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Youth Session 2: Many Faces in God's House

Them I will bring to my holy mountain
and make joyful in my house of prayer; . . .
For my house shall be called
a house of prayer for all peoples.
Thus says the Lord GOD,
who gathers the dispersed of Israel:
Others will I gather to him
besides those already gathered. (Is 56:7-8)

Objective: To renew the sense of hospitality and welcome in the faith community.


Introduction
In the beginning of the Jubilee Year, we are asked to witness to the many faces in God's house. The bishops of the United States state that, "The image of the United States has shifted from a melting pot to a multihued tapestry. The strength and beauty of the tapestry lie in the diverse colors and textures of its component threads" (Renewing the Vision, p. 22). This session will focus on how we, as Church, honor the bishops' image through the ministry of welcome and hospitality. The Church's celebration of Epiphany, the manifestation of Jesus to the world, is an appropriate time to reflect on how we witness to the many faces of God in the world. How do we open the door of welcome in our hearts and in our faith communities so others may experience God dwelling among us?


Welcome and Prayer (15 minutes)
Welcome the participants and ask them to briefly introduce themselves. Since the main theme of this session is hospitality, each participant should be given a sign of welcoming after each introduction. If the group is very large, the symbol can be given at the end of the introductions. It might be a prayer card, candle, or puzzle piece, anything that represents the faith community. A simple prayer follows, perhaps incorporating the symbol and a song appropriate to the theme.


Sharing Our Experiences (40 minutes)
Human beings are social by nature. One of the primary tasks of adolescence is to develop the ability to establish and maintain meaningful relationships. Unfortunately, in our rapidly changing society, young people find themselves alone and isolated, with little assistance in developing the skills needed for this important task. We need only to recall the tragedy of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado to remind us of this reality. (Factors such as the crisis of family values, social injustice, forced migration in search of a better life, can leave many people isolated and alone). This feeling of exclusion also affects our faith communities and can distance people from the Church. Sacred Scripture tells us that God is the grand host of life in whose house there is room for everyone. The mission that Jesus Christ entrusted to the Church is, above all, an invitation to be part of God's kingdom (Luke 4:16-30). In order to accomplish this mission, we must be a welcoming and hospitable Church. Our faith communities must be places of welcome for those who expect to find the home they seek and the hope they need in life.

Discussion questions:

• Share a time when you felt welcomed in your faith community. How did that experience help you grow in relationship to the community? In your relationship to God?
  
• Share an experience when you didn't feel welcomed. How did it influence your faith life and your relationship with your community?

Reflecting on Our Faith Tradition (40 minutes)
The Catholic Church has a tradition of hospitality rooted in its beginnings two thousand years ago. Faithful to this tradition, the Church in the United States has welcomed with open arms the different immigrant groups that have come to this country since its founding. This hospitality was manifested through the formation of national parishes at the beginning of the twentieth century to receive Italian, Polish, German, and other immigrants. These parishes provided a familiar and welcoming environment for new immigrants. Within this structure, immigrants could celebrate and practice their faith, live their cultural traditions, and get the necessary support and affirmation to move forward and become part of U.S. society. At the end of World War II, national parishes began to disappear, in part due to a population that was aging and relocating. These national parishes gave way to culturally mixed faith communities within each parish.

It was assumed that these new immigrants would assimilate into U.S. society and into the Church. However, this assumption began to be strongly challenged in the 1960's by new immigrant groups and by their respective faith communities who saw the value of preserving their own cultural heritage. By 1987, the U.S. bishops stated, "through the policy of assimilation, new immigrants are forced to give up their language, culture, values, and traditions and adopt a form of life and worship foreign to them in order to be accepted as parish members. This attitude alienates new Catholic immigrants from the Church and makes them vulnerable to sects and other denominations" (National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry, p. 66). Furthermore, the bishops stated that all new immigrants are "to be welcomed to our church institutions at all levels. They are to be served in their language when possible, and their cultural values and religious traditions are to be respected. Beyond that, we must work toward mutual enrichment through interaction among all our cultures" (National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry, p. 66). The immigrant population continues to be a part of our Church community, but our parishes are not structured in the same way today as they were fifty years ago. Moreover, the growing cultural diversity of our communities, along with the increasing anti-immigrant climate in our country today, seems to be eroding the gospel attitude of welcome and hospitality. Pope John Paul II, concerned about such erosion, addressed this issue in his 1995 visit to the United States when he said, "Is it that the people of the United States have grown less hospitable, sensitive, and attentive toward the poor, the weak, the foreigner, the needy? That cannot be!" This question resounds in a special way in the hearts of Catholics as an urgent call to renew the spirit of hospitality in our faith community and to become role models of this gospel welcoming throughout the entire country.

Sacred Scripture reveals God as our creator, redeemer, and sanctifier. In these three welcoming actions, God invites us to life, welcomes us to his house, both on earth and in heaven, and sends us to bring his hospitality to others. This mystery of God's love is simply expressed in the life and teachings of Jesus. From the beginning of his public life, Jesus dedicated himself to inviting others to his Father's kingdom (Luke 4:18-19).

This invitation is especially addressed to those whom no one wants to welcome. The humble, the sick, the poor, the disabled, the aliens, and the sinners are among the first to accept Jesus' invitation with joy. Jesus knows their difficulties and, as a result, invites them to be freed from their burdens and to rest in him. "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest…For my yolk is easy, and my burden light" (Mt 11:28, 30). Jesus' invitation to become part of the kingdom of the Father is both a welcoming and an invitation to extend this welcome to all. By receiving Jesus in our hearts, we become friends of God (Jn 15:14) and commit ourselves to continue his welcoming mission to others and to walk together as one Church toward the Father's house.

Discussion questions:

• What has helped create an environment of hospitality and welcome in your parish community? In what ways do we offer hospitality?
  
• What makes it difficult to experience hospitality in your parish community, especially among those who need it most? In what ways do you not feel welcomed?
  
• What changes need to be made? What role can you play?
  
• Reflect on our human tendency to be drawn to those like ourselves. How is this experienced in school, neighborhood, family, etc.? What keeps us from reaching out to those who are different?
  
• Jesus was drawn to others, especially those on the margins – How does this challenge you in your daily life? Be specific.

Putting Our Faith into Action (40 minutes)
The Church in the United States has a very strong parish base. The faith community is organized, in most cases, under the coordination of the pastor in collaboration with the parish council and professional and volunteer ministers. This parish model permits the community to experience church life at a central location. Families gather in parish facilities to participate in the sacraments and to benefit from the different ministries and programs offered by the parish. This model has many advantages but also presents some challenges. One of the challenges is to reach out to Catholics, both young and old, who live within the parish boundaries but for various reasons do not take part in the activities of the faith community. To meet this challenge, it is necessary to renew the missionary spirit of the faith community – to reach out to those who have not felt the love of the Church, instead of waiting for them to come on their own. It is also necessary to prepare a place for inactive Catholics and to welcome them with open arms. This preparation means creating an environment of hospitality and welcome that will help all people to feel at home. This in turn will inspire and motivate them to be active members.

In Renewing the Vision, the bishops of the United States offer a framework for empowering young people to serve as role models of this gospel hospitality. Once welcomed and affirmed, young people often become the advocates of hospitality, ready to foster acceptance and respect for all people. They accept the challenge to be disciples of Jesus, by inviting and welcoming all to become a part of God's family, the Body of Christ. They challenge the faith community to be the model of Church that will help carry out the New Evangelization to which Pope John Paul II calls us.

Action steps:

• One sign of the celebration of the new millennium is the symbolic Jubilee Door. We are asked to cross its threshold by reaffirming our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and by committing ourselves to welcome all people as brothers and sisters in Christ. With this in mind, what specific actions can we do to invite and welcome others to walk through this door with us? (Examples: A specific door in the parish could be designated as the Jubilee Door (a Jubilee Door blessing is included in this session). Using the door as a symbol, create a logo for buttons and t-shirts to be given when reaching out and inviting others from school, family, or neighborhood to walk through the door with us.)
  
• Identify how we can enrich our attitude of hospitality so our message of welcome speaks to a diverse range of cultures, backgrounds, and ages. Imagine yourself as a new parishioner within your parish community. How are your gifts and talents welcomed? Create a role-play or skit from your discussion depicting the scene.
  
  
• How can we provide an environment of hospitality in the following areas of Church life?
  
  • In the liturgical and sacramental life of your faith community
    
  • In religious and catechetical formation
    
  • In building a stronger, more unified faith community
    
  • In helping with basic human needs and acting as advocates of those in need
    
  • In the active participation and decision-making process of the parish

Gathering Our Experiences (15 minutes)

• What helped you participate in this session and what made it difficult?
  
• What did you learn and accept about others?
  
• What did you learn about your faith?
  
• How did people make a commitment to implement a course of action?

Celebrating Our Faith as a Community (25 minutes)

• Opening hymn/song
  
• Invocation or invitation to prayer
  
• Scriptural reading
  
• Prayer of thanksgiving or petition
  
• The Lord's Prayer
  
• Final prayer and sign of peace
  
• Closing hymn

Blessing of a Jubilee Door At Home

Gathering before the Jubilee door, the father or mother prays:

Sign of the Cross -- In the name of the Father...

Reading -- Jn 10:7-10, Lk 4:18-19, or Lev. 25: 8-12.

Blessing --
Blessed are you, O Lord our God,
for you guide our footsteps.
You bless our coming in and our going out,
from birth to death, you hold us in your care.

Bless this door, O Lord,
which we consecrate to this time of preparation.
Each day we pass this place,
draw us more deeply into your presence
and the wonders of your love for us.

You are the door to the Kingdom of God,
the sheep gate to life eternal,
O portal of eternal peace, our new and living way,
loose our sins and open for us the door to salvation.

O God, protect our going out and our coming in;
let us share the hospitality of this home with all who visit us.
May the poor find rest within these walls
and all who hunger find refreshment in our home.

Lead us home through you, to you, and with you,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Jubilee Seal -- Placing of the Jubilee logo or cross on the door or door frame.

Hymn -- All may sing the hymn To Jesus Christ our Sovereign King or some other appropriate song.


Blessing of a Jubilee Door At Church

Gathering before the Jubilee door, the bishop prays: (The door may be blessed at the beginning of Sunday Mass or at another appropriate time.)

Blessing --
Blessed are you, O Lord our God,
King of the Universe!
You bless our coming in and our going out,
from birth to death, you hold us in your care.

Bless this door, O Lord,
which we consecrate to this time of preparation.
Each day we pass this place,
draw us more deeply into your presence
and the wonders of your love for us.

You are the door to the Kingdom of God,
the sheep gate to life eternal,
O portal of eternal peace, our new and living way,
loose our sins and open for us the door to salvation.

Grant that through the power of the keys
we may be found worthy to enter the gateway to heaven
and rejoice forever at the nuptial feast in your
presence, our Bridegroom and our Lord,
for whom we wait and for whom we long.

Lead us home through you, to you, and with you,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Jubilee Seal -- Placing of the Jubilee logo or cross on the door or door frame. (It is suggested that the insignia of the Papal Tiara and Keys be placed above this door as a way to remember the connection between these doors and the Holy Year Door at St. Peter's Basilica.)

Hymn -- As the door is sprinkled with holy water, Psalm 124 is sung with the antiphon: Lift high the ancient portals! The King of Glory enters!


For Those Attending WYD 2000
The theme chosen for World Youth Day 2000 by The Holy Father is "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (Jn 1:14). God in the person of Jesus dwells among us. "God the invisible one is alive and present in the person of Jesus" (Message of the Holy Father To the Youth, WYD, 2000). At the close of the Second Vatican Council, the Church Fathers addressed the youth by saying, "Look at her, (the Church) and you will find in her the face of Christ, the true hero, humble and wise, the prophet of truth and love, the companion and friend of young people." As the universal Church gathers in Rome to celebrate World Youth Day 2000, the face of God will be manifest among the many pilgrims present.

Preparation reflections:

• What do you need to do to prepare your heart to recognize God's face in those you will meet?
  
• As you cross the threshold of the Great Jubilee Door, the symbol of the Jubilee Year, what will you bring with you to strengthen your relationship to Jesus? What will you leave behind that is an obstacle to your relationship with Christ?

Discussion questions while in Rome:

• How have you discovered Christ in the faces of those you have met?
  
• How is this event challenging you to grow in your ministry of hospitality?
  
• In experiencing the face of Christ amid the diversity…
  In what way is the life of those you have met different from yours?
  The same as yours?
  
• Has this experience made you feel proud to be a member of the Catholic Church? In what way?
  
• Name one spiritual gift with which you will return home. Share one commitment you are willing to make in order to see the many faces of God in your own faith community.