Lawn Chair Catechism: Introduction

 

Two weeks ago CatholicMom.com launched a summer book discussion on Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus. The challenge to read a chapter each week includes both individual and parish-wide discussion questions.  Meanwhile, CatholicMom writers address the questions every Wednesday. Author Sherry Weddell focuses on the need for Catholics in the pew to be better evangelized; for us to bridge the chasm between Church teachings and a passive personal relationship with God.  

Even though I'm getting a late start, I wanted to share my personal answers to the discussion questions.  There are other personal answers and additional discussion over at the CatholicMom page.  Go visit!

How would you describe your lived relationship with God at this point in your life?

When considering this question, I thought back to my relationship with God during various stages of my life.  In my childhood, God was a benevolent father and I learned about his Love for me. The experience of Mass combined with CCE, though seen as an obligation, created a solid foundation for my teen years and shaped my traditionalist “good girl” attitude that led me not to question authority. 

College years were a time when I learned more about Philosophy than religion, and I grew away from a personal relationship with God. I learned to question authority, to question my foundational beliefs, to consider being spiritual without being religious. I attended Mass and prayer sporadically, largely to find comfort in an unfamiliar confusing time.

When dating and considering marriage, not being involved in a strong church community made it all too easy to succumb to the “if it feels good” worldly view, although tradition still grounded me to marry in the church. My personal relationship with God could best be described as a distant relative. I continued attending Mass because I found comfort in the ritual and tradition. I believed and had faith the BIG PICTURE without being part of a parish community. However, I loved our parish priest. His pre-wedding counsel re-introduced the solemnity of the Sacrament, while his short, on point, relevant homilies drew me more thoughtfully into the Mass.

Parenthood changed my relationship with God in two ways.

Having children required that I be able to explain what I believe, teach the traditions, and pass on the comforts of my faith. To do that required that I know my faith. I enrolled my daughter in little church, CCE, Catholic school. I learned alongside her, reading her CCE books. I began to seek the knowledge, history, truth, and teachings of the Church in order to answer her questions.

I also experienced a parent’s love, one that often overwhelmed me. After my second daughter was born, I found myself relating for the first time not only to my parents and how they loved all their children, but also to God and his love for us. All of us. Without competition. Without hesitation.

What does the word “discipleship” mean to you?

Discipleship calls to mind the early followers of Christ, not the Twelve Apostles, but those who had passing encounters with Jesus and were magnetically drawn to follow him. I also yearn to be a disciple of Christ. I’m learning to follow Him, to leave behind past confusions , to trust Him, to allow him to draw me away from worldly distractions and focus on the fullness of God’s new covenant.

As a disciple I’m on a journey toward Him. And I have a long way to go.

Do you perceive a need in the Church today to help lay Catholics become more fervent followers of Jesus Christ?

Each Parish is faced with the challenge to build a community of disciples. To meet this challenge they need to appeal broadly at every stage of the individual’s journey to Christ.  Thru homily, group study, prayer, religious education, and spiritual direction, the parish should be inclusive and welcoming.  But ultimately the individual must hear God’s call and start their journey with the destination of becoming in communion with Christ as their goal.



Pick up a copy of Forming Intentional Disciples, visit the Lawn Chair Catechism weekly, and walk with us this summer.

Saint Francis and Brother Duck

With the election of Pope Francis, people are clamoring to learn more about his chosen namesake, St. Francis of Assisi.   Paraclete Press has published a new way for children to familiarize themselves with St. Francis of Assisi in Saint Francis and Brother Duck.  It is the first graphic novel adaptation of the real life of St. Francis of Assisi.  The author, Jay Stoeckl, a secular Franciscan, was inspired to use his skills as a cartoonist in his first book.

You might be like me and thinking a graphic novel (comic book style) about St. Francis of Assisi and a Duck?  Huh?  And in truth, it is an adorable book that easily relates the story of Saint Francis in a colorful, visual way to young readers.  

The description reads...

See Saint Francis come to life as never before in this colorful graphic novel set in the hill-towns of Italy.  Francis saves the life of an innocent duck, the only fictitious character in the story, and the two become each other's inspiration.  As they grow in faith and friendship, Francis recognizes in Brother Duck everything that he desires in living the life of the gospel: humility, poverty and a childlike imagination.  

When we received Saint Francis and Brother Duck, my nine year old son picked it up instantly due to his curiosity of a graphic novel about a Saint he was familiar with.  The added bonus that made him sit down to read it immediately was the humor brought to the story by the fictional character of Brother Duck.  He so enjoyed the book, Daniel wrote about it for a school book report and gave me a few sentences to include here: 

I like this amazing graphic novel because it is about Saint Francis but with a little fiction. For example: brother duck could be a fiction character because ducks don’t speak. Also I think every one who believes in God or Jesus should read this book. I don’t understand when Francis got the holes in his hands and feet did he die? I recommend it to all ages under 14. ~ Daniel

My son's favorite cartoon from the book

My 11 year old daughter read it and gave me a short review. 

This is a good graphic novel because it takes place in a real time and has serious events but this book takes it in a funny way. I like that in this book it includes Brother Duck, he is a joy to have in the book. I like how he strives to be better like Francis, he tries his hardest and that’s what counts, isn’t it? This book is an amazing book. I recommend it to all ages under 12. ~ Ashley

My six year old daughter has now picked up the book to start reading.  Maybe she'll write her thoughts about St. Francis and Brother Duck.  

I received this book for free from Paraclete Press in exchange for an honest review.  And my family and I honestly enjoyed the book.  In an appealing way, Saint Francis and Brother Duck introduces young readers to St. Francis of Assisi and the way he chose to live out the Gospels.  And with the election of Pope Francis, it is a good time to help kids understand the humility and concern for the poor embraced by Pope Francis in the Franciscan way set by St. Francis.

Lisa Jones

Texas Catholic Summer Camp

Did you know there is a Catholic Summer Camp in Texas?  And that it is the only co-ed ACA accredited Catholic camp in the Southwest?  And that it looks REALLY fun!  Watching this video of The Pines Catholic Camp made me want to be a kid again so I could go to summer sleep away camp.

(Are you singing now?  I know I am.)

Since I'm not a kid, I'm doing the next best thing to attending The Pines Catholic summer camp - I'm sending two of my kids. This will be their first summer sleep away camp experience and they couldn't be more excited (except for a little worry about being homesick). To make it even better, they are going to The Pines with their cousins, Shelly's girls.  Double excitement!!

After I discovered The Pines online, I asked my friends on Facebook if any of them had experience with the camp.  Social media came through in a big way and my inbox was overloaded with nothing but positive, personal recommendations for The Pines Catholic Camp.  Evidently, many Aggie Catholics volunteer at the camp over the summer and a few friends are former camp counselors.

A friend of mine from my parish told me her middle school daughter returned from The Pines last summer with a new attitude and a greater love for God and the Church.   I'm excited about the idea of my children attending a camp that will not only be loads of camp fun but give them the opportunity to bond with other Catholics and deepen their faith at the same time.

If you haven't signed your kids up for a week long Summer Camp and live within driving distance to the piney woods of Texas, check out The Pines Catholic Camp.  The campsite is located in the town of Big Sandy, just two hours east of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, four hours from Houston and four and a half hours from Austin, TX.  They still have 2013 Texas Catholic summer camp availability for most kids ranging from entering 2nd grade through 11th grade.  

Lisa Jones

Who knows, maybe our kids will share a cabin!

Matthew 13:43 – Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

How to Teach Children to Pray the Rosary

Teaching Kids to Pray the Rosary

This month of Mary, we are reminded of the importance and power of praying the rosary.  Children may often feel overwhelmed with the complexity of praying the rosary since it is made up of many prayers.   Not only do they need to remember several prayers but also what order to pray, how many times and have a decent attention span.  That might seem like a lot to ask of elementary age children or younger.  However, through teaching my own children, I have realized that repetition, explanation and patience are the key.

In my third grade religious education class, our lesson calls for us to teach the children about the rosary.  Rather than simply explaining the rosary to my third grade class, we take the time to pray the rosary together as a class.  Through trial and error, I’ve come up with 8 tips to help you teach praying the rosary to kids in a religious education class setting.

1.    Prepare a handout with the words of the prayers they will need. Even if they know the prayers, it is helpful for them to see the words in front of them in the beginning.

2. Go over the mechanics of praying the rosary; which prayers, when and how many times. I also use a handout with a diagram of the rosary with prayers listed.

3. Explain that we pray the rosary at the urging of our Heavenly Mother and that our purpose is to meditate on the mysteries of Jesus’ Life, Death and Resurrection. It can be helpful to have a book with the pictures and description of the scripture to pray with each decade.

4. Before handing out the rosaries, instruct them in the proper respect and reverence we show toward any sacramental, especially a rosary. Do not expect them to know this. I missed this step the first time and quickly realized how important is can be with young kids.

5. Devise a way for the children to take turns reciting the prayers: go around the room with each prayer for a different child, or have one child recite all 10 Hail Mary’s in a row. Don’t be afraid to change it up mid-stream if it isn’t working for the class. 

6. Take it slow. Answer questions, offer explanations as needed. Some of the kids will be very familiar with the prayers and the rosary and for others, this might be their first real introduction.

7. Only pray as much or as little as works for your class and age. My first time teaching the prayer, I anticipated only praying through one decade, but the class was doing well and paying attention so we kept going and completed the prayer. 

8. Pray for patience and guidance and invite the Holy Spirit to guide your instruction.

Just remember, teaching kids to pray the rosary is about inspiring them with your love of Jesus and for his mother, Mary.  Trust in God, ask for His guidance, be patient, and pray.  

Lisa Jones

How do you teach kids to pray the rosary?  What tips would you add?

Finding God in Random MOMents of Grace

Shelly and I are so thrilled to be part of the Blog Tour for fellow CatholicMom.com contributor, Ginny Kubitz Moyer’s new book, Random MOMents of Grace.   When I read the tagline of the book – Experience God in the Adventures of Motherhood – I knew this was a book for me.  All moms know the crazy that is motherhood and how hard it can be to carve out a little one on one time with God with little people running around. 

Ginny has an absolutely beautiful way of weaving personal, mom stories into the bigger spiritual picture.  We are all living our faith in the way we minister to our families, it can just be a little difficult to see at times while we are sleep deprived in the midst of it. 

The first sentence I underlined in the book was during the introduction – 

“The ability to find God everywhere, even in places like toy-strewn living rooms, is a spiritual muscle that has been a bit flabby up until now.”

That put a huge smile on my face.  What a great way to think of it.  I mean, who hasn’t fallen asleep while trying to have quiet time with God at the end of a long day?  Why does it have to be quiet and alone time when we reach out to Him?  Motherhood means needing to recognize God working in our lives in ways we don’t expect or haven’t seen before. 

The back of the book states in part, 

"For any mom wondering if it’s possible to be fully engaged in the lives of her children without sacrificing her spirituality, Random MOMents of Grace offers a definitive “yes” as it shows moms how to see God’s grace at work in even the silliest, messiest, and most frustrating moments of motherhood.”

Ginny accomplishes this task in spades.  She writes as if she is a personal friend sharing her joys, frustrations, hopes and spiritual dreams with you.  There were many moments when I cried (as only a mom does) because I recognized the same worry, concern or revelation in my own life and other times when I smiled and laughed thinking she knows my children. 

I didn’t want to rush through this book, but wanted to savor the stories and wisdom shared in its pages.   This became my “carpool line” book that enticed me to leave the house a little early so I could spend daylight time reading it.

Mother’s Day is quickly approaching and this book would be an excellent gift for all moms with kids underfoot wishing they could dedicate more time to their spiritual life.  And, if you run over to Loyola Press' website right now, you can get a special price until May 5, 2013.  Shhh, don’t tell Shelly, but I’ve got her a copy on the way. 

Thank you Ginny for giving other mothers and me this book.  It is refreshing to hear you voice some of the same concerns, frustrations and joys of parenting that we all face with grace that only God can bring.  I love being reminded to look for God working in the midst of the chaos of motherhood.  He is there always in little ways that we sometimes miss. 

Lisa Jones

from "Random MOMents of Grace"