“Holy Spirit Make My Heart Open”
“Pope Francis wants me to open my heart to the Holy Spirit!”
“Let us open the doors to the Holy Spirit…How beautiful it would be if each of you, every evening, could say, ‘Today at school, at home, guided by God, I showed a sign of love towards one of my friends, my parents, an older person!’ How beautiful.” Source: Lessons from Pope Francis for Children page 11
For Families to Share Together:
Pray the Rosary with your children. Use the Rosary crucifix to cross yourselves:
“Begin with the sign of the cross, then say an Our Father, ten Hail Mary’s and a Glory Be.” From Magnifikid! Vol. 14.Part 9. Section 4
This week please add the “Apostles’ Creed” and the five Glorious Mysteries: “The Annunciation.”, “The Visitation”, “The Nativity of Jesus” “The Presentation”, and “The Finding of Jesus in the Temple“.
The Apostles’ Creed from Catholic Online
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
The Holy Spirit Drawing at Top of Post
This is a drawing with a gold glitter glue pen that is part of the art work on an altar table cloth in Cana, Israel. It was lovingly made to decorate a chapel in the Wedding Church of the Convent of the First Miracle. My son, Father William Goldin celebrated Mass in this church with me as his lector and congregation in June. I admired the handiwork of the artist who had the steady hand and skills to make this with a child’s craft tool.
Happening This Week
Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael Saint of the Day for September 29 Source: Franciscan Media
“Angels—messengers from God—appear frequently in Scripture, but only Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are named.”
“Michael appears in Daniel’s vision as “the great prince” who defends Israel against its enemies; in the Book of Revelation, he leads God’s armies to final victory over the forces of evil.”
“Gabriel also makes an appearance in Daniel’s visions, announcing Michael’s role in God’s plan. His best-known appearance is an encounter with a young Jewish girl named Mary, who consents to bear the Messiah.”
“Raphael’s activity is confined to the Old Testament story of Tobit.”
“Each of the archangels performs a different mission in Scripture: Michael protects; Gabriel announces; Raphael guides.”
We Learn Through Storytelling
This week we learn about the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity–the Holy Spirit. Since I am a new Catholic– I converted in 2014– the Holy Spirit was an enigma to me. I learned that the Holy Spirit–“The Lord and giver of life”– brings life and joy to us. God, the Holy Spirit gives us seven gifts: “They are: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord.” Source: EWTN.com
Parents’ Note: Please help your children with the highlighted words.
I had never heard the word, “Paraclete” before my RCIA classes, and I was delighted to share that big word with my students, who loved “big” words. It seems to me that since we are learning about God, the Holy Spirit, and we have the three angels this week–Michael, Gabriel, and Rafael, for our Saint of the Day–it is a good time to look at our own spirits. In other words, our souls. One of my second grade students last year was eager to share what he’d learned from his textbook for homework the previous week. He told the class, “If we didn’t have a soul, we’d be dead. We’d be just like a rock.” Here is what the Catholic Catechism teaches us about the human soul:
I highlighted a small portion of each passage for you to simplify for your children.
II. “BODY AND SOUL BUT TRULY ONE“
362 The human person, created in the image of God, is a being at once corporeal and spiritual. The biblical account expresses this reality in symbolic language when it affirms that “then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”229 Man, whole and entire, is therefore willed by God.
363 In Sacred Scripture the term “soul” often refers to human life or the entire human person.230 But “soul” also refers to the innermost aspect of man, that which is of greatest value in him,231 that by which he is most especially in God’s image: “soul” signifies the spiritual principle in man.
364 The human body shares in the dignity of “the image of God”: it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit:232
Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity. Through his very bodily condition he sums up in himself the elements of the material world. Through him they are thus brought to their highest perfection and can raise their voice in praise freely given to the Creator. For this reason man may not despise his bodily life. Rather he is obliged to regard his body as good and to hold it in honor since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day. 233
365 The unity of soul and body is so profound that one has to consider the soul to be the “form” of the body:234 i.e., it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living, human body; spirit and matter, in man, are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature.
366 The Church teaches that every spiritual soul is created immediately by God – it is not “produced” by the parents – and also that it is immortal: it does not perish when it separates from the body at death, and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection.235
367 Sometimes the soul is distinguished from the spirit: St. Paul for instance prays that God may sanctify his people “wholly”, with “spirit and soul and body” kept sound and blameless at the Lord’s coming.236 The Church teaches that this distinction does not introduce a duality into the soul.237 “Spirit” signifies that from creation man is ordered to a supernatural end and that his soul can gratuitously be raised beyond all it deserves to communion with God.238
368 The spiritual tradition of the Church also emphasizes the heart, in the biblical sense of the depths of one’s being, where the person decides for or against God.239
What We Believe
(We believe in God, the Father)
“I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.”
(We believe in God, the Son.)
“I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.”
(We believe in God, the Holy Spirit.)
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the
Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son
he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
(We believe in the Church’s Teachings.)
We believe in one holy
catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one
baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
We Learn Through Writing
There are three “theological” virtues–Faith, Hope and Charity. These virtues are given to us by God.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”62
A virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions.
- The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God.63″
“The theological virtues are the foundation of Christian moral activity; they animate it and give it its special character. They inform and give life to all the moral virtues. They are infused by God into the souls of the faithful to make them capable of acting as his children and of meriting eternal life. They are the pledge of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being. There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity.77″
We Celebrate Through Song and Prayer
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
“Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful,
And enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created.
And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.”
Hear the Tune
1 Holy Spirit, truth divine,
dawn upon this soul of mine;
Voice of God and inward light,
wake my spirit, clear my sight.
2 Holy Spirit, love divine,
glow within this heart of mine.
Kindle every high desire,
purify me with your fire.
3 Holy Spirit, power divine,
fill and nerve this will of mine.
Boldly may I always live,
bravely serve, and gladly give.
4 Holy Spirit, law divine,
reign within this soul of mine.
Be my law, and I shall be
firmly bound, forever free.
5 Holy Spirit, peace divine,
still this restless heart of mine.
Speak to calm this tossing sea,
grant me your tranquility.
6 Holy Spirit, joy divine,
gladden now this heart of mine.
In the desert ways I sing –
spring, O Living Water, spring!
We Celebrate Through Art
This is a simple drawing project, but with watercolor pencils, it turns into a painting. Ask the children to think of geometric shapes–circles, ovals, triangles and rectangles when they sketch, as opposed to thinking about lines. After they have drawn and filled in the sketches, they dip their finger into water and go over the pencil marks with their wet finger. The pencil turns to beautiful watercolor.
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