While
the Father and the Son get one lesson each in this first unit, I give two
lessons about the Holy Spirit. A priest I once knew often said that the Holy Spirit
never gets enough mention in catechesis or in theology. I have to admit, the
Spirit is probably the most mysterious Person of the Trinity. While the Son and
the Father are, by their very names, more easily accessible to our imagination,
the Holy Spirit just doesn’t have the same analogous language we can grab a
hold of.
I
ask my students to respond to this question: “How do you want to be asked out
on a date?” I give them a minute to jot down their first thought, and when they
are done, we pray together. Sometimes prayer needs to be spontaneous. I usually
lead the class in prayer, but today I ask a student to lead us. I call on
someone randomly, but really Hope they come up with a prayer on the spot. It
happens. Later in class, I remind them that the prayer they said at the beginning
of class was actually led by the Holy Spirit. This is one of the ways the
Spirit works.
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| May Crowning with some of the girls...and the random guy from the Boys Division (P. Smith) |
Full disclosure: this lesson is actually written for an all-girls class,
so the question at hand is easy to relate to the students. Of course, if it was
a co-ed class, I would simply remind the boys that, in general, they may want
to shut up and listen to what the girls have to say.
I ask them, “Do you want to be asked out on a date by text?” Almost never
do the girls say that a text message is an appropriate or effective way to ask
a girl out on a date. We talk some more and the students seem to always
conclude that they probably want to be asked out in a personal and heartfelt
manner…a manner that shows authentic care and affection. Of course, we do live in
the 21st Century, and it is perfectly acceptable for a girl to ask a
guy out on a date. I share that I would definitely feel like the girl actually
liked me if she asked me out in person.
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| Sometimes the Spirit comes to us in the skies over the Reservation (P. Smith) |
The conclusion we make about asking someone out is True with God, as
well. God invites us into relationship in a way that shows care and affection. He
knows what we Truly Love and what Truly makes us feel special. This lesson will
discuss how the Holy Spirit is the one who delivers the invitation. In a way, I
will be explaining how the Holy Spirit is God reaching into time and space to
give us the exact Graces we need at any point in time and space so we are
reminded that we are Loved…that God desires to be in a relationship with Him.
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