1. Who will come again?
2. When will Christ come again?
3. How will the Second Coming occur?
4. What will happen during the Second Coming?
5. Why will Christ come again?

Based on the Scripture readings about the coming of the Son of Man and the teachings of the Catholic Catechism of the Catholic Church, this video will explain what the Second Coming of Christ is all about and why it is so important at the beginning of the season of Advent.

Find additional information on The Five Finger Prayer at http://www.thereligionteacher.com/five-finger-prayer/

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What does Ordinary Time mean? Why is Ordinary Time called ordinary? Although it might come as a surprise, Ordinary Time is not called “ordinary” based on its level of importance. The origin of the name Ordinary Time comes from the Latin word ordinalis, which means “numbered.” Ordinary Time, which occurs between Christmas and Lent then again between Easter and Advent, signifies a numbered (or ordered) list of Sundays that anchor our daily lives in the Catholic Church.

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What are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit? Where do these gifts come from? What is the meaning of the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit?

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Copyright 2012 Jared Dees

Thanks to Jared Dees for this great video. Check out more teaching videos, lesson plans and other catechetical resources at The Religion Teacher.

How is the date for Easter determined? The date for Easter is calculated as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. The vernal equinox is the day of the yearn in the Spring when the day and the night are of equal length. We know that Easter must be on a Sunday since all of the gospels clearly indicate that Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week. We also know that Jesus was celebrating Passover during the Last Supper. So Easter must fall on a Sunday around Passover each year. Passover is on the first full moon after the vernal equinox.

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Copyright 2012 Jared Dees

Thanks to Jared Dees for this great video. Check out more teaching videos at The Religion Teacher.

Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving are the three pillars of Lent. In a special way, we focus on these three things during Lent to help us grow in our faith during our 40 day journey to Easter, the celebration of new life and Christ’s resurrection.

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The 14 Stations of of the Cross remember the events of Jesus’ Passion and Death in Jerusalem. The Stations of the Cross devotion is often practiced by Catholics during Lent and especially on Good Friday to deepen our connection between Christ’s Passion and Death and our own lives. The Stations of the Cross, or the Way of the Cross, originated with pilgrimages to Jerusalem, but since most of us will never be able to walk the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, we can experience the Stations of the Cross in our own churches, our homes, or even in an app.

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“Solitude has two meanings: one deriving from man’s very nature, that is, from his humanity. . .and the other deriving from the relationship between male and female. . .” (Papal Audience, October 10, 1979)

We need to find our identity in our own person as well as in our relationship with others, particularly our spouse.

All too often in any relationship we tend to pull our identity solely from our significant other, in other words only from that second meaning of solitude derived from our relationship with others. This happens for most often in “young love” when couples spend excessive amounts of time with one another and just can’t bear to be apart. Teens are notorious for this.

This can happen with spouses too, especially when kids come around. Spending time with your spouse is essential, but if you never take some time for yourself you can’t be the best spouse possible. We need time to recharge and find our identities away from our spouses so that we can come to them with the qualities that they fell in love with in the first place.

“Thus, the created man finds himself from the first moment of his existence before God in search of his own being, as it were; one could say, in search of his own definition; today one would say, in search of his own ‘identity.’” (Papal Audience, October 10, 1979)

3 Ways to Find Constructive Personal Time Away from Your Spouse

1) Go to a coffee shop and read. This is a great way to feel like a grown-up and get a little time to yourself. Find a good book. Read it and reflect. If you are a mom, take Lisa’s book (or books!) with you. The handbook is a great programmatic way to reflect on various areas of your life.

2) Work out. Go on a run or head to the gym. I have done some of my best thinking while doing a little exercise. You’ll feel healthier and feel better about yourself. This will pay off big-time when you’re with your spouse.

3) Go to daily Mass, Eucharistic adoration, Reconciliation, or some other devotional practice in a sacred place. Taking time for personal ritual prayer is a great way to find yourself and connect with God. There are so many ways we can make this personal connection “before God.” If you have little kids like me, you need some time to pray in solitude without chasing little kids in the pews or holding crying babies. Find some alone time with God. Jesus did it all the time.

One final note: Try not to make work your only asylum. All too often we make our work our escape from our spouse and family. I truly believe we should be passionate about our work, but don’t let your work be the only think that defines you. Who you are is not always about what you do for a living. How you do it, though, is much more important.

Copyright 2012 Jared Dees

What does Ordinary Time mean? Why is Ordinary Time called ordinary? Although it might come as a surprise, Ordinary Time is not called “ordinary” based on its level of importance. The origin of the name Ordinary Time comes from the Latin word ordinalis, which means “numbered.” Ordinary Time, which occurs between Christmas and Lent then again between Easter and Advent, signifies a numbered (or ordered) list of Sundays that anchor our daily lives in the Catholic Church.

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What are the names of the four gospels of the Bible? The four gospel names are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but the all make up just one Gospel of Jesus Christ. Can you name the 4 gospels? Try the Gospel song in the video!

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“Johnny,” I said, “Why would you do something like that?”

“Because,” Johnny plainly replied.

“Because why?”

“I don’t know.”

“Miss Suzie, would you like to join us?” I asked, tapping on the desk upon which the young girl laid her head for a mid-class nap.

“Excuse me, missy. Would you please get down from there?” I asked my daughter as she climbed on top of the table only to be given with her honest response: “No, Daddy, No.”

As a father I have found myself falling into the same bad habits I had as a first-year teacher. When I first started teaching I was annoyed and surprised by some of the middle school behavior. It all seemed so ridiculous. The things they did shouldn’t have even been funny. To be honest it didn’t even bother me that much so I didn’t come down that harshly.

I took a polite tone with the kids, rather than one of authority. We grow up being taught to ask nicely for things and this becomes a habit that invades our teaching and our parenting.

When we want to change a behavior in our children, the familiar maxim ask, don’t tell doesn’t quite work. We need to tell, not ask when we want kids to do something. Would you really want an honest answer to the question, “Would you please line up in a straight line, everyone?” (“No, Mr. Dees, we would rather do whatever we want and have fun!).

I soon figured this out as a teacher and started to use direct language sometimes even using specific consequences: “Line-up, it’s time to go back to class. Johnny, you have two seconds to get in line or you will lose 5 minutes of your recess.”

Now I need to learn this lesson as a father. I was able to master this as a teacher, but I’m amazed by how easy it was to fall into the same bad habits as a parent without even realizing it. Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile. This applies to people of all ages.

What is your advice? How do you address young people in direct ways rather than using indirect questions? What habits have you formed that help curb bad behavior?

Copyright 2011 Jared Dees

Vocal Prayer

Vocal prayer is any mental or verbal prayer given to God.

• Intentions
• Singing
• Singing praise and worship with hand gestures (believe me, the kids love this at all ages)
• Reciting traditional Catholic prayers together like the Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary, Glory Be, Divine Praises, Angelus, Acts of Faith, Hope, Love, and Contrition, etc.
• Reciting prayers written by saints
• The Divine Office
• Novenas
• Requests for intercessions from the saints and Mary

Meditation

Meditation is the quest of the mind to seek understanding and respond to the Lord’s call.

• Journaling about one’s day or in response to a question
• Silent reflection
• Scripture reflection
• Music reflection
• Reflection on traditional Catholic prayers (see above for examples)
• Reflection on a poem or book
• Reflect on writings of the spiritual fathers
• Focusing on holy icons or other works of art
• Examination of conscience
• Lectio divina
• The Rosary
• Chaplet of the Divine Mercy
• Stations of the Cross

Contemplation

Prompted by the Holy Spirit, contemplation is the humble surrender to the loving will of the Father in union with the Son.

• Silent reflection as personal time with God
• Centering prayer (focus on one holy word such as “Jesus” or “Lord”)

Contemplative prayer in a classroom setting is no easy task. It requires more than a simple invitation and opportunity. It is not something one does “only when one has time” (CCC, 2710). If you encourage a personal relationship between your students and God and set an example of a humble life of prayer, then you may be setting the stage for the students to take on contemplative prayer in their own lives in the future.

What other ways have you begun class or a catechetical session?


Copyright 2010 Jared Dees

Editor’s Note: Today, I’m so happy to welcome talented blogger Jared Dees to our CatholicMom.com team of contributors.  Jared will share from the expertise he has gained as Adolescent Catechetical Specialist at Ave Maria Press and from his “hands on” work as a religion teacher.  For more inspiration, visit Jared’s fantastic blog The Religion Teacher.  Lisa

Getting teenagers to pray, sing, and even listen during Mass can be a real struggle. With exasperation we might exclaim, “The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life and they don’t even care!” How can we change this? How can we get them to appreciate Christ’s presence in the Liturgy and get them to participate? Here are six tips for adults working in Catholic schools, youth ministers, catechists, and parents to consider:

1.  Make sure they know what to do

Sometimes teens don’t sing the songs or pray the prayers because they don’t know the words. Make sure each person has a liturgical aid or remind them to use their hymnals. Teens are much less likely to sing or even mouth the words if they don’t know the songs. With cantors, they may not even know they are supposed to sing. They may also be confused by the standing, sitting, and kneeling. Take some time to explain each part of the Mass and what participation type of participation is actually expected of them.

2. Lead by example

“A truth which is loved by the teacher, and communicated in such a way that it is seen to be something valuable in itself, then becomes valuable to the student”  (Congregation for Catholic Education, The Religious Dimension  of Education in a Catholic School, #107). This goes for all adults. If you don’t participate, neither will they.

3. Participation can be cool

Typically participation in the Mass is not something that fits into a teen’s identity. Participating in Mass isn’t cool. Since singing, praying, and listening during Mass isn’t that common, most teens will try to blend into the crowd. They want attention, but not the wrong kind of attention. If you’ve ever been to a youth conference Mass, you know that participation is not a problem. In those settings they can become accepted by their peers for praising God, so participation is not a problem. When teens see others (even adults) participating around them, then they are much more likely to join the crowd. Start small and get a few students on board and have them encourage others to participate in every setting.

4. Change the setting

What do these Catholic youth rallies, conferences, and retreats do so well? They play contemporary praise and worship music. Homilies include messages that they can relate to their personal lives. They are surrounded by other teens. They get time to socialize before and after the liturgies. Try recreating this in your parish or school either on retreats or during regular masses. Teen masses can become very popular when teens are given the opportunity to attend.

5. Find their feelings

Each one of us comes to the Liturgy with new experiences, concerns, issues, and emotions. What is going on in a teen’s life prior to coming to Mass? We’ve all been teenagers so you know the answer is a whole lot. Prime the pump before Mass begins. Get them thinking about what is going on in their lives and hopefully they will be able to make connections between this and the Scripture, prayers, homily, or the Eucharist itself. This can be especially possible during retreats, Catholic school masses, and youth group Mass. Just make sure the time is set aside to do so.

6. Teach them why

No matter how fun or emotional you make the Mass, if teens do not increasingly learn more about the Christ and the mystery of the Eucharist, they will lose interest. Youth rallies are great, but the emotions fade. When teens know the person who touches them during the Mass, they can make the conscious decision to praise him even when the emotions are gone. Catechetical instruction, specifically liturgical catechesis, is essential to developing life-long disciples. If teens don’t know who Christ is, how can they be motivated to seek communion with him?

What successes have you hand in getting teens to join in the Liturgy? Share your ideas by commenting below.


Copyright 2010 Jared Dees