January 2022 In Home

Theme: Open Wide Our Hearts 

Opening Prayer:

Begin with the Sign of the Cross +. 
Choose a leader to read each line of the prayer
and then allow time for the rest of the family to echo back each line.

Leader: Come Holy Spirit!
(Family echoes back)
Leader: Open our hearts to hear your voice in the stories we read today. 
(Family echoes back).
Leader: Help us to see how you are calling us to grow in love for all your children. 
(Family echoes back)
Leader: We ask this in Jesus’s name.  Amen!
(Family echoes back)

Catechesis:

In November 2018, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released Open Wide Our Hearts, a pastoral letter against racism.  Inspired by this letter, the Diocese of Green Bay launched the Open Wide Our Hearts photo exhibit.  This exhibit features photos of Catholics from various racial and ethnic backgrounds, alongside written narratives that document what life in the church of the Diocese of Green Bay has been like for them as a person of color. As children of God we are all created in the image and likeness of God. We all, regardless of skin color, deserve respect, dignity and love. We are all called to look at one another with the eyes of Jesus and see the beauty within and not the color of one’s skin

God has strong feelings are on how we are to treat people who are different---different in skin color; different in languages; different in culture.  Read the following scripture passages.  The first passage is from the Old Testament and the second one is from the New Testament.  The Old Testament goes back thousands of years but God’s message is still important today.

Read

Leviticus 19: 33-34

*Substitute the word “alien” for “stranger” or “foreigner”.
After reading discuss the following questions:

• Who is the stranger/alien/foreigner that God is talking about in this passage?
• How are we to treat the stranger/alien/foreigner?

Read

Ephesians 2:19-22
After reading discuss the following questions:

• How are we to see each other in eyes of God?
• Our unity in Jesus and with each other makes us a dwelling place for whom?

Activity:

There are two ways to complete this In Home lesson.

• Option 1: Physically visit the Open Wide Our Hearts exhibit located in Friendship Hall
  (the lower level of St. Margaret Mary Church.)
  • Church will be open on Sunday, January 16 until 7pm and Wednesday, January 19 until 8pm. 
• Option 2: Visit the virtual exhibit by clicking on this link: openwideourheartsgb.org

Regardless of which option you choose to view the exhibit follow the instructions below to complete the In Home.

• As a family look at and read each story of a person of color in our diocese.
  After moving through the exhibit (physically or virtually) discuss the questions below:
  • What did you learn from reading these peoples’ stories?
  • How did you feel after reading these stories?

Closing Prayer:

Begin with the Sign of the Cross +. 
Invite a member of the family to read the prayer while the rest of the family listens attentively:

Loving God, we thank you for the stories we have read today
and the people who have shared them. 
We pray for all people who have come to our churches
and our schools and not felt fully loved and accepted. 
We pray that you will help us grow as a Church that loves
and welcomes all people and embraces the rich diversity of cultures present in the Church. 
We ask you to continue to open our hearts, revealing any places of darkness
and sending your healing light to those places. 
May your grace guide us in building a church that reflects the Kingdom of God. 
We ask this in Jesus’s name.

Amen!

Questionnaire:

Please make sure you submit your answers so your child/ren can be marked present for this session.