This Issue

• The Word Became Flesh
• For Principals and School Boards
• For Educators
• For Parents
• Forming Adult Faith
• Compendium Corner

The Word Became Flesh

In December, the days become shorter, and we often feel hurried in preparing for the arrival of Christmas. 2008 has challenged all of us. Troubling economic news and the stresses of the election may have forced us to revisit our priorities. With Christmas and the New Year on the horizon, we have yet another opportunity for renewal. When Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States in April 2008, he emphasized a message of hope. As we try to be creative in managing our time this holiday season, let us stop to ponder the core of our faith, Catholic basics—"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14, NAB). The coming of Jesus Christ into the world, and the promise of his second coming are the sources of our hope.

This issue of To Teach offers suggestions for preparing for and celebrating the season of Advent and Christmas.

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For Principals and School Boards

• Gather faculty and staff to create a school Advent wreath, then invite all to pray the Blessing of an Advent Wreath found in Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers.
• Promote Catholic basics by giving a copy of Essentials for Christian Living to all faculty and staff.
• Make biblical literacy a priority by encouraging faculty and staff to download the daily readings and daily reflections on the readings.
• Provide faculty members with a copy of Advent Journey to Justice/Adviento Caminar con Justicia, as a way to encourage on-going prayer and reflection during the Advent season.
• Plan and host a prayer vigil on December 1 to remember those who have died from AIDS and for those still fighting HIV/AIDS. For more information on the World AIDS Day from the U.S. bishops.
• Prepare a school-wide celebration to honor and thank the religious men and women who support your school now and those who have retired.
• Host a “fair trade" fair at your school to build awareness about fair trade and to give your students a chance to buy fair trade Christmas gifts.

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For Educators

• Talk about Mary's role in the life of the Church by reading excerpts from the Pope's thoughts on Mary together, and sharing reflections students record in the allotted space.
• Master Catholic basics in the classroom by focusing on the sacraments in these free videos.
• Pray with students the Prayer on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8 and the Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. Both prayers can be found in Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers.
• Look ahead to National Migration Week 2009 and discuss justice for immigrants in light of the Christmas story.
• Use short portions of the DVDs The Face: Jesus in Art and Picturing Mary as the starting point for a discussion on how we picture Jesus and Mary and where we see the presence of God in our daily lives.
• Rehearse four or five Christmas carols and organize a trip to a local nursing home to sing carols and share fellowship with residents.
• Use lessons from the Ending Poverty in Community Toolkit to help students understand what they can do to help end poverty in your community.
• Invite families to borrow a copy of The First Christmas an animated production that tells the traditional story of the birth of Jesus, beginning with Mary and Joseph's trip to Bethlehem and ending with the arrival of the Magi. Provide a list of discussion questions for families to share after the viewing.
• Review the list of Classroom Advent Suggestions, and select a few to incorporate into your class throughout the Advent season.
• Distribute copies of the World AIDS Day prayer card which includes general intercessions that can be used at Mass on that day and concrete action steps your school or parish can take to combat HIV/AIDS.
• Research and prepare with your students a monthly budget that reflects the typical costs of a retired person, especially one who lives in a nursing home or care facility. Use the materials from the National Religious Retirement Office on why we help or the fact sheet as resources for some of the typical cost information.
• Celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas with your students by sharing the story of his life and filling their shoes with “fair trade" candy.
• Lead your students in a novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Start the novena on November 30, nine school days before the feast day on December 12.

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For Parents

• Purchase a copy of Pope benedict's thoughts on Mary, and set aside time each day during the Advent season to explore more fully Mary’s role in the life of the Church.
• Incorporate Family Conversations for Advent into one family meal each week.
• Practice Catholic basics by reciting core prayers and discussing their meaning together with Essentials for Christian Living.
• While decorating your home for the holidays, plan to gather your family members for the Blessing of a Christmas Tree and Blessing of a Christmas Crèche found in Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers.
• Commit to one or two of the ideas found at An Adult Advent, as a way to model for your children the importance of prayer and reflection during the Advent season.
• Obtain copies of the Novena for Peace and Justice, and gather your family members to pray the novena for nine days, during the Advent season.
• Set aside time to explore the many signs and symbols of Advent and Christmas—including the Advent wreath, the nativity scene (commonly known as a crèche), and the Jesse tree—with your family, or to learn more about the life of Saint Nicholas.
• At grace before meals on December 1, World AIDS Day, pray for those who have died from AIDS and for those still fighting HIV/AIDS.
• During the week of December 3, share stories in your family about the religious men and women whom you know, especially those who made an impact on your life. With your children, decide on an amount to donate to the Retirement Fund for Religious. Base the amount on how much it would cost to feed a retired person for one week, to buy a month’s worth of medicine, or to cover one week’s housing cost in a nursing home or care facilitiy.
• Make a commitment in your family to purchase only products that are “fair trade certified" during December, especially as you buy Christmas presents.
• Include the intercessions on the Gospel of Life during family prayer on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8) and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 12).

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Forming Adult Faith

"Forming Adult Faith" is an ongoing feature of To Teach. It includes suggestions from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults (USCCA) on how to promote ongoing faith formation among the adults in your school community.

The following chapters touch on different aspects of the themes of Advent and Christmas.

• Chapter 2: God Comes to Meet Us
• Chapter 7: The Good News: God Has Sent His Son
• Chapter 12: Mary: The Church’s First and Most Perfect Member

Ideas and suggestions on how to use these chapters for your individual and group reflection can be found online and in the Reader's Journal for the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults.

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Compendium Corner

"Compendium Corner" is provides a list of questions and answers in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church that are related to this month’s topic. (The number before the question is the question number in the Compendium.)

• Review the questions and answers in preparation for your class.
• Consider how to use appropriate questions and answers as part of your lesson plan.
• Develop learning activities that help youth and young adults learn this information by heart (memorization).
  

85. Why did the Son of God become man?
86. What does the word “Incarnation” mean?
94. What is the meaning of the expression “conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit . . . ”?
95. “. . . Born of the Virgin Mary”: Why is Mary truly the Mother of God?
96. What does the “Immaculate Conception” mean?
97. How does Mary cooperate in the divine plan of salvation?
98. What does the virginal conception of Jesus mean?
99. In what sense is Mary “ever Virgin”?
103. What does the Gospel teach about the mysteries of the birth and infancy of Jesus?
520. By what is love for the poor inspired?

To obtain a copy of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, visit www.usccbpublishing.org or call 800-235-8722.

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