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Chosen Make-Up Assignment I am sorry that you were unable to attend the last EDGE session. We don't want
you to miss out on the material we covered, as i t is an important part of your preparation for receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Instructions: Using the attached session from the Student Workbook, read each section and then w r i t e about what you learned. Additionally, spend a m i n i m u m of 15 minutes discussing the lesson and the assigned questions w i t h your parent, your sponsor or another adult. Return the make-up assignment, along with the Student/Parent Verification Form to your Core Team Leader or to Jen Gordon at our next EDGE Night.
Name Date you missed EDGE:
1 . Pray the prayer on the f irst page of the Lesson.
2. Read the article f rom the DIVE IN. Write three sentence that explain the main idea of the article.
3. Read the section TO THE HEART with... Whose heart was the article w r i t t e n from? What was on the heart of the person who wrote the article? Tell about i t i n at least two sentences.
4. Read about the HERO of the WEEK. Who did you read about? learn f rom this hero?
What is the lesson we can
5. Read the CHALLENGE of the WEEK. There are three challenges to choose from. Choose one to complete. Explain what you did you for your challenge.
6. Read TAKING IT HOME. In 3-4 sentences, wrap up what you learned in this lesson.
7. Read "WHAT'S THAT WORD?" Choose one w o r d and explain two new things you learned about the w o r d that you haven't thought of before reading this explanation.
EDGE Make-Up Work Student and Parent Verification
Student Verification
I recognize that my Faith Formation is important, (student Name)
as is my attendance at EDGE nights!
1 was absent from EDGE on and missed Session # , titled
My signature below indicates that I have completed the missed lesson by reading the corresponding sessions in the Student Workbook and completing the written questions. In addition, I spent a minimum of 15 minutes discussing the assigned questions with a parent or another adult, sharing my thoughts and asking for theirs.
student Signature Date
Parent Verification
I recognize that my son/daughter's Faith Formation is (student Name)
important, as is his/her attendance at EDGE nights!
My signature below indicates that my son/daughter completed the missed lesson by reading the corresponding sessions from the Student Workbook and completing the written questions.
In addition, I spent a minimum of 15 minutes discussing the assigned questions with a him/her, asking for their thoughts and sharing mine.
Parent/Adult Signature Date
"Our Father, w h o art i n heaven,
hal lowed be thy name;
thy k i n g d o m come,
thy w i l l be done, o n earth as i t is i n heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those w h o trespass against us;
and lead us n o t into temptation,
b u t deliver us f r o m evil. Amen."
166 ^CHOSEN
"For You A popular I tal ian teenager
f r o m a loving family,
Chiara "Luce" Badano had
a rock-solid fai th that was
n u r t u r e d by retreats and
y o u t h min is t ry programs.
Chiara loved to hang out i n
coffee shops, and she was
great at tennis, swimming,
and m o u n t a i n c l imbing. Her outgoing personaht)^
and adventurous spiri t inspired her to dream of
becoming a f l ight attendant. Chiara had a br ight
future ahead of her.
Then, one day, w h i l e playing tennis, Chiara
experienced excruciating pa in i n her shoulder.
Shortly afterward, she was diagnosed w i t h a rare
f o r m of bone cancer. It's here that the real story of
her life begins—the story of heroic virtue.
Chiara's explosive] oy only increased w i t h suffering.
Cardinal Saldarini heard of this amazing teen and
visited her i n the hospital . Awestruck, he said, "The
l ight i n your eyes is splendid. Where does i t come
from?" Chiara's reply was simple. " I t ry to love
Jesus as m u c h as I can."
She often repeated the phrase, " I f this is what you
want, Jesus, so do I . " W h e n locks of her hair fell
out, she w o u l d pray, "For you, Jesus." She endured
great pa in w i t h even greater patience, always
saying, " I want to share as m u c h as possible i n his
suffering o n the cross."
She w o u l d w a l k around the hospital counseling
depressed patients. W h e n she was encouraged to
stop and rest, she said, "111 have time to rest later."
Ever t h i n k i n g of others, she said, " I have nothing left,
hut I still have my heart, and with that I can always love,"
Chiara asked to be b u r i e d i n a wedding gown. As
the end of her short life drew near, she to ld her
mother, " W h e n you're getting me ready. M u m , y o u
have to keep saying to yourself, 'Chiara Luce is n o w
seeing Jesus.'"
She died o n October 7, 1990 at age eighteen. Her
parents and friends were w i t h her. Her last words
were, "Goodbye. Be happy because I ' m happy."
Several years later, a young boy i n Italy was
dying f r o m meningit is . His organs were shutting
dov^m, and there was no way to save his life. His
parents learned of Chiara's story and sought
her intercession. Their son was ful ly healed. A
panel of doctors r u l e d that there was no medical
explanation for this t u r n of events. Chiara was
beatified o n September 25, 2010.
Sometimes prayer changes the course of events i n
history. Sometimes prayer jus t changes us. Prayer
d i d n ' t heal Chiara, b u t i t gave her the grace to
suffer w i t h love and joy. Prayer, uni ted w i t h the
c o m m u n i o n of saints, w o r k e d a miracle i n the life
of the young boy w i t h meningitis.
Prayer is one of the mightiest things we can do.
Today we're going to learn how.
... God doesn't just want to telllyou how to get there-he wcmts W go with you.^^
TO THE HEART with I drive a lot : to the church, to the gym, to the homes
of parishioners. As a busy priest o n the highways i n
Cajun country, m y life w o u l d l o o k very different i f I
d i d n ' t have her... you know. Sin. M y w o r l d changed
w h e n Apple introduced Siri o n the iPhone. She
types m y texts. She sends m y emails. She even
wakes me up i n the morning .
M y favorite feature of the iPhone is that Siri can tel l
me h o w to get to m y destination. Siri tells me where
to go and h o w to get there, and she lets me k n o w
i f I ' m heading i n the wrong direction. D r i v i n g is
m u c h easier, especially w h e n I don' t k n o w where
to go, al l because of Siri's voice. Gotta love that
GPS!
Now, imagine this: W o u l d n ' t the iPhone be even
better i f i t h a d a God app? T h i n k what life w o u l d
be l ike if, at any moment, we could p lug into G o d
a n d k n o w what to do i n any given situation. Need
to k n o w w h y life is so tough sometimes? Need to
k n o w where God is i n this ci&zy world? Grab your
phone and simply ask the app and voila: God's
voice.
The good news is that God already has the app for
us to hear his voice. It's called prayer. A n d , unl ike
Siri (who really doesn't k n o w or care about me ... I
k n o w ... hard to believe), God is tirelessly pursuing
every one of us!^
Now, many of us. w a n t to pray. Many of us w o u l d
love to hear God clearly. l iowever, prayer can
sometimes feel dry. Oftentimes, we get distracted.
Moreover, many of us don ' t k n o w what to do or
h o w to start.
You're not the first person to want to go deeper
w i t h God. The good news is that for the past 2,000
years, people of every generation have wanted
God jus t l ike you do.* The Church i n its w i s d o m I
can teach us about prayen A n d , i f we persevere i n
learning h o w to pray, it's l ike having our o w n GPS
i n hfe. God can tell you h o w to get to your ult imate
destination. God can tell y o u where to go, h o w
to get there, and i f you're heading i n the w r o n g
direction. Furthermore, God doesn't j u s t w a n t to
tell you h o w to get there—he wants to go with y o u .
God wants a relationship w i t h y o u .
A l l you need is an open m i n d and a h u n g r y heart.
You can go deeper i n your relationship w i t h God.
Set aside your phone, along v d t h Siri and the other
apps. God is ready to teach you. The Church is
ready to teach you. Your personal GPS for life is
called prayer.
Father Mark Toups Find It! What are the four types of mysteries prayed in the complete Rosary?
170 i^CHOSEN
Of the Week
St, Ca erine of S P
Have you ever seen your guardian angel? St. Catherine of Siena did. I n fact, when
she was a little girl, she could see other
people's guardian angels, too. She
also saw Jesus, Mary, and many saints.
Sometimes her mystical experiences
were witnessed by others—she would
amaze her mother by literally flying
upstairs, her feet never quite touching
the steps!
Catherine wanted nothing more than to be with Jesus i n prayer. One day, he came to her when she was in prayer and slipped a ring with four pearls and a diamond on her hand—a ring no one else could see. From that moment, she considered herself married to the Lord. Her heart beat so loudly for love of God, it would disturb others at Mass; she lived for years sustained by nothing but the Eucharist at Mass.
This amazing intimacy produced a strong
faith that led her to do amazing things.
At sixteen, she joined the Dominican
Order as a tertiary—a lay member who
would live i n the world instead of in a
convent. Her family had other plans for
her that included marriage, but she put
up a strong defense, and eventually she
was allowed to follow her heart.
When the Plague swept her city in 1374,
kill ing more than 80,000 people, she
tended to the sick and cured many of
them miraculously through her prayers. Many were converted on the spot. Soon, she had many followers.
Catherine began to travel extensively
and to wield some influence through
the power of her letters, not just to
the people with whom she came into
contact, but wi th political and influential
figures. She suffered greatly over the
Western Schism, a time when two papal
courts existed, one in Rome and one
i n Avignon, France. Catherine worked
diligently to establish peace, and because
of her challenge to Pope Gregory XI, the
pope and his administration returned
to Rome. Catherine even served as an
Ambassador from Florence i n order to
make peace in the Papal States.
She died of a stroke at age thirty-three,
leaving behind a powerful legacy i n her
writings, which are considered some of
the most profoundly brilliant vTn.tings i n
the Church, leading to the honor of her
being proclaimed a doctor of the Church,
a distinction she shares with just three
other women (Teresa of Avila, Therese of
Lisieux, and Hildegard of Bingen).
St. Catherine, pray for us. Show its, through your example, the power of prayer for coyisolation as well as change.
Lesson 18 171
of the Week Start a prayer j o u r n a l . For each entry, note the date and what you prayed for. As you accumulate
entries, go back and see w h i c h of your prayers have been answered. Be sure to thank God, even i f you
didn ' t get the answer you wanted. W r i t e a question or comment f r o m your j o u r n a l i n the space below.
T r y LECTIO D i V l N A a t h o m e . Choose a passage f r o m Scripture, and read i t i n a quiet place. A s k the
H o l y Spirit to show y o u connections between the Scripture reading and your o w n life. Stop to reflect,
and talk to Go'd about w h a t y o u read. Then, choose one action to help you apply that passage to your
life. Finally, "rest" and give God a chance to speak to your heart. W r i t e about i t i n the space below.
Choose a r e l a t i o n s h i p i n y o u r l i f e t h a t needs a t tent ion , and do something concrete about i t . Does
someone need a k i n d w o r d , a l i t t le of your time, an apology, forgiveness, or a simple greeting?
W i t h o u t violat ing anyone's privacy, tel l a l i t t le about i t next week.
"Aslz, and it will he given you; seelz, and you will find; hioclz, and it will he opened to you."
-—Matthew 7:7
L o r d Jesus, you invite us to pray w i t h confidence, expecting answers and an outpour ing of graces. But
sometimes w h e n we pray, our hearts are i n the w r o n g place. Show us what parts of our lives need to
change i n order for our prayers to become h o l y and our wi l l s to be conformed to yours. Give us the grace
to make time for daily prayer and to l isten for your gentle voice i n our lives. Amen.
172 ^CHOSEN
Taking It Home
For next week's "Review Game" be sure to read over the following ...
1. Watch It! questions (page 167)
2. Wrap-Up
3. "What's That Word?"
4. Memory Verse
Don't forget to do your Challenge of the Week (page 171)
Wrao-UD Imagine, you h a d a good fr iend w h o was moving
away. H o w w o u l d you make sure you stayed i n
touch? W o u l d you jus t talk about your friend?
W o u l d you text or email a l ine or two, w i t h o u t
bother ing to read or respond to your friend's
messages? W o u l d y o u avoid picking up the phone
w h e n that person's number came up o n Caller ID?
Of course not .
G o d gives us lots of ways to stay i n touch w i t h
h i m t h r o u g h personal prayer, w h i c h is a two-way
conversation w i t h God. There are many he lpful
devotional prayers the Church offers us to help
us pray; The Rosary, litanies, novenas, and the
Stations of the Cross are jus t a few of these. The
highest and most powerfu l f o r m of prayer is l iturgy,
specifically the L i turgy of the Eucharist (i.e., the
Mass). Take advantage of that!
<^ O n e o f themost impor tantways to stay i n touch w i t h
^^dod^-'however, is t h r o u g h personal, conversational
^^^^•^^yex. Prayeris 'simply a conversation m t h God, and
^'^feaii&to-heart" w i t h God needs to be the
foundat ion of all of our prayers and the foundat ion
of our lives.
I f you're t h i n k i n g about prayer, it's because God
is t h i n k i n g about you. I f you're thirsty for prayer,
it's because G o d is thirsty for you. As the Catechism
reminds us: "Whether we realize i t or not , prayer
is the encounter of God's thirst w i t h ours. God
thirsts that we may thirst for h i m " (CCC 2560).
Since prayer is a conversation, l ike any conversation,
i t goes two ways. I t involves speaking and listening.
To hsten to God, start by reading jus t a htde f r o m
one of the Gospels each day. Search online for
"USCCB Dai ly Mass Reading" to find the Gospel
for that day's Mass. Read i t prayerfully. Engage
your imaginat ion i n what you read. T h i n k of what
the people i n the passage looked and sounded
l ike. Picture yourself as one of the people i n the
story. Then, ask yourself, "What's God saying to
me today t h r o u g h this reading?" Next, talk to h i m
about what you refiected on. Prayerful reading
of Scripture l ike that is called lectio divina, w h i c h
means "divine reading."
Lesson 18 173
'What's That Word?" CONTEMPLATION C O N T E M P L A T i O N is a type of prayer t l iat is
marked by simple silence i n the presence of God.
It is often considered the highest stage of prayer
because i t includes a special closeness to God that
is a taste of what our relationship w i t h h i m w i l l
be l ike i n heaven. Some of the Church's greatest
saints and mystics practiced contemplat ion and
m o t e about i t to encourage others to pursue i t . A
good way to prepare for this k i n d of deep prayer is
to reduce the amount of noise i n your life and to
take time to be silent, and, i f possible, to pray i n
a Church where Jesus is present i n the tabernacle.
As you become more comfortable w i t h silence, y o u
w i l l be better able to hear God speaking and be
aware of his presence.
LECTIO DIVINA Lectio divina, or divine reading, is a form^ of
meditative prayer based o n reading Scripture. The
four steps of lectio divina are: read (lectio), reflect
(nieditatio or meditate), relate (oratio or pray) , and
rest (contemplatio or contemplate.)
MEDITATION M E D i T A T i O N is a type of prayer i n w h i c h we t h i n k
about God and t ry to understand what he has said
and is saying to us. Whereas V O C A L PRAYER
is generally associated w i t h speaking to God,
either using our o w n words or c o m m o n prayers
like the Our Father, meditation is often associated
w i t h listening to God and making resolutions to
live according to what we hear. Both lectio divina
and the Rosary are tradit ional forms of Catholic
meditative prayer.
Memory Verse: ''Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ fesus for you."
— 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
174 ACHOSEN
PRAYER G o d has made us for a relationship w i t h h i m and
longs to share his life w i t h each one of us. Prayer
is the communicat ion w i t h h i m that sustains and
deepens that relationship. Traditionally, there are
three types, or expressions, of prayer: vocal prayer,
meditat ion, and contemplation.^
Jesus spent a great deal of t ime i n prayer w i t h
his Father and taught his followers to pray, too.^
The O u r Father contains the five most c o m m o n
k inds of prayer: adoration, pet i t ion, intercession,
thanksgiving, and praise.
Prayer is a two-way communicat ion that includes
speaking, listening, and s imply being silent i n
God's presence. One of the best ways to hear f r o m
G o d is to read his W o r d , the Bible. The Catechism
reminds us that " i n the sacred books, the Father
w h o is i n heaven comes lovingly to meet his
chi ldren, and talks w i t h them" (CCC 104; see Dei
Verhum 21).
'•Mm
Poge Paul VI was-the first pope to Ah two things: visit the United-
States andi'dddress the United Nations General Assanhly.
Anu Questions
What should I sau to God?
m not sure houu to start my
end of the conversation...
Just talk to h i m f r o m your heart. A good way
to talk to God is to remember the acronym
"ACTS."
A is for "Adoration." That is s imply tell ing
God h o w amazing he is. T h i n k of your favorite
church song or the "Gloria" f r o m Mass, and
sing i t to G o d i n your heart.
C is for "Contr i t ion . " Contr i t ion involves
examining your conscience and asking God for
forgiveness and strength. You can't grow as a
person i f you're n o t doing that every day.
T is for T H A N K S G I V I N G . Gratitude is a very
powerfu l attitude. Count your blessings every
day—especially o n the days you're tempted to
t h i n k your life stinks!
S is for S U P P L I C A T I O N . This means asking
God for things you need or interceding for
things other people need.
I f you get u p ten minutes early every morning ,
prayerfully read God's W o r d (perhaps the
Gospel of the day), and then talk to God i n the
quiet before you go to school, i t w i l l change
your life! (Set that alarm jus t a l i t t le earher i f
you need to.)