GIFT: Revelation Acting for Justice – Solidarity for all God’s People

1. GIFT: RevelationActing for Justice – Solidarity for all God’s People October 6 & 9, 2013

2. Home-Church Connection • Share with your table group about the object that you brought from home and why. • Who does it connect you to? Where do they live? • Why is it important to you?

3. Introduction • This Acting for Justice session on Catholic Social Teaching explores the principal of solidarity. • As the U.S. Catholic Bishops explain, “Our culture is tempted to turn inward, becoming indifferent and sometimes isolationist in the face of international responsibilities.

4. Catholic social teaching proclaims that we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they live. We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. Learning to practice the virtue of solidarity means learning that ‘loving our neighbor’ has global dimensions in an interdependent world.” (Sharing Catholic Social Teaching, USCCB, 1998, 5-6)

5. Learning Objectives:know what, know why, know how • Comprehend the interconnectedness of all people in the world and the impact of global interdependence upon people and communities who struggle to make an adequate living (know-what)

6. Value and appreciate the significance of Catholic teaching on solidarity and the responsibilities of Catholics to be our brothers’’ and sisters’ keepers regardless of our differences. (know-why) • To live the practice of solidarity, loving our neighbor, by engaging in action, locally and globally (know-how)

7. Format for this Gathering… • Introduction • Opening Prayer • Break Out Groups • PreK-8thwith Catechists • H.S. and Adults with Fr. Craig • Return for Summary and Closing Prayer • Dismissal – Take Homes

8. Opening Prayer • Would anyone like to share about the objects you brought from home? • Leader: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is a reading based on Paul’s 1st Letter to the Corinthians 12:12, 14-26

9. The body is one, but has many members. So it is with Christ. We were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – we are all of the same Spirit.

10. The body is not made up of one part, but many. If the foot were to say, “because I am not a hand, I don’t belong to the body”, would not make it any less a part of the body.

11. And if an ear were to say, “ I am not an eye, so I don’t belong to the body”, that would not make it any less a part of the body.

12. If the whole body were just an eye, where would be hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?

13. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”, nor the head to the feet, “I have no need of you”.

14. We can’t do without the parts of the body that seem to be weaker; and those parts that we think aren’t worth very much are the ones which we treat with greater care; while the parts of the body which don’t look very nice are treated with special modesty, which the more beautiful parts do not need.

15. God himself has put the body together in such a way as to give greater honor to those parts that need it. And so there is no division in the body, but all its different parts have the same concern for one another. If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it; if one part is praised, all the other parts share it happiness. The Word of the Lord, • R: Thanks be to God

16. And all together we pray… O Creator, Our world is large, and yet the global community is so fragile. We glimpse the needs of our sisters and brothers, and those needs are great. We want to turn away, but you call us back. We want simple solutions, but you want us to help solve the complex problems.

17. Through your church, you call us to listen, to learn, to reflect, and to act. Give us a deep sense of our place in this web of creation. Give us wisdom and generosity of heart So that all children of God might live in dignity and peace. Amen.

18. ♫ Jesus Told Us the Most Important Thing♫ Jesus told us the most important thing Is to love the Lord your God With all your heart. (repeat)      Soul, mind, and your strength. With your heart, soul, mind, and your strength. (repeat) We’re gonna love the Lord with everything.

19. So clap your hands! Love the Lord with everything. And stomp your feet! And love the Lord with everything. And say: oh yeah! Love the Lord with everything. And jump up and down! Come on and love the Lord with everything.

20. Jesus told us the most important thing Is to love the Lord your God With all your heart. (repeat)      Soul, mind, and your strength. With your heart, soul, mind, and your strength. (repeat) We’re gonna love the Lord with everything.

21. So clap your hands! Love the Lord with everything. And stomp your feet! And love the Lord with everything. And say: oh yeah! Love the Lord with everything. And jump up and down! Come on and love the Lord with everything.

22. We’re gonna love the Lord with everything. Yeah! Dance! And don’t forget, there’s number two, there’s one more thing, we need to do: We’ve got to love one another, Serving each other, help our brother and our neighbor, too.

23. Jesus told us the most important thing Is to love the Lord your God With all your heart. (repeat)      Soul, mind, and your strength. We’re gonna love the Lord with everything.

24. Break out Groups

25. Summary • Think of everything that we have done in this session to learn about the Church’s teaching about Solidarity. Take a few moments to share with your table group. • Share one thing you learned today. • How will what we explored today change your outlook about being our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers?

26. And all together we pray, • In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God of solidarity, You entrusted the earth and its resources to the stewardship of humankind. Yet the goods of creation, destined for the whole human race, are enjoyed by a privileged few.

27. For the producers of our consumer goods there are no privileges, working long hours for little pay. For us, who benefit from unfair trade, we take for granted the toils of men and women who maintain our standard of living. Inspired by Jesus who brought good news to the poor, show us how we may stand in solidarity with people who suffer through unjust trading rules. Amen.

28. We Respond We pray for the Church, that she may be a strong voice crying out for change and against the injustices which keep people poor. ♫ Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

29. We pray for the work of the Church here and overseas, that it may be a sign of hope for all who struggle, and a beacon that reminds us that, even in a broken world, change is possible. ♫ Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

30. We pray for world leaders and for all who hold leadership positions, that they may recognize and seek ways to tackle poverty and bring about equality, so that all may achieve their potential and live their lives to the fullest. ♫ Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

31. We pray for ourselves, that we may take any opportunities to look at our own lifestyles, and to make the world a better place by learning to share what we have. • ♫Response: Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

32. ♫ Peace, peace, peace unto all Peace, peace, peace to all the world♫

33. Dismissal • Please make sure you pick up a copy of the People of Faith Generations magazine to take home and continue learning! • Check out our newly designed parish website: www.stmatthiasparish.org