Lent begins next week and it’s always nice to have some resources at hand to help enhance our Lenten experience. Here are a couple on-line sources worth checking out. The Holy Name of Jesus Parish has made available The Augustine Institute’s Formed, offering a multitude of programs and videos fitting to all ages (to register for free: theholynameofjesus.formed.org). Education In Virtue has the theme of Take 5 This Lent offering helpful ideas such as take 5 minutes to read Scripture or pray for 5 people each day https://mailchi.mp/5e894aa79b37/take5lent2019 Our parish will also have Lent booklets available for all parishioners beginning this weekend.
Our 7th grader this week shows how, like Lent, we can go deeper in what we do, including how we do radical community care.
Radical Community Care
by Noah
There are plenty of ideas of how to care for your community. You could donate a canned food item or attend Mass weekly. You could even go as far as to pick up trash in your community. These are all great ideas, but have you ever thought about how you could take these activities a step further? Taking a step further is radical community care.
While all the ideas above are all great ideas, you can always do better. For example, you can donate canned food items, but have you thought about doing something bigger and better like organizing a community food drive? Now, not only are you donating your canned food item, you are letting your community offer their donations. This is an example of radical community care.
Now that we have a good idea of what radical community care is, we can take our other ideas and make them better. Attending Mass each week is great, but how can you take that a step further? To start, you can participate in the church community—you can help organize church activities, become a reader, altar server, or sing at church every Sunday. This is another example of radical community care.
Our last example of radical community care is picking up trash in your community. Like the other ideas, there’s always a step above. For this one you could organize a group a people to help you. The reason for organizing these events is it will show people that you are a leader and a person that people can look up to. To me this is taking a very big role in your community and should be considered radical.
The Hopscotch Experiment videoed people to see if they would interact with a hopscotch drawn on the sidewalk of a busy street. The joy and interaction that resulted with those who did take the time to engage in the hopscotch was beautiful to watch. Here is what 7th gr. saw also: “The people who hopscotched seemed to be more happy and child like.”; “It’s kind of like you have a choice to interact or not with God. And the people that do get a little moment of joy.”; “The video showed how people can be fun and do the hopscotch and the people who think they are too coo to do it didn’t do it. We miss the little things in life. The things God has created.”; “I saw the faith in this video when the people that did the hopscotch were happy and showed others. This shows God because once you feel his love, you can’t help but be happy, and want to show others.”; “This hopscotch video shows how some people like to have a little fun, and it brings people together like God.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P-PNa0bxQg
God Bless,
Mrs. Alhadef
Campus Minister
5th Grade / Jr. High Teacher’s Aide