The X-Games™ have always been the place where over-the-edge athletes throw down adrenaline-pumping stunts that blow the minds of spectators. Those who really excel at these death- defying sports often embrace a dark and murky culture of dissent, dissatisfaction, and dissing anything that resembles rules or conformity.
But a few of these dare-devils have been raising an uncomfortable stir. Sponsors and organizers are nail-biting over what fans will think when they learn their bad-boy, rebel heroes have embraced Christianity. In this lesson we’ll find out who some of them are, and how it happened…

x-treme biker

When motocross racing newcomer Brian Deegan won the1997 LA Coliseum Supercross, he astonished the crowd by hopping off his moving bike at the finish line. It launched riderless into the air. That was to be the first of many shocking stunts from Deegan that would rock the motocross world. The move was immediately banned by motocross authorities and racing rebel Brian Deegan found his bad boy niche.

Deegan was 12 years old when his parents divorced. He found a vent for his anger in dirt biking, and turned pro by age 17. He left small town Nebraska for Southern California, FMX headquarters, promising his father he would come back home and go to college if he didn’t make it.

Brian soon switched from motocross racing to freestyle motocross (FMX), which is more about stunts and tricks than riding laps. He soon joined up with other riders who wielded the same revulsion for authority. With Larry Linkogle, Deegan co-created the “Metal Mulisha”, an FMX team that would eventually compete and perform around the world.

In an interview with Phil Bartsch of the Courier Mail, an Australian newspaper, Deegan said “We formed the Mulisha because we wanted to have our own group of guys who stood up against the (motocross industry) establishment. We’re against people trying to make you do things you don’t want to do, like dress and look how you don’t want to look.”

The Mulisha became known for their raucous, destructive behavior, shaved heads, tattoos, wild parties and busted hotel rooms. Deegan chose a skull with a Nazi helmet for the Metal Mulisha emblem, marketing the symbol in a multimillion dollar clothing line.

x-treme talent

The X Games (formerly known simply as “X-treme Sports”) began to include Freestyle Motocross in 1999. Deegan has taken 3 Gold and 7 Bronze medals, competing in at least one X Games event annually.

He was the first ever to do a 360 in competition – an aerial back flip on the motorcycle while ramp jumping. The trick was named the “Mulisha Twist”. Deegan became internationally known for his willingness to invent new tricks risking everything to entertain an audience.

x-treme attitude

“For me, I would say my whole life was being a rebel; trying to form an image of this guy who has done a lot of sins, a lot of bad things. (I was) trying just to build a name – basically glorifying being a bad person…” Deegan goes on to express his growing emptiness he felt inside. “ I just was hurting the people I loved and doing the bad things.”

x-treme pain

The Metal Mulisha packed stadiums wherever they went. But ripping on a bike in FMX competition has the potential to rip the rider’s body as well as take his life. Like ancient gladiator games, spectators are as eager to see a crash as they are thrilled with a successful death-defying trick.
In May of 2005 Brian Deegan attempted a back flip for the MTV cameras filming Viva La Bam. He tried to slice through a 40 mph crosswind. The jump went bad. He took the handlebars in the gut, exploding his kidney, lacerating his spleen. He crash landed and writhed in pain on the ground.

x-treme promise

“In my head, I knew I was dying.” recalls Deegan. Rushed to hospital, the surgeon told him that he might not make it. Then and there he made a promise to God. “That was the final moment when I said, ‘You know what? If I live through this, I am going to fully follow Christ.’”
The day after his surgery, his wife Marissa fueled his desire to live by announcing that she was pregnant with their second child.

x-treme change

In an interview with Chris Palmer of ESPN Magazine Deegan said, “ That was be being a dumb kid. I tried to uphold an image and shock people. We had to be gnarly all the time. When I realized how stupid that was, people called me a sellout. But I didn’t owe them anything.” He also said, “It took me years to realize that I was a [expletive removed] idiot. It took me another 2 years to get away from it.”
True to his promise, as soon as he recovered he found a church for his family to attend and began opening up his home for a bible study and faith sharing for his biking brothers.

x-treme influence

Soon other members of the Metal Mulisha joined Deegan in his search for God. “I was able to bring Jeremy Lusk into our bible study. Twitch was in our bible study, just our close friends that we really cared about and it started to grow.”
They started taking heat for expressing their Christian faith in a culture that despises religion. But they found strength to stand up for their beliefs in each other. “I think the main thing,” said Deegan, “ is finding people that you can associate with. I continued to grow. Through that, we (all) really started to learn about God and the bible. That was pretty much how our walk started advancing.

x-treme loss

Jeremy Lusk was one of Deegan’s closest friends and a teammate, and he had recently been baptized. On February 9, 2009, while performing a back flip trick called the “Hart Attack” at a show in Costa Rica in front of thousands of motocross fans, he crashed and crushed his skull. The Metal Mulisha were devastated, but continued in their public outpouring of faith.

x-treme wake-up

“At this point, I’d say Jeremy Lusk passing away – you know I see my best friend, and just seeing him laying there – you know after he passed, down there in Costa Rica, I was just like, you know what? I go, this has to be the strongest awakening for me going, ‘You better figure it out, you better just follow Christ from this day on.’ It just really made me see how short that life can be and you don’t know what is going to happen the next day, and so why not live your life to where when you’re gone, you can be like, ‘Man, I lived the best life I could possibly live. I affected people in a positive way.’

x-treme witness

Deegan, when asked about his making his faith public, told The New York Times, “In the end I said, ‘who’s more radical than us?’ Everything we do is full-on. Once we went to church, we were full-on Christians, too. And we’re going to go for it. On the mic, I’ll say it. On TV, say it. The next thing you know, I have way more people pumped on me.”
So many fans began to question what it meant to give one’s life to Christ that Brian Deegan was moved to share his faith with his fans in an interview posted on YouTube called “Faisst Pastor PJ and Deegan Gospel” part 1 and part 2.

x-treme struggle

Brian De­­agan spends a lot of time up in the air flipping motorcycles. But his life is becoming grounded in Christ. He strives to be a better person with God’s grace. “You know we had our ups and downs. We have done a lot of bad stuff and it still happens. I am still a sinner, I’ll admit it. I have my moments. I’m not happy for the things I’ve done. I feel bad the next day and I don’t want to do it again. The thing is, I am trying to become a better person, a better dad, a better husband, a better friend.

x-treme sacrifice

X-treme motocross has something in common with the real Cross. When an FMX biker, rally car racer, or any other extreme sport athlete performs, they offer every bit of themselves to their sport. Risking great injury and maybe even death, they pour it all out on the altar of that dirt track; to feed their fans hunger for a rush, and to gain their prize: the medal, respect, and money.
When such radical people come face to face with the intense, “full-on” love, giving, and selfless sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross (and we witness at Mass), they have a deep understanding of what it takes to do that. They get it, they respect it, and want to follow it.
God’s love for us, and giving that love to others, is the missing element that they were searching for but could never satisfy with an adrenaline high. Their desire to be unique is answered by Christ’s individual love for each of us. And as they continue their Christian walk, they find themselves more radical and different than ever before.

Saints and Heros

St. Joseph Cupertino

Joseph was born in 1603, to a very poor family. Joseph was prone to sickness and injury, which made him an expensive child to take care of. He was also prone to daydreaming and getting lost in his thoughts, and this made him so unreliable that he couldn’t even accomplish the simplest chores. So his mother sent him away to live with an Uncle who was a Franciscan priest. His uselessness made him unwelcome there as well, but his humility earned him another chance.
Joseph struggled with his problems and found humble tasks to do in the stable. Through his sufferings, Joseph grew closer and closer to God. Though he was a terrible student, in Seminary he was miraculously only asked questions he knew and the Bishop skipped over testing him at the final exam, so he graduated and became a priest.
Over time, the poor and sick became aware of this special, humble man and flocked to him. Rumors spread that he could heal the sick. Afraid that Joseph would become a circus act and embarrass them, his order and the Bishop tried time and again to hide him away.
No matter what, people found him and listened to him and brought their sick for healing. IOnce when the shepherds he prayed with were too busy to come to the chapel, he called the sheep and they all came and actually said “Bah” when it was time to respond to the prayers. All the while, Joseph continued to accept the ridicule and censorship put on him by his brothers.
Joseph was also known to do aerial stunts, although he didn’t use a dirtbike. When he prayed sometimes he would get so excited to talk to God that he would literally float in the air. Once some men were trying to set up a very heavy crucifix at an outdoor chapel. Joseph saw them struggling, flew over and picked up the cross that many men could not lift, and flew it to the top and set it in place for them.
Joseph lived a hard and troubled life, but was always humble and concerned for others. He was not afraid to be radically different or to embrace the cross. H­e is the patron saint of air travel and people with mental disabilities.

Mother Dolores Hart, OSB

Dolores Hicks was born to aspiring Hollywood actors, and says that she always wanted to be part of the Hollywood scene. Dolores’ childhood was marked with pain due to her parents marital troubles. She was an exceptional young girl though, and at a a very young age she was already on her way to being a movie star.
She had gone to college, and was engaged but realized that the marriage wasn’t right for her, so she broke it off.
Her biggest break came when she was cast alongside Elvis Presley in a movie. She instantly became a teen icon with the stage name Dolores Hart.
She was shooting two movies in Rome, and met the Pope. He had a profound effect on her, as did being in ROme and playing St. CLare in a movie about St. Francis. While starring in a broadway show, she began taking trips from NYC to Connecticut to visit a famous Benedictine Monastery of nuns there on her breaks. She was in love with the peace she found there. The extraordinary woman who was in charge of the abbey helped Dolores realize that her heart was longing to be more closely united to Jesus. Even though she loved movies and acting, she loved the peace and joy of being with Jesus more. So in 19…. she left it all behind and joined the convent, and has been there ever since.
Dolores has continued to reach out to fellow Hollywood stars, sharing her experience and wisdom with them. She devotes her time to giving the gift of theatre to her local community, and is currently the only nun who is a voting member forbv the Oscars®.

Bible Blurbs

“…the LORD declares, ‘… I will honor those who honor me…’”

1 Samuel 2:30

“I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one.”

John 17:14-16

“Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one.”

1 Corinthinans 9:25

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and save what was lost.”

Luke 19:10

Catechism Clips

1432 “The human heart is heavy and hardened. God must give man a new heart. Conversion is first of all a work of the grace of God who makes our hearts return to him…”

440 “the true apostle is on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ…, either to unbelievers… or to the faithful.”

1229 “From the time of the apostles, becoming a Christian has been accomplished by a journey…”

1285 “…[the baptized] are… as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.”

Pope Quotes

“Be prepared to put your life on the line in order to enlighten the world with the truth of Christ; to respond with love to hatred and disregard for life; to proclaim the hope of the Risen Christ in every corner of the earth.”

Pope Benedict XVI,
Message for World Youth Day 2008

“…the Spirit of Fortitude and Witness… gives us the courage to live according to the Gospel and to proclaim it boldly.”

Pope Benedict XVI,
Message for World Youth Day 2008

“Those who allow themselves to be led by the Spirit understand that placing oneself at the service of the Gospel is not an optional extra, because they are aware of the urgency of transmitting this Good News to others.”

Pope Benedict XVI,
Message for World Youth Day 2008

“But you, my dear young people, do not be afraid to proclaim the Gospel of the Cross on all occasions. Do not be afraid to go against the grain!”

Pope John Paul II, April 4, 2004,
Palm Sunday Address to Youth

Virtuous Verbiage Verification

adrenaline – a stimulant chemical produced by the body to help it cope with stress or trauma. It has many effects on the body and brain, including raising the heart rate and extreme mental focus

awakening – a moment when one comes to a new understanding of things they didn’t know or care about before.

baptized (baptism) - the first sacrament of initiation into the church, when someone is accepted into the family of God, the stain of original sin is washed from their soul, and they become a Christian.

bible study – when a group of people get together and read, discuss, and learn more about the bible. Usually the people talk about how to really use what is said in the bible in their daily life.

dissent – conflict or division when one or a few members of a group of people disagree with the popular opinion or rebel against what the group thinks is normal.

faith sharing – when people discuss with each other their experience of God and their faith, and how God has touched their lives.

gnarly – beyond extreme, totally outside of what is normal or expected, even in a grotesque way, but also interesting and demanding attention.

image – a way someone portrays themself, the way someone wants others to see them.

motocross – when a witness tells their story about what they saw or experienced.

radical – extreme, beyond the normal.

raucous – loud, rough, rowdy, disturbing the public peace.

revulsion – violent feeling of disgust.

selfless – more interested in the good of others than in one’s own good.

Discussion Questions

1. Brian risked his reputation, losing his teammat­­es, alienating his fans, and ruining his career when he took his faith “public”. What are some things we might risk if we spoke up publicly about our faith? Are they as big of a risk as Brian took? Does it give you hope that in the end Brian didn’t lose anything, but actually gained support for his faith?
2. Brian and his fellow Metal Mulisha members, as well as many people involved in Xtreme Sports, often take unnecessary risks in their quest for a thrill or a rush. Is this risky behavior healthy? What are some other ways people act out this kind of risk-taking behavior? What are some healthy ways we can feed the desire for that adrenaline rush, without putting ourselves in danger?
3. Brian Deegan attributes his entrance in to dirt biking and extreme sports as a release for anger he felt when his parents divorced. Do you, or does anyone you know, engage in risky behavior out of anger? Is this a good way to handle anger? Who ends up really getting hurt if we respond this way when someone makes us angry?
4. Brian’s story, how he ignored God and faith until he was faced with death and then had a change of heart, is not uncommon. Many times people don’t see a need for faith in their lives until they come face to face with death. Is it the best thing to put God off until tragedy strikes? Wouldn’t it be smarter to have a strong faith all along? What if we put God off until later, and never get the chance to turn to God until it is too late?

Activities

1. Host your own “X-treme Believer” awards… Make a list of people you know or know of who make their faith public and aren’t afraid. They can be your priest, teachers, parents, grandparents, or even famous people. Collect the ballots, vote, and give some sort of award or certificates to the winners. You might even find a place at your church or school where you can publicly post the results.
2. If you have a facebook™ or MySapce™ account available, see if you can find a page for Brian Deegan or Metal Mulisha, and post a comment that you appreciate their openness to sharing their faith.

Journal Writing

Pick one of your favorite celebrities. Write a fictional story about what might happen to them and their career if they turned to God and spoke out about it. How would the media respond? And their fans? What kind of positive influences might they have? How would it affect you?

Debate

Split in two teams. The topic for the debate is:

Should we start believing and following Jesus now, or will there be plenty of time for that later, after we do what we feel like?

Be sure to use information from the lesson, the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, your Parish priest, and other reliable resources to back up your arguments.

Sometimes life brings tragedy. Pain and loss can surprise us, coming out of nowhere.  In this lesson we will look at one tragedy that happened this past August.  Even though this story is sad, it is a story that can help us.  It can teach us joy and hope, even in the midst of suffering and tears.

A trip they were loving

It was a trip the girls had really been looking forward to, and were thoroughly enjoying. It was a week of being together as friends and seeing a different part of the country together. The trip was a big tradition in their high school, the Cumbres Institute in Santiago, Chile. Their favorite teachers came with them. They were on their last day.

They were returning to their hotel after spending the day at a national park. Since Chile has many mountains, the country roads can be dangerous and winding. This road was no exception.

Tragedy strikes

Fr. Juan Aburto, a local priest who had happened to meet the girls at lunch, was driving home on the same road. He came around a bend and saw a big column of dust ahead of him. As he drew closer he realized that one of the buses carrying the girls had just gone off the road. What he found was tragic.

Apparently, the bus driver of that particular bus had tried to take a curve with too much speed. The bus had flipped over and was lying on its side on a steep hill. There had been 27 girls in the bus. Many of them had been thrown from the bus. Now some of them were strewn around the road or the hill. Some were crushed under the bus. Some were already dead. Some were dying. Some were trying to get up.

Fr. Juan immediately got out of the car and began ministering to the girls. He was in shock, yet he had to help them. He gave the sacrament of the anointing of the sick to the girls who had died and to those who were injured. He prayed with all the girls and consoled them. He was the first one on the scene and the last one to leave.

Faith amid tears

Yet, even Fr. Juan was impressed by what he saw in these girls. They all seemed more concerned about the others than about themselves. They were in tears and in pain, but they prayed and did all they could to help each other. They even managed to sing, in order to keep the more seriously injured girls from falling into unconsciousness before medical help arrived.

The news spreads

Nine girls died in the accident. All the other 18 girls on the bus were injured, some seriously.

News of the accident soon reached the families of the girls. The parents and the directors of the school, including the priest who was the school chaplain, immediately headed north to the place of the accident.  Within hours they were there.

It was a tremendous tragedy for the families and the school, even for the country. These were girls in the prime of life. They were girls who were deeply loved by all around them, and were looking forward to a beautiful future.

Option to trust God

Yet, what began to surface was faith. As the parents and the directors of the school fought back tears, they drew closer together. They all shared a strong Catholic faith. They knew that somehow God could bring good out of this. They knew he was with them in this tremendously sad moment.

A human error caused this tragedy, yet instead of becoming bitter and vengeful the parents announced that they forgave the driver and did not want him to be burdened with their anger.

Help from high places

As news of the tragedy reached the President of the country, she decided to offer the presidential plane to fly both the parents and the bodies of the girls who had died back to Santiago, their home city.

At the airport

Early the next morning (5:00am) the parents met at the airport to receive the coffins containing their daughters’ bodies. The parents cried deeply as they received the coffins.  One mother, as she stooped to kiss the coffin containing her daughter’s body, began to pray the Hail Mary out loud.  This caused all the others to join in. As they waited for the plane to be prepared, they cried and prayed, and even sang several of their favorite hymns from Mass in the midst of their tears.

The journey home

At 7:00am the plane departed for Santiago. The pilot and crew were amazed at what they witnessed. Instead of despair and hysteria, there was tremendous peace.

When they arrived to Santiago, the whole city seemed to be waiting for them. Thousands of people were sharing their sorrow. As the procession of cars made its way through the city, people came out on the street to wave handkerchiefs and accompany them. There were billboards and posters that read: “May they rest in peace.”

Receiving their friends

Back at the school, the students, relatives and friends had been holding a prayer vigil since the previous afternoon.  Students from many other schools came to join them.

At 7:00pm there was a Mass at the school in honor of the girls. It was held outside in the patio, since there were so many people. As the coffin containing the body of each girl was brought to the patio before Mass, a teacher described each girl and invited all those present to receive her. Everyone joined in applause for each girl. Joy mixed with sorrow. The joy came from knowing what wonderful girls had lived among them. The sorrow came from losing these good friends.

Heroic Mass

The official funeral Mass was held the next day, also at the school. More than six thousand people attended the Mass, including 59 priests and several bishops.

During the Mass two girls who had been in the accident read letters to their departed friends. They explained how sad they felt to have lost their friends, but in the midst of their sadness they were very happy, because they knew their friends had reached the greatest happiness. They were with God. They had arrived at their true goal.

Then they described the party that they imagined God was holding for each girl, a party tailored to the personality of each one of them.

Several of the girls present in the Mass were survivors of the accident and had literally postponed important operations on their own injuries in order to accompany their friends in their funeral Mass.

Saying goodbye

Friends and families also accompanied the girls to the cemetery.  As the body of each girl was laid to rest, a small choir sang. The families knew they were not alone. Many others shared in their sorrow.

Some reflections

As the days pass, people continue to be touched by the story of these girls. We hope that this testimony can help all of us. Our faith does not take away pain and sorrow. But it does help us to see that God can draw good even out of sadness and evil. It helps us see that God accompanies us in our sorrow.

God knows and feels our sorrow. Jesus, true God and true man, has given his life to free us from sorrow. But this freedom is not yet complete in this life. Sorrow still accompanies us on our pilgrimage. But it is a sorrow filled with hope. Christ has brought us hope. He has opened up heaven for us. He has brought God to accompany us.

Who were the Chilean girls who died?

Bernardita Barros Vial

Bernardita was 16. She was from a large family: she had 12 brothers and sisters. She was a happygirl, known for being very spiritual and having a great desire to learn. She greatly enjoyed being with her friends, and also directed a group of younger girls who met regularly to discuss their faith and have fun together.

Along with several other friends, she had dedicated her past summer vacation to do missionary work: her two month mission trip was to Barcelona, Spain where she shared her faith with other teens and preteens. Her father is a famous lawyer in Chile.

Magdalena Echeverria

Magdalena was 16. She had four brothers and sisters. She was known by all as being warm and spontaneous.

She had been very excited about this trip and had told her family many times how much she was looking forward to it. She was a top student whose favorite subject was history. She was planning on studying law in college. She had a strong faith and greatly liked participating in retreats, discussions, and faith activities with her friends.

Eloisa Garreud Sutil

Eloisa was 16. She especially enjoyed helping a group of younger girls in their faith. She called them her “little angels” and was sincerely committed to them. She often told those closest to her that she wanted so much to help her “little angels”get to heaven. She had spent her last school vacation in Mexico as a youth missionary.

She was active in student government and often ended up with the top academic rating in her class. She loved skiing, a favorite sport in Chile.  According to those closest to her, Eloisa was seriously considering consecrating her whole life to God.

Elisa Contreras Searle

Elisa was 16. Elisa loved music and dancing. She had several relatives who are famous artists in Chile. She was also known by friends to be a generous person who was good at getting others to reconcile after a disagreement or discussion. She helped everyone to feel united and appreciated.

Trinidad De La Carrera Bezanilla

Trinidad was 16. She was from a large, sports-loving family. She was active in track and field and also competed in tennis on a national level. Those who knew “Trini” say she was a natural leader, active in her faith, exceptionally intelligent and passionate about everything she did.

Valentina Errazuriz Gandolini

Valentina was 15. She was class president. She loved skiing and track and field. She was an excellent student and had an A+ average. Everyone who knew her said she had a deep and lively faith. Like several other girls in her class, she ran a faith group for younger girls. She greatly enjoyed being with her friends, and, like her mom, had a great enthusiasm for art.

Maria De Los Angeles Costa Arteaga

Maria was 16. She She had four brothers and sisters. According to those who knew her, Maria was always more interested in others than herself. She was an energetic girl who greatly enjoyed art and was active in helping others through service projects and faith sharing.

Bernardita Valenzuela Prado

Bernardita was 15. Those closest to her describe her as fun to be around, sincere, and uncomplicated. “Berni” was a member of the Schoenstatt movement, a Catholic organization that promotes growth in the spiritual life, especially through devotion to Mary.

Magdalena Rodriguez Hermosilla

Magdalena was 16. She was the oldest of four children. She loved her parents very much, and especially admired her mom, who is an engineer. Magdalena was an excellent student, with a special talent for math. She wanted to be an engineer like her mom.

Bible Blurbs

When Jesus saw her weeping, he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Sir, come and see.” And Jesus wept. (John 11:33-35)

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live. (John 11:25)

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

Pope Quotes

Enlightened by faith, we look upon the human enigma of death with serenity and hope. Indeed, according to Scripture, it is more than an end; it is a new birth. (Benedict XVI, November 2, 2005)

Faith, brothers and sisters, invites us to raise our heads and look beyond, to look on high! And thus, today, while we mourn the departure of those who have left us, let us open our hearts to the vision of our eternal destiny. (Benedict XVI, April 3, 2005)

Catechism Clips

1002:  Christ will raise us up “on the last day”; but it is also true that, in a certain way, we have already risen with Christ. For, by virtue of the Holy Spirit, Christian life is already now on earth a participation in the death and resurrection of Christ.

1007: Remembering our mortality helps us realize that we have only a limited time in which to bring our lives to fulfillment:  “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth…” (Ecclesiastes 12:1)

1008: Death was contrary to the plans of God and entered the world on account of man’s sin. Bodily death is thus “the last enemy” of man left to be conquered.

1010: Because of Christ, Christian death has a positive meaning: “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

Saints & Heroes

Talking to Jesus about the hard things

St. Martha (entered heaven in the first century)

Martha was the sister of Lazarus and Mary of Bethany (the Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead – check out John Chapter 11 if you need to refresh your memory).  She was the busy one who prepared the dinner while her sister sat lovingly at the feet of the Lord.

It’s a pity she is remembered almost solely for that incident, since she has much more to teach us.  When Jesus came to speak with her after the death and burial of Lazarus, they had a conversation that shows how real, how human, how positively normal their friendship was.

Martha comes to him and expresses her regret that Jesus didn’t come in time to heal him.  Then Jesus questions her, trying to stimulate her faith.  She answers so simply, so honestly, so matter-of-factly, and yet her every word evinces reverence and respect.

Finally, our Lord elicits from her one of the most beautiful acts of trust in the entire Gospel.  He tells her that he is the “resurrection and the life” and asks if she really believes it.  She answers, “Yes, Lord, I have learned to believe that you are the Christ, you are the Son of the living God; it is for your coming the world has waited.”

Then her sister Mary has her own conversation with Jesus (in which he breaks down and cries for empathy with their sorrow): equally intimate, familiar, real, human.

Eventually, they take him to the tomb, and he orders the stone sealing the tomb to be removed, whereupon Martha whispers in his ear, “Lord, the air is foul by now; he has been four days dead.”

But Jesus gets his way, and ends up bringing Lazarus back to life.

The point here is not just the miracle, but the relationship that Martha had with Jesus.  It was not abstract.  It was not distant.  It was not “saying the right thing” in order to impress him.  They knew each other, respected each other, and interacted as true friends (though she never failed to show him the respect he deserved).  She trusted him, could (and did) talk to him about anything – their conversation was heart to heart.

And that’s how your prayer needs to be: a personal, sincere, real conversation with the Lord.  Therein lies your key to spiritual growth.

(Source: College Compass)

Winning hearts for Christ through suffering and generosity

St Martin de Porres (entered heaven November 3, 1639)

Martin was born in Peru, the son of a Spanish knight and a black woman (a former slave).  From his childhood he was scorned for being mulatto.

Perhaps it was this experience that made him so sensitive to the message of Christ.  He used to contemplate the crucifix with extraordinary love and devotion, deeply sorrowful at the suffering Christ had to endure, but deeply joyful that Christ had thereby penetrated our miserable lives with his grace and his love.

The only earthly thing Martin loved more than the crucifix was the Blessed Sacrament, which he tried to receive as frequently as possible, and which he often accompanied in prayer for hours on end, even entire nights. He was helped in this endeavor once he became a Dominican lay brother, where he served as community nurse and general caretaker of the Friary of Dominican priests in Lima

This deep appreciation for the sufferings and generosity of Christ was the motor of his own remarkable life.  He spent every waking (and non-praying) hour caring for people in need, seeing in them the needy Christ, the souls for whom Christ had died.  He cared for the sick Dominicans with the gentleness of a mother, and extended that service throughout the city.

He founded orphanages and hospitals, raised money to feed the poor, tended the maltreated slaves, and even took care of stray animals (he kept a “cats’ and dogs’ home” at his sister’s house) – though his Dominican brothers considered his attentions towards the rats and mice a bit exaggerated.

He truly considered others to be God’s children, and himself to be their less worthy brother.  It was with this absolute humility, which overflowed in tireless and selfless service, that he won countless hearts to God – and that was his greatest joy.

(Source: College Compass)

Discussion questions:

1. Have you ever been scared that sad things will happen to you or to those you love? What does your faith tell you about sadness and tragedy? 
2. Does sadness have the last word in the life of a Christian? If not, what has the last word?
3. Where do you think the girls in the accident found the strength to avoid getting hysterical and to help each other when the accident happened? Is it easy to be strong when tragedy strikes? How does our faith help us to handle these moments? 
4. What virtues did these girls exercise in those moments? Do you think it came naturally to them? What things in their lives might have prepared them to handle this well?
5. What do you think about the parents of the girls who died? Do you think it was right for them to forgive the driver? Do you think this was easy to do? What does it show about looking for true healing when tragedy strikes?
6. Are Christians better at healing from tragedy than those who do not know the love of Jesus? Why or why not? How does knowing Christ help Christians to handle tragedy?
7. Do you think Jesus really rose from the dead? Do you think you will rise from the dead at the end of history? Where will you be between the end of your earthly life and the end of history? 
8. Have you ever had any moments where you are really looking forward to heaven? What do you think the best thing about heaven will be? Do you know how Jesus describes heaven? Do you think heaven will be exciting?

Activities:

• Visit someone who is sick or who has few friends during the Christmas season. Bring a small gift. Spend time talking with him or her and listening. Find something fun or entertaining to do with that person during your visit. Ask for some of that person’s prayer intentions and promise to pray for these. Afterwards, send a short note thanking that person for his or her time and mentioning something you learned about him or her during the visit. 
• Visit a cemetery and pray a decade of the rosary for the souls who have died. Find the tomb of a young person and put a flower or something symbolic of your prayers there. (Note: There is a plenary indulgence for visiting a cemetery and praying for those who have died!)

Journal Writing

1. Write about the party God will have when someone you really love arrives to heaven. What favorite things of that person will be there? What friends of that person should be there in a special way? What would you like to say to that person at that party? Think of something funny that you will give that person at that party.
2. Think about what you would like people to say about you at your funeral. Make a list of virtues you would like to work on in order to become a person who shows your faith and values more in life.
3. Write a list of things that remind you about the resurrection. These can be any happy things that have happened in your life, any beautiful circumstances you have experienced, any special moments with God or friends and family, or anything else you can think of. Write a letter to God thanking him for these moments and committing yourself to show a happier face to others, to have the face of someone who believes in the resurrection and believes that the good things in life don’t have to end. Make a resolution about something you will do each day to increase your faith in the resurrection and in heaven.

Debate (Choose one theme)

• Heaven is just a myth invented by people who can’t deal with reality.
• Christians are weak when it comes to suffering.
• This world would be better if people did not believe in God.
• God does not exist, because there is so much suffering in the world.   

Virtue Verification

Accompany – go or be together with. As Christians, we know that Christ always accompanies us: “behold, I am with you always, even until the end of time.” (28:20).

Appreciate – to recognize and be grateful for; be thankful for. Appreciation and thankfulness are key characteristics of Christian faith.

Committed – bind as by a promise; pledge; to give in charge or trust

Faith – 1. Trust in God; 2. Personal relationship with God; 3. Belief in what God has revealed;  4. Faith is a supernatural virtue (a supernatural power). It is a power or virtue given to us in baptism.

Forgiveness – , pardon, mercy. A Christian forgives because he or she knows that Jesus has first forgiven him or her.

Freedom – 1) or liberation from the control of some other person or some arbitrary power 2) a being able to act, move, use, etc. without hindrance or restraint.

Goal – object or end that one strives to attain; aim. Our true goal as Christians is to know, love, and serve God, and to be happy with him forever in heaven.

Happiness – Any contentment in possession of a good. The deepest happiness is found in possessing God and being loved by God. God has put the desire for happiness in the human heart in order to draw man to himself, the source of all love. God alone can fulfill man’s deepest desire for happiness.

Heaven – 1. Heaven is our true home. It is where we were meant to be, after this pilgrimage on earth. 2. Heaven is the place and state where we are totally united to God and completely experience the goodness and wonder of his love. It is where “he will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, (for) the old order has passed away.” (21:4)

Hope – 1. Trust in God; 2. Trust in God’s gift of heaven; 3. Trust in God’s mercy and forgiveness; 4. Trust that God wants the best for us, even in difficult circumstances.

Joy – 1. A state of happiness or fulfillment; 2. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. It is the result of seeing things from God’s perspective and doing things the way Christ would do things; 3. The highest and most complete joy of which we are capable is the joy of seeing and being with God.

Missionary – A person who is sent (by God and the Church) with the special task of telling others about God’s love. A missionary can go to another country, but all of us are called to be missionaries. We are called to be missionaries to our own friends, in our own schools, neighborhoods, and families.

Peace – One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Peace is tranquility of soul, flowing from awareness of God’s love and friendship.

Pilgrimage – 1. A long journey; 2. A journey made to a holy place or a journey made to draw closer to God.

Prayer – the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.

Reconcile – 1. To bring back together; 2. To win over again to a friendly attitude.

Sincere – without deceit, pretense, or hypocrisy; truthful; straightforward; honest

Sorrow – suffering caused by loss, disappointment, etc.; sadness, grief, or regret

Unite – 1. put or bring together so as to make one; 2. To bring together in a common cause