Faith in

Action Packet

Due No Later than May 1st, 2019

Community Service Project - Reflection Form

Name________________________________________________ Project Date ________________________

Location or Title of Service project: ____________________________________________________________

Which Corporal or Spiritual work of mercy does this project reflect? Explain or defend your answer if

necessary________________________________________________________________________________

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Describe the process of the project – planning and execution if both apply:

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Who were the people involved in this project with you?

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Would you say this project helped you grow spiritually or was it more helpful for the people in your community?

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What evidence do you have that it has either helped you grow in your faith or that it has helped out your

community?

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What can you do differently next time that would make this a better project in the future?

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What did you learn from this act of service?

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Parent/Guardian/Project Leader signature Candidate’s signature

Church Service Project - Reflection Form

Name_________________________________________________ Project Date________________________

Location or Title of Service project: ____________________________________________________________

Which Corporal or Spiritual work of mercy does this project reflect? Explain or defend your answer if

necessary________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

Describe the process of the project – planning and execution if both apply:

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

Who were the people involved in this project with you?

________________________________________________________________________________________

Would you say this project helped you grow spiritually or was it more helpful for the people in our community?

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

What evidence do you have that it has either helped you grow in your faith or that it has helped out our

community?

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

What can you do differently next time that would make this a better project in the future?

________________________________________________________________________________________

What did you learn from this act of service?

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________ _______________________________________

parent/guardian/project leader signature Candidate’s signature

Prayer Goals and Tracking Sheet Christian Prayer “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good thing from God” (CCC 2590). Approaching prayer as “talking to God” is a good starting point, but too much talk has its drawbacks. Sometimes we start our talking to God, only to end up conversing with ourselves. The goal is to start listening! Few of us can tolerate friends that do nothing but talk at us. Words are an important part of prayer, but just as relationships are more than words, so is prayer. The Rosary, one of the oldest forms of prayer in our Catholic Tradition, is intended to move us to meditate on the mysteries of Jesus’ life. Just like our relationship with a good friend, we know them because we “know” about them.

Most Holy Rosary

Pray 4 rosaries (not necessarily in the same day!) meditating, listening and contemplating on each mystery, offering it for a special intension: (intension can be for a person or situation):

Date_______________ Luminous Mysteries: I offer this Rosary for: Date_______________ Joyful Mysteries:

I offer this Rosary for:

Date_______________ Glorious Mysteries: I offer this Rosary for:

Date_______________ Sorrowful Mysteries: I offer this Rosary for:

Remember you can also pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet on your Rosary!

21 Days of Prayer

Studies show that it takes 21 days of repetition for us to gain a habit. Making it a “habit” to pray takes perseverance, patience and practice. It’s time to “make an appointment” with God! For the next 21 days, decide when you will give God at least ten minutes of your undivided attention! Keep track on the chart on the back of this sheet. If you miss a day, just add a day. If you miss more than three, start over. God is worth it and so is your relationship with Him!

Appointment with God track sheet: Date started _________________

Day 1 Minutes:

Day 2 Minutes:

Day 3 Minutes:

Day 4 Minutes:

Day 5 Minutes:

Day 6 Minutes:

Day 7 Minutes:

Day 8 Minutes:

Day 9 Minutes:

Day 10 Minutes:

Day 11 Minutes:

Day 12 Minutes:

Day 13 Minutes:

Day 14 Minutes:

Day 15 Minutes:

Day 16 Minutes:

Day 17 Minutes:

Day 18 Minutes:

Day 19 Minutes:

Day 20 Minutes:

Day 21 Minutes:

1. What time works best for you?

2. What place works best for you to pray?

3. What form of prayer worked best for you? (ex. Reading Scripture, Journaling, Adoration, Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Personal Prayer, etc.)

4. Reflecting after 21 days: what challenges have you experienced before and during the last 21 days?

5. How did you overcome them? Congratulations!! Now see if you can keep the appointment going. Stretch yourself to see if you can increase the time or change up your prayer by doing something different like attending daily Mass or Eucharistic Adoration, praying a Rosary or Praying with Scripture, Contemplating on the Lord’s Prayer. Whatever you do, don’t give up and remember to listen! Note: some people find journaling while they pray helps them to stay focused and find a starting point for the next day. God reveals things to us in our written words that we can find inspiring and comforting!

P.R.A.Y.

How to start having a conversation with God

Praying is hard, but that’s true of most good things in life. The reality is, good things require work, perseverance, and if

we are honest with ourselves, most of the time we need help. So, how do we pray? Well, there are a lot of good

options, but we are going to focus on one of the most essential, yet often the most difficult part of prayer: simply talking

to God.

Fortunately, Jesus told us how to pray. In fact, he said, “Pray like this:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.

Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Amen.”

That is the structure for a good conversation with God, so let’s break it down from here with the acronym P.R.A.Y.

Praise

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.”

We begin prayer by acknowledging who He is. He is the great, all-powerful, all-loving creator of the universe! There is

no one greater than God, and God loves you more than anyone could. We begin by acknowledging God’s greatness, not

to boost His ego, but rather, to diminish ours.

A simple way to do this is to just thank God for all the great things He has done in our life, no matter how big or small.

By reminding ourselves that God is God, and we are not, we begin to better understand our relationship with Him, and

stop trying to do things on our own. If we become good at praising God, we often find than turning to God when we are

having trouble becomes second nature.

Repent

“And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Next we repent, or ask for forgiveness of our sins. This helps us to identify times in our lives when we try to be God,

those times when we try to shape our relationship with God on our own terms. This helps us to know where our

weaknesses are and if we regularly identify them, we can start to improve upon them. In fact, if we become good at

repenting of our sins in our daily prayer life, then we will make far greater confessions as well, and of course, confession

is a necessary next step in repentance.

Ask

“Give us this day our daily bread…. and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Now this is the easy part! After we have acknowledged who God is, and reminded ourselves of the times we have

done wrong, we ask God for the things we need. For many of us, this part may be what our entire prayer life

looked like when we were children, and perhaps our prayer life is still not much different.

Be honest with God, don’t feel like anything is too big or too small to ask God to help with. The reality is, God

already knows your heart, He just wants you to express it to Him. Some people may find it easiest to begin by

asking for the things that will help them overcome those sins they just repented. Others may begin with the things

that they are struggling with, things that are at the fore-front of their mind.

Whichever way you choose to do it, just be specific. This will help you to clearly lay out the things you are working

toward, and the areas that you should be attentive to. This is important because, while all things are possible with

God, He often asks us to put in some of the work as well, for our own benefit.

Yield

“Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Lastly, we yield to God’s plan. When we truly understand our relationship with God, we begin to understand the

abundant love God has for us. Because of that love, He will always look out for our best interest.

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a

hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11

The more often we yield to God’s plan in prayer, the less we will worry, and the more hopeful and optimistic we

will become. We live in a world that desperately needs people like that!

So that’s it. That is the simple structure for beginning a coherent conversation with God: Praise God for all the

good things He has done, Repent of the times we have tried to be the God of our own universe, Ask God for all

the things we need to achieve the greatness He created us for, and Yield to whatever His plan has in store.

Bible Beginning Suggestions

The Bible can be a large and intimidating book to anyone just beginning to read it, but there are several different ways

any person can begin to read the bible without being overwhelmed, and actually understanding what they are reading

(for the most part).

In the beginning: It is important to know that the Bible isn’t really just one big book, but is actually many small books

about the one true God put together for all the faithful to read. Because of this, the Bible isn’t really intended to be read

from cover to cover like a normal book, in fact, that may be the hardest way to read it.

The New Testament: Perhaps the easiest place to begin reading is the new testament (the parts that are specifically

about Jesus and the Church. The New Testament begins with the four Gospels and Acts of the Apostles, and then many

letters from the early disciples.

The Gospels: The Gospels are a great place to begin reading scripture, since they tend to be relatively easy to

understand, and they tell the stories of Jesus and His ministry. Many people begin with Matthew, the gospel that covers

all of the most important highlights of Jesus’ life in a pretty simple manner.

The Gospel of Mark is the Shortest and possibly the most exciting Gospel, which tends to be a great way to start your

scripture reading.

Luke tends to be more popular with female readers that are just starting out, due to his attention to detail and emphasis

of important female biblical figures that Jesus interacted with.

After the Gospels there are also plenty of great, short letters from the early disciples that you can get your feet wet with.

I suggest Ephesians, Galatians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1-3 John, and Jude. These letters tend to be

focused on the early disciples giving advice to other early Christians about how to live out their faith, and to avoid sin.

When reading, remember:

It’s not about how much you read, it’s about what you get out of the reading. Scripture is God’s Word, and He is trying

to speak to us through it, so don’t rush through it, take your time, and soak it in. Again, the Bible isn’t like a normal

book, it’s not about getting to the end of the story, it’s about encountering God through His word.

If you run into something that stands out to you mark it for later, and also make sure to mark verses that don’t make

sense, so you can ask someone about it later. Don’t let yourself get hung up on one part if it’s confusing or seems

strange, just try to move on and come back to it with someone that may be able to explain it and answer any questions

you may have.

Hopefully these simple tips will help you to get started in reading the bible on your own, in personal prayer. Scripture is

one of the greatest tools we as Christians have, so we should be using it a lot, but as with most good things, it requires

practice and perseverance. So be patient, keep reading, and above all else, listen to God.

The Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator

of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His

only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the

Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered

under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and

was buried. He descended into hell; the third

day He arose again from the dead. He ascended

into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God,

the Father Almighty; from thence He shall

come to judge the living and the dead. I believe

in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church,

the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of

sins, the resurrection of the body and life

everlasting. Amen.

Hail Holy Queen:

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our

life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we

cry, poor banished children of Eve: to thee do

we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in

this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious

Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and

after this our exile, show unto us the blessed

fruit of thy womb, Jesus, O merciful, O loving,

O sweet Virgin Mary! Amen.

Fatima Prayer

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from

the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven,

especially those most in need of Thy mercy.

Amen.

The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy:

1. Make the Sign of the Cross

2. Optional Opening Prayers

You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O

Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.

(Repeat three times)

O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!

3. Our Father

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not

into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.

4. Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,

Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

5. The Apostle's Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was

conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried;

He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right

hand of God the Father almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life

everlasting. Amen.

6. The Eternal Father

Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in

atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

7. On the Ten Small Beads of Each Decade

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

8. Repeat for the remaining decades

Saying the "Eternal Father" (6) on the "Our Father" bead and then 10 "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion" (7) on the

following "Hail Mary" beads.

9. Conclude with Holy God (Repeat three times)

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

10. Optional Closing Prayer

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase

Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence

submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

Letters to God: 5 Reasons to Start a Prayer Journal

by JURELL SISON

Here are five reasons why you should start a journal today.

KEEP YOUR BRAIN HEALTHY It’s one thing to want to pray more. It’s another thing to actually sit down and do it. And even when you do, there are an endless number of obstacles and distractions. So often I walk into the chapel and sit there with my brain scrambled. When there are 10,000 thi ngs going on at the same time it’s easy to get overwhelmed in prayer but if I write my prayer — things are different.

Writing down my thoughts and prayers force me to focus on one thing at a time. My brain automatically tries to process a bajill ion things at a time but working through my thoughts slowly on paper puts my soul at rest.

FIND PEACE & CLARITY Journaling might be weird and even painful at first but the fruit of that struggle is peace and clarity. Writing my thoughts slow me down enough to remembe r that God is with me through it all. Moreover, it reminds me that God’s plan is bigger than the one I’ve drawn up in my head.

Journaling always seems like a burden but every time I begin my prayer this way , I find myself more peaceful with a greater sense of clarity and direction.

CREATE EVIDENCE OF GOD’S PLAN I’ve been journaling for almost ten years and every now and again I find myself randomly reading my old entries. I’ ll open it, turn to a random page, look at the date, and it’s as if I am reading my own biography. There was a time I spent two hours reading the whole journal because I was in awe of the ways that God worked with me through my doubts, pain, and fears. Some pages even had teardrops that bled into the ink.

My journals are evidence that I have been through some tough times in my life but even more so, it’s proof that God has a plan for us and that our suffering is only temporary. My prayers and my letters to God are all hard evidence that things get better. In fact, they get more than better .

Document your current prayers and your struggles and be amazed at the ways God works in your life over the years. Write it down so that you can be living proof of someone who has died and risen with Christ.

ALLOW GOD TO BECOME A REAL FRIEND Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to chat with a stranger? Even when you have good intentions and genuinely want to start a conversation, sometimes there is a natural awkwardness that comes with the task.

Every now and then, I experience this in my prayer. When I pray, I go through the usual and polite routines (sign of the cross, thank you for…, protect this person, etc…) but then I find myself at a loss for anything meaningful to say. There are times when I go so long without praying that God becomes a stranger to me.

Over the years, I’ve discovered that keeping a consistent journal creates a history of your relationship. Think about this. The best conversations I have are with my best friends and it’s because we have a history of things to chat about. When I see them I can’t help but ask them how their week was, how

their job interview went or how their vacation was. There is a certain ease to the friendship because of the countless memories we share together. My best friendships require a continual act of checking up on each other.

During difficult times, I never demand that my friends fix my problems. I simply appreciate they are with me because their presence can ease the pain. The same goes with God. Spiritual journaling is yet another tool that creates relationship history. Its draws us deeper and deeper into friendship with an infinite God who thirsts for our attention.

Almost all of my entries begin with “Dear Lord” and conclude with “Until next time…” You, of course, can and should find your own way to speak to Go d but these entries give us opportunities to continue the conversation with ease rather than being at a loss for words like we so often are.

The intimacy level of your entries is all up to you but I would encourage you to write as if you are on a mission to fall in love .

WRITE FOR YOUR GRANDKIDS I have a distinct memory of being at my grandfather’s funeral. We were surrounded by loved ones, picture boards, slideshows, and even poetry about the generous life that he lived. But even after all the the stories, I wish I could have heard about his life first hand. I wish I could know the young disciple that he was.

It sounds silly but another reason I journal is for my future grandkids. I want them to know that I, like them, was a real person, with real struggles , challenges, and sometimes hopeless situations. But through it all, it was Christ who transformed my life into something worth living.

Spiritual journaling leaves a trace of our struggle to be holy. If we seek Christ worthily, our lives can blaze a pathway to Him and our written prayers can be a way for us to share in each other’s journeys.

IT’S NOT MAGIC–IT’S JUST JOURNALING When I was nineteen and at the beginning of my spiritual journey, I found myself with no where to go on Valentine’s Day. In my lonel iness, I drove to an adoration chapel. I knew of a church that had perpetual adoration and it calmed my soul to know that I could spend Valentine’s day feeling wanted, accepted, and deeply loved. That day I spent over two hours writing, praying, listening to music, talking… hanging out.

Looking back at my entry, I didn’t receive any quick fixes. I was still single after walking out of the chapel, the drama didn’t disappear but I left hopeful that God had a much bigger plan for me.

Journaling isn’t a magic t rick. It’s a style of prayer that brings us closer to an intimate friendship with the divine. It’s a powerful tool that leads us to surrender to His mysterious plan rather than frantically praying for a quick fix to our unending, litany of struggles.

How to Keep a Prayer Journal By Mary Thierfelder

Can a Journal Bring You Closer to God?

Do you want to become more aware of God’s presence in your daily life? To learn to speak to Him in your own words? When prayer seems dry and you are not hearing the voice of God, a prayer journal can become a pivotal tool for improving your spiritual life. You’ll be in good company! Lots of saints kept spiritual journals or diaries, including St. Faustina, St. Bernadette, St. Gemma Galgani, St. Perpetua, and many others.

HOW TO KEEP A PRAYER JOURNAL

There are numerous ways to keep a prayer journal or spiritual diary. If you are interested but don’t know where to start, here are some tips on what to write:

HEAR HIM:

The more you listen to the Holy Spirit’s voice, the easier it gets to hear it. Writing about how the Spirit is working in your life can, over time, make you more conscious of God’s will. Have you ever had that sudden inspiration to say or do something, but repressed it because it was outside your comfort zone? Keep a record in your journal of the times you felt God nudge you like this, and whether you responded. It becomes a brief examination of conscience and makes you sensitive to whether you are staying open to God’s calls. You might also include any inspiring words from others or events through which God spoke to you that day.

REMEMBER TO ASK:

Recall all the times you’ve promised, “I’ll keep you in my prayers!” Do you always remember? It helps to keep a list of prayer intentions – not just other people’s, but your own intentions as well. Looking back on your petitions to God from months ago can make you aware of all the good He has worked in your life. Especially if you are still facing difficult times, looking back on even the smallest blessings can be a reminder of God’s love. If certain things in your life are unclear and you have unanswered questions, write these down, too. Ask for clarity. Later, reading over past questions, you may realize that many of them have been answered.

GIVE THANKS & PRAISE:

Don’t stop at requests and petitions – praise Him! Express how much you love Him and how much more you want to love Him. Offer your day and your work to God. Thank Him for specific blessings. It’s important to give thanks not only for life changing blessings like a new job or restored health, but also for the littlest things. The more you thank God for everyday graces, the more you will remember Him as you go about your day. Plus, you’ll start to realize you have more little blessings than you can count.

Choose a journal that is a comfortable size and type for you, and use your own style of expression (St. John of the Cross even incorporated poetry into his spiritual writing). You can make tabs to separate prayers of thanksgiving, petitions and inspirations, or you can combine everything into one daily entry. The writing will be between you and God, so don’t get too caught up in avoiding spelling errors or choosing the right words. As long as you can read it, it will be fine.