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Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

2nd Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday John 20:19-3

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Today, we celebrate the Second Sunday of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday. We read from John 20:19-31. In this Gospel reading, the disciples were locked away in fear of the Jews. Jesus came to them, stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” He showed them his hands and side. They must have felt great shock, but also tremendous rejoicing, for they had seen Jesus crucified. Thomas – one of the disciples – was not present when Jesus came to them. When the others told him what had happened, he refused to believe them. A week later, Jesus again appeared, saying to Thomas those same words: “Peace be with you.” He offered his hands and

side to Thomas, encouraging him to touch and to believe. Thomas – seeing Jesus with his own eyes – believed and rejoiced saying, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus then said to Thomas, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” We are called to believe the truth of the Gospel – the fact that Jesus died, was buried, rose again, and ascended to Heaven, and that He will come again. We may not be able to touch his hands or side, but we know in our hearts that he is God, truly risen. We feel his love and want to share it with others. We are blessed!

For More Fun:

! Read John 20:19-31 in your family bible. Discuss as a family what it means to really “believe” and what challenges this presents for Catholics. As we continue the Year of Faith, pray the Creed (available at http://goo.gl/8y2Qu) as a family this week.

! This week, we celebrate the Annunciation of the Lord (4/8) and St. Stanislaus (4/11). Learn more about the lives of the saints at www.Saints.SQPN.com.

! Support our ministry this week by purchasing Lisa Hendey’s book: A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or your local Catholic bookstore. Thank you for your support!

! We love to hear from you! Email me at lisa@catholicmom.com to let me know where you live and where you go to Church!

New Release | eNcouNteR

When you think of the average middle-schooler, you probably don’t picture a

saintly youth who delights in spending time in prayer. Most likely you see an

average kid who is into movies, the latest tech, video games, or sports. What are

they looking for when they occupy their time with these things? Do they simply

desire to be entertained, or are they looking for something deeper: a sense of

purpose, belonging, happiness? I could be that pre-teens want what we all do,

an encounter with God.

Not Just a Bible Study: A Life-Changing Experience

Encounter is more than a Bible study program. It is a life-changing experience that

speaks directly to the hearts and minds of middle-school aged kids. Designed

specifically for 6th to 8th grades, Encounter uses the color-coded Bible Timeline

learning system to reveal the story of our faith and God’s plan for our lives. As

your students are drawn into this story they will come to a new and profound

understanding of who God is. Most importantly they will see God not as a distant

doctrinal concept, but as a loving Father who desires a meaningful and lasting

encounter with them.

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Starter Pack: 1) 4 DVD Set (Eight, 30 min. sessions)

2) Student Notebook

3) Leader’s Guide $129.95 811661011492

EncounterExperiencing God in the Everyday

An Eight-Part Bible Study Program for Middle School

Presented by Mark Hart

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Your Students Will:

• Be drawn into the amazing story that ties all of

Scripture together.

• Experience God’s love for them in a profound

way, and see him as a part of their daily lives.

• Discover the meaning of their faith, and the

purpose God has for them.

• Learn how the Old Testament prefigures,

prepares for, and prophesies the coming of the

Messiah.

• See Jesus as the awaited Messiah who

established the Catholic Church to continue his

saving mission on earth.

• Witness the power of the Sacraments and the

Mass as real encounters with God.

...and much more!

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Middle school BiBle study

A Captivating Bible Study for Pre- & Early Teens: Implementing Encounter

Encounter is a powerful experience that combines the uniqueness of The Bible Timeline learning system, highly engaging DVD video presentations, and interactive workbook materials. The study illustrates how the Bible relates to our everyday lives, and shows how the Word of God can lead us to a life-changing Encounter with God.

Mark Hart makes the Bible come alive for Catholic teens by unpacking God’s Word in a way they can relate to and understand. T3 teaches teens the Bible by following the fascinating story of Scripture and showing them the “big picture” of salvation history. When young students of the Bible first understand the “story,” they are eager to learn more. The net result: teens begin to wrap their minds and hearts around the Scriptures. They come to see the Bible as a relevant part of their lives.

• Light preparation before class or as light review before

youth group gatherings.

• Over eight sessions, each class begins with a 30 minute

DVD presentation by popular and dynamic teen presenter

Mark Hart.

• The accompanying Leader and Study guides serve as

interactive and engaging reinforcement for each lesson

and encourage participation as well as test retention.

What Kids and Educators Are Saying:

“I never really liked the Bible stories I guess you could say. But now, after Encounter, I thought they were actually pretty cool and pretty interesting.”

—Cody, MIddle-school student

“I used to think that Bible stories were kind of boring. I never knew that reading the Bible could be so much fun.”

—Grant, Middle-school student

“Mark Hart made the Bible feel like it was alive.”—Carla, Middle-school student

“I thought it was really good and it taught me a lot of different things about the Bible that I didn’t understand before I came here.”

—Jacob. MIddle-school student

“As a teacher, seeing my students get excited about the Bible and making real connections in their own life, was really fantastic for me. I’m excited to see what they bring back to class and to be able to really connect it with our Catholic faith and the sacraments…”

—Sister Mary Claire, Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary

“If another teacher is thinking about bringing the Encounter program into their classroom, I would highly encourage it...It’s beautiful and it makes me think our church will be ok in the future because we are getting them young and to them excited about their faith.”

—Paula Watkins, Holy Trinity Catholic School 8th grade religion teacher

AscensionPress.com • 1-800-376-0520

AscensionPress.com • 1-800-376-0520

Walking Toward Eternity:

Engaging the Struggles of Your Heart

8-Part Studyby Jeff & Emily Cavins

Engaging the Struggles of Your Heart, the second series in the Walking Toward

Eternity Program, is a challenging study that can open our eyes to obstacles in our

Christian walk such as greed, envy, fear, and shame. Through prayer, reflection,

guidance, and the aid of the Holy Spirit, we begin to engage these difficulties in a

positive way as we continue toward our goal of union with Christ.

This study introduces seven common struggles and teaches how to engage them:

Life AppLicAtion

Starter Pack:

1) 4 DVD Set (Eight, 50-min. sessions)

2) Journal

3) Lectio Divina Bookmark

4) Leader’s Guide

$109.95 You Save $6

• Appetites

• Shame

• Envy

• Anger

• Fear

• Loneliness

• Hopelessness

“I was blown away … it just touched my

heart in a way that I wasn’t expecting.”

—Helen T.

“We’re so immersed in our day-to-day activ-

ities, we let the noise of the world keep us

from addressing the things we need to in

our lives. This study gives us the time and

space to do that, and gives you the tools to

know how to do it, too.”

—Bob H.

“The Walking Toward Eternity series has

been a wonderful experience for me. It has

opened my heart, and ignited my spiritual

journey to the Lord.”

—Mary R.

“Everything about it spoke to me personal-

ly. The stories that Jeff interwove within his

teaching really illuminated what he was say-

ing.”

—Tess A.

What People Are Saying:

Jeff and Emily Cavins have collaborated in creating Bible studies for

more than thirty years. Jeff’s Great Adventure Catholic Bible study

program has helped hundreds of thousands of Catholics to read and

understand Scripture. Jeff serves as the director of the Archbishop

Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota. Emily is

the author of several books including A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Holy

Sepulchre and Golgotha in Jerusalem. Together, Jeff and Emily lead

pilgrimages to the Holy Land and other biblical places.

8-Part Study (4 DVDs)Lectio Divina

Bookmark

Journal

Leader’s

Guide

4 DVDs (Eight, 50-min. sessions) • $99.95

8 CDs (Eight, 50-min. sessions) • $79.95

Journal with Bookmark • $15.95

Download your free Leader’s Guide at WalkingTowardEternity.com

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