Catholic? Bon Jovi concert
Went to the Bon Jovi concert (Circle Tour) at the (Bank Atlantic?) Sunrise Arena. Opened with one of my favorite songs, Blood on Blood. Also closed with an encore of Runaway, Wanted (Dead or Alive) and Livin on a Prayer. Show was great! Our nosebleed seats were eye level with the lighting catwalk, which may be why the audio was vocal audio was so hard to hear, but, otherwise, and great show! I think their show last time in 2008 was better even through we were behind the stage.
Their newer songs seem to be more focused on social justice. I know Bon Jovi is a big campaigner for Democrats (Gore, Kerry and Obama), but I was wondering if he’s still Catholic, especially since he sang Hallelujah solo for 5 minutes.
I found a quote from Parade magazine in 2007:
On his Catholic upbringing:
“I went to Catholic school in and out. I’m what you call a recovering Catholic. I have many major issues with the church.” — Jon Bon Jovi
I know that was 3 years ago, but I hope and pray that his search for truth brings him back home to a faithful Catholic identity. I also noticed Richie Sambora was wearing a St Benedict rosary around his neck. I hope it wasn’t just a fashion statement. I couldn’t find much about his faith background.
Another favorite Bon Jovi song is Keep the Faith.
My favorite part (usually cut off the radio version) is the part after the guitar solo (about 4 minutes) where he says:
I’ve been walking in the footsteps of society’s lies
I don’t like what I see no more
Sometimes I wish that I was blind
Sometimes I wait forever
To stand out in the rain
So no one sees me cryin’
Trying to wash away the painMother father
There’s things I’ve done I can’t erase
Every night we fall from grace
It’s hard with the world in yours face
Trying to hold on, trying to hold on
CCD 7th: God the Son (day 17)
In our 7th grade pre-Confirmation class, we reviewed God the Father (from last week) and focused on God the Son (chapter 5 in our book).
(A) Reviewed God the Father. Played the video clip from Martian Child (see last week’s summary). Reviewed homework assignment … think of an example of a movie clip demonstrating a “good dad.” From that, we brainstormed why our relationship with God the Father becomes so wounded that we stop trusting the unconditional love He has for us.
(B) Discussed prayer “Core Wounds.” In our diagram of the Christian Heart (body, mind, soul), our life experiences can develop “core wounds” that hurt our lives physically, psychologically and/or spiritually. They are shown as X’s on our diagram. These wounds are actually “LIES” that affect our future relationships, especially with our Heavenly Father. A common example, even shown in movies, is how our hurt relationships with our earthly father affect how we view the unconditional love of our Heavenly Father. Wounds can keep us from trusting His loving plan for our lives.
(C) Who is Jesus? We showed a movie clip from the 1996 Sylvester Stallone movie called Daylight. It’s the scene when the rescue worker (Stallone) first encounters the trapped people. Only getting 1 rescuer is not what the trapped people expected. This disappointed reaction is similar to the one Jesus received from people as they came to discover Him as the Messiah. The idea came from thesource4ym.com clip ideas. Click the link to get discussion questions.
Here is a trailer for the movie. The actual clip used is here (but it’s in a foreign language).
Good discussion as we imagined the roles of the people, the Messiah and what our reactions would be in their shoes.
Homework: (1) Chapter 5 assessment questions on the last page.
(2) handout “How the Bible describes Jesus” … look up passages
(3) bring textbook + Bible + journal
CCD 7th: God the Father (day 16)
In our 7th grade pre-Confirmation class, we touched on God the Father (chapter 4 in our textbook). I finally got to bring in my laptop and play a few movie clips. Awesome topic. — I was really looking forward to today!
(A) Opening prayer song reflection was He is Yahweh by Dean Salyn.
(B) God the Father is always present & knows what’s best for us & forgiving. Showed a clip from Lion King (1994), when Simba takes Nala to the Elephant Graveyard after father Mufasa warns against and ends up saving them from the 3 Hyenas. The focus is the discussion between father and son at the end. [Idea from thesource4ym.com with discussion questions.]
(C) God the Father has unconditional love for me. Showed the movie trailer for the John Cusack movie Martian Child (2007) about a sci-fi writer wanting to adopt a child who thinks he’s a Martian sent to observe Earthling life. The focus clip is when the child breaks something and thinks he’s bad and will be sent away. The father assures him that “Nothing you can do will change the way I feel about you.” and then proceeds to break other “things” showing they don’t matter as much as him. Awesome clip! — I had to “pause” when leading the discussion … it easily resonated how I hear my Heavenly Father’s voice.
Discussion was great. [Idea from thesource4ym.com with questions.]
Homework:
(1) Chapter 4 Assessment questions,
(2) Pray the Lord’s Prayer each day this week,
(3) Give an example of a movie clip with a “good dad.”
young adult retreat @ St Vincent DePaul Seminary
First time ever, the seminarians at St Vincent DePaul Regional Seminary in Boyton Beach, FL led a retreat open for young adult of the Palm Beach Diocese. I heard about it through my friends on FaceBook. It was a Spirit-filled retreat … simple schedule … 3 seminarian testimonies … deep small group discussion … Benediction & Adoration … and lots of social time.
Even though I couldn’t stay for the whole retreat, I’m grateful to have been invited and grateful to see by brother seminarians at their finest at “home.”
Hopefully, with their great turnout, they can do more events to not only reach out to the community, but keep vocations on everyone’s minds and prayers!
See the Florida Catholic article that promoted the events.
Here’s some pictures I took of their beautiful chapel on campus:
CCD 7th: Review ALL classes (day 9)
Today, in our 7th grade pre-Confirmation class, we REVIEWED all our previous classes to date.
Here are links to previous classes:
- (day 8 — Nov 8) Jeopardy Questions + Heaven + Hell + Purgatory
- (day 7 — Nov 1) Like Jesus + Holy + All Saints
- (day 6 — Oct 25) Incarnation + Chapter 1 + God Proofs
- (day 5 — Oct 18) Hats + 3 Birthdays + Vocations
- (day 4 — Oct 11) Prayer Quiz + Lies + Prayerful Heart
- (day 3 — Oct 4) Prayer Share + A.R.R.R.
- (day 2 — Sept 27) P.R.A.Y.S. + Angels + Yom Kippur
- (day 1 — Sept 20) 4 Winds Blow + Doxology + Sweet Spots
All these links are indexed on my Uth + CCD tab (at the top of this blog) for all classes.
HOMEWORK:
- bring parents next class,
- bring Bible, if you have one already,
- review notes with parents in preparation for playing Jeopardy!
Virtus training re-cert.
Tonight I was at Pace High School for re-certification training of my Virtus Facilitator status. I was trained back in 2003 when the Virtus (Protecting God’s Children) Program was begun here in the Archdiocese of Miami. There have been some changes since and I haven’t facilitated a class in years. This training session is tonight and all day tomorrow.
Miami Auxiliary Bishop Noonan was present and gave a great introduction about the programs history, importance and full support. The main training was led by Dr Paul Ashton.
CCD 7th: Heaven + Hell + Purgatory (day 8)
Today, in our 7th grade pre-Confirmation class, we …
Write Jeopardy Questions — everyone made up Jeopardy questions about anything we learned so far. Some of the questions will be used for the Parent Teen Jeopardy in a couple weeks.
Our Lady of Guadalupe
- –apparition to Juan Diego
- –picked roses in winter
- –“eye” of Mary portrait
–Gangs using Rosaries (for protection?)
Heaven – the state of eternal life and union with God, for those that choose God (saints).
Hell – the state of permanent separation from God, reserved for those that reject God.
- Sheol (Hell) – Hebrew OT word for gloomy place beneath the earth for all dead, both righteous and evil.
- Gehenna (Hell) – Hebrew NT word refers to the place on the SW side of Jerusalem, used for a dumping ground for human waste, corpses, rotting matter, etc. with “fires” burning. Became a popular symbol for what Christians called “hell.” (See Mark 9:43-48, Luke 12:5)
Purgatory – a state of final purification that one may need following death, before heaven.
HOMEWORK:
- finish Pop Quiz handout & prayer journal “God letters” (3 any + 3 events),
- do “Jeopardy Questions” handout (x 2)
CCD hs: parents orientation (day 1)
A local parish, St Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, needed catechists for their Religious Education program on Tuesday & Wednesday nights. Since I go to St Mark’s for Mass occasionally & Wednesday Bible study, I guess I consider it a “2nd home parish,” so I volunteered to help. I was paired up with Jose A., another former seminarian (3 years in Colombia), who’s very excited about our High School Confirmation class of 24 kids, so far. Most showed up today with their parents for a large group orientation with the DRE and pastor in the church. We got to introduce ourselves for about 20 minutes at the end.
— Even though it wasn’t really “planned,” I can already see the blessings that will come from my passion for catechesis being used on Sunday’s at my home parish with 7th graders and here on Tuesday nights with high school teens.
Christopher West with Theology of the Body at SJVCS
Today my seminary friends at St John Vianney College Seminary in Miami were blessed with a day of lectures on Pope John Paul II’s ” Theology of the Body” by renown speaker Christopher West, founder of the Theology of the Body Institute.
I’m guessing his lecture was very similar to the 2-day lecture he gave at IPF this past summer on “Priestly Celibacy and the Redemption of Sexuality.” See day #1 at IPF (plus video of Christopher West lectures). See day #2 at IPF.
current news item: Following debate, two bishops affirm ‘strong support’ for Christopher West
Weblinks to Theology of the Body resources:
- Christopher West homepage
- Theology of the Body Institute
- Theology of the Body — other resources, speakers, Theology of the Body International Alliance
- Theology of the Body — John Paul II’s 129 lectures
- Theology of the Body — wikipedia info
[thanks to Javier Barreto for the picture]
CSS Bible study on Romans
Tonight was the first night of a 25 week Bible study on the book of Romans that a friend told me about. It is a strictly Catholic group study by Catholic Scripture Study International. The $50 individual registration comes with a binder of lessons and study sheets. The weekly study involves facilitator guiding us through the teachings, DVD’s and individual sharing homework answers. This study of Romans is written by Scott Hahn, a well renown Catholic convert.
The book of Romans is probably the single most disputed Biblical book between Catholics and Protestants. This book written by St. Paul is the book from which Martin Luther built his doctrine of “justification by faith alone”. Luther twisted St. Paul’s words to fit his own false teaching and even added (in his Lutheran Bible) the word “alone” to Romans 3:28 in his attempt to further enhance his doctrine of “Sola Fide” (meaning that by faith alone we are saved).
There are over 100 participants in my area. The study is done at two Catholic parishes: St Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Southwest Ranches, FL and St Bernadette Parish in Hollywood, FL.
Monday … 8:45am to 10:15am … @ St Bernadette Parish
Wednesday … 7:30pm to 9:00pm … @ St Mark Parish
Thursday … 8:45am to 10:15am … @ St Mark Parish
Thursday … 3:30pm to 5:00pm … @ St Mark Parish
— There’s about 30+ in the Wednesday night class so far. I’m excited.
SJVCS enrollment at 35-year high
There’s a great article in the Florida Catholic.org this week about the 50th Anniversary of St John Vianney College Seminary in Miami have a record enrollment of 76 men discerning the priesthood, which is a 35-year high. Check out the article.
— There are a couple of great picture of my seminarian brother Jason Priela praying in the newpaper. I’m still praying for all the guys at SJVCS, old friends & the newbies. 🙂
Brooklyn Bishop at St Mark’s Parish
MASS — today at St Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church (in Southwest Ranches, FL), a visiting friend of Fr Whyte presided the Mass. Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros of the Diocese of Brooklyn celebrated Mass. Even though the Deacon did a good homily, I wish the Bishop shared his wisdom over the readings. There was also a long announcement encouraging involvement in ministries, especially Religious Education. The Bishop supplemented both talks with great insight into tapping into our Baptism to be instruments of the Holy Spirit evangelizing wherever we can. Catechesis is a critical part of our faith that we should all be involved in … whether on the receiving end to grow in our intimacy of our faith or the giving end as catechists to our own families or to others. He also shared gratitude for the parish to having the weekly tradition of families taking home a Vocation Cup to pray for the response to God call in all our lives, whether it be priesthood, the religious life, or marriage. He’s a very personable and holy man.
being a summer chaplain with poverty
I found an article in the Florida Catholic about Jim Grebe, a 3rd year Theologian seminarian at St Vincent DePaul Regional Seminary, whose summer assignment was a chaplain at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola. It reminded me of my own experience over this past summer at IPF as a volunteer chaplain 2 afternoon each week at Alegent Health Immanuel Medical Center in Omaha, NE.
As a strong introvert, my assignment at a hospital was a welcomed challenge that transformed any “preparations” that I could have made into simple “presence and prayer” that I had to rest in to make it through fruitfully. My general progression was from Post-Intensive Care (PINS), Physical Rehab, Cancer, ICU and then Behavioral Health (mostly adults). Each unit, as well as each individual room, brought their own challenges and blessings. Going into rooms “cold” without much knowledge of condition or spiritualities left me at the mercy of Christ dependent on Him and allow the Holy Spirit to work without having to “try so hard” under my own abilities.
In identifying the poverty in those I ministered to, I came to recognize my own poverty that brings empathy with the poverty of Christ. As I was stepping out in faith “giving” ministry unselfishly, I identified with the “heart of Christ” — then, in reflection, the receiving became more pure and made me more receptive to pure desires with greater confidence in the Spirit. I found that praying within my own poverty opened opportunities in intimate relationship with God both in private prayer and with those ministered to.
On strong example was my first experience with a patient in ICU on a respirator, unable to speak a response to the open-ended questions I was trained to ask. I quickly retreated in fear to my superior Josh, who help adjust my approach and engagement. I returned to the patient with slightly more confidence in myself while becoming growingly dependent on the Holy Spirit to fill my poverty in encountering the non-verbal Christ with my “heart of Christ” in a distinct moment of Presence in my presence. Using simple words of encouragement to comfort, taking time to ask important yes/no questions, and listening to the feeling of a hand-squeeze for an answer was a moment of fullness of grace. Taking the experience to prayer and spiritual direction was easily seen as a growing echo to listen less to the words of my thoughts and more to the feelings of my heart when discerning with perseverance to God’s voice to me.
Thank you to all that ministered to me in the experience … Hospital staff, Pastoral Ministry staff, IPF staff and the Archdiocese of Miami for sending me on assignment. I was truly blessed and I prayer all that I touched were indeed “touched” as I was.
Dominic & Dan in DR
I saw an article today in the Florida Catholic with 2 of my seminarian brothers. Dominic Buckley (Diocese of Orlando) and Dan Martin (Miami) had a picture of them with some kids in the Dominican Republic over this summer. The article was mainly about Dominic’s experience. St Vincent DePaul Regional Seminary usually sends seminarians after their first year as Theologians for a Spanish immersion program. It’s nice to see more on vocations in the Florida Catholic.
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