Some Links to Look At

10/19/2014

Here is a link to an article about the Confirmation Celebration this past Saturday, October 18:
http://www.examiner.com/article/confirmation-2014-celebrates-unique-moment-for-parish

At the bottom of the article are some suggested links. Two links of interest might be:

Halloween and Trick Or Treat Catholics:
This is the article that compares and contrasts "becoming catholic" and appropriating the rituals, practices and beliefs of Catholicism and learning to "trick or treat" and pass this ritual, practice and belief on to other generations.
Confirmation 2014 Meetings have Begun: Confirmation, Baptism and Eucharist:
This article gives a brief background of the celebration of Confirmation. But it does so by explaining the historical origins of celebrating Full Initiation (i.e. Baptism/Confirmation and Communion). So it has something of value for those of you who are not baptized and will be celebrating full initiation. It also has something for those who are already baptized (either as a Catholic or in another Christian denomination) so that you can see how the three sacraments are related, and more generally what sacraments are.

In conjunction with our most recent discussion about "Salvation History", you might come to see that sacraments ritualize and make real Salvation History. In any case, click to READ MORE to see your homework.

Instructions:

Please read the main article on the Confirmation Celebration and at least one of the other two articles above (on Halloween or on Confirmation/Baptism/Eucharist).
Leave comments or questions for me or the group below. (If you are having trouble understanding how to do that, please contact me so that I can assist you).
It would be nice if everyone could leave a comment of their own and also reply to at least one other person's comment before next week. (You can supply your email and also check the box to receive notification when someone replies to your comment).

By doing this, we can begin a "discussion" online. Next week we can use this discussion to break up into smaller groups (following Minh-Chau's suggestion) so that you can share your thoughts, questions, experiences, in addition to having a single "Big Group" talk.

13 Comments

Karen M.

10/22/2014 09:43:15 am

There were two themes which I found in the article (Confirmation 2014 Celebrates Unique Moment for Parish). First, the participation of the families and the parish community was clearly essential to the day. The celebration was a shared event. It was not just a celebration of for those receiving the sacrament. The support and participation of family members and members of the parish community helped to guide everyone through the lengthy and rewarding process. A most appealing aspect to me was the participation of lectors who had children among the candidates. This reinforced the importance of the support and involvement of our families in our faith.

Secondly, Archbishop Broglio’s emphasis on using our gifts served as a reminder that the Confirmation celebration was not a final destination. Though the formal process may have been completed, we were reminded that we will be called upon throughout our lives to use our gifts, and we should always be prepared to share ourselves and our talents as God calls us to do.

These lessons remind us that we are surrounded by a supportive community which will help us to continue in growing our faith and serving God.

Jay

10/23/2014 01:44:53 am

Thanks for the feedback. The communal/public nature of our sacramental celebrations is important. It is not just a private exchange between God and the person, though that is also an important part of it.
You mentioned the impact the parent/lectors made on you. Could you elaborate more?
Also, could you read at least one of the other additional links and comment on that as well?
Thanks, for being the first (and also a consistent) responder to these blog postings).

10/23/2014 09:22:27 am

The participation of family members (i.e., lectors) demonstrates the significance of the celebration. Parents, other relatives, and friends are not merely spectators in our lives. On a day of such importance the inclusion of the family and community serves as a reminder that as Christians we are never alone. We will have the support of our loved ones, our fellow parish members, and the Church universal.

My take away from “Confirmation 2014 Meetings have Begun: Confirmation, Baptism and Eucharist” is tied to the theme of the celebration as a “group”, so to speak. The historical explanation of the Sacraments of Initiation highlights the “sharing of the Story of God”.

Celebrants should view Confirmation , not simply as the next item on an “ordered” checklist, but as part of the process to enrich our faith and be welcomed into the Body of Christ.

Jeff

10/25/2014 10:31:07 am

I'm confused by the conflicting themes of the two articles. In the "Halloween and Trick-Or-Treat Catholics" article, the general sentiment of the article is that, in many ways the Halloween and the Catholic faith are similar. Both have traditions and structures that are passed down from one generation to the next and should be adhered to. As stated, "The same impulse that attracts us to step out of our typical everyday lives and put on a costume seeking to "trick" evil/death or garner "treats" is not far from our Christian identity...".

However, the "Confirmation, Baptism and Eucharist" article seems to go against this theme, going so far to say "You and your child should not consider the celebration of sacraments simply as following a tradition, as if it was always already this way".

It's unclear to me how these two views of the Catholic faith are not in conflict with each other. Is it meant to be that we should follow the structures and traditions exactly as they've been set before us or is the Catholic faith more about experiencing and sharing the love of God with others?

10/25/2014 11:07:51 am

I believe that the Catholic faith is both of these (i.e., structures/traditions and sharing the love of God), plus more. One can share the love of God with others, but that does not make one (in and of itself) Catholic. The structures and traditions of the Church should certainly be adhered to, in addition to sharing the love of God with others. Catholics should also care for one another and use their abilities and resources for the good of others.

Jim

10/25/2014 11:18:31 pm

Karen, that's actually a great point: being Catholic is not necessarily defined only by our shared relationship with God, but instead how we use that relationship - and the strengths it provides - to better our communities, inside and outside the Church. There are plenty of denominations of Christianity, but what separates/distinguishes Catholicism from others? Our traditions, structures, and laws? Our drive to build communities? Our response to the call of community service? (I'm actually asking here because I myself am not sure). :) R/Jim

Minh

10/25/2014 12:28:07 pm

In part, I think the reading means we should follow the traditions as they are stated within reason. But on the other hand, we need to take it a step further and understand the "why" aspect of their significance. It is not expected that we know everything and understand it when we are first introduced to it, but to learn and grow and share the love of God as we do so.

10/25/2014 11:04:00 am

Halloween traditions are sometimes passed along with no explanation for why the traditions are taking place, leaving some confused about the meaning. The Catholic religion consists of traditions/celebrations that, without care, could be passed along unconsciously and without meaning, similar to Halloween traditions. Care must be taken to uphold the true meaning of the celebrations and why they are practiced.

10/25/2014 12:25:18 pm

I concur that the sacraments all have special meanings in the catholic community, but are also shared as special family occasions. As originally a non-catholic, raised buddhist, my family still celebrated the spirit of christian holidays (e.g. Easter, Christmas), but we did not really understand the meaning of this. We simply did them because we thought it was the "American way". However, after marrying a catholic and even after baptizing my first child, I still did not understand the full significance of the sacrament. 6 years, later, I am only starting to understand what some of the traditions and sacraments actually mean. Understanding the catholic ideals and having faith in these traditions will be an ongoing learning process for me.

10/25/2014 01:56:57 pm

This is basically in the general direction I would have gone.
Worth chatting about in the a.m. tomorrow.

Teresa

10/25/2014 10:41:02 pm

I agree J
I did go Trick o Treating, CCD, Sunday Church without clearly understanding the meaning behind it all. I went trick o treating because it was fun and I got candy. I went to CCD and Sunday Church because that is what my parents asked of me.

10/25/2014 10:47:21 pm

I believe as a child its hard to comprehend why we do things. Sometimes we just do them because it looks like fun and we get something in return. When parents ask you or expect you to participate, then we do.
Understanding comes later because that is when we wonder why we did as everyone else before.
In regards to following the to dos for Church, it gives you a feeling of being part of something bigger.

10/25/2014 11:12:41 pm

First, my sincerest apologies for being so late on these posts. I am reading and learning a good bit from everyone's comments. So, here's my combined thoughts on the Trick-or-Treat blog and Jay's report on the Confirmation Mass:

Attending Confirmation (or any other sacrament) is about celebration of and a further commitment to Faith with a community of fellow Catholics. Likewise, trick-or-treating is about celebrating with a community (although a different community). That tradition has certainly evolved beyond “tricking death/evil for a treat.” I think celebrating the Sacraments is not unlike how the tradition of trick-or-treating enables us to get to know our local communities: we (or for most of us, our children) dress up, go door-to-door, communicate briefly and receive a treat. It allows us (and really, forces us) to approach our neighbors and meet them, even if just for a few brief seconds. It also allows us to be thankful: we thank (and teach our children to thank) our neighbors for the treats, but also for participating in the Halloween tradition. Arguably, that tradition can serve to strengthen a community and forge new relationships. Just like earning the Sacrament of Confirmation, what we do with those relationships following the night’s festivities is entirely up to us.

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