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The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth, Second Edition is an understandable and down-to-earth guide to all things Catholic. This book is an eye-opener and a page-turner, whether you are brushing up on specific Catholic terms and concepts or learning them for the first time.

The Ad Hoc Committee to Oversee the Use of the Catechism, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has found this catechetical text, copyright 2008, to be in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

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The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth, Second Edition
ISBN: 978-0-88489-987-7, paper, 480 pages

Welcome to the official Advent issue of the Servant Leader. This year Advent begins on Sunday, December 2. In past years, in my efforts to prepare for this season of preparation, I have often found myself behind before I’ve even started—digging out the Advent wreath the Sunday after the first Sunday of Advent, and with a feeling of regret that I had not made better plans.

Advent always brings back a particular phrase sprinkled throughout my mother’s conversation during this season: "not time yet." When I found her baking cookies in the kitchen and would ask for a taste, she would reply, "Just one, because it’s really not time yet." Not time yet for parties, or for presents, or for cookies. And then, finally, came the time, the kairos moment—Christmas Eve, the after-midnight meal, and the family Christmas party, packed with aunts, uncles, cousins, and "all of the above." Even Santa came! It was finally Christmas.

So let’s decide now to celebrate Advent this year. Let’s plan to put a little "not time yet" into our lives and into the lives of our students. This does not mean that we should not take advantage of special Christmas events, like concerts and displays, or attend parties and open houses. (Although I would welcome a cultural shift from Christmas parties before Christmas to Christmas parties after.) But a few little changes in routine, a few countercultural shifts, will help us remember to prepare our hearts, prayerfully, for the coming of Christ. See the "Make It Happen" section below for some ideas.

We would never think of celebrating Easter a few weeks early, just because we enjoy celebrating. We, as religious educators, should make our small efforts to help our students celebrate Advent and Christmas mindfully. After all, Christmas marks the beginning of our salvation: Jesus, the Word made flesh, came among us as a little child. This is a celebration worth waiting for!

Blessings on your ministry!

Love and peace,
Joanna Dailey

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for making Saint Mary’s Press part of your ministry!

Note on the Year of Faith: Our new and improved Web site, www.smp.org, has many resources for use during the Year of Faith. Go to the Resource Center and search Year of Faith. On the first page of results, look for the video "Fr. Barron Comments on What Faith Is and What Faith Isn’t," a very enlightening eleven minutes on the meaning of faith, why faith is not opposed to reason, and why Thomas Aquinas is the Sherlock Holmes of theologians. Also see the resources available for the seasons of Advent and Christmas, under "liturgical resources" in the Resource Center.

You may already do some of these Advent practices, but you may want to try something new this year. Here are a few thoughts:

Make room for silence and solitude. Give a few moments (start with five minutes) each day to quiet, peaceful waiting. Make your space dark. Pull down the shades, turn out the lights. Say a short Advent prayer ("Come, Lord Jesus, into our hearts and into our lives") and then just wait. Why? Because we need to experience "empty time" in order to experience the "fullness of time" at Christmas.

Light an Advent wreath candle every day. You may want to light it just before your time of silence.

Drape your space with purple or blue. Be the countercultural classroom or corner. If possible, try to hold off your classroom Christmas party until after Christmas, when it’s finally time: perhaps plan it for January 6 or for the Monday after Epiphany. If a pre-Christmas party or gift exchange is a must, make it an Advent party, with purple gift wrap and ribbons. (This may take some out-of-the-ordinary courage, but it will give students something to remember and to talk or text about. And who needs to be ordinary?)

Buy an Advent calendar. Try to find one with a Scripture quote behind every door. (Some are available online from the monks of Conception Abbey, Conception, Missouri. See www.printeryhouse.org and search "Advent calendar.") Ask students to take turns opening the "door of the day" and reading the Scripture quote. These calendars are often purchased for children, but there is nothing childish about the Scriptures, and it may be that some of your students have never used an Advent calendar.

Pray the Advent O’s. These special antiphons are sung at the Magnificat at Vespers from December 17th through the 24th. Based on Old Testament prophetic writings, they are also sung as the Alleluia verse before the Gospel at Mass. (See a missalette with the daily readings.) Research their origins in the Bible and pray each one with your group.

Remember those who are poor and needy. If your school does not have a schoolwide Advent project, consider initiating a project with your group. Choose a worthy organization to help with your "time, talent, or treasure" this Advent. Make an Advent bank. If each student in a group of twenty gives 25 cents a day, five days a week, for four weeks, the group will have one hundred dollars to donate to a worthy cause.

Set up a Christmas crib. Keep the manger empty. You may want to set up a box near the crib into which students can place prayer intentions. (Announce whether these will be read at an Advent prayer service or kept secret.) Draw names to select the student who will place the Child Jesus in the manger on the first day of school after Christmas. When students return, continue the celebration! Set up the class Christmas tree. Plan a party and a gift exchange (students can bring gifts they received but cannot use). Continue your quiet time, this time by the light of the Christmas tree. The Christmas season ends on January 13, the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord.

Evaluate the experience. Ask the students to reflect, in writing, on the seasons of Advent and Christmas as observed in your group. Was it a positive or a negative experience? Did it affect their celebration of these seasons? How? Can they think of ways to celebrate Advent and Christmas even better next year? You may want to formulate a questionnaire based on particular practices or events.

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King
November 25, 2012
John 18:33b-37

Opening Prayer
You may use the following short prayer or the prayer on page 6 of the peer leader's guide, or any member of the group may want to pray in his or her own words.

Jesus, this Sunday we honor you as Christ the King, the king over heaven and earth. You share with us through the Gospel of John that you came into the world to testify to the truth. Assist us in our pursuit of understanding your truth in our world today. We ask this in your name. Amen.

Context Connection
The Gospel reading, an excerpt from John's Passion narrative, tells the story of Jesus's appearance before Pilate. In the preceding section, John's Gospel describes Judas's betrayal of Jesus, Peter's denial of Jesus, the high priest's questioning of Jesus, and then Jesus being handed over to the Romans. Now Jesus stands before Pilate, the top Roman official in Judea. Pilate, through his conversation with Jesus, tries to determine Jesus's crime.

Pilate, the Roman procurator (or agent) appointed by Caesar Tiberius to assist in governing the area of Judea, held that office from AD 26 to AD 36. In addition to ordinary financial and administrative responsibilities, Pilate also had supreme judicial power. The permanent residence of the Roman officials and of the Roman army was Caesarea, a city on the Mediterranean Sea, but during Jewish feasts such as Passover, many troops and the procurator came to Jerusalem to reduce the likelihood of disturbances. The people of Judea disliked the Roman occupation, and when they gathered for feasts, the unrest could result in riots. As the supreme judicial power, Pilate's job was to determine whether Jesus, brought before him by the Jewish authorities, was a threat to the Roman Empire and thus an enemy of Rome.

In the Gospel of John, Pilate asks Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" (18:33). If Jesus says yes, then it would be clear to Pilate that Jesus is a threat to Rome because he might lead a revolt against Rome to establish his authority as king of Judea. Jesus responds to Pilate's question with an interesting question of his own: "Do you ask this on your own [are you curious and want to know personally], or did others tell you about me [are you just repeating the gossip that has been circulated]?" (18:34). Jesus's response appears somewhat sardonic. Under Roman rule, the class difference between Pilate and Jesus makes Jesus's statement very risky. As a person of higher sociopolitical status, Pilate is not obliged to tolerate any seeming "wisecracks" from the accused. However, Pilate tolerates the remark, choosing instead to continue the conversation; he asks Jesus, "What have you done?" (18:35), and also reminds Jesus that it was his own people that brought Jesus to Pilate. Jesus again sidesteps the question with this response, "My kingdom is not from this world [and therefore no direct threat to the Roman Empire]" (18:36). Pilate asks yet another question, "So you are a king?" (18:37).

Rome did not tolerate anyone other than Caesar claiming a kingship that was based on a blood relationship to a king who ruled before the Roman conquest. To the Romans, Caesar was the only legitimate king. People who made such claims were considered a threat to "Pax Romana," the peace of Rome, and were eliminated.

Jesus's response is twofold. He does not lay claim to any kind of kingship but says to Pilate, "You say that I am a king" (18:37). Then Jesus reveals why he was born, "I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice" (18:37). In other words, those who follow Jesus seek the truth.

Tradition Connection
The Catholic Church, on this Sunday, celebrates Jesus as Christ the King. The sense of kingship that we are speaking about is rooted in the Jewish tradition, which is recorded in the Book of Deuteronomy. The king's duty, according to Deuteronomy 17:18-20, was to read and understand the law of God, then to show the community through example how to follow God's commandments. In this sense, Jesus was truly a king, living a life of obedience to God's laws and being an example for seeking truth even as he stood before Pilate.

"The Old Testament attests that God is the source of all truth. His Word is truth. His Law is truth. His 'faithfulness endures to all generations.'¹ Since God is 'true,' the members of his people are called to live in truth"² (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2465). In John 14:6 Jesus says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." In Sunday's reading, Jesus tells Pilate, "I was born . . . to testify to the truth" (18:37). Belonging to the truth means belonging to God because God is Truth. Could Jesus have been asking Pilate (and us): Do you belong to the truth, and will you listen to me? Will you listen to me and hear the truth about God's plan for salvation? Jesus promised us that God the Father would send the Holy Spirit to be our guide to the truth once Jesus had returned to the Father. John 14:17 speaks about the Holy Spirit being "the Spirit of truth."

For further information, refer to the article "The Holy Spirit Guides Us into All Truth" in The Catholic Youth Bible® near John 14:17.

Wisdom Connection
In John 18:36 Jesus says, "My kingdom is not from this world." The Father gives Jesus kingship over both heaven and earth. Jesus's Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom that is finite but a heavenly kingdom that lasts forever. Each Sunday in the Nicene Creed, we pray, "[Jesus] ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end" (Catechism, page 49).Jesus ascended to this position of honor by bearing witness to the truth, even dying on a cross. Jesus "exercises his kingship by drawing all men to himself through his death and Resurrection"³ (Catechism, paragraph 786). John 18:37 tells us that Jesus's purpose for taking on human form was "to testify to the truth." The way to truth then is through Jesus Christ. All we need to do is listen to Jesus.

Acknowledgments
The scriptural quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition. Copyright © 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

The quotations labeled Catechism are from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America. Copyright © 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Inc.--Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

The Lord's Prayer is from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers. Copyright © 1988 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Inc., Washington, DC. All rights reserved.

Endnotes Cited in Quotations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
1. Psalm 119:90; cf. Proverbs 8:7; 2 Samuel 7:28; Psalm 110:142; Luke 1:50.
2. Romans 3:4; cf. Psalm 119:30.
3. Cf. John 12:32.

First Sunday of Advent
December 2, 2012
Luke 21:25-28,34-36

Opening Prayer
Jesus, during this season of Advent, we pray you will strengthen our vigilance in prayer so that we can welcome you anew into our hearts this Christmas. Give us your understanding of the importance of prayer every day. We ask this in your name. Amen.

Context Connection
As you read the Gospel from Luke for the first Sunday of Advent, you may recognize the tone of the message. It is similar to the November 19 Gospel from Mark. Luke used Mark as a source when he wrote his Gospel, and chapter 21 in Luke is markedly similar to Mark's chapter 13. The literary style is apocalyptic. You may want to review the information on apocalyptic literature in the November 19 "YES!" e-newsletter.

Throughout his public life, Jesus was often asked to show a sign that proved he was from God. In Sunday's Gospel Jesus says, "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves" (21:25). Jesus also says that chaos and disorder will be so great that some will be overcome by fear. In the midst of this chaos, he tells the Apostles, "the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" will appear (21:27). When these things happen, he cautions, pay attention "because your redemption is drawing near" (21:28). Believers, he tells them, need not fear when all this happens because they know their personal deliverance is near.

However, Luke's Gospel describes more than the signs that people might expect. Throughout this passage Luke quotes Jesus's advice to the Christian community on how to live between now and the Second Coming of the Son of Man. He tells us that Jesus urges vigilance with these words: "Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down . . . and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap" (21:34-35). Luke's Gospel warns Christians to be particularly vigilant against carousing, drunkenness, and worldly cares. Though the world invites us to devote our energy to having a good time--we are told to eat, drink, and be merry--Luke reminds us that if we accept the world's invitation, we can be led away from Christ. These traps can move our focus away from Christ and living a Christian life, which is centered on caring for others rather than fulfilling our own selfish wants.

What will help us be vigilant? Prayer. Jesus, says Luke, offered this advice: "Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man" (21:36). Pray to God, who has control over all things--even the cosmic signs and the earthly catastrophes. Prayer is capable of bringing peace amid chaos. Prayer gives us the hope necessary to weather the hardships in life because we believe that in Christ all things have meaning. This does not mean the believer will never experience pain and suffering, but those hardships will never be the cause for a believer to stop believing in God because nothing "will separate us from the love of Christ" (Romans 8:35).

Tradition Connection
December 3 is the first Sunday of Advent and the first Sunday of the Catholic Church's liturgical calendar. The Advent season begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and continues until Christmas Eve. This season of waiting for the arrival of the Christ, the Messiah, celebrates both the time of waiting for the birth of Jesus the Christ on the first Christmas day and the time of waiting for his Second Coming. During this in-between time, the time between Jesus's Ascension into heaven and his Second Coming--the time in which we live--we are called to holy living. Holy living arises out of faithful stewardship of all God has given us. We live in an imperfect world of great injustices and oppression of every kind. During Advent we envision a time when God's justice will be the hallmark of the order of the world. The prophets of the Old Testament spoke about this kind of world with great conviction and hope-filled anticipation. Connected to this anticipation is the feeling of great joy in the fulfillment of God's promise to bring about the redemption of the world.

The Advent season calls us to be watchful in our waiting for the Second Coming. We are reminded that prayer is a key element of our watchfulness as we prepare ourselves for his coming.

In Jesus "the Kingdom of God is at hand."¹ He calls his hearers to conversion and faith, but also to watchfulness. In prayer the disciple keeps watch, attentive to Him Who Is and Him Who Comes, in memory of his first coming in the lowliness of the flesh, and in the hope of his second coming in glory.² In communion with their Master, the disciples' prayer is a battle; only by keeping watch in prayer can one avoid falling into temptation.³ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2612)

The Advent wreath--a circle of evergreen branches with four candles--is a symbol of the season. The circular shape reminds us that God is eternal: God has no beginning and no end. The evergreens are a symbol of hope, the hope of eternal life in Jesus. The unlit candles represent the dark time of waiting before the coming of Christ. As we light a candle each week, we anticipate with increasing joy the arrival of Jesus Christ--both at his birth and on a day we don't yet know. When your "YES!" group meets during Advent, you may want to have an Advent wreath and light the appropriate candle(s) as part of your gathering.

Wisdom Connection
Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent, we will be reading from the Gospel of Luke. The readings from Luke are the foundation of the readings for Cycle C. Luke was not one of the original twelve Apostles; he instead was a second-generation Christian, perhaps converted by Paul. From his writing style, he appears well educated with a mastery of the Greek language. Luke writes with a historical bent, in short, sharply defined vignettes that give us a rich, descriptive narrative. His Gospel begins with Gabriel's announcement to Zechariah of the birth of John the Baptist, and it closes with the Ascension of Jesus at Bethany. Luke gives us the wonderful stories of Gabriel's announcement to Mary that she will be the mother of Jesus, of Mary's Magnificat and her visit to Elizabeth, of the birth of Jesus, of Simeon and Anna in the Temple at Jesus's presentation, of the young Jesus cross-examining the scholars, of the Good Samaritan, and of the prodigal son. Luke, the patron saint of artists, was such a skilled storyteller that many of his stories have been captured in magnificent works of art. We will become familiar with Luke's writing style over the next year.

In the Gospel for this Sunday, Luke wants the Christian community to be aware that harsh times are coming and that their faith will be challenged. His writings warn Christians to expect experiences that will shake their foundations, but he also tells them that if they are vigilant and maintain a rich prayer life, they will have no reason to fear. Even if the world seems to be coming to an end, Christians need not fear because Christ is always with them.

Acknowledgments
The scriptural quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition. Copyright © 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

The quotations labeled Catechism are from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America. Copyright © 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Inc.--Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

The Lord's Prayer is from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers. Copyright © 1988 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Inc., Washington, DC. All rights reserved.

Endnotes Cited in Quotations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
1. Mark 1:15.
2. Cf. Mark 13; Luke 21:34-36.
3. Cf. Luke 22:40,46.

Saint Andrew, whose feast day is November 30, ushers in the season of Advent. Andrew has the honor of becoming the first disciple to follow Jesus, and he brought along his brother, Simon, whom Jesus renamed "Peter." Saint Andrew is the patron of both Russia and Scotland. The flag of Scotland is the "Saint Andrew’s cross" (in the shape of an X), and to honor Scotland, this cross also appears on the flag of Great Britain.

Read more about Saint Andrew at http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=109.