The document provides an overview of the St. John Fisher Lenten Mission taking place on April 5-6, 2006 in Richmond, Texas. It discusses the purpose of providing a simple way to understand profound Christian mysteries and relate familiar elements of faith like liturgy and sacraments to God's works. It then summarizes the plan to examine Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Pentecost, relating them to God's works of Creation, Redemption, Sanctification and Glorification.

1. St. John Fisher Lenten Mission April 5-6, 2006 Richmond TX

2. Purpose To provide a simple way of looking at the profound mysteries of the Christian faith Adults have had few opportunities to learn their faith as adults Need things that are easy to remember

3. Purpose Should give meaning to already familiar elements of the faith: the liturgy and other sacraments, well-known Lenten practices, etc. Plan for the next two days Look at the familiar elements of the Easter celebrations: Holy Thursday

4. Purpose Good Friday Easter Sunday Pentecost Relate these to God’s might works of: Creation Redemption Sanctification Glorification

5. Purpose Get practical about what our response should be Where do prayer, fasting and almsgiving fit? How do I grow in faith, hope and love? What is holiness? How do I share my faith? Come Holy Spirit!

6. Prayer to the Holy Spirit V - Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. R - And kindle in them the fire of your love. V - Send forth your spirit, Lord, and they shall be created. R - And thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

7. Prayer to the Holy Spirit Let us pray, O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of your faithful; grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation. Through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.

9. Holy Thursday Image: Jesus washes the feet of his disciples How would we relate this to God’s mighty works? Creation God’s creation of YOU!

10. Creation Jesus kneels before you and washes your feet. Speaks of the dignity of your body You are created in the image of God: “God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.” (Gen. 1:27)

11. Creation After each of the five days of creation God saw that it was good After the sixth day, after the creation of man and woman: “God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.” (Gen 1:31) You are created very good!

12. Creation The psalms speak powerfully of the dignity of your creation: Psalm 8:5-6 “What are humans that you are mindful of them, mere mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them little less than a god, crowned them with glory and honor.”

13. Creation Ps 139:13-15 “ You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you, When I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth.”

14. Creation St. Paul to the Ephesians (2:10) “For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.” How do you measure your goodness? Appearance, intelligence, wealth, strength, popularity, success, etc.

15. Creation Maybe you measure your goodness by whether you do good things You are created good. Even your ability to do good comes from this truth. If you’re goodness is based on doing good things, what happens when you do something bad?

16. Your Response Faith ! Put your faith in the God who created you Who kneels before you in human form and washes your feet What is faith?

17. Your Response Faith is first of all a personal adherence of man to God. At the same time, and inseparably, it is a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed. (CCC 150) By faith “man freely commits his entire self to God.” (CCC 1814)

18. Your Response Almsgiving Giving over and above the tithe Tithe is a % of your Gross Income One of the great weaknesses of the Catholic community – our giving Works of Mercy (CCC 2447) Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently.

19. Your Response 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. Two reasons for doing acts of charity “ I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” (Jn 13:15)

20. Your Response You have been created very good – so has everyone of your brothers and sisters Activity: “You are very good!”

22. Good Friday Image: Jesus crucified Which of God’s mighty works is this? Redemption! By his sacrifice on the Cross, Jesus has redeemed you

23. Redemption Jesus knows all your sin Better than you do! Because of his love his is willing to die for you. On the Cross Jesus dies with his arms open The sign of his great embrace of all sinners who turn to him

24. Redemption Isaiah 44:22-23 “I have brushed away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like a mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you. Raise a glad cry, you heavens: the LORD has done this; shout, you depths of the earth.

25. Redemption Break forth, you mountains, into song, you forest, with all your trees. For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and shows his glory through Israel.” Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption.”

26. Redemption Colossians 1:13-14 “He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

27. Redemption You have been redeemed by the blood of Christ Are you trying to earn your way into heaven? Our hope of heaven is because Jesus has paid the price for us If you have a hard time forgiving yourself

28. Redemption What more do you want Jesus to do for you? This is the great sign of God’s love for you “ For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” (Jn. 3:16)

29. Redemption Romans 5:8 “But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Since this is the great sign of God’s love for you What the appropriate response to his work of redemption?

30. Your Response LOVE! Jesus is saying with the sacrifice of his life, “I love you!” What will you say to him in return “ You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.” (Mt. 22:37)

31. Your Response Fasting: during Lent and as part of your spiritual life Why fasting? Look to the cross of Jesus Love demands sacrifice Fasting makes us free to give ourselves in love without hesitation

32. Your Response Jesus is the Bridegroom It’s why he hangs naked on the cross He is ready to give himself completely to his bride In Genesis man and woman are to become ‘one flesh’ Through the cross And in the Eucharist

33. Your Response We become ‘one flesh’ with Jesus and with each other A prayer to Jesus the Bridegroom Based on a marriage vow “ I, N., take you, Jesus, to be [my Lord and Saviour]. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health.

34. Your Response I will love you [with all my heart, with all my soul, with all mind, mind and with all my strength.] I will honor you all the days of my life.”