A Christmas Present for Jesus

CBN.com – The magi gave gifts to Jesus on the first Christmas. Do you have a gift to give Jesus for Christmas?

We give presents to many family and friends and they give gifts to us – it’s a wonderful tradition. But in the midst of all our Christmas festivities we may forget that its Jesus’ birthday we’re celebrating.

 How are we giving him a present?

What gift could you give to Jesus?

How about going against the current of our crazed culture and give the gift of spending some quiet time with Jesus as your First Love.

“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) is the Word of God to us.

Jesus himself prayed in quiet solitude regularly. “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:6). And he invites us to join him in, to be still in prayer with him: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31).

Jesus enjoys being with you! Do you enjoy being with him? Perhaps you feel antsy or jittery about being still? Maybe when you’re quiet your mind races with thoughts of things you need to do?

Little-by-little as we practice getting alone with Jesus to be quiet and still we can get beyond our restlessness and racing thoughts. If we train with Jesus we can learn to settle into the peace of the Lord that is beyond our comprehension and guards our hearts (Philippians 4:6).

As we rest with our Good Shepherd in his green pastures of grace and beside his still waters we discover that it’s really true: “He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:1-3).

Most of our ways of celebrating Christmas today are noisy and busy. But in many ways the first Christmas was celebrated in quiet and stillness. How about giving Jesus a Christmas present of spending some time just being with him in quiet prayer?

Here are some ideas for ways you could give the gift of an adoring heart to Jesus for Christmas:

• Meditate on a Nativity Scene: Probably you have a nativity set in your home. If so sit beside it quietly and take in the miracle of Christmas, thanking God for sending Jesus. Imagine that you’re Simeon. He had been in the temple waiting and praying for the Messiah to come. When Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus into the Temple he was ready! He took the Christ child into his arms, smiled warmly, held him close, and gave praise to God (Luke 2:28). In prayer, enjoy holding Jesus as Simeon did!
• Center Down in Prayer: Set aside five minutes in quiet solitude (ideally in the morning) for centering prayer. Mary received the Messiah into her womb by praying: “Let it be to me according to your Word” (Luke 1:38). To grow in Mary’s humble trust “center down” in her prayer of submission. When your mind wanders gently call it back to the Scripture. Breathe the words in and out – slowly, deeply, over, and over. One-by-one offer to God your concerns as you repeat this prayer. Then as you go about your day whisper your breath prayer as often as you can remember.
• Journey Alone with God in Silence: The wise men rode on donkeys across the quiet lonely desert for months in order to bring their gifts to the Christ child. Most of us spend time alone driving in our cars. This is a great opportunity to practice silence and solitude. Try turning the radio off. Just talk to Jesus. Imagine he’s sitting next to you and have a conversation with him.
• Take an Extended Personal Communion with Jesus: Zachariah spent nine months in silence anticipating the birth of Christ! (Luke 1:20). How about spending a few hours to be quietly alone with Jesus? What a wonderful gift this would be for Jesus and you. Save Bible study or book reading for another time. This special time is for you and Jesus simply to enjoy being together. What would you like to do with Jesus? Take a walk? Go to the beach? Visit a monastery or a retreat center? Sit down in a favorite spot in your house or yard? Talk with Jesus and listen to him. Smile at your Friend. Tell him you love him. Thank him for his goodness. Be still – together! You may want to use a journal to help you pray.

Advents Blessings to you and your famiy,
Jen G.

The story of our Family Ministry camping trip....from the Gordon's point of view.....

Wednesay morning, July 21st,  my husband, myself, and our five kids embarked on a trip to camp with our Family Ministry group to Scotts Flat Lake. If you count the coolers, bikes and sleeping bags, there were about 26 of us.  We piled into our Ford Expedition, stuffed to the gills with gear and food and people and chatter, and started on our journey!

Well, it should have taken an hour and a half, but we had to stop twice in the first hour to check the baggage and the bike rack and make sure everything was secure. Then well, we decided it would be a good idea to "fill-up" the tank.   Then we had to stop so one of the younger boys could pee…never mind that we had JUST left the gas station fifteen minutes earlier. Then we had to stop at a grocery store to pick up ice and batteries for the flashlights.  It was one of those drives that “we’ll laugh about later”...(god help us on a longer trip}. Ha ha!

Finally, after almost 2 hours on the road (I know, not very long, but still...}, we finally arrived at our  desstination....Scotts Flat Lake and we were greeted by the Payan and Wharton families.  Before we knew it, we were in such a peaceful place...a place where we could put some space between ourselves and the day-to-day grind, the commonplace routine that’s so fast-paced and goal-oriented.

Before I knew it, our stressful car ride was behind us.  There was no rush, because in a way, time did not matter.  It was time to enjoy each other and  appreciate the moment we were in. 

Yes, camping is al lot of work!! And when people ask me how the camping trip went, it’s tempting to tell the story of  bug-bites, one of the kids tripping into the fire, keeping track of all the kids in the lake, 2 yr old melt-downs, etc.. Those are the stories that get the sympathetic sighs. It’s the easy stories to tell, because we can all relate to chaos, and things not going the way they’re supposed to.

 But the stories that really matter are the ones about the kids--big and small --playing baseball on a make-shift baseball field, cheering each other on, or a quiet evening gathered around a campfire while friends and siblings sing and entertain each other and the adults, .the stories about big kids teaching the younger kids to weave and play new games, families and friends bonding over quiet conversations, runs in nature and hanging out on the beach enjoying each other, appreciating the moment we were in… and of course the joy of celebrating mass together outdoors as a community--I think these are the stories that matter the most!

The chaos and mishaps will always be with us parents, to large and small degrees, in ways that make for funny memories later and ways that just make you wish you could forget. Confusion and calamities are always noticeable; they demand our attention. But the quiet, slow moments of pleasure don’t scream out or jump in our faces. They require us to notice them, and to acknowledge them, to ourselves and to each other and to the people we tell. Because the things we choose to recount will often be the things we most strongly remember later.  And I want to remember the campfire skits, the silly songs, the bicycle rides, and the opportunity to share a weekend and common purpose with families that share faith and similar values..

And that, I think, this is the real story of our camping trip...from the Gordon's perspective

Here a some photo highlights...(more pics coming soon...not able to upload them all right now!..check back soon}

Celebrate Father's Day w/ Bishop Soto
& the Sacramento River Cats

Spend Father’s Day with friends and family Raley Field.
Sunday, June 20, 2010, 11am
Dads play catch with Bishop Soto before the game, receive a Father’s Day Blessing and watch Bishop Soto throw out the first pitch!

We can enjoy premium seating at a reduced rate for this day of fellowship and fun! Tickets are only $10. If we get enough interest and commitment from you, we will buy a block of tickets so our families can sit together at the game.

River Cats stadium is very family friendly and lends itself nicely to an afternoon of family and community!

RSVP to Jen G. or Jen P.
gordonfamily5@comcast.net
jrpayan@surewest.net

All are welcome on Easter Sunday! (And other Sundays too!)

Last evening, Easter Vigil, tens of thousands of candidates and catechumens came into full communion with the Catholic Church.

However, just as importantly, today, Easter Sunday, there are many cradle Catholics in the pews who attend Mass on no other Sunday during the year.

Are we reaching out to them?

It is hard for many of us not to feel like the other brother in the story of the Prodigal Son.

Here we have been attending Mass faithfully all year long. Now on the greatest feast of the year we have to fight for pew space with these folks who have been sleeping in or playing golf the rest of the year. Don’t you feel a “That’s not fair!” welling up?

I have even been known to suggest we hand out tickets to Easter Mass on Palm Sunday. Yet, that is not what our Lord wants. His Passion and Resurrection was for the redemption of all of us: the Daily Mass attenders, the Sunday Mass attenders, and even the no Mass attenders.

This morning, Fr. Glenn gave a beautiful homily about this very topic. We must pray that something touches these people on Easter that will bring them back to the Church next Sunday.

As weekly parishioners, we must show an open mind, heart and spirit to those that perhaps have not attended Mass since Christmas (or last Easter). Offer a welcoming smile as people join you in the pew.

Today, I welcome all those who come to us on Easter from outside the Church. I welcome those who are renewing their acquaintance with the Catholic Church. As we squeeze into the pews, let us be joyful that so many members of the Body of Christ have gathered to celebrate our redemption.

So, on this Easter Sunday, let us pray for those who will be celebrating Mass with us -- as it's much harder for us to judge them if we are sincerely praying for their return!

HAPPY EASTER!

Heading Into Holy Week...

This simple song never fails to silence my inner “noise.”

Come to Jesus.

Let’s each of us do that this week.

Full of the Spirit!

I, like Jen Gordon, completely enjoyed Congress this year. I've returned so enriched and full of the Spirit and want to share all of the awesome things I learned. I plan on posting some links to the amazing speakers I heard and would like to start with this one.

Barbara Coloroso has great advice on teaching ethics and values to children. Click on the handout "Just Because It's Not Wrong Doesn't Make It Right" it emphasizes some of the major points in her book by the same name.

She really emphasized that children are growing up in a "what's in it for me?" culture. We bribe and reward our children to motivate them. This hand out has real ways to teach your children the reason they need to "do good is because good is good to do". (cool catch phrase huh?)

I know I'm going to be re-evaluating how we do some things in our home.....

http://www.kidsareworthit.com/Handouts.html

✞ Jen Payan ♥

An Incredible Abundant Experience!

Do you ever wonder if the Holy Spirit is at work in your life?

One place I've witnessed the presence of the Holy Spirit was this past weekend while I attended the Religious Education Congress in Anaheim.

This was my 2nd year attending this amazing conference. Like last year, I was blown away by the spirit of the Congress itself. This year proved just as meaningful. It was a shot of Vitamin C (C for Congress) for my spiritual life!

So, what is RE Congress?

Congress is all about being surrounded by others people who are living their faith out and who are also looking to grow in new ways.

This year's theme was "Incredible Abundance" which was fitting because there was something like 300 workshops to choose from, with topics ranging from How to Create an Intimate Marriage, Survival Tips for Raising Kids, Catholic Social Justice Teaching, The Lives of the Saints, Women of the Bible, Contemplative Prayer - there was something for everyone. The hardest part for me was deciding which eight sessions to attend!

The weekend included awesome musical entertainment and every evening ended with a Eucharistic Liturgy , again, with over 9 different choices. Again, the hardest part was deciding which one to attend. But they are all so wonderful, I couldn't go wrong.

Actually, the celebration the the Liturgy is one of my most favorite parts of the weekend. To be standing in communion with thousands and thousands of people, who share your same beliefs and traditions is absolutely overwhelming. The masses are so alive, with incredible music and wonderful musicians and celebrants who are truly inspired by the word.

This year's keynote speaker was best-selling author (Tuesdays with Morrie, People You Meet in Heaven) and ESPN analyst Mitch Albom. He addressed this year's Congress theme: "Incredible Abundance". His message was meaningful, powerful, moving and inspiring!

Most importantly, at the end of the weekend, I left Congress inspired both personally and spiritually. I came away thankful for my parish community and most importantly, with a new drive to continue participating in my ministry work.

Thank you Saints Peter and Paul for this incredible experience. Once again, Congress was an amazing experience on so many levels. It allowed me to breathe in the abundance of God's goodness. Thanks to all who made it happen.

Overall it was ABUNDANTLY wonderful! Can't wait until next year!

2nd Annual Family Bingo

BINGO!

King's grand prize drawing winner - Rachel

Ivan called the games for us and entertained the little ones!

As special Thank You to:

The Cooper Family

The Eagle Family

The Marovich Family

The Gordon Pamily

The Payan Family

The Simmons Family

for all of the lovely prizes.

Also to Ivan who patiently called our games while kids ran around him playing and yelling!

It's Not Too Late for Lent...

At daily Mass yesterday, I suddenly realized that we are about halfway through Lent. I reflected on how my Lent was coming along. Was I following through with my resolutions? Was I fully preparing for Christ's passion and resurrection? Or, am I just promising to start tomorrow?

I can honestly say that on a few resolutions I am definitely following through. I've also been pretty good about working with the kids through their Lenten activities,

However, some of my more personal, spiritual resolutions are not going as well. These are the ones I struggle with every year. I want to pray more, attend daily Mass as much as my schedule will permit and read more scripture. As I get to the end of each day, I realize I did not set these as priority before I got tired.

As I sat in Mass thinking over both my successful resolutions and the ones I struggle to meet every day, I was gently reminded that it is not too late to get it right. We must make every day fruitful and not put it off till tomorrow. Today, I pray for my continued resolve to meet my spiritual Lenten goals and I will pray for yours as well. Even if you have not started any yet, it is not too late to begin.

Peace and Blessings to you on your journey!

A Lenten Joke...

A bartender notices that every evening, without fail, one of his patrons orders three beers. After several weeks of noticing this pattern, the bartender asks the man why he always orders three beers. The man says, “I have two brothers who have moved away to different countries. We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank as a way of keeping up the family bond.” Several weeks later, noticing that the man only ordered two beers, the bartender said, “Please accept my condolences on the death of one of your brothers. You know, the two beers and all…” The man replied, “You’ll be happy to hear that my two brothers are alive and well… It’s just that I, myself, have decided to give up drinking for Lent.”

St. Patrick's Day Family Bingo

Sunday, March 14, 2010

3-5pm in the Multipurpose Room

Bring the entire family for snacks, fun, and prizes. Every child will be sure to get a prize by the end of the afternoon. A $5 donation per family is suggested to cover costs. RSVP to Jen G gordonfamily5@comcast.net or Jen P jrpayan@surewest.net so we can get an idea of how many families to plan for.

We are also looking for prize donations (small toys, games, picture frames, candles, ect). Any little gifty thing you may have that never good used (yes, it is OK to regift!!) or some gently used toys for the kids. You can get them to Jen or Jen anytime before the event. Thanks you!

SNOW DAY AT YUBA GAP SNO-PARK

Or, the "Gordon/Simmons" photo shoot...

On Saturday, Family Ministry headed up to the Yuba Gap Sno-Park for a little fun in the snow. Unfortunately, at the last minute, many families had to cancel their plans to join us due to schedules conflicts, sick children or concerns about the weather. We were sorry that more families couldn't make it, but we do hope that all sick kiddos (and husbands) are on the mend.

Fear not, the Gordon's and the Simmon's had a GREAT time!

Snacks packed, snow sleds and discs in hand & and warm clothing...we couldn't have expected a better day. There were plenty of sleds, discs and tubes to go around. The kids had a blast finding all kinds of ways to come down the hill. They searched new runs, higher ones and faster ones. Runs for the big kids and runs for the little ones too. Snowball fights, snow angels, snowman making and even a face for the tree! I am not sure how many times they went up and down the hill but suffice it to say, it was a quiet ride home in the car and early to bed that night for my family.

We enjoyed the nicest weather (including a beautiful snowfall) and many slope sledding hours without getting much of chili at all. Most of all, we had a great time just being together, watching the kids smiling faces and hearing their genuine laughter. It was nice visiting time with one another and know that this is just the first of many more Family Ministry trips to the snow!

Good times, Good friends and Good families!

Lenten Activities for your family...

I hope your Lent is off to a good start. The web has many Lenten activities for kids and families. Here are just a few for you to check out. ENJOY!

CatholicMom.com has art projects, coloring sheets, games and even some recipes. They have more under lesson plans.

Most kids love to help in the kitchen and the Catholic Cuisine blog has recipes that carry you through the liturgical year. See what they are cooking up for Lent.

Part of a large site by a Passionist, here are Lenten prayers for children. They also include a Stations of the Cross for Children.

Sign up for Holy Heroes and your kids can get daily emails of Lenten activities.


Here is a link to a 40 day calender to help keep you on track and thinking about doing something each day: http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/MY-LENTEN-CALENDAR-2010.pdf


There is so much more out there to further our walk with the Lord this season. In case you were looking for a jump-start, these are some sites/suggestions that just might help.

If you have a favorite Lenten resource for kids that isn't listed here, please leave it in a comment!


I hope and pray you all have a blessed Lent.

ASH WEDNESDAY

Fast and feast in Lent...

Lent can be more than a time of fasting, it can be a season of feasting. We can use Lent to fast from certain things and to feast on others. It is a season in which we can:

• Fast from judging others; feast on the Christ dwelling in them.

• Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of life.

• Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.

• Fast from thoughts of illness; feast on the healing power of God.

• Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.

• Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.

• Fast from anger; feast on patience.

• Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.

• Fast from worry; feast on divine order.

• Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.

• Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.

• Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.

• Fast from hostility; feast on non-resistance.

• Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.

• Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.

• Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.

• Fast from discouragements; feast on hope.

• Fast from facts that depress; feast on verities that uplift.

• Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.

• Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.

• Fast from shadows of sorrow; feast on the sunlight of serenity.

• Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.

• Fast from problems that overwhelm; feast on prayer that undergirds.

(Reprinted from Marist Messenger, March 2003)

SNOW MUCH FUN!

Family Ministry is heading up to Yuba Gap for a day of fun in the snow!

February 20th, 2010 from 8:15 AM to until...whenever we/you decide your family is done.
There will be sledding, snow ball fighting, a snowman building contest, and hot cocoa.

Due to the possible weekend crowd...we will head out early. If you want to carpool up with other families, we will meet in the church parking lot at 8:15am and leave promptly at 8:30am. To save time (and perhaps a hassle) you can purchase your "Daily Parking Pass" at REI in Roseville. The cost is $5 for the day. Otherwise you can purchase a pass when we arrive. Dress appropriately! You may want to bring a change of clothes, especially if you do not have snow gear to keep you dry. Don't forget to bring any snow-play equipment that you have. You may also want to bring an item or two for our snowman building contest.

Depending on how many families attend and who might be interested, we could stop in the way back home and enjoy pizza together in Auburn or ???.

Please RSVP and let me know if you want to carpool from the church or if you will head up on your own.

41776 Yuba Gap Dr.Emigrant Gap, CA 95715

DIRECTIONS
ATTENTION: Directions to the Sno-Park found on most mapping programs send you to Emigrant Gap. DO NOT EXIT FREEWAY AT EMIGRANT GAP - THERE IS NO TURN-AROUND. EXIT YUBA GAP INSTEAD.

I-80 East from Sacramento: Take Yuba Gap Exit, 30 miles east of Colfax. Turn right, follow the road to the 'Y' and stay left. Follow signs to the Sno-Park gate, approximately 1 mile from freeway.

Hope you will join us! Please feel free to email me with questions (gordonfamily5@comcast.net)

Family Snow Day

Come play in the snow with Family Ministry on Saturday February 20th!

How to mark your door with Epiphany chalk

Marking the door post with Epiphany chalk, a great Catholic custom, is such a joy to do with the family. And it's not too late because this can be done on the 6th of January. There is plenty of time to prepare, but do read Fr. Edward's post because he makes it simple for all of us. Coming from a priest, I like this post a lot! Do check it out!

Visit St. Bernabas Blog maintained by Revd. Fr. Edward Tomlinson SSC.