Catholic Church of the Incarnation Youth Ministry

Greetings again, devoted followers of high school youth ministry!  [That was my best imitation of one of the Star Trek characters.]  The Christmas season is behind us, and the break from school is over.  But, you can still continue to have fun and enjoy your life by participating in Incarnation Teens events.  Give it a try!

WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK?

• ENCOUNTER
• Wednesday, January 14 @ 7:15pm
• Holy Family Life Center Gymnasium
• There will be a game show, candy, and a dancing hamster!
• Incarnation Teens Winter Retreat
• Friday, January 16 thru Sunday, January 18
• Natchez Trace State Park
• Theme: "Fire and Ice"
• There is still a little bit of time to register if you haven't already done so!  You don't want to miss this!

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER

• Open Door Friday will begin again on Friday, January 23.
• Teens Loving Christ will begin again on Sunday, January 25
• There are a few DEADLINES approaching
• Winter Retreat Sign-Up: Wednesday, January 14
• Diocesan Youth Celebration Sign-Up: Friday, January 23
• Steubenville Mid-America Retreat Sign-Up: Friday, January 30

LOOKING FORWARD TO MASS

This coming Sunday will mark the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.  During Mass, we will hear the tale of Samuel's vocation (call) from God.  And, we will hear Jesus' command to two of John's disciples in response to their question: "Come and you will see."

The message is clear.  God is calling each and every one of His people to listen to Him; to live life with Him.  However, our ears must be attuned to God's voice (just like Samuel), and we must be willing to go along with Christ when He says, "Come."  Let us make that our prayer this week: that we will try to hear God's voice calling us; and when we do hear His voice, we will go where He commands.

God bless! 

• Leave a comment... (0)

Well, we had our first B.A.S.I.C. gathering of the semester this past Sunday.  With more than 30 youth present, we had lots of great fun!

Those of you who went to the gathering should tell at least one other person about something we did there.  Tell them we played lots of dodgeball.  Tell them we discussed how we can live the Gospel in our daily lives.  Tell them we invented our own Catholic version of "rock, paper, scissors."  Whatever you tell them, be sure to remind them to come to our next gathering to join in on the fun!

The next gathering will be held on Sunday, February 8 at 4pm in the Holy Family Life Center gym (same time, same place).  Be prepared for even more wacky games and, quite possibly, a skit!   In the mean time, keep praying for each other and for youth ministry at our parish!

God bless!

• Leave a comment... (0)

The B.A.S.I.C. Christmas Caroling was tons of fun!  The Incarnation Teens' pre-Christmas Party was the usual blend of wackiness and great fellowship!

All in all, the Advent season has been one of great cheer and blessing for our youth ministry.  And, I pray that such cheer and blessings settle into your hearts and homes during the blessed Christmas holidays!

Remember, it's okay and proper to celebrate Christmas until January 6!  So, keep up those trees and lights, keep singing Christmas songs, and keep spreading Christ's joy to the world!

The next time you hear from me will be on the Solemnity of the Epiphany!  Merry Christmas and God bless! 

• Leave a comment... (0)

This past Sunday marked a first for the middle school youth ministry here at Catholic Church of the Incarnation.  That was the evening that twenty-plus youth, and several more parents, went a-caroling in a local neighborhood.  What a blessing it was to be in the midst of that group!

We sung sacred hymns as well as secular songs, and we surely spread a lot of pre-Christmas cheer!  After the caroling, we made sure to eat plenty of great cookies and drink plenty of delicious hot chocolate.  I'm pretty sure that we have begun a wonderful tradition for years to come.

Please don't forget our next B.A.S.I.C. gathering on Sunday, January 11.  We will gather at 4pm in the parish gymnasium to begin another great semester of ministry.  The entire B.A.S.I.C. team hopes to see a whole bunch of youth at that gathering!

God bless! 

• Leave a comment... (0)

Check out my reflection on this coming Sunday's Mass, including its Scripture readings and prayers!  This will be a recurring theme on Fridays, and I hope that we will have some youth who might want to write some reflections in the future.

In two days' time, the Church will celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete  (Latin for "joy") Sunday .  It is a glorious celebration that is imbued with overtones of hopefulness and, you guessed it, joy.  The lectionary readings, which recount God's previous blessings as well as urge those gathered to look forward to the impending blessings.

The Entrance Song cries "rejoice!" on multiple occasions, and it reminds us, "The Lord is near."  In the Opening Prayer, the celebrant will express that all the Lord's people "look forward to the birthday of Christ" and want to "celebrate that feast with love and thanksgiving;" or if the celebrant chooses the alternative Opening Prayer, he will plead with God to "remove the sadness that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope" that the Savior will bring.

The readings from Sacred Scripture continue the same theme.  The prophet Isaiah had great things to proclaim: "glad tidings to the poor," "liberty to the captives," and a "year of favor from the Lord" are among that list.  Further, Isaiah rejoiced "heartily" because God saved him and provided justice to him (Isaiah 61:1-2,10-11).  In response to that first reading, the faithful will recite the words of the Blessed Mother: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord," and "the Almighty has done great things for me, holy is his name."  So shall it be when the Savior is born unto us, but to the most perfect degree!

Even St. Paul wrote that the Thessalonians ought to "rejoice always," and "not despise prophetic utterances."  Yes, St. Paul wanted to ensure that his flock remained faithful to the commandments and prophets so as to "be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."  Although he was writing about the Second Coming of Christ, the simple truth remains: God's law and prophecies will be fulfilled; and we must be ready for that moment.

In the Gospel reading, worshipers will be treated to the message of the final prophet, John the Baptist, the one who came to "testify to the light."  St. John's mission was clear.  He was to prepare people for the ministry of the Anointed; he was to go ahead of Him to prepare hearts to receive the fullness of Truth.  And so he did.  Shall we listen to his words?  "Prepare the way of the Lord…"(Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4).  As we celebrate this particular Mass, we ought to be clearing room for Christ in our souls.

The hope and joy do not end with the Gospel reading, however.  Aside from the wonderful homilies that worshipers throughout the world will hear; aside from the joy-filled Eucharistic Prayer, the message continues.  The Communion Song will calm anxiety within the hearts of the faithful.  "Be strong and fear not, our God will come to save us," we will proclaim!  Finally, the Prayer after Communion will beg for "divine help," mercy, and preparation for the blessed Nativity of Our Lord.

In preparation for the celebration of Holy Mass this Sunday, during one of the holiest seasons of the year, let us all pray to be filled with God's mercy as well as his joy!

[Reproduced from Building the City of God, the author's personal weblog.]

Happy weekend! 

• Leave a comment... (0)

The pictures below are from last night's ENCOUNTER!  We had two groups attempt to untie the human knot, and one was much more successful than the other.  Either way, it was pretty hysterical!  And, we all stuffed our faced with great dessert foods!

Click here to see more pictures from the ENCOUNTER.

Aside from all the fun and great food, we were treated to great questions and answers about the Catholic Church's teachings on the Last Things.  Thanks to all of the youth who asked the great questions; and adult ministers and teen leaders who answered those questions.  I am very proud to be a part of a group that seeks TRUTH!

Alas, the teaching on the Last Things was the end of our "learning" for the semester (but, we are never finished learning about our Faith!).  Next week, we will celebrate a wonderful semester with a pre-Christmas party!

That means that everyone who attends needs to bring two things.

1. A gag gift worth $5
2. Your favorite dessert, or my favorite dessert (apple pie and peanut butter cookies!)

We will celebrate with music, gifts, food, and fellowship!  It will, no doubt, be festive and Christmas-y!

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions.  God's blessings be with each of you! 

• Leave a comment... (0)

Don't forget that the final B.A.S.I.C. gathering for this semester will be held on this coming Sunday evening.  We will gather at the home of one of our parishioners and visit various homes in the neighborhood to sing Advent carols.  We will conclude the evening with cookies and hot chocolate (warm!).  The event will begin at 4pm and end at 6pm.

If you need more information, or directions to the parishioner's home, please contact me via phone or email.  God's blessings be with each of you! 

• Leave a comment... (0)

Greetings, and Happy New Year!  Happy New Liturgical Year, that is!  The blessed season of Advent is here, and we joyfully and hopefully await the arrival of our Blessed Lord.  Rejoice with me!

Click here to see all of the latest ENCOUNTER pictures.

REFLECTION ON THE READINGS

Second Sunday in Advent: Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11; Psalm 85:9-14; 2 Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8

This week, we hear twice that God will send a messenger who will tell the people to "prepare the way of the Lord."  The one who served as that messenger was clearly John the Baptist, and his message was phenomenal.

Lest I tell you, again, about the Baptist's life and ministry, I would like to focus on a different passage.  In the prophecy of Isaiah, hearers are told, "Go up on to a high mountain…cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news.  Fear not to cry out and say to the cities of Judah: Here is your God!"  Advent is a time of preparation; but part of our preparation is to help other prepare.  During Advent, we ought to go out and proclaim that we eagerly await the coming of the Lord in His glory!

WHAT'S HAPPENING NEXT?

• Youth Fellowship Dinner
• Saturday, December 6 @ 6pm
• Restaurant to be decided
• Chili Dinner Fundraiser
• Sunday, December 7 @ 4pm
• Fellowship Hall
• Advent Lessons and Carols
• Sunday, December 7 @ 6pm
• Large Church
• ENCOUNTER
• Wednesday, December 10 @ 7:15pm
• HFLC Gym
• Open Door Friday (Last of semester!)
• Friday, December 12 @ 3pm
• Youth Room

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions.  May God bless your weekend!

• Leave a comment... (0)

The events lists in the left-hand side bar has been updated.  Look for new posts about Incarnation Teens and B.A.S.I.C. early next week.

God bless! 

• Leave a comment... (0)