Lenter Practices IV: Stations of the Cross

Lenter Practices IV: Stations of the Cross by Claire Bischoff

These last three weeks, I have written about three central pillars of Catholic practice during Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. This week I consider Stations of the Cross, which, while not a pillar of Lenten practice, is a popular devotional practice among many Catholics. Admittedly, growing up, I was not a big fan of the Stations of the Cross. On a practical level, it seemed long and boring. As I got older, I also objected to the focus on the suffering and death of Jesus. It seemed a bit too macabre for my taste; I preferred to hear about the angry Jesus who overturned tables in the temple, the compassionate Jesus who healed and helped those on the margins of the society, and the resurrected Jesus who appeared to his followers to shore up their strength and commission them to spread his message.

So in the spirit of renewal this Lent, I am trying to think about the Stations of the Cross in a different way. What is a station for? A station is place where you wait, like a train station. So Stations of the Cross are places where we wait, where we take time to reflect on the path of Jesus as he went to the cross. Like other practices of Lent, praying the Stations of the Cross causes us to use our time differently—to slow down and to reflect on distinct moments of Jesus’ journey to the cross—and to think about ourselves and our place in the world differently. What does it mean for my life that Jesus endured suffering, in order that he might die and be resurrected? What does it mean for my life that living as he did resulted in Jesus being crucified on a cross like a common criminal? These are not easy questions to answer, but they are necessary ones as we strive to learn from the mystery of Jesus Christ.

Stations of the Cross can also be called the Way of the Cross. It is one of the ways that we can fulfill the injunction by Jesus in the Gospels to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow him (Mark 8:34, Matthew 16:24, Luke 9:23). Walking and praying the Stations of the Cross is like we are going on a pilgrimage without leaving home, as we follow in the steps of Jesus. And while it is not helpful to focus only on the suffering and death of Jesus, neither is it good to completely gloss over the crucifixion and the events that led to it. We all know that there is a dark side in the world (and in ourselves, if we are honest); odd as it may sound, attending to Jesus’ passion can give us hope as we face the darkness in our lives and in our world. It also teaches us lessons about courage, patience, and trusting in a God who promises to deliver us from all evil.

To participate in the Stations of the Cross, individuals or groups remember fourteen scenes (listed below) from the passion of Christ, that is, the suffering of Christ that ended in his death on the cross. Frequently, these scenes are depicted artistically—carved in stone, painted on wood—and arranged at intervals around a church building. Those praying the stations walk in the steps of Jesus, stopping at each scene to remember what happened to Christ and to say a prayer. There are also various on-line resources for individuals to use if they want to reflect on the Stations at home. Click here for one I have used and really like.

There are three things to remember if you are going to pray the Stations on your own. First, it is important to include a time of meditation at each Station, a time during which you reflect on what happened to Christ. Second, it is important to try to see ourselves mirrored in Christ and to consider how each Station may have application in our own lives. Ask yourself, what might this Station have to teach me today? What is it saying to me? What is it helping me to see or do differently? And finally, there are no set prayers that must be said at each Station. You can use prayers that are familiar to you (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be), prayers someone else has written for reflection on the Stations, or prayers you come up with yourself. This gives you the freedom to interact with the Stations, to make them part of your own prayer practice.

Give the Stations a try this Lent, and let us know how it goes. Specifically, think about how each of these Stations connects to the lives of teenagers today.

1. Christ Condemned to Death
2. Christ Condemned to Death
3. The Cross Is Laid upon Him
4. His First Fall
5. He Meets His Blessed Mother
6. Simon of Cyrene Is Made To Bear the Cross
7. Christ’s Face Is Wiped by Veronica
8. His Second Fall
9. He Meets the Women of Jerusalem
10. His Third Fall;
11. He Is Stripped of His Garments
12. His Crucifixion
13. His Death on the Cross
14. His Body Is Taken Down from the Cross
15. Laid in the Tomb

via Lenter Practices IV: Stations of the Cross.

Life Through Death (Jesus’ Resurrection at Easter)

Sometimes we lose touch with the powerful language of Easter:  death, resurrection, rebirth. We and our teens face death everyday in modern media. As parents we (rightly) fear that our children may become desensitized to violence. This week take some time at home to explore the stories we tell and the language we use during Lent and Easter.

Blessings,
Sara

Enjoy this post by ELLIE ROSCHER:  Life Through Death (Jesus’ Resurrection at Easter)

With Easter Good News, Jesus offers us all new life. The catch is, we have to die first.

When Jesus promises us new life, that means everlasting life after death. Jesus also wants to offer us new life on a smaller scale. Spring can symbolize new life within life, to be better versions of ourselves after the spiritual work we have done in Lent. Each morning can bring new life, a fresh start to grow and be alive in Christ. Sometimes in prayer, every inhale feels like a new life, bringing in new energy and opportunity through breath. New life is good news, no doubt.

But there are no shortcuts. We have to be willing to die in order to find new life. Dying is the hard part. This is where faith comes in. We cannot have Easter without Good Friday. The Gospel for this week is clear: “Those who love their lives will lose them.” The only way to new life is through death. This is true, I believe, on the smaller scale as well. Joan’s fields had to burn one year in order to thrive the next. The wheat has to die before it can become the bread of life. Jesus must die—really suffer and die– in order to offer us everlasting life. We can see death as destruction, or we can see it as a necessary (albeit painful) part of the creation cycle. We can see death as the end, or we can choose to see it as the beginning.

Our lives are full of little deaths. When we play sports, our muscle fibers have to break down before they can build back up. Being sore is not fun, but it is a death that is necessary for new growth. A college rejection note is the death of a dream. Being said no to hurts, but it encourages us to keep looking to find a mutual fit that we may be overlooking. A divorce is a death of a marriage. This death is painful and can hurt so many people. We must deal with the pain of loss when a beloved family member or pet passes away.Death is scary, both little deaths and the ultimate death. This is where our faith really comes into play. If we trust Jesus’ promise, if we can hold on to the life that we love loosely instead of clinging, we know there is new life waiting for us.

What little deaths have you experienced?

Why must you die to in order to find new life this Easter?

via Life Through Death (Jesus’ Resurrection at Easter).

God Metaphors

When you talk about God, what you do you say? Does your language limit your faith? Ask your teens what they think, too.

From Ellie Roscher

When I say God, what images come to mind?

As we grow in our faith, it is important to expand our notion of God so that God stays big and our relationship with God can continue to mature. It is helpful to use metaphors for God so that we can picture, conceptualize and talk about God. God is my Rock. God is King. God is Father. These metaphors bring up images and emotions for us. They also limit God. Even calling God God limits God.  Language limits, so when we use language for God, it can be helpful to be critical of it as we use it.  No metaphor can be expansive enough to capture the whole essence of God.

When I say God is my Rock, obviously I do not believe that God is an inanimate object. I believe God is dynamic and alive in the world. Rock is not a complete or perfect metaphor for God. It does not imply relationship. However, after living in the Rocky Mountains, I like to think of God as Rock because for me, the mountains carry with them a beauty, wisdom and steadfastness that is at the essence of God. When I stand at the base of a mountain, I am in moved to quiet awe. And so it is with God.

When I say God is King, that really does not do much of anything for me. I have never lived in a Kingdom, and from studying history, I know of many kings who were distant, corrupt, greedy and disengaged from people in need. That is not at the heart of who God is. I recognize that this metaphor does work for some people, conjuring up feelings of majesty and saying that God is in control. I appreciate Spirit’s suggestion this week to explore kin*dom as an alternative metaphor. Our world is in deep need of a sense of family.

When I say God is Father– or as Spirit challenges us, Abba– I enjoy the intimate nature of that metaphor. There is an affection, unconditional love and nurturing that comes with the metaphor for me. My dad used to walk with us for hours when we would cry as little babies. He would support us in any way he could as we grew. These are things I believe I can attribute to God. I am aware, however, that this metaphor will not work for people who have abusive fathers, or fathers who have abandoned them. And I believe that God has feminine qualities, too, and is also my Mother.

God is Wind, Creator, Fire, Redeemer, Fortress, Almighty, Counselor, Truth. All of these metaphors for God have strengths and limitations. I love holding two images of God that may contrast in my head simultaneously to keep God big. God is immanent and transcendent, for example. When my brain starts to hurt, that is when I know I am coming up upon my own human limitations to conceptualize God, who is beyond our understanding. God is God and I am not. God is both One I worship and One I co-create with here and now.

What is a popular metaphor you have heard used for God that does not work for you?

What metaphors do you use for God?

What are its strengths?

What are its limitations?

Photo courtesy of master.blitzy via Creative Commons License

Lenten Practices Part II: Almsgiving

Reblogged from SPIRIT:

As I wrote last week, there are three traditional pillars of Lenten practice for Catholics: fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. This week I write about almsgiving, an ancient sounding word that may seem far removed from our current social lives.

“Alms” is a word from Old English that refers to something, like food or money, given to the poor. As a practice, almsgiving can include many things, such as making a donation to a charitable organization or tithing to a religious institution (that is, giving one-tenth a part of something).

Read more… 491 more words

As I wrote last week, there are three traditional pillars of Lenten practice for Catholics: fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. This week I write about almsgiving, an ancient sounding word that may seem far removed from our current social lives. “Alms” is a word from Old English that refers to something, like food or money, given to the poor. As a practice, almsgiving can include many things, such as making a donation to a charitable organization or tithing to a religious institution (that is, giving one-tenth a part of something). Almsgiving is part of our baptismal calling, as it is one way to take care of our brothers and sisters, both locally and globally, and to provide for the needs of the “least of these.” In a sense, almsgiving is putting money where our mouths are, that is, giving a material gift as a sign of our commitment to follow in the steps of Jesus. Like fasting, almsgiving is a practice that encourages us to think about our lives and ourselves in new ways. Almsgiving encourages focusing on what we have to give, rather than on what we can get for ourselves. It also can help correct our attitude toward material possessions. Rather than hording our things out of fear that we may not have enough, almsgiving encourages us to express gratitude for all that God has given to us by giving some away. Small acts of almsgiving help us to grow in charity, leading toward recognition of Jesus Christ in the poor of our world. Almsgiving takes us beyond an attitude of “it’s just me and God,” as we respond to the needs of others, of those who participate in the Body of Christ with us. Almsgiving is not just for the rich or just for adults. In fact, in Mark 12:41-44, Jesus praises a widow who donates two small coins. He even goes so far as to say that she gave more than the rich people, because she gave out of what she needed not out of what she had left over. You do not need to have a lot of money to make a big difference—this is the idea behind the Girl Up campaign, a program of the United Nations that encourages girls in the United States (and boys, too!) to give a high five ($5) to help provide medical care and education to girls living in poverty around the world. During this Lent, how might you be able to practice almsgiving? Could you donate 10% of your earnings from baby-sitting, tutoring, coaching, or other work to a charity of your choice? Could you connect almsgiving and giving something up, donating the money you are saving by not eating chocolate or not drinking soda? You can also get even more creative. Almsgiving and tithing do not have to involve money. Take a look at your closet and what is in your room. Could you donate 10% of your clothes, items that are in good condition that you do not use but that someone else could? Do you have books in good condition that could be donated to a homeless shelter or school? Think about how many hours of “free time” you have each week. Could you donate 10% of that time to charity or justice work—serving lunch at a soup kitchen, writing letters for Amnesty International, joining Big Brother/Big Sister? What creative ideas do you have for teens who want to practice almsgiving during Lent? Share them here.

Get Angry for Women

Ask your teens what gender their teachers and coaches are. Then ask if it matters.

Guest post from Ellie Roscher

Really think for a moment about the Jesus you have been taught about since you were a kid. Think back to the puffy books depicting Jesus sitting in plush fields with sheep or the Sunday school versions of the Gospel stories translated for smaller children accompanied by Jesus with a halo and outstretched arms. We are shown serene paintings of Jesus with a peaceful face gazing silently up to the heavens or holding a small child gently in his lap. We are taught as children that Jesus is our friend. That he is perfect and sinless. And rightly so. This week’s image of Jesus getting angry in the temple, driving the moneychangers out and being consumed with zeal, stands in stark contrast to the Jesus of our childhood.

I think this Gospel story is very important. It is important for us to not equate perfection with being passive, not to equate our friend with someone who is apathetic. When we love God and we love God’s people, there are things worth getting angry about.

Rath’s story is worth getting angry about. Human trafficking, prostitution, and gendercide are real and pervasive. I have to imagine that if Jesus were here he would turn over a table or two in the name of the abuse women are enduring in the world today. Half the Sky, a book I highly recommend, also addresses how things like rape, honor killings, and lack of health care for birthing women are horrible forms of modern-day slavery. We have to care about our sisters around the world who were created and adored by God. We have to get angry enough to move toward action. The book offers solutions. We are seeing that educating women and giving them micro-loans can benefit entire villages and economies. We are seeing study abroad programs and social media activity activate young people to make a lasting difference. As the book and Spirit so powerfully state, women are not the problem, but the solution.

March 8^th is International Women’s Day. This year, dare to get angry about oppression against women. Don’t let that anger consume you, but like Jesus in the Gospel, let’s realize that sometimes destruction has to come before creation. Sometimes anger can lead to creative friction and agitation can lead to action. Buy the book. Check out the girl effect. Spread awareness on social media on March 8^th. You are powerful and can be part of the solution. Girls like Rath need your anger desperately.

NOTE:  If you are in the Twin Cities, Sheryl WuDunn co-author of Half the Sky speaks Wednesday, March 7th at 7 pm at the University of St. Thomas. Click here for more information. The event is free and open to the public.

Lenten Practices Part I: Fasting and Abstaining

A Guest post from Claire Bischoff

In eighth grade, I had to wear an ankle brace and walk with crutches for a few days following a minor ankle injury from gymnastics. It was a little thing, but all of a sudden actions I had taken for granted—getting in and out of cars, climbing stairs—took a lot more thought and a lot more work. That small change to my physical being meant renegotiating my relationship to my body and my environment.

Similarly, a year later, my sister had an even more serious injury—a double compound fracture of her arm (again from gymnastics), a break so bad the doctors worried for a minute that they would have to amputate her arm. She was in a cast from her wrist up past her elbow, holding her arm in a 90 degree angle, a position that made previously simple tasks—like putting on a shirt by herself—impossible. When we went shopping for a dress for her to wear for confirmation, it was my job to help her put on and take off the dresses in the fitting room. Like it had for me, the addition of a cast forced my sister to do things in a new way and led both of us to a greater appreciation of what it means to have a healthy and functioning body.

The three traditional pillars of Lenten practice for Catholics are fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. This week I reflect on fasting and abstaining. Fasting usually means partaking of only one full meal in a day, something that is required of adult Catholics on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Abstaining means refraining from something, usually the eating of meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays during Lent, but it is also linked to the idea of giving something up during Lent. Many of us know that Catholics are supposed to do these things during Lent, without really understanding why.

The traditional answer is that fasting and abstinence are a form of penance. When we give up meat on Fridays, for instance, each Friday becomes a mini Good Friday, as we remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us. Practicing self-denial is part of the transformation of our lives to more fully live our baptismal calling. Fasting and abstinence also can serve our prayer lives, as our physical hunger becomes a physical sign of our hunger for God.

In addition to these more traditional answers, I like to think of fasting and abstaining as spiritual casts, that is, as practices that force us to do things differently so that we understand ourselves, our actions, and our place in the world in a new light.

Here is a simple example: Last Friday night, we had planned to go out to eat at Famous Dave’s for dinner. Then we remembered it was the first Friday of Lent, so we decided to revise the plan. A search of the freezer and fridge revealed frozen veggie burger patties and the makings for salad, so we had that instead.

Certainly, this small decision about dinner did not change my life. However, it did get me thinking about a number of things. It made me appreciate the easy access to food I usually enjoy and the wide variety of food that I can eat. While I could easily choose to have something else healthy and satisfying for dinner, millions of people in the United States and around the world do not have such easy choices. People living in poverty are forced to fast or to eat the sparse food that is available. When I voluntarily fast or abstain from meat, I can recognize the hunger and suffering of others in a new way and search for ways to demonstrate Christ’s love in the world—from donating food to food shelves to writing letters to politicians to support just economic and political structures that enable people to provide food for their families.

It also got me thinking about Meatless Monday—a national movement encouraging people to go meatless one day a week for all three meals. Abstaining from meat is not only good for individual health, but it also serves the health of the planet. There are all sorts of statistics, but here is a startling one: if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off of U.S. roads.* Maybe when Lent is over this year you could consider extending meatless Fridays, not only as a spiritual practice, but also as a practice that is good for you and the rest of the world.

Finally, I cannot think about fasting and abstinence without thinking of the countless friends I have seen struggle with eating disorders over the years. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, up to 10 million women and 1 million men suffer from anorexia or bulimia. While I choose to fast on two days during Lent, people dealing with anorexia may try to fast every day, decreasing their caloric intake to unhealthy levels. To people with some eating disorders, the self-denial recommended to Catholics during Lent becomes a daily practice, a standard by which to measure worth and success. I think it is important to be clear that Lenten practices are meant to serve our spiritual journeys and contribute to our overall well-being. Self-denial in the form of an eating disorder is not a spiritual practice; it is dangerous. What can you do to be more aware of how eating disorders affect young people this Lent?

This week consider abstaining from meat on Friday OR if you regularly abstain from meat, choose something else from which to abstain. Pay attention to what you think about as you make different decisions about food. Please share your thoughts on this blog.

*This statistic found at: http://www.alternet.org/water/134650/the_startling_effects_of_going_vegetarian_for_just_one_day/

Commanding an “Unholy Spirit:” This Week’s Gospel (Mark 1:21-28)

Claire Bischoff asks us, “What “unholy spirits” do you think affect people in our society? For whom can you pray?” in response to this week’s gospel.

She says the following:

This week’s Gospel (Mark 1:21-28) describes Jesus commanding “an unholy spirit” to come out of a man. The people who observe this act wonder at the authority Jesus possesses, exclaiming that even the unholy spirits obey his word. Many people in the technological and scientific world of today might dismiss this reading, thinking it demonstrates the superstitious beliefs of people from long ago. We never have to deal with “unholy spirits,” do we?

As parents, we raise our children to believe and question. How do you address this issue at home?

Ellie Roscher approaches this gospel from the point of the shrieking man:

In this story, Jesus is a man who knows his power and uses it for the health of the community. Imagine, for a second, this man shrieking aloud in the middle of the synagogue while Jesus is teaching. It is an uncomfortable moment. Jesus has a choice to acknowledge him or keep teaching. For that one instant, I imagine the others in the temple living in the awkwardness, wondering what he will do. They are amazed at how he acts on his authority, diffusing the situation.

As a young person, you may identify with moments like this. There may not be someone shrieking in the middle of a classroom discussion, but maybe there is an inappropriate joke told in the lunchroom, a bullying comment meant to intimidate made on Facebook, or an interaction between two people that does not feel right to you. What do you do? There is one awkward moment to decide. In your gut, you know that what is going on is wrong, even if it does not affect you directly. Will you claim your authority as a bystander and diffuse the situation? Or will you stay quiet and let the hurt set in or let it escalate?

Ellie’s post counsels me to stand up and stand by. It’s not always easy.

When my children were younger I asked them to imagine how the left-out child felt on the playground. I asked them to be brave and step in when someone was teased. I told them it would be one of the hardest things they could do, but that we would be so proud.

That advise still holds true.

Read Ellie’s story with your teens. I’d love to know what you think.

Hope

Live some hope this week.

Have you seen the new online AIDS quilt at One.org? You can make a penel with your teen here and talk about the justice of eradicating AIDS.

As Ellie Rocher writes in SPIRIT4Teens.com, “This Advent is a time to have active hope. We can hope for Jesus to saturate our lives this Christmas. From that hope, we can face 2012 with courage, knowing we will continue to prevail.”

While making an online quilt panel is a small gesture, it makes hope active and real.

On the other hand, if you crave reflection and quiet with your teen, try the lectio divina activity that Claire Bischoff describes in her post, Antidote to the Craziness. Lectio divina is an ancient way of reading the Bible that promotes a relational encounter with God. Lectio divina encourages us to listen to a biblical passage with our hearts instead of our heads.

Faith sharing occurs everywhere. You don’t need a youth ministry to be mindful and pray. Do it at home, make faith sharing as ubiquitous and comfortable as your favorite spot to curl up and read or play a game.

Check Claire’s new book Faith Sharing with Teens, a how-to book for parents that makes conversation a doorway to deep and active faith (St. Paul: Good Ground Press, 2011).

It’s Advent! We’re All Busy! Take Some Time to Reflect

This week at Spirit4Teens.com, we present a rich series of relevant topics to interest you and your teen.

• In Clearing a Straight Path for God, Claire Bischoff shares her challenge of remove the food that gets in her way to God.
• December 1st was World’s Aids Day, we ask “What can you do to raise awareness?”
• “Something So” by Atmosphere shows us, even if we don’t feel qualified, we need to sing on anyway. As followers of Jesus, we may struggle with fears of our human imperfection.
• Ellie Roscher discusses ritual and tradition surrounding the preparation for the coming of Jesus in Reconciliation as Preparation.

Lastly we offer some tips on gift shopping with your values.

Before you go Christmas shopping this season, think about checking out these fair-trade and alternative gifts.

Fair Trade Gifts 
This year buy your gifts from companies that adhere to fair trade principles:tenthousandvillages.com, fairindigo.com, serrv.org, taraluna.com,globalmamas.org.  There are many more companies to be found by searching “Fair Trade Gifts” online.

Sweatshop Alternative Clothing, SSALT.org
The Sweatshop Alternative Database has one goal: to dress you (or someone you love) head-to-toe in guaranteed non-sweatshop clothing.  Search the database by clothing type.

(RED) products, joinred.com
Buy (RED) products from top brands and help save a child in Africa.  Each time you buy a (RED) product or service, at no extra cost to you, the company who makes that product will give up to fifty percent of its profit to buy and distribute antiretroviral medicine to our brothers and sisters dying of AIDS in Africa.

Alternative Gifts

Catholic Charities USA, catholiccharitiesusa.org
Find your local agency; take action to reduce poverty; support local programs and services.

Heifer International, heifer.org
Buy chickens (or goats, or heifers) that a family will use for their livelihood and food.  Check out what’s new at this wonderful organization where one of the cornerstone principles is “Passing on the Gift.”

One Campaign, one.org
ONE is Americans of all beliefs and every walk of life?united as ONE?to help make poverty history. A campaign of over 2.4 million people and growing from all 50 states and over 100 of America’s most well-known and respected non-profit, advocacy and humanitarian organizations.

The Red Cross, redcross.org
Give to the group who always arrives first in times of disaster.

Volunteer at Christmastime

Charity Guide, charityguide.org
Whether you have 15 minutes or two weeks, this site directs you to opportunities to help others.  Search by topic or amount of time you have to give.

Photo courtesy of Linz Tourismus via Creative Commons License

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Feast of Christ our King

The Least of the Least of These is Jesus, Too

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Ellie Roscher | Leave a comment | Edit

 

In the Gospel message for this Sunday, Jesus encourages us to feed people who are hungry, give water to people who are thirsty, welcome strangers, clothe the naked, comfort the ill and visit people who are in prison. If we were to take this challenge seriously every day, we would be eternally busy people! It is such a tall order, in fact, that I tend to pick the parts that are easiest and most comfortable. I do believe, however, that this full passage is at the heart of Jesus’ call to us as faithful citizens. I have to revisit this passage often to re-engage as an active person of faith. When I look at this commandment, the final challenge is the only one I have never taken to heart. I have never visited someone in prison.

The Least among Us

Posted on November 16, 2011 by cebisch | Leave a comment

Attending to the least among us is the imperative of this week’s Gospel (Matthew 25:31-46). Jesus tells a parable of a king who invites to a banquet all who have fed him when he was hungry, gave him something to drink when he was thirsty, welcomed him when he was a stranger, clothed him when he was naked, comforted him when he was ill, and visited him when he was in prison. These invitees do not remember doing such things for the king, to which the king replies, “I assure you, as often as you did it for one of my least brothers and sisters, you did it for me.”

Ask your teens:  ”Who are the “least among us” your heart reaches out to?”