Lent is a time for spiritual renewal and a time to step up in our commitment to strengthening our relationship with Christ.  Throughout this past year, parishioners have been on a journey of prayer, service, and sharing. All three of these components of discipleship are rooted in gratitude.

Being grateful disciples is based on a relationship: the relationship between Jesus and us.  Christ is the center of all we do as disciples.  Once there is an understanding that all we have and all we are is a gift from God, the natural response is to say ‘Thank you.’

How can we tell where we are in our relationship with Christ?  We can use our calendar and checkbook to help us determine what we really care about.  Billy Graham once said: “Give me five minutes with a person’s checkbook, and I will tell you where their heart is.”

1. How do I spend the time entrusted to me?  What are six things you spent the most time doing regularly this past year?

2. How do I spend the financial resources entrusted to me?  What are six things you probably spent the most money on this past year?

3. If the number 1 equals low priority and the number 10 equals high priority, using actual time and money spent as a partial indicator, rate how high a priority God has been in your life.

4. If the number 1 equals low priority and the number 10 equals high priority, how high of a priority would you like God to be in your life?

5. What is one thing I could START that would help me make God a higher priority in my life?

6. What is one thing I could STOP that would help me make God a higher priority in my life?

7. What is one thing I could CONTINUE that would help me make God a higher priority in my life?

He will always make you rich enough to be generous at all times, so that many will thank God for your gifts which they receive from us.  For this service you perform not only meets the needs of God’s people, but also produces an outpouring of gratitude to God.  2 Corinthians 9:12-13

May these sacred days be ones that allow us to rediscover the generous gifts that the Lord bestows on us.

Every day we each have so much going on, and everyone is so busy. This busyness can be in the form of many different things including work, school, helping or visiting family or friends, sports, leisure activities, and many more things. Often prayer can be one of the things that is not one of our priorities.  Sometimes it might just be another thing to check off our to-do list. I know that I’ve fallen into this pattern of needing to get my prayer done for the day.

A few years ago, I came across a Catholic singer/songwriter who had a song that spoke to me when I felt like prayer was impossible – when I was so busy. Luke Spehar’s song Be Still reminded me that “only in the Lord is my soul at rest” while recognizing “it’s easier said than done, just to be still and know He is God.” This song constantly reminds me of Psalm 46:10, and to let God be God so he can answer my questions in the silence of my heart.

I’m so excited that the high school students on the West Side of Green Bay will be able to have a night of prayer with Luke Spehar on March 16. Not only will the students be able to hear Luke’s music and story, they will be able to join together to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament in Eucharistic Adoration. Please keep all of our students in your prayers, so that they may know “that He answers all questions just by softly saying, be still and know I am God.”

Take 5 minutes now  to pray (if you can) and Be Still.  Click the arrow in the picture below.

Kate Ruth
Youth Minister

Confirmation classes recently started here at the parish, and as I reflect on the beginning of this journey, I can’t help but be reminded that we are never alone. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us,

“by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.”

We even see in this definition that we are bound closer to the Church, both locally and globally, here on earth and in heaven; and we are given strength by the Holy Spirit. We are not alone!  (Click on this link.)

We also ask each person seeking the sacrament of Confirmation to walk this journey with a sponsor and to pick a Confirmation name after a saint. Both of these choices are tangible ways to make sure that the Confirmand is connected to the universal Church, and to help them feel they are not alone. The sponsor we choose is someone who is already confirmed, someone who is living out their faith every day.

We choose a saint’s name to remind us that it is possible to seek holiness, other human beings did it, and that means we can do it too. That saint is someone who we then run towards and ask for their prayers for us from Heaven. Someone once encouraged me to have 5 “go to” saints, to ask for their intercession. I challenge all of us to find those saints that we can go to when we need prayers. The saints made it to eternal life, and look forward to us joining them!

“We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.” ~Hebrews 12:1

Summer is finally upon us, and it can be the perfect time to step back and re-energize ourselves.  The beautiful weather and sun awaken us from what can seem like an unending winter.  Not to mention kids are out of school, we may work different hours, and many of us take some time off.  This is the perfect time to spend with family, friends, and to have a little quiet time for ourselves.  I hear (and say to myself) people are too busy for so many different things.  Why not take advantage of the extended sunlight and the feeling of being rejuvenated to do one thing on your to-do list that you haven’t gotten to.  Specifically use this summer to continue to grow deeper as a disciple of Jesus Christ!  Not only is there Mass here on the weekends, but Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday we have daily Mass at 8:00 a.m., and Thursday at 7:00 a.m. – come and join us before you go to work.

For all of our students in Middle and High School, summer is often a favorite time of the year.  But sometimes it can be hard to find things to do.  Most Wednesdays this summer from 7:00 -9:00 p.m. we have a Youth Ministry Activity Night.  So far we have watched Night at the Museum outside, played night games, and had some bonfires.  Check the bulletin, our website, call the parish office at (920) 499-1546 ext. 111 or email me at YouthMinister@seasgb.org to find out what we’re doing and make plans to join us.  You can even bring your friends!