It was an exciting moment. Carrie Prejean’s turn had arrived to answer a question from a judge during the final round of the Miss USA pageant. When the question came, Carrie’s stomach turned. The judge wanted to know what she, as the reigning Miss California and the potential Miss USA, thought about “gay marriage.” She knew what the man wanted to hear. But she also knew what she truly believed.

Carrie wondered: should she give the popular answer or speak her conscience? She quickly prayed for guidance.

We’ll get to her answer — and its aftermath — in a minute. But first, let’s take a quick look at Carrie’s life leading up to the Miss USA pageant. That will help us zero in on the point of this lesson: True marriage is worth defending … even when it costs you dearly.

Young love

Carrie Prejean was a shy child but, in high school, she became a four-sport athlete. Her softball team won a national championship. Then, encouraged by her parents, she joined a youth group at her evangelical Protestant church. She found that she loved to learn more about God, his love for her and his love for everyone. This knowledge became a source of deep joy for her.

Her parents and her church also taught her that her faith and her values would be challenged in the world today. She made a personal commitment to Christ and to her Christian values, prepared to deal with the challenges this commitment would bring.

You really think I’m pretty?

When Carrie was 17, some people began insisting that she enter beauty pageants. “I didn’t even know what a pageant was,” she told the press recently. But Carrie had always liked challenges and trying new things. The idea that she could be competitive in a beauty contest stirred her imagination.

Going for it

Carrie isn’t exaggerating when she describes herself as someone who can be very enthusiastic once she decides on a goal. She got the name of a woman who helps organize beauty pageants and called her. When the woman met Carrie, she seemed impressed. She explained the basics of the pageant and gave Carrie some information to look over and some forms to fill out. So it was that, at 17, Carrie entered her first beauty contest … and won!

College!

In college, Carrie continued participating in beauty pageants. She spent her freshman year at a state school, but after prayer and discernment decided that she wanted to attend a Christian college. She transferred to San Diego Christian College, a school known for promoting a strong faith life.

Carrie greatly enjoyed her new school. She saw the environment of faith and intellectual challenge as an opportunity to prepare for the future: She wanted to be a Christian leader. She wanted to help bring Christ to others and make a difference in the world. Most of all, she wanted people to know the deep sense of satisfaction she had found through a personal and prayerful relationship with Jesus.

Reaching out

Besides her studies and her beauty pageant preparations, Carrie also got involved in outreach programs to the handicapped and the hurting. She took part in a ministry to women exploited by prostitution and pornography.

Beauty strategy

During this time, Carrie’s attitude toward beauty pageants was, “Just be joyful and be myself. Be happy with who I am and try to show kindness to everyone else.” It worked. Her successes mounted with each contest. This past November Carrie won the Miss California USA pageant. She was also voted Miss Congeniality by her fellow contestants.

Prepping

Winning the Miss California USA title was exciting in itself, but it also qualified her for the Miss USA pageant. She decided to take a semester off from school to prepare for the pageant. She worked out, followed a demanding diet and studied many of the topics she might be asked about.

The Miss USA pageant took place in Las Vegas over a two-week period. Only the last day of the pageant, April 19, was shown on national television. Which brings us back to the question that changed her life.

Facing Down Fear

As the telecast began, the host named 15 finalists. Several rounds of competition followed until only five girls remained. For the final round, each finalist would have to answer a question from a celebrity judge. The girls picked judges’ numbers from a bottle and Carrie ended up with Judge No. 8 — Perez Hilton.

This man’s real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira. He is famous for his abrasive personality and insulting commentaries on TV and the Internet. He is also famous for promoting changing the definition of marriage so gay couples can get “married.”

“Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage,” said Mr. Hilton. “Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?”

This was a loaded question. Perez Hilton was setting Carrie up to either cave in to popular pressure or make a fool of herself in front of millions of people.

Or so he thought.

At first, Carrie tried to soft-pedal her beliefs. “I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one or the other,” she said. “We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage.”

But as she spoke these words, she heard a still, small voice speaking to her heart. Which crown did she want more — the Miss USA crown or the crown Christ wanted to give her?

She interrupted herself in mid-thought. “And you know what?” she said. “I think that in my country, and in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman — no offense to anybody out there — but that’s how I was raised and … I think that it should be between a man and a woman.”

Media Firestorm

As Carrie spoke these words, an immediate reaction rose from the audience. Most people applauded, encouraged by Carrie’s bravery and honesty, but there were also some boos. You probably already know that Carrie lost the contest.

Afterward, a famous television reporter asked her about Perez Hilton’s question. Carrie was surprised that such a famous reporter would want to talk to the runner-up rather than the winner. In her mind, what happened to her was simply a side story. She soon began to find out that this was not just a side story. It had already become national news.

Digging up dirt

In May, a celebrity-gossip blog ran a photo of Carrie partially undressed. Her back was to the camera, and the image was not especially racy by today’s standards, but the organizers of the Miss California pageant announced that they were investigating. Carrie, they said, might have her Miss California title taken from her.

Speaking in her own defense, Carrie stated that she had posed for the shot when she was 17 and pursuing a career as a model. She objected to the release of the photo.

“I am a Christian, and I am a model,” she said. “Models pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos. Recently, photos taken of me as a teenager have been released surreptitiously to a tabloid Web site that openly mocks me for my Christian faith. I am not perfect, and I will never claim to be.”

She has also pointed out that she was “naive and young” at the time of the photography and regrets having made the decision to pose for that particular shoot. Maggie Gallagher, head of the National Organization for Marriage — which works to keep marriage between one man and one woman — spoke out in Carrie’s defense. “You don’t have to be a perfect person,” said Gallagher, “to have the right to stand up for marriage.”

“You’re fired!”

The media circus followed Carrie around for weeks. Then, on June 10, the final ax fell. Carrie was stripped of her Miss California crown. This was the title that had gotten her into the Miss USA pageant to begin with.The organizers of the Miss California pageant claimed Carrie had not been cooperative in carrying out her duties. Carrie disputed that claim.

“They don’t agree with the stance that I took [on gay marriage],” she said. “They don’t like me. From Day One they wanted me out, and they got what they wanted. … I was very respectful of people even when they slandered me and humiliated me,” she added. “I have not once stooped down to their level.”

With these words, and with her acceptance of embarrassing defeat, Carrie showed the world what Christian forgiveness looks like.

A Crown lost, a crown gained

Carrie may have been stripped of her crown as Miss California, but she certainly can stand tall. She has been given a crown of courage, even if many mock her and call her a hypocrite. She has stood up for marriage at a time when it is extremely important to do so.

Marriage really matters. It matters for all of society. Carrie has done her small part to witness to the beauty and truth of marriage.

Battles ahead

What does Carrie Prejean’s future hold? That remains to be seen. She still has many choices ahead of her.

One thing is for certain: The battle for the truth about marriage will continue. Legal experts foresee a very heated and difficult battle, because, with the approval of gay “marriage” in many states, the Christian view of marriage may be considered bigoted “hate speech” by government.

We Catholics, too, will be called on to defend marriage. Will we have the courage to stand firm as Carrie Prejean did — even when it means losing something we have worked hard for? When we experience loss, we can remember that nothing is truly lost when we stand up for truth.

On the contrary, we help others. Let us continue to speak the truth with love. Christ will give us our crown, and we will know the happiness of having helped others with our lives.

Sometimes it’s hard to see education as a gift, until we get a chance to give that gift to others. Last month, 20 college students were chosen by USA Today for the All-USA College Academic team, to honor not only their academic excellence, but also their generosity in using their knowledge and talents to improve the lives of others. In this lesson we will take a closer look as at the work of two of our nation’s college all stars, and examine how their relationship with Christ helped them choose to serve others.

The 16^th Annual All-USA team

Qualifying for the team is no easy task. Ten men and ten women were chosen from 602 students across the nation. Their ages range from 19 to 26, and their majors range from music to engineering, yet their stories share some similarities. An average GPA of 3.86 is proof of  rigorous academic discipline. And these grades weren’t won by months of shutting themselves away with their books. All of the all-star students are involved in other activities such as sports, student clubs, and volunteer organizations.

Each all-star received trophies and an award of $2,500.  Many of them are just beginning to dream of what the future will hold as they graduate from college and move on to change the world. What moves them to put laziness aside and put their talents at the service of others? For two students in particular, it is imitation of Christ that inspires them to give themselves.

Part I: Meeting material needs

Rachel Husfeld of Valparaiso University is an “Engineer without Borders”. As chapter president of this organization, she embodies the ideal of taking her education outside of the borders of the classroom, and using it to improve the lives of others. She led a group of 18 students to work in an orphanage in Mexico, learning from day laborers how to do the stucco work and installing toilets for the children.

She understands that because of her Christian faith she is called to a life of service to others. “You follow the lifestyle of Christ,” says Rachel, “and that was how he lived, a life of service, humbly washing the feet of others. This is how we know what love is.”

When Rachel went with her church on her first trip to Mexico, it moved her deeply to see so many people in desperate need and made her think of more ways to help them. “I feel like I’ve been blessed with so much,” she observed, “I have the resources and the passion to be able to help.”

Rachel noticed that it is easy to be an engineering student who does nothing but engineering, but from early on she took steps to make sure her mind was not confined within the classroom. She learned Spanish, reflected on what life is really about, and actively thought of ways to serve with the gifts she has. She found support in her church and family, both financially and emotionally.

Her parents had always set a good example for her, and encouraged her to get involved in a local youth group. Dad showed her the value of hard work, and Mom showed her compassion in caring for other people. Even though many around her were only concerned in looking out for themselves, the Christian charity she found in her family and church pointed her towards Christ. “God is the one who ultimately inspired me to service,” Rachel says.

The opportunities began to come to her, and she chose to take them. Once you take hold of an opportunity, she explained, it requires hard work to see it through, to practice teamwork with the others, and to persevere beyond the frustrations. Her group is currently working on a three-year project to design and install a windmill-powered well and drip irrigation system in Kenya. For Rachel, service for others is not something extra, rather it is an integral part of who she is as a Christian.  She realizes that love for Christ and the knowledge of His love is what inspires her service. In her own words, “I have a heart for the people.”

Part II: Meeting spiritual needs

Caesar Garcia represented his country as a diver in the Athens Olympics, managed to keep his grades above average, and still found time for God. His sports career increased his faith and his service to the community. As an athlete, he noticed that many times sports players were painted in a bad light, from media stories that focused on the negative incidents, or just from the fact that athletes often don’t have the time for community service.

As the oldest of seven children, leadership came naturally to Caesar, and he used this to recruit the help of other athletes for a project he had in mind which would promote charity and other character strengths. At a local elementary school, he started a character education program based on NCAA “Life Skills”, forming his own lesson plans to teach virtues to the students while improving the reputation of fellow athletes.

Caesar’s parents have always given him an example of strong faith. Growing up, sometimes had to be pushed by his family to do a bit more for Christ. For example, he did not enjoy getting up early for Lenten Mass before school, but through this the whole family grew closer together. They would also attend weekly prayer meetings where other families would join them for evening Mass, and, after the prayer time together, all the kids would go outside to do sports and games. Looking back, he sees the value of what he received in having friends with the same values and a family that supported his faith.

His father, a gymnastics coach in Baton Rouge, had taught by example that forming children well is more important than making money. “If you can teach a child success, you’ve taught him a lesson for life,” said Garcia.

Founding and directing the “Life Skills” program was a challenge at times, especially to get all the athletes to help him, but he was motivated by a strong desire to help children learn the character traits that would help them to succeed. “Charity was instrumental. I think the best way to live is to try and do things out of love. Using charity synonymously with love reminds me that love is shown through actions and therefore takes effort.”

He had already grown in fortitude when he almost lost his sports career to a back injury. His whole life had centered around diving, and when it looked like he had to quit there was nowhere to turn except to God. The decision to trust in God unconditionally gave him peace to be able to go forward.

Charity often becomes a reflex that makes us heroes without even thinking about it. In 2002, while Caesar was canoeing with his family on the Oklahoma river, rainy weather made the river choppy and treacherous. They pulled off to the shore, but Caesar noticed that a couple fallen trees were causing trouble for other people still on the water, who were falling out of their canoes and getting sucked under. He swam over to help, pulling five kids out of the water and bringing them back to their families. His immediate courage and faith put into action saved their lives.

“I’ve had so many opportunities to apply my faith,” Caesar says, “faith that God is in control.” For Caesar, this faith is not just an idea from the classroom or the pulpit, but something that is alive and real. He knows that we see Christ through our friends and the people around us, and the little things that happen in life make our faith more real. It is time to move on from Olympic diving, Caesar decided, but as he looks ahead to graduation and career he knows that service will always be a part of who he is.

The Challenge is ours

The college academic all-star team demonstrates that by excelling in our schoolwork, we can gain the knowledge and confidence to more effectively put our faith and charity into action.  Both Rachel and Caesar recall that the greatest virtue is charity, and they want to make it a defining part of their lives.

At times our school work may seem boring or overly difficult.  During these times it would be good to remember some of the college all-stars and how they use their education to help others in creative and effective ways.  We also don’t have to wait for college.  Today and right now we are all learning things that can help improve the lives of others. It is up to us to find these opportunities and to then decide to be generous with the knowledge and talents God has given us.

Bible Blurbs

There are in the end three things that last: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:7,13)

“Be assured, then, that faith without works is dead as a body without breath.” (James 2:26)

“This is how all will know you for my disciples: your love for one another.” (John 13:35)

Catechism Clips

2447: The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God

2444: The Church’s love for the poor . . . is a part of her constant tradition.” This love is inspired by the Gospel of the Beatitudes, of the poverty of Jesus, and of his concern for the poor. Love for the poor is even one of the motives for the duty of working so as to “be able to give to those in need.” It extends not only to material poverty but also to the many forms of cultural and religious poverty.

Pope Quotes

“ …the happiness to which we aspire cannot be obtained without an effort and commitment on the part of all, no one excluded, and the consequent renouncing of personal selfishness.”

“The wounds of humanity cannot leave us indifferent; we must heal, console and care for the multitudes of suffering individuals and peoples.”

” Indeed, the new evangelization starts with us, with our lifestyle. The Church today does not need part-time Catholics but full-blooded Christians.”

Saints and Heroes:

Blessed Alcuin

Blessed Alcuin was a man from England who brought a system of education to the empire of the great Charlemagne. Born in to a noble family in 735, he attended a cathedral school where he drew attention from the headmaster for his academic excellence and strong faith. He was given special attention in his instruction, and eventually became the director of the school. He met the emperor of Europe, Charlemagne (Charles the Great), when returning from a trip to Rome, and was asked to share his education with the entire empire. Knowing that the faith would be spread easier if people knew how to read and write, Alcuin established a system of schools connected to monasteries and churches for the common people to go to learn. He also educated the future leaders of the empire in his schools. He helped to bring Europe out of the Dark Ages, fought errors in the faith, and invented cursive writing. He died in 804.

Saint Edith Stein

Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) was born into a Jewish family in Germany in 1891. She had a great academic aptitude, and studied philosophy under some of the most important intellectual leaders of her time. Her ardent search for truth and the example of some Christian friends eventually led her to the writings of St. Theresa of Avila, which prompted her desire to enter the Catholic Church and dedicate her life totally to God. She was baptized into the Church in 1922, and spent a number of years teaching and writing. From the moment of her entrance into the Church she had wanted to become a nun, but her spiritual adviser asked her to wait.  In 1933 she finally entered a Carmelite convent and took the name Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. As Nazi Germany became more hostile to the Jews, she was transferred to Holland. However, the Nazis invaded neutral Holland and took Sr. Teresa out of the Carmel, sending her in a cattle car to the concentration camp. She died in the gas chambers in Auschwitz on August 9^th, 1942. She was canonized in 1998.

Virtues Highlighted

Charity – Supernatural charity: Love for God. Love of others from God’s point of view.

Human charity- Kindness, respect, and generosity towards others.

Compassion – Feeling of sympathy for the distress of others, with the desire to help them

Courage- The capacity to meet danger without giving way to fear; to have the courage of one’s convictions; to be willing to put one’s opinions into practice.

Discipline - Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.

Faith – belief and trust in God 

Fortitude – Inner strength that allows us to keep going in the midst of difficulties

Generosity -- Giving freely of our own possessions, time and or talent to someone else

Humility - Virtue that reminds us we do not know everything and that God can be trusted to guide us as a good Father.

Leadership – To inspire and motivate others in their conduct; to play a guiding role

Perseverance – Trying hard and continuously in spite of obstacles and difficulties 

Responsibility – Accepting and meeting the demands of our chosen duty in life. Being accountable for our actions.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you ever think that the classes you have now will be useful in helping others? What are some ways that we can dedicate ourselves to serve with the education we have received? How can you use your math to help others? Science? History? English? Other classes?
2. The bigger questions sometimes get put off because the answers are hard to live up to. Rachel was motivated by reflecting on what life is really about. What do you think is the most important thing in life? What does your faith say about this? Why does it help to focus on your life’s priorities?
3. Did you ever think about how Christianity first spread because of the charity that they lived among each other? What do you think of when you hear the word “charity”? Why is it such a powerful virtue?
4. What are the different ways that Caesar lived the virtue of charity? How many people did he affect in a positive way?
5. Many of these students did not plan far in advance the ways that they were going to serve others. They just went with some needs that they observed, and then solutions they were naturally interested in. What needs do we observe in our local community, our nation and country? Let’s also include things that every person needs, no matter where they come from and how much money they have.  What are some of the ways we could help with our talents, time and resources?
6. Many times when we have to get up early for school, or work on homework, it is hard to see education as a privilege. What are the “riches” that we get from education that we would be deprived of if we were not in school?
7. What happens if you have a lot of talents, but no generosity? What kind of person would you be?

Journal Writing

• Write about the one need you would like most to address.  Describe the need in detail, your plan for addressing the need, and the talents, time and / or resources you could devote toward addressing the need.  Also include a description of the challenges you will encounter in trying to address the need.  Finally, write out a specific timetable for beginning the project.  Remember that the need you focus on can be as local as within your own family or as distant as a need in a foreign country.
• We cannot imitate Christ’s life of service unless we really know what he was like. How well do you know Christ? Imagine that you are in one of the Gospel passages, and you meet him. What happens? What does he do? What does he say?

Acticities

• Ask students to read the USA Today profiles of the 20 all-star members and choose their favorite. Students can then write an explanation of why they chose their favorite all-star. In groups of three, they can explain to each other why they admire the different team members.
• Imagine that you are holding an academic all-star competition in your own school. On the board, come up with a list of attributes that would be important for the winner to have, and define them (What kind of grades, what extra-curricular activities, any specific characteristics?). Advanced classes can actually organize this competition, designing an application form with specific questions, picking judges, and arranging for school-wide recognition of the winners.
• Enlist the help of parents to organize a class service trip where students can be with needy people in a concrete and obvious way (soup kitchen, children’s hospital, nursing home, etc.). This can also encompass spiritual needs such as a catechesis group for younger children or a mission.
• Divide students into groups of four. Give each group a newspaper article which of medium length. Students read the article and try to identify the needs of the people involved. On a sheet of paper, they list all of the characters or groups that are involved in some way in the story. Under each character, they think of all the possible needs that person has. The students put a star by one of the needs that they could help solve. Together they think of a project proposal (hypothetical) that would address the need.

Resources

Catholic youth missionaries: http://www.ytm.org/

Catholic Student Organization at Auburn University:   http://www.auburncso.com

NCAA Life Skills: http://www1.ncaa.org/membership/ed_outreach/champs-life_skills/index.html

Engineers without Borders:   http://www.ewb-usa.org/

Bridges to Community:   http://www.bridgestocommunity.org/

Profiles of College Academic All-star team:

http://mostviewednews.orb6.com/stories/usatoday/20050217/2005collegeacademicallstarsfirstteam.php

Joe Ford is a sophomore at Harvard, one of the top universities in the country.  Only 10% of all applicants make it into Harvard.  As you will read, Joe’s odds were much tougher.  This lesson will demonstrate how the virtue of perseverance prepared Joe for success and how the virtue of love inspired his family to help him achieve it.

Part I: Joe’s Perseverance.  

When Joe was born on September 5, 1983, the doctors gave him a 1% chance of living.  A lack of oxygen during birth caused excessive brain damage.  Diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy, Joe lacks control of most of his muscles.  He received his first wheelchair before he was two years old.  

Joe has always tried hard to apply the talents that God gave him.  Despite his physical limitations, Joe has the heart of a lion.  While most kids with severe disabilities attended special-needs schools, Joe worked to earn a place at a challenging Language Arts Academy.  In high school, he obtained an internship at a law firm, doing research on disability law.  This gave him the desire to attend college and possibly pursue a career in law.  He set his sights on Harvard, and studied hard enough to make it, scoring higher than 95% of all high school seniors on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

Every day, Joe faces new challenges, but he never gives up.  We all know how difficult learning can be sometimes; but imagine the incredible challenge of learning if you could not hold a pencil or type on a keyboard!  This is the harsh reality for Joe, whose lack of muscle control makes such basic tasks extremely difficult.  Last year, Joe spent nine hours taking a philosophy exam at Harvard that other students completed in three hours.

Sometimes we might prefer to have others do things for us, especially things we don’t really want to do ourselves.  Sometimes we are convinced that a challenge before us is just too hard.  When discouraged, we can think Joe and his challenges.  For Joe, even the simplest task, like buttoning a shirt or tying a shoe, is very difficult.  In order to function, he must practice perseverance, the habit of trying hard despite obstacles.  Persevering does not mean that we always succeed, but that we always try our best, even through obstacles. 

Part II:  Family Love Brings Out the Best in Us

Joe’s amazing perseverance is in part the result of his own will to succeed; but it is also the fruit of his family’s generous outpouring of love.  Joe’s brothers and sisters often carried him on their backs, or brought him in a wagon to play with friends.  They changed the rules of games like baseball to allow Joe to participate, even allowing him to crawl to first base.  Joe’s brother Michael taught him how to play chess, and now Joe is an excellent player.  Another of Joe’s brothers, Liam, believes that by being included in so many of the family’s activities, Joe has developed the self-confidence to participate in regular activities like anyone else. 

The Ford family provides a beautiful example of unconditional love.  Joe’s family put his needs before their own because of their great love for him.  Christ calls us to show this kind of love to everyone we meet, especially to those in need.  This show of love does not happen automatically.  any great virtue, charity does not happen just by making a decision once, but by actions that are done many times. Charity is a decision that has to be constantly renewed and put into practice. We would all like to become a great basketball player by practicing only once, but we know it doesn’t happen that way.  Like greatness in sports, charity takes constant practice. We get better at it with effort.

The family is a perfect arena for practicing charity.  It is the first school of demanding, unconditional love that brings out the best in us.  Family life teaches us to be unselfish and respectful of each person’s dignity.  True joy in a family comes from working together as a team.  Pope John Paul II reminds us that “to maintain a joyful family requires much from both the parents and the children. Each member of the family has to become, in a special way, the servant of the others.”  The more we help our family, the better we can help others in need.

Compassion

Before we can help anyone in need, we must place ourselves in his or her situation.  Understanding someone else’s troubles with a desire to help them is the virtue of compassion.  We are inspired to be compassionate by remembering that God made us in his own image and likeness (Gen. 1:26).  We are all united to God with a special dignity and love.  God’s love for us is so great that he came to earth, in the person Jesus Christ, to share in our suffering.  “He took upon himself our infirmities, he bore our sickness” (Mt 8:17; Is 53:4).  Christ understands every hardship that we experience.  We should think about others’ hardships as well.

At first, Joe’s family did not know how to help him.  His mother held fast to the hope that he would get better.  Refusing to believe what the doctors told her about Joe’s condition, she brought him to physical therapy, swimming lessons, and even horseback riding lessons so that his physical abilities could improve.  Realizing that Joe likely would not be cured, his mother then shifted her focus to helping Joe live a fulfilling life with his disabilities.  She worked hard to help him develop the abilities that God had given him.  Once she understood his situation, she could better help him.

Our parents’ love for us lets them see greatness in us that we do not even see ourselves.  Their love comes from God, who has given us all a potential for greatness through the sacrament of baptism.  God sees a potential saint, a potential hero, in each of us. Christ believed in our greatness even when we were crippled by sin. He died for us to bring out the saint and hero in each one of us.  We become this hero when we, like Christ, help bring out the best in others.

Joe struggles with his disability just as we all struggle with our own imperfections.  Those who are physically or mentally disabled serve as a visible sign of our duties to one another.  Such people are rich in humanity and deserving of all the dignity and love that we hope for.  Disability is not a punishment; it is a privilege, which God allows as an opportunity for us to love one another as he loves us.

Bible Blurbs

 “He who endures to the end shall be saved.” Matthew 10:22

 “Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12

 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the  that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews12:1

 “I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.” St. Paul  

Parallel Holy Heroes

Blessed Antonia Mesina (1919-1935) 

Antonia was born in Sardinia, the second-born of ten children.  Her mother, Grazia, developed a heart condition that required her to stay in bed most of the time. Antonia left school to take care of the whole family.  She was in third grade at the time!  Her mother often called Antonia “the flower of my life” and claimed that Antonia “never once went against me”. An obedient and brave little girl, she cared for her brothers and sisters as if she were already an adult. She cooked, cleaned, washed clothes, changed diapers, carried water, and gathered wood.  At the same time, Antonia was active in a Catholic youth group and helped many of her friends grow in their faith.  She gave up many personal pleasures and sacrificed her wants for the needs of her family and friends.

BLESSED HERMAN THE CRIPPLE (1013-1054) 

Herman was born with a facial deformity, cerebral palsy, and spina bifida. His parents were too poor to tke care of him, so they gave him to a Benedictine abbey nearby.  Herman became a monk himself and studied hard.  Despite his physical condition, Herman was a genius.  He studied and wrote on astronomy, theology, math, history, poetry, Arabic, Greek, and Latin. He also built musical instruments and astronomical equipment. Eventually, Herman went blind and had to give up his academic writing. He began composing poetry and became the most famous religious poet of his day.  He wrote the prayer Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen), which we often recite as part of the Rosary.

Vocabulary

Quadriplegic- complete paralysis from the neck down

Cerebral Palsy- a malfunction of the motor centers in the brain due to damage of the tissue (usually before or during birth) that results in lack of muscular coordination such as movement and speech 

Perseverance- trying hard and continuously despite obstacles

Unconditional Love- genuine concern and respect given freely to others without motive of self-interest; unconditional love is the love of God: a limitless, changeless love that embraces everyone and does not need to be earned.

Dignity- quality of being worthy of esteem or respect

Compassion- placing ourselves in another’s situation with a desire to help

Discussion Questions:

1. Did you know that 1 in 5 Americans has some form of disability?  1 in 10 has a severe disability.  What do you think constitutes a disability?  Do you, or anyone in your family, have a disability of any kind?  How many people do you know with a disability?

2. What specific actions and attitudes of Joe’s family helped him to develop confidence and trust in himself and others?

3. Pope John Paul II calls the family “the first school of social virtues.”  What does this mean?  How do you practice perseverance and sacrifice in your family?

4. In what ways do your parents make sacrifices for you?  What sacrifices can you make for them and for the rest of your family?

5. How is God’s love for us reflected in people with disabilities?

6. Which sacraments call us to practice perseverance and unconditional love?

Personal Reflection/Journal Writing

1. Write about a time when you have not been able to accomplish something that you wanted to be able to do?  What got in the way?  How did the obstacle make you feel?  Did you give up or did you try harder?  Why?  What do you think that says about your personality?  If you tried harder, did you eventually succeed?  What helped you keep going?  Did others encourage you to try or to stop trying?  How did that affect you? the example of anyone help you to keep going?

2. Write a descriptive paragraph about your day from the point of view of someone in a wheelchair.  Consider what you would do differently and how you would go about doing it.

3. Write about a time when you needed help from someone in your family.  It could be something small, like a homework assignment, or something significant, like a personal situation.  Did you ask for help or was it offered freely?  What was the outcome? 

4. Write about a time when you helped someone else in great need.  What did you sacrifice to help?  How effective were your actions?

5. List some aspects of our society that devalue human life.  Is every aspect of life sacred in our country?  What are some issues threatening the dignity of life?

6. Should we treat people with disabilities differently?  How should they be treated?

Resolution Ideas

1. Find a charity that provides education for underprivileged or disabled students.  Help support the charity in some tangible way. 

2. Many babies are aborted because they are diagnosed in the womb with disabilities.  This is an offense to the dignity of all life, which many people, especially Catholics, are trying to stop.  Find a pro-life organization in your areas and see how you or your class can help.  You might also support a local adoption agency that places unwanted children in loving families.

Extended Learning

1. What are the corporal works of mercy?  List them, and for each one give a concrete example of how you and your family and/or classmates could accomplish it.

2. Students may research a person with a physical disability who has persevered and accomplished great things.  It can be someone they know or someone they read about (the link to Special Olympics has a “meet the athletes” section.) Students should then write a short biography of the person, including details of the person’s disability and how he or she has overcome difficulties.

3. Research websites about saints.  Present a report on a saint who overcame a disability or helped others with disabilities.

Related Websites

National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry – Youth for Disabilities: Resources for Ministry http://www.nfcym.org/v3/resources/disabilities.html

Catholic World Mission— Mano Amiga program offers exceptional education for poor children in Mexico: http://www.catholicworldmission.org/

Pro-Life Activities— various pro-life resources from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: http://www.usccb.org/prolife/

National Disabled Students Union:  http://www.disabledstudents.org/

Special Olympics:  http://www.specialolympics.org/

Children with Disabilities:  http://www.childrenwithdisabilities.ncjrs.org/