Good movie about courage and doing the right thing. The hero is an underdog who is chosen for an experiment by a scientist who sees greatness in him: greatness of heart. The young man’s strength is not anger and revenge but wanting to stand up against any kind of bullies, be them the guy in the alley or heads of state. His dreams seem to come to nothing, but he seizes an opportunity when others are sure the situation is hopeless. Good movie about true heroism without looking for the limelight.

This review is the first of a new kind… Reviews from YOU! This one was written by Hailey, who is 13 years old.

I really liked Charlie St. Cloud because it is about letting go of things that make you sad and make your life hard. In the movie Charlie loses his little brother in a bad car accident and instead of Charlie dying too the ambulance medic prays to St. Jude and asks for Charlie to be given a second chance. Instead of enjoying his life, though, Charlie lives with the memory of his brother and works as a caretaker at a cemetery. Even though he chooses to literally live with dead people by living at the cemetery Charlie meets a girl. And in meeting this girl he has to choose to let go of the memory of his brother and live his own life. The story is good in that there are a lot of Catholic parts to the story like St. Jude. There is an unecessary scene between Charlie and the girl. Overall I liked the movie and Zac Ephron was very good.

Arrr… Danger ahoy!

From Peter Pan to the Pirates of the Caribbean, everyone loves a good pirate story. But real pirates aren’t silly swashbucklers like the romanticized treasure hunters we know from movies and books.
On Wednesday, April 8, 2009, four ordinary-looking Somali fisherman, all less than 20 years old, used grappling hooks and rope ladders to board the merchant vessel ship Maersk Alabama. Armed with AK-47 assault rifles, they were seeking to take control of the ship and its crew at gunpoint.
The ship was off the coast of Somalia, carrying medical supplies and food destined for refugee camps. Some of these things belonged to Catholic Relief Services.

Violence breeds violence

Somalia is probably best remembered from the movie Black Hawk Down. Recently, however, this north-east African country has been in the news for many of these types of pirate attacks.
Years of civil war and unrest have left the country very poor, and so many people there turn to violent means of providing for themselves and their families.

Somalia has hundreds of miles of coastline along very busy shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean. Ships here are an easy target for these pirates. Sometimes the pirates are interested in stealing the cargo on the ships. However, most of the time they are looking to get ransom money.

Walking the plank

When they learned that there were pirates on board, the crew went below deck and locked themselves in safe rooms. They had managed to capture one pirate. Only the captain and one other crew member stayed on deck to negotiate with the pirates. What happened next is what makes this particular story very different from the other cases of piracy in the news lately.
The captain of this ship, Captain Richard Phillips, was so concerned about the safety of his crew that he did something unthinkable… He asked the pirates to take him as their prisoner, and in return let his crew take the ship and go free. Once the ship and crew were at a safe distance, they would exchange Captain Phillips for the captured pirate.

Tide turns against him

The three armed pirates liked the idea. Capt. Phillips led them to one of the ships small lifeboats, climbed in it, and had it lowered into the water. Captain Phillips was in close quarters with the men who could easily have killed him at any moment. He showed them how to operate the boat. And then the plan went horribly wrong. The crew of the Alabama, as they had agreed, brought out the injured pirate for the trade. But now that the pirates had their friend, they didn’t release their prisoner. They kept Capt. Phillips as a hostage, and were holding him for ransom.

For five days these bandits held him under constant guard. There was water and food, but there were no bathrooms or showers. It was unbearably hot in the enclosed lifeboat; so much so that Capt. Phillips said he dreaded the sun coming up in the morning. The captain and his captors sat, waiting. The pirates weren’t sleeping and were becoming agitated.

At one point, Capt. Phillips even tried to escape. He pushed one of the pirates guarding him overboard, and dove in the water and swam away. He swam towards a US Navy ship, the USS Bainbridge, that was following them. But it was nearly a half mile away. Before long, he was caught again; only now the pirates were very angry with him.

Is Davey Jones comin’?

By this point, the outcome didn’t look too bright for Captain Phillips. “It was just settling everything. Getting ready to die and just settling everything. You know, saying my last thoughts. Andrea, the kids.” He no longer believed he would leave that boat alive. He wondered why the pirates were dragging things out when he was certain they would kill him in the end anyway.

He had known when he went with them that there was a chance he would die. But he had been willing to take that chance freely, to spare his crew. Now, faced with what seemed certain death, he was at peace with his decision.

Watching and waiting

Thousands of miles away, in a tiny town in Vermont, the Phillips family was experiencing the turmoil of wondering what was happening to their husband and father. “We did not know what Richard was enduring while being held hostage on the lifeboat, and that was really the hardest part… the wondering,” said Mrs. Andrea Phillips.

Mariah, the captain’s 19 year old daughter, expressed the shock of learning that this had actually happened to her family: “This is something that happens to other people. Obviously, I am other people.”

They received visits from Fr. Danielson, their parish priest, who prayed with them and told them not to lose hope.  Captain Phillips was unaware that there were other forces at work in his story. There was prayer power gathering and there was planning by the US Navy.

Living the mystery

These events came about at a very appropriate time of year. The day Capt. Phillips was captured was the Wednesday of Holy Week. The time he made his escape attempt was probably around the time we remember Jesus’ agony in the garden.

On Easter Sunday morning, Fr. Danielson told the Phillips’ friends and neighbors that they should pray more intensely for Capt. Phillips. Father said he believed Capt. Phillips’ story would serve as an example; just like Christ Jesus’ suffering led to His Resurrection, once again God and His goodness would triumph over evil in the end.

A Storm breaks loose

Later in the evening on Easter Sunday, things became extremely tense on the little life boat. One of the pirates had gone aboard the USS Bainbridge for medical treatment, and to try and arrange the ransom payment. When the other three pirates hadn’t heard from him in a while, they got restless. They climbed out of the hatch of the life boat in plain view, and began firing warning shots in the air. The Bainbridge and the lifeboat were both moving, and the waves were bouncing them up and down in the darkness.

Capt. Phillips had no idea what was going on. As he heard the shots, he dove to the deck and got as low as he could. He thought perhaps the pirates were fighting against each other. Or perhaps they were getting ready to kill him.

Salvation is from the SEAL’s

US Navy SEAL snipers took advantage of the opportunity, firing one perfect shot at each pirate. After what felt like a long time, but was only a few seconds later, Capt. Phillips heard the beautiful sound of a US Navy SEAL’s voice, asking him if he was alright. He was saved.

“Hi, Honey…”

A short time later, back at home, Mrs. Phillips, their daughter Mariah, their son Daniel, and their whole family were relieved and elated to hear Captain Phillips himself, on the phone, telling them he was safe.
Mariah said, “You never know how strong your family can be when something like this happens.”
In a statement about how they survived the emotional torture of the five day ordeal, Mrs. Phillips said, “My family and closest friends held onto our faith knowing that Richard would come home.”

“I need a hero…”

What makes Captain Phillips a hero? Is it in conquering or strength? No. Like Jesus, his willingness to surrender himself as a prisoner, to suffer, and accept even death is where we find his true heroism.
Captain Richard Phillips is an example of love and respect for life. The lives of his shipmates meant so much to him, that he would offer up his own to save them. This is the ultimate sign of love and sacrifice. Whether he realized it at the time or not, Capt. Phillips was imitating Jesus Christ, at the very time when Jesus made the sacrifice that saves us all. He willingly offered himself to save others. He spent a few days in a little “tomb-like” capsule, and on Easter Sunday he got to taste a little bit of Jesus’ Easter victory.

Just doing his job

Captain Phillips does not consider himself a hero. For him, what he did was just part of his job. He had accepted the job as a captain, and that meant putting the safety of his crew above his own. Yet there is something we admire about this attitude. When we see his example, we know we have met a real man, a man who puts others first.
True manhood is about service and sacrifice. These are qualities we also admire in so many women, especially our own moms (Happy Mother’s Day to all our moms!), but there is something we typically think of as particularly masculine about the willingness to face danger and take a huge risk for others. Men were designed by God to be protectors. They are called to protect their family and protect their communities. They are designed by God to overcome the fear of danger, because sometimes real life is dangerous. Sometimes risk is necessary for really important things.

Imitating Christ

Jesus Christ was a real man. He overcame his fear of danger. He put our safety above his own. Christ, by his life and death, helps men discover what it means to be a man. Let’s ask Christ to raise up more real men today.
For those of us who are guys, we can make a resolution to learn to love others so much that we are willing to sacrifice for them.
For girls, let’s start thanking some of the real men in our lives for what they do for us, starting with our own dads, or those other men who help keep us safe. And let’s show the guys that we also know how to sacrifice with courage, putting our hearts and lives at the service of goodness and love. The world will be a better, safer place.
Christ wants us to help him do this. It’s part of the call to love that he makes to each of us.

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

This past summer the Olympics gave us the opportunity to watch some of the greatest athletes in the world achieve success in a wide variety of sports. Many stood in the spotlight for their extraordinary athletic talents, and shone for the virtues they exhibited under pressure. One of these men, Jason Read of the United States men’s rowing team, had already demonstrated a great confidence and faith in himself in the September 11th rescue squad. However, the Olympics challenged him to take a step higher, to a deeper faith and confidence in God rather than himself.

The greatest day of this athlete’s life was not the day he lead his eight-man rowing team to win the Olympic gold. He had already celebrated a golden day in the Easter Vigil Mass of 2002 when he became Catholic. As the pacesetter at the head of the first-place team, Jason Read not only crossed the finish line first, but set an example of faith for all to follow.

The beginning of the training

In eighth grade, Read became interested in the powerful sport of rowing, and worked hard to play even though everyone thought he was too small to be a competitive rower. As an adult, he is only 6’1″, and weighs 180 lbs, while most rowers are bigger and heavier, but he has faith in himself: “I hate to lose, no matter what the endeavor. I will do everything in my power to win. Most of my rowing competition presupposes that because I’m small, I somehow won’t be able to beat them. You must have confidence in your skills and continually strive towards reducing or eliminating your own weaknesses.”

The terrorist attack of September 11th

Also as a young teenager, Read became interested in giving his time to help others, and volunteered with the Hopewell, New Jersey Fire Department at age 14. Two years later he was an emergency medical technician, and at 21 became the youngest person in his state to be chief of the rescue squad.

Only one hour outside Manhattan, Read’s life changed completely on September 11, 2001. He received one of the first calls after the first plane hit the Twin Towers, and raced to a command post to help coordinate 800 rescue workers, set up a field hospital, and finally go personally to Ground Zero to free the victims trapped below.

Along with many other 9/11 heroes Read worked for five days straight, stopping only once to sleep for eight hours at a hotel. He explains how this was possible: “In the face of entire shifts of firefighters killed in a matter of seconds, there was hope we would find people alive. Hope we would bring joy to a family that had loved ones missing. That kind of tenacity and gumption enabled many of the rescuers to work for days and days without sleep.”

The experience was so strong that Jason began to take a look at the meaning of his life on earth. What was the purpose of everything that he was doing, if he would not live forever? What was waiting for him after his death? “I had a sense of apathy about all things in the world that had meant so much to me,” he said, “Did I want to row anymore? Did I want to be chief of a volunteer rescue squad? What did it mean? All those people had been killed. Game over. Mortality became reality in a matter of seconds.”

The decision to become Catholic

Read already had a strong faith in himself, but now he knew that he needed a stronger faith in God. Even though he was not Catholic, the day after returning from Ground Zero he went to Mass. “It was emotional and revitalizing,” he said, “I prayed very hard -for the first time in my life.”

Father Tom Mullelly, chaplain of the Olympic rowing center at Princeton University, had been a friend of Jason’s. Now he helped the athlete in his search for a deeper faith. That next Easter, Jason experienced the hope of a real resurrection. He described this day as “one of the happiest days of my life. Fellowship, becoming Catholic as an adult and my uncanny ability to be relentlessly optimistic no matter how tumultuous and ugly life can be helped bring me back to life.” The confidence he had in himself had been shaken when he realized that he was not going to live forever, but it was replaced by something more steady, a confidence in God.

Family also played a key role of support, and Jason’s younger brother, Gunther, was baptized along with him. Jason’s faith became real and active in helping him live these relationships in a better way. “I’m a better brother, uncle and son. Now I understand how precarious life can be, how quickly things can change. And I am grateful for each and every moment.”

Victory on all fields

This spiritual victory went hand in hand with athletic success, and Read began to win medals and championships till the moment he earned the key seat in the Olympic team. However, even though he and his team’s victory is also the fruit of tremendous dedication and effort, Jason, like many other Olympic athletes, is grateful to God for his successes in sports. This does not mean that God makes some athletes win and the others lose. “Although prayer does not guarantee victory, it helps players put things in perspective and do all for God’s glory and not just their own” says Fr. Kevin Lixey, L.C. of the new Vatican sports department, “The virtue of gratitude, by which we recognize that all good things come from God, is both an act of humility as well as of praise and adoration.”

Jason was awarded the U.S. Rowing’s Man of the Year Award, but more important than what he did was why he did it. Before, he was rowing for himself, after his experience at Ground Zero and at the foot of Christ’s cross he learned to row for something besides himself. He rows for love of the sport, for love of his country, and for love of God who gave him the talents of an athlete. “After 9/11, I changed my approach to rowing. I no longer was fueled by vengeance and anger to beat other crews. My desire was to become the absolute best rower for America.” St. Paul says “Run so as to win (1 Corinthians 9:24),” but also emphasizes that any activity we do, if it is without love, is empty. Jason mastered both aspects, driving his team to win the gold while doing it not for himself, but for God.

Bible Blurbs

• “I do not think of myself as having reached the finish line. I give no thought to what lies behind but push on to what is ahead. My entire attention is on the finish line as I run toward the prize to which God calls me-life on high in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14
• “Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’” John 11:25-26
• “I myself am the living bread come down from Heaven. If anyone eats this bread he shall live forever.” John 6:51
• “Do you not know that in a  all the  , but only one gets the prize?  in such a way as to get the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24

Saints and Heroes

Pope John Paul II

As a young man he had the dream of becoming a teacher, a writer, and an actor, but God had a bigger plan. During the tragic events of World War II and after the death of his father he felt the call to be a priest. His dedication and faith have eventually led him, to his own surprise, to be called to be a bishop, cardinal, and also the Pope, the visible head of our Catholic Church. He has often been called “God’s athlete” because of the millions of miles he has traveled to encourage his brothers in the faith in every part of the world, and because neither an assassination attempt nor numerous illnesses have stopped his efforts. During his time as our Holy Father he has helped in the fall of Communism, created the World Youth Days, and inspired thousands of young men to become priests. His deepest purpose is the new evangelization of the modern world. His rallying cry is: “Be not afraid!”

Edel Quinn

Born in Ireland. After a happy childhood she felt the call to be a contemplative nun, but the death of her mother obliged her to help care for her family for a number of years. Then tuberculosis (a sickness of the lungs) made it impossible for her to enter the convent. Nevertheless she consecrated herself privately to God and became very active in door-to-door evangelization in the poorest neighborhoods of Dublin through an organization called the Legion of Mary. In spite of her poor health she insisted with the leaders of the Legion of Mary that she wanted to go to Africa to spread this good work. She eventually received permission and worked tirelessly in as a lay missionary in spite of her poor and failing health. Her dedication and love resulted in much success in that continent.

Vocabulary

Confidence: Firm belief, trust

Faith: (In self) Confidence that one can do a good job.
(In God) Personal relationship with God. Trust in God’s love and readiness to do God’s will

Hope: (Human hope) Belief that what one desires can happen
(Theological hope) Confidence in God’s gift of eternal life, Confidence in God’s mercy

Humility: Freedom from pride and arrogance. A modest estimate of one’s own worth

Tenacity: Ability to persevere in the midst of difficulties

Fellowship: Friendship and encouragement of others with the same values. Christian friendship

Gratitude: Thankfulness. Ability to honor the help of God and others

Discussion Questions

1. What are the different moments when this story speaks about hope? Are they different kinds of hope? What are some examples of the difference between hope in other people, and hope in God?
2. What are the different moments when this story speaks about faith? Are they different kinds of faith? What are some examples of the difference between faith in other people, and faith in God?
3. Would you say that September 11th was a tragedy for Jason, or an important moment in his life? Why? What made it either negative or positive for him?
4. Was there something deeper that Jason discovered in the faith than just a solution to death? What was it?
5. What was the difference in the way that Jason played sports before and after September 11th? What were the things that motivated him before and after?
6. When athletes thank God for their triumphs, is it because he makes them win? Does he make the other people lose? If you lose during a game, does that mean that you did not pray as hard as the other person did?
7. Jason Read became Catholic, but it was more than just a name that he called himself. How can you tell that he began to live as a real Catholic? How did he live his Catholic faith in his daily life.
8. Let’s try to pick out some the key moments that God was working in Jason’s life. Let us try to imagine how God was trying to do something to help Jason and make him into a great person. What moments can you see in his life where God was working?
9. Does receiving Christ in the Eucharist give you confidence and hope? Does it push you to be better? Why? Is the Eucharist just a symbol of God or is it something more? What more?

Writing Activities

1. Try to imagine how God is working in your life right now. What are some things that have happened recently, either big or ordinary, that might be ways God is trying to help you become a better person, student, son or daughter, friend, Christian, etc.?
2. Do you thank God for the talents and successes he has given you, or do you forget? Take some time to write a thank you letter to God, for all of the things he has done for you recently, the happy moments, and the good things he has given you.

Resolution Ideas

• In small groups, look for other inspiring cases of Olympic athletes, how they lived different virtues in their games. Write a short biography on these athletes, picking out 2-3 virtues that they demonstrate, and present it to the rest of the class. Some examples might be: Mariel Zagunis, Cesar Garcia, the Iraqi soccer team, etc.
• Go to Mass as a class, and try to imagine what it was like for Jason in that first Mass where he “prayed like he never did before.” Invite the pastor or a local priest to the class to speak moments when he has seen the power of the faith in others. Students each write a paragraph to try to answer this question: “What’s so great about your Catholic faith?”
• As a class, brainstorm ways that an athlete can give credit to God in sports (if they have the chance to say some words after the game, wearing a medal in the game, doing a team prayer before the game, giving a good example, showing joy, showing dedication in training, congratulating and encouraging others, using good language, etc.). If there are enough students on one of the school sports teams, encourage them to start a trend in the team to remember to ask God’s help and thank him for the successes he brings.

Web Resources

More information on Olympic athletes:

http://www.usatoday.com

http://www.nbcolympics.com/index.html

Information on becoming Catholic:

http://www.ecatholic2000.com/rcia/rcia.shtml