R.C.I.A.

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R.C.I.A.

• Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults
• Saint Mary Our Lady of Grace
• Presentation by Melissa Hendrick

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Opening Prayer- Daily Reflections

• United States Catholic Council of Bishops
• How has God impacted your life this week?
• -Share examples

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The Way of Faith

• Christs death on the cross transforms all other
  deaths into eventual blessing because we now have
  eternal life.
• In the News As many as 14 people have been
  shot dead in a murderous three-minute shooting
  rampage inside an upstate New York civic
  association building that caters to immigrants,
  according to federal and state authorities.
  (Binghamton Rampage Leaves 14 Dead, Police Dont
  Know Motive)

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How does this relate to the readings?

• At noon darkness came over the whole land until
  three in the afternoon.
• And at three oclock Jesus cried out in a loud
  voice,
• Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani? which is
  translated,
• My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
• Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. (Mk
  1411547)

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Tradition says

• Death is transformed by Christ. Jesus, the Son of
  God, also himself suffered the death that is part
  of the human condition. Yet, despite his anguish
  as he faced death, he accepted it in an act of
  complete and free submission to his Fathers
  will. The obedience of Jesus has transformed the
  curse of death into a blessing. (Catechism of the
  Catholic Church, 1009)

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Discussion

• What relationship do you see between the readings
  and tradition?
• How can you relate what you see in the news to
  the gospels?

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Introduction to the Sacraments

• Video link to "The Sacraments"
• "The sacraments are outward signs instituted by
  Christ to give grace. Signs, there are all kinds
  of signs around us but sacraments are unique as
  signs because they are signs of the presence and
  love of God for us and of our desire to come in
  contact or encounter God."
• Msgr. Zenz from the "Introduction" video

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Introduction to Baptism

• Click to link to Baptism
• "When many of us were baptized, say a half
  century or so ago, the concern was to rush to
  have a child baptized right away to remove
  original sin and allow the child to receive
  sanctifying grace and make him or her a temple of
  God. Today, we have an appreciation of this
  sacrament as part of something larger, initiation
  into the Church."
• Msgr. Zenz from the "Baptism" video

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The Chosen Ones of God

• It is God who chooses. God takes the initiative
  and claims a person or a people as his own. Yet
  Gods choice is always witnessed by another.
  Gods choice is witnessed by the Church, Gods
  own people. We know whom God has chosen because
  we can see Gods influence clearly in that
  persons life. In that person, we see God at
  work.
• Election begins with God and is witnessed by the
  Church. To be elected means to be chosen by God
  to be the way God wants to act in the world now.
  It is one way God continues to be present in our
  world, and it is how the Church continues to
  proclaim Gods faithful presence to his people
  today.

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Reflection

• When have you felt chosen? What were you chosen
  to do? Who testified on your behalf that you were
  the right choice? How did their testimony make
  you feel?

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What we do and how we help each other

• Chosen for BaptismWhen an adult seeks to be
  baptized, the Church is always looking for signs
  in that persons life of God at work. Here are
  some signs we look for Does the person listen to
  Gods word and respond to it? Have they changed
  their way of life to match the way of life
  presented in the Gospel? Do they pray with the
  Church and do the things the Church does? Do they
  live a spirit of charity in their family and work
  life? Have they learned to sacrifice themselves
  for the good of others? When we see these signs
  in the persons life, we can affirm that God has
  chosen them to be baptized.

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3 days Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy
Saturday

• The Easter Triduum or Sacred Triduum are three
  parts of one celebration of the paschal mystery,
  the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.
  Lent ends on the morning of Holy Thursday. Lent
  culminates in the Easter Triduum and Easter which
  is celebrated for 50 days until Pentecost.

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Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday (from the word
mandatum)

• The Triduum celebrations begin on Holy Thursday
  with the Mass of the Lord's Supper in the
  evening.
• This day commemorates The Great mandatum or
  Call to Service    John 131-20    The mandatum
  of Jesus is his command to follow his example
  (Jesus washes the feet of the disciples), to do
  as he has done.

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Holy Thursday

• The Institution of The Eucharist    Matthew
  2626-30, Mark 1422-26, Luke 2214-23    Jesus
  institutes the Eucharist, giving his body and
  blood to his disciples. As we share the
  consecrated bread and wine, we experience the
  fullness of Jesus' gift to us of himself. It is
  important, especially on this night, to receive
  the host and the cup, in memory of Jesus.

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Holy Thursday

• The Prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
      Matthew 2636-46, Mark 1432-42, Luke
  2239-46     After the meal with his disciples,
  Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.
  "Could you not watch one hour with me?" he asks
  his disciples as they fall asleep on him.
  Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place
  until midnight when we keep Jesus company.
• There is no final blessing or procession to end
  this Mass because the celebration does not end.
  The prayer continues in our homes until we are
  called together again on Good Friday to remember
  the next part of the story of our salvation.

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Good Friday

• Recalls the death of Jesus on the cross. It is
  Good Friday because of the good that Jesus did by
  purchasing redemption for us by his blood.
• The Liturgy of this day usually takes place at
  the traditional death time of Jesus at 300 p.m.
  This is the one day of the year the Church does
  not celebrate Mass. Communion for today is
  consecrated at Holy Thursday Mass.
• The service begins in silence with no procession
  or greeting as it is a continuation of what began
  on Holy Thursday. The priest kneels or more often
  prostrates himself as a sign of utter humility
  before God.

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The Ritual takes place in 3 parts

• Liturgy of the Word     Old Testament reading of
  Isaiah on the suffering servant and the Passion
  of Christ from John's Gospel is proclaimed. We
  listen and remember how Jesus suffered and died
  for our sins.
• After the Passion we are reminded that there are
  many people in the world who need our prayers,
  and so in our role as priestly people we pray a
  more lengthy and elaborate form of the General
  Intercessions.

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Good Friday

• Veneration of the cross     Then a cross, the
  symbol of our salvation, is brought forward for
  us to venerate. It is our opportunity to show our
  respect for this gift of salvation. People will
  come forward to venerate by genuflecting,
  touching, or kissing the cross.

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Good Friday

• Communion      We participate in a simple
  reception of the Eucharist and then leave church
  again in silence to continue our prayer and
  fasting at home and to return on Holy Saturday
  evening for the Easter Vigil.

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Holy Saturday

• The Easter Triduum begins with the mass of the
  Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday it reaches its
  high point in the Easter Vigil, celebrated on
  Holy Saturday night. This celebration is a long
  one we have a lot to do this evening.

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The Liturgy is divided into 4 parts

• 1.New Fire and Light of Christ       A fire
  usually outside the church is brightly burning to
  remind us that Jesus is our light in the darkness
  and the new Paschal Candle is blessed and lit
  from the flames of this fire. All present light a
  candle from the Paschal Candle and processes into
  the darkened church.       The Easter
  Proclamation (Exultet) is proclaimed.

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2. Vigil reading of the Old Testament
and New Testament

• These readings call to mind the stories of
  creation and the working of God in the lives of
  the Israelites. A minimum of three readings and a
  maximum of seven readings (see above for the
  readings) will be used.
•        From the Old Testament Readings we go to
  the singing of the Gloria and the ringing of the
  bells. Then a New Testament letter is read.
•        After which the Alleluia is joyfully sung
  for the first time since Lent began, to prepare
  us for the reading of the Gospel. A homily
  follows.

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3. Sacraments of Initiation

•   Catechumens (those to be baptized) are
  initiated into the church with baptism and
  confirmation. During communion, they will receive
  the Eucharist for the first time.       We give
  our prayerful support by praying the Litany of
  the Saints. We welcome our new members into the
  church and parish community.

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4. Liturgy of the Eucharist

• The Mass continues as usual with the Eucharist.

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Easter Sunday

• Every Sunday is an Easter. The first celebration
  of the Lord's Day was on Easter Sunday when the
  Lord rose again from the dead, defeating sin and
  death.

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Easter Sunday

• Alleluia (Praise the Lord) is sung joyously
  especially on this day.
• Mass is as usual except that
• The Sequence is sung or said before the Gospel
  Acclaimation.

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Easter Sunday

• Christians to the Paschal Victim offer sacrifice
  and praise. The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb
  and Christ, the undefiled, hath sinners to his
  Father reconciled. Death with life contended
  combat strangely ended! Life's own Champion,
  slain, yet lives to reign. Tell us, Mary, say
  what thou didst see upon the way. The tomb the
  Living did enclose I saw Christ's glory as he
  rose! The angels there attesting shroud with
  grave clothes resting. Christ, my hope, has
  risen he goes before you into Galilee. that
  Christ is truly risen from the dead we know.
  Victorious king, thy mercy show! Amen.
• Renewal of Baptism Promises is made instead of
  the Profession of Creed.

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Closing Prayer/Reflection

• Our God, Here we are, at the beginning of the
  week which your church calls most holy. For us,
  your human children, it is in many ways the time
  when you seem most fully incarnate, feeling as we
  feel sometimes. Maybe you felt a little proud, a
  little puffed up, as the crowd cheered as you
  entered Jerusalem what human wouldnt?

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• We wonder if you knew how the story would end, as
  we do. Our knowledge of Easter is what allows us
  to bear observing Holy Week year after year.
  Easter is, maybe, the time when Jesus the human
  is also most fully God, capable of resurrection
  from the dead and somehow, mysteriously redeeming
  us in the process. But to get to that point, we
  have to go through the trials and frailties of
  your flesh, just as we do our own every day.

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• God, as we move through this week, give us the
  gifts of concentration, of focus, and of empathy,
  as we seek to determine where your astonishing
  story, which is at once so familiar and yet so
  incredible, fits with our own narratives. We
  believe wholeheartedly that your passion and
  death have significance beyond our comprehension.
  Allow us to be touched and awestruck by the holy
  events of this week and to claim them once again
  for our own lives.
• Amen.