I rarely make new year’s resolutions, so it wasn’t surprising that with all I have had going on recently I didn’t even think about it this year. Even though my focus was not on making a resolution on January 1st I was inspired to make changes. Or maybe better put would be to say I’m learning to accept the changes that have taken place in my life and grow in these new ways; like the Magi I’m learning to take another route. The Gospel of Matthew tells us that the Magi returned to their homes by another road after encountering Jesus. They were changed and couldn't return the way they had come. As followers of Christ, we, too, have been changed and follow an alternate path—the path Jesus lays out before us. It is not enough for us to know Jesus was born—like the Magi his way must also become our way, his time must also become our time. Jesus must truly be born in us. When this happens Jesus becomes the living God and His light not only shines upon us, it also shines out from us to the world.
Our 7th grader this week has a way for us to let Jesus’ light shine out from us into our communities. She also explains why it’s important to help keep our communities strong. May her wisdom help us keep our Christmas joy burning brightly in our hearts and actions.
Radical Community Care
by Juliette
As our generation grows, so does our community. Our community is very important because it has friends and family that support us in every way. But recently communities have been falling apart. We need a fun way to put the community back together, because all together we are children of Jesus, and we need to care for each other.
As a community, we should get together in a fun way, and try something new and creative to care for it. For example, the community should get together and set up food stands of every family’s best dishes for everyone to try. You give everyone your own dish for them to enjoy, and by this you care for them. It’s a different way to care for the community, but a creative way too. Most of the communities haven’t done that before, that’s why the community should try it.
Before Christmas break the video 7th grade watched was of a flash mob orchestra. It was fitting because like the musician in the square waiting for someone to put a coin in the hat to begin playing the beautiful music prepared, so too Jesus waits for us. Jesus is at the ready to fill us with His grace, joy, peace, love, and more, but he doesn’t impose, He waits patiently, like our musician, until we are ready and respond. Hear what the 7th graders thought of all this: “If you give Jesus a small part of your heart, slowly by slowly he will come into your life.”; “It shows how God presents himself and his love to us and waits for us to join him. And when we do, it is *Beautiful!*”; “Like God is inviting, the band was inviting. Everyone at the end was playing together. Everyone in God was faithful in each other.”; “The flash mob orchestra represents God because we need to cooperate and be kind in order for him to fill us with his orchestra.”; “I saw faith in this video because the musicians are like God because they are the gift that keeps giving. We are like the little girl who gave the coin because we have to do to receive God’s love.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtlhKgTxEp0
Signs is the Cinema for the Soul offering this month. A death in the family results in a loss of faith while the appearance of crop circles becomes the catalyst to restoring faith. Come Thursday, January 24th at 7p to the Olive parish basement to see how it all plays out.
God bless,
Mrs. Alhadef
Campus Minister