A Message from Matthew

Hey guys,

I came across this great blog entry on LifeTeen.com that really helped me to think about my New Year's Resolution. Now that the Christmas season is over, we have entered Ordinary Time. Ordinary doesn't mean "the same old thing" or "boring". How lame would that be? Ordinary Time is the time when we "order" our lives, the time that we practice or get ready for the big seasons in life: Lent & Christmas. Really what we're doing in every season of the year is learning to imitate Christ, to be like Him, and to be ready for His Second Coming so that we can live with him in total happiness forever!

So, what if this New Year we tried to accomplish one or two things we're afraid of? Click here to read more at LifeTeen.com.

Pax,

Matthew Irwin

High School Youth Minister

Dr. Ray Guarendi writes, “Few things can ruin the joy of parenthood more than a fear of mistakes.” It’s OK to be wrong! We all make  mistakes, but it’s how we respond that reveals our character and shapes the legacy of our family. (Click here for more of his article.)

Prepare the way for a joyous Christmas celebration by initiating a reconciliation circle after dinner tomorrow night.

Gather around your Advent wreath or manger scene

• Begin with the sign of the cross, "In the name of the Father..."
• Family Member #1: "Compassionate Lord, we gather tonight as a family in your name. You invite us to take time out of our busy lives to examine our conscience. We have not always been faithful to the Gospel. Help us to look honestly at ourselves and our relationships with each other tonight. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen."
• Family Member #2:
  A reading from the first Letter of Saint John (3:1-2, 18-24)
  
  Beloved:
  See what love the Father has bestowed on us
  that we may be called the children of God.
  Yet so we are.
  The reason the world does not know us
  is that it did not know him.
  Beloved, we are God’s children now;
  what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
  We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
  for we shall see him as he is.
  Children, let us love not in word or speech
  but in deed and truth.
  Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth
  and reassure our hearts before him
  in whatever our hearts condemn,
  for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything.
  Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us,
  we have confidence in God
  and receive from him whatever we ask,
  because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
  And his commandment is this:
  we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
  and love one another just as he commanded us.
  Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them,
  and the way we know that he remains in us
  is from the Spirit he gave us.
  The word of the Lord.
  
  
• Mom or Dad: Now we're going to take a few moments of silence to reflect on how we need to apologize to each other.
• After a brief silence, Mom or Dad should begin by apologizing first. Simply say, "I'm sorry for..." and "I love you, please forgive me."
• Encourage (but don't force) everyone else to take turns.
• Note: This is not a discussion, debate, or fight. Each person should simply listen without interrupting.
• Mom or Dad: Let us kneel together and make an Act of Contrition:
• All together:
  I confess to almighty God
  and to you, my brothers and sisters,
  that I have greatly sinned,
  in my thoughts and in my words,
  in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,
  through my fault, through my fault,
  through my most grievous fault;
  therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
  all the Angels and Saints,
  and you, my brothers and sisters,
  to pray for me to the Lord our God.
• Mom or Dad: "May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and lead us to life everlasting. Amen"
• Close with the sign of the cross.

Don't miss our Communal Reconciliation Service this Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. We will have scores of priests on hand to hear individual confessions!

Learning from you and with you,

Matthew Irwin

High School Youth Minister

This Advent, as we prepare for the coming of Christ, I've come to realize how much our teens have in common with the shepherds.

Forget your image of a farm boy taking care of the flock, or popular    paintings of Jesus tenderly carrying the sheep on his shoulders. Most    people back in the time of Christ thought that shepherds—all of them—were shady characters who were up to no good and couldn’t be trusted. Sound familiar? Isn’t this what so many think of our teenagers? 

 Our society’s stereotype of teens is often unfair and exaggerated. Our teens are saturated in this negativity on a daily basis. This Advent, let’s resolve to find a small way every day to show or tell our teens how much we love them, trust them, and take pride in them. In this way, we are like shepherds, defending the little flock that Jesus has given us in our family.

 You may find this article from Focus on the Family helpful.

Learning from you and with you,

Matthew Irwin

High School Youth Minister