravy made from them. Fish is allowed, hence Fridays are known as "Fish Fridays." Traditionally, the laws of abstinence apply to all aged 7 and over, but the new Code of Canon Law applies it to all who have completed their 14th year.

Fasting is the taking of only one full meal (which may include meat as long as abstinence is not expected) and two smaller, meatless meals that don't equal the large one meal. No eating between meals is allowed, but water, milk tea, cofee, and juices are OK. Meat is allowed at one meal (assuming abstience isn't also expected on a given day). Traditionally, everyone over 21 years of age and under 59 years of age is bound to observe the law of fast; but the present Code of Canon Law sets the ages of 18 and 59 as the limits.

Days of penance and/or abstinence:  Fridays of the year are traditionaly days of penance & abstinence (see Can. 1251 below), but it is up to the local bishop as to whether or not the faithful of his diocese must abstain from meat. Here in the Diocese of Memphis, we are NOT required to abstain from meat on every Friday of the year, but we ARE required to abstain on the Fridays of Lent:

The following is from the 1983 Code of Canon Law regarding fasting & abstinence as well as the requirements for days of penance.

• Can. 1249 All Christ's faithful are obliged by divine law, each in his or her own way, to do penance. However, so that all may be joined together in a certain common practice of penance, days of penance are prescribed. On these days the faithful are in a special manner to devote themselves to prayer, to engage in works of piety and charity, and to deny themselves, by fulfilling their obligations more faithfully and especially by observing the fast and abstinence which the following canons prescribe.

• Can. 1250 The days and times of penance for the universal Church are each Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent.

• Can. 1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

• Can. 1252 The law of abstinence binds those who have completed their fourteenth year. The law of fasting binds those who have attained their majority, until the beginning of their sixtieth year. Pastors of souls and parents are to ensure that even those who by reason of their age are not bound by the law of fasting and abstinence, are taught the true meaning of penance.
  

I hope these few notes & definitions help anyone who might be confused on the obligations of the faithful in the Church today during Lent.

 

-Kristy

   

    †

J.M.J.

A Reminder...

I just wanted to remind everyone to be watching the blog for posts about Lent.  I also wanted to make sure I give you the link to EWTN's Lenten meditations.  It can be found here.  I really like their meditations & have been reading them for a while.  

Don't forget tomorrow is Ash Wednesday!!  We will have masses at St. Mary's at 7:00, 8:10, 12:00, & 7:00 pm.  If any non-Catholics happen to read this blog, you can come and receive ashes, too!  Also, please remember that Ash Wednesday is a day of fast & abstinence.  I am going to make another post regarding that in more detail.

-Kristy

    †

J.M.J.

Watch for new posts this week!!!

Ok, this will be the last post tonight (I think).  Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know that I may try to post some other things besides our weekly class discussions.  I think that this can be a good way to read weekly meditations, Catholic news, Catholic questions, etc.  Now that we are (almost) into the Lenten season, which I do have to say is my favorite season (yes, I know that may be strange), I would like to post some meditations, thoughts, etc. on here so that we can discuss them.  Let me know what you all think!  You can either post here or email me at kds786@mac.com if you think this is a good idea, or if you have something you want me to post.  You can also get in touch with me through my personal blog, A Catholic Girl's Life.  I hope you all have a GREAT week!!!

    †

J.M.J

-Kristy

Today's Class

Today we had a really great class!!!  We had a very good discussion on the early formation of the Church.

As most of us know, the Church's hierarchy consists of the Pope, bishops, priests, and deacons.  But did you ever think about how that came to be?  This was just one of the many topics discussed this morning.  We also noted that Pope St. Clement wrote very interesting letters to the church at Corinth in order to try to stop the faithful from straying from their roots.  I was able to find a link to the letters here.  

Back to the hierarchy...

The question came up about apostolic succession, canon of scripture, and the apostles.  First off, I want to make sure that we are clear on apostolic succession.  We all know that every Catholic bishop today can be traced back to the original 12 apostles, right?  But how?  Well, that question was answered today.  During the 1st century, there was no laying on of hands as we see it today.  The 12 apostles simply had a "following" and from those followers, they chose who would best continue their teaching.  There is a good article from Catholic Answers here about apostolic succession.

What happened to the apostles?

This was another good question that came up today.  We know they went out to evangelize, but then what?  Well, from our discussion today, we learned that they were teaching and evangelizing all over the area.  At first, they were teaching that Jesus was to come back soon, but that belief eventually died with the apostles, just as our book tells us in Chapter 3.  So, what happened to the apostles?  They fulfilled their duty to the Lord by teaching the Gospel, and then they died at different times in history.  In fact, all except St. John, who is believed to have died a natural death, were martyred.  One particular apostle who I want to mention is St. Peter.  Most of you may already know this, but it is believed that St. Peter was martyred in Rome by crucifixion.  But it was not upright as Jesus' was.  Peter was crucified upside down, according to tradition, because it has been said that he did not feel he was worthy enough to die in the same manner as Our Lord.  Today, you will often see an upside down cross (NOT upside down crucifix), which represents St. Peter.  Here is a picture of Pope John Paul II sitting in a chair with the cross of St. Peter.

We also discussed the Apostle's Creed today.  This creed states the general beliefs of the faithful and provides the doctrinal basis of the early Church and the Church today.  You can read a little bit more about it here.

Finally, one of the last things we talked about was the succession of popes.  We know that traditionally, St. Peter is considered the 1st pope, but what about after that?  Well, I did a search and found this list of the popes at EWTN.  You can always count on them!  This list can be found here.  It begins with Pope Benedict XVI and goes backwards to St. Peter.  I hope that helps!

Well, I've said a LOT in this post today!  I'm sorry I didn't get it up until now, but hopefully it summed up all that we said today and a bit more!  

Prayer Requests, Other Business, Etc.

Before we began our discussion today, we had several people that we need to add to our prayer list.  I hope I wrote down everyone, but if I forgot anyone's request, I am sincerely sorry and if you'll let me know I'll add them!!

• Mary Ann Baskin requested that we pray for her daughter-in-law who has cancer.
  
• Dave Geibel asked that we pray for Stephanie while she is going through chemotherapy.
  
• Judy Allison asked that we continue to pray for Neil.
  
• Bill Gayton asked that we pray for his daughter-in-law.
  
• Several of you asked that we pray for Debbie Armour, who recently lost her father as well as having her mother in the hospital
  
• Also, I requested that you pray for two of my students, both are 17 years old and pregnant and one recently got married.  

Also, just a side note of the business of the class.  We elected officers today.  Our new class president is Dave Geibel, and I (Kristy Sherrod) am the new secretary.  We look forward to serving this year!  Also, there was discussion concerning possibly taking up donations in class and also having a bereavement fund for our class "family" incase we ever need it.  I think both are a very good idea.  How about you?

Class Members

Since some of you requested this, here is a list of the members of our class as of today.  If I missed anyone, let me know!!

Marsha Sabella  

Bill Gayton  

Dennis Seymour

Mary Ann Baskin  

Val Phillips  

Amy Fritz

James Sabella  

Jim Phillips  

Celia Skelly

E. Andrew Rogers  

Mary Hayes  

Peggy Solberg

Joy Rogers  

Wayne Holmes  

Charles Solberg

Evelyn Young  

Geni Holmes  

Delia Winston

Gigi Lui  

Debbie Armour  

Bill Winston

Jim Rolleri  

Dave Geibel  

Phyllis Gayton

Terri Rolleri  

Stephanie Geibel  

Kristy Sherrod

James Allison  

Kevin Brown  

Patsy Turner

Judy Allison  

Rita Hodges  

Lela Mitchelson

And of course we can't forget our facilitator, Dale Childress!!

A Good Meditation for the Week

I got this in an email and I thought I would share it with you all.  It is a short poem of sorts that really makes you think.  Many times we live in the past or the future instead of living in the NOW.  So what does the Lord want us to do?  Maybe this will help us know.  

God bless you all!!

-Kristy

"I AM"

I was regretting the past and fearing the future.

Suddenly my Lord was speaking.

"My name is I am."

He paused.  I waited.  He continued,

"When you live in the past with its mistakes and regrets, it is hard.  I am not there.

My name is not I WAS.

When you live in the future, with its problems and fears, it is hard.  I am not there.

My name is not I WILL BE.

When you live in this moment it is not hard.  I am here,

My name is I AM."

-Helen Mallicoat

Class Website

Hey all!  I just created a new class website.   Just click here:  St. Mary's Champions of Hope Sunday School Class.  It is just a small site now, but hopefully I can add to it later.  I also have a member page and forum page.  You do have to "sign up" to post on the forums and become a member, but it is really easy and quick.  I plan to add a photo page soon so look for me to bring my camera to class eventually!! : )  

Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy the website and the blog!  See you later!

-Kristy

Across the Roman Empire

Today's class was a very good discussion of the Church's spread over the Roman Empire.  It seems that the main influence came from St. Paul during this time.  St. Paul, for those who may not know, spread the Gospel to the Gentiles and the pagans.  At this time in history (from the death of Christ to roughly the end of the second century, there was not a clearly defined "Catholic Church".  There were Christians spread throughout the Roman Empire, and they were divided into two main groups--Jewish Christians (or Messianic Jews) and the Gentiles who became Christians.  At the council of 49 AD in Jerusalem, it was decided that it was ok for Gentiles to become Christians, thus beginning the slow disappearance of the Jewish Christian sects.

We can also look to the civilized atmosphere of this time to see why Christianity became such a prominent influence.  Roman and Hellenistic culture was very advanced, thus creating interests in philosophy & religion.  Just as we do today, people then were "looking for something" to complete their lives.  The so-called mystical religions of the pagans did not satisfy many people, so they looked to the salvation of Christianity for their fulfillment.   In the end, the people then had to realize that, although it had been thought that Christ was coming back to claim the Church soon, they needed to live their lives as if Christ was coming back at any time.  They had to realize that no one knew when Christ was coming back, and this is just how we need to live our lives today.

Some questions that we posed at the end of class dealt with some very interesting subject matters....

Are we all still looking for something?  Are some casualties of modern society?

What do you think?  

I hope that my insight into our discussion was helpful.  Until next week...keep praying and keep studying!!

A Prayer Request

Even though we got this through email, I wanted to make sure to post a special prayer request for Debbie Armour and her family.  Her father passed away Wednesday evening.  Please pray for the repose of his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed.  Also, please pray for his wife (Debbie's mother) as well as for Debbie's husband, who is in Iraq.  I know Debbie will appreciate all your prayers!

Welcome!!

Hello and welcome to the blog for the Champions of Hope Sunday School class at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Jackson, TN.  We hope you enjoy reading our weekly discussions about what goes on in our class.  Just a little bit of info about our class....we are made up of a variety of people of all ages.  We are a FAMILY!  Our goal as a class is to keep growing as a family through prayer & fellowship.  We are currently discussing the history of the Catholic Church.  Our facilitator is Dale Childress and we are currently using the book A Concise History of the Catholic Church by Thomas Bokenkotter.  Everyone is very excited about the class.  We hope you enjoy this blog as a little insight into our weekly discussions!