Lift Up:
Praying with the Triumphal Arch


Tuesdays During Lent
6:00 p.m. Mass | Church
7:00 p.m. Speaker | Church or Online
Due to restrictions at this time, the Lenten Series will not include the traditional soup supper. We invite all to attend Mass and the Speaker following the safety guidelines for the church. 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church beautifully describes prayer at "the raising of one's mind and heart to God" (CCC 2559).  When we pray, we lift up our minds and hearts to the Lord, who simultaneously lifts us to His heart.  During this year's Lenten Speaker Series, we will lift our eyes to the top of the Triumphal Arch, reflecting on how it's images teach us to pray, to be lifted humbly into God's love, and to let God lift others through us.

Tuesday, February 23
Lift up your hearts
The Eucharist - Heaven on earth
PRAYER: Evening Prayer
SPEAKER: Fr. Dan Scheidt, Pastor, Saint Vincent de Paul, Fort Wayne

VIEW HERE

Recap:
Fr. Dan Scheidt describes the architecture of Saint Pius X church, particularly some background on columns and arches.  The Church is designed to be a place of prayer and worship where the Church gathers, both those physically inside the church building, along with the saints and angels.  The Church community is much larger than the visible community that we can see.  We are welcomed into a community of believers that worship night and day, enveloping the whole earth and extending to our own time and location.  Also, our triumphal arch describes our relationship to the Good Shepherd, with all of the sheep traveling to Christ from Bethlehem, Galilee, and Jerusalem.  Finally, the covenants of the Old Testament, located in the center aisle, bring forward the blessings of the Body of Christ, which culminates in the covenant of the New Testament, the Eucharist, which is celebrated upon the altar.

Tuesday, March 2
You have lifted up the lowly
Praying to recognize Christ in the poor
PRAYER: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
SPEAKER:  Dr. Timothy O’Malley, Director of Education, McGrath Institute for Church Life, University of Notre Dame

VIEW HERE

Recap:
“Man ate the food of angels, He sent them food in abundance.” (Psalm 78:25)  The Lord provides food (the Bread of Life) for us, wherever we are.  We haven’t done anything to deserve this love, and in fact, we too often turn from gifts with complaints of ingratitude.  However, God invites us to trust.  Manna provided in the desert sustained Israel in the journey to the Promised land and foreshadows the Eucharist, which communicates love (caritas).  We must offer back the confession of faith that God is our God alone.  In our view and care of all the poor, we must emphasize human dignity with presence, led by Jesus’ Presence shared with us.  The righteous and the unrighteous shared together that they didn’t see Jesus in the hungry, the thirsty, the poor, and the sick.  Let us bend our knee before Jesus’ presence!

Tuesday, March 9
That He may lift you up in due time
Peter: repentance and humility as the fruit of prayer
PRAYER:  Liturgy of the Word
SPEAKER: Fr. Peter Jarret, C.S.C.
Assistant Provincial, Congregation of Holy Cross

VIEW HERE

Recap
St. Peter was formed by Jesus during his public ministry, and that journey is an example for us.  Fear can creep into our relationship with God, but God's never going to stop loving us! Fr. Pete shares a powerful story of forgiveness and how our first instinct is to hide, but Jesus extends His mercy, even in that brokenness.  Jesus is calling us, but we often respond with hesitancy.  Jesus wants the person right in front of Him.  How do we listen to the voice of Jesus?  What areas of our lives are already involved in the faith, and what areas are we trying to keep hidden?  Jesus isn't looking to humiliate our betrayals of Him, but He's only interested in tender love.  St. Peter was asked 3 times about his love for the Lord, a commitment that led from fisherman to disciple.  A disciple who has some experience about the heart of the Lord.  With this experience of the faith, the Lord sends out disciples into the world, no longer attached to the shallow fear of material or human things.  We must be ourselves (saint and sinner) and ask for a greater revelation of the Lord's presence.
 

Tuesday, March 16
He went up to the mountain to pray
Sharing Jesus' intimacy with the Father
PRAYER:  Evening Prayer
SPEAKERS:
Josh Noem, Senior Editor, Grotto Network, University of Notre Dame

Stacey Noem, Dir. of Human & Spiritual Formation, Master of Divinity Program, University of Notre Dame

VIEW HERE

How does Jesus draw us into intimacy? There are different levels of intimacy that we see & experience, which are related to our relationship with God. The Last Supper and prayer in the garden is the last moment of intimacy of Jesus with the 12 during his public ministry. Jesus shows us an example of vulnerability, to model prayer and closeness with the Father. Honesty and communication are greatly aided by our time spent in prayer. On our Triumphal Arch, Jesus is on a mountain, a familiar place of encounter with God. Noah’s ark rested, Moses, Elijah, and Abraham spoke with God, and Jesus preached the Beatitudes all on a mountain. Mountains are an analogy of creating a new place of encounter with God to find rest & peace. Relationship with God is more than a 10 minute reprieve from daily life. Mountains are a place of intentionality- no one ends up on a mountain by accident! This type of journey establishes an openness to prayer and conversation with God that leads us forward in the spiritual life.
 

Tuesday, March 23
Carrying the Lambs
Praying as part of the flock
PRAYER:  Liturgy of the Word
SPEAKER: Fr. Craig Borchard
Saint Vincent de Paul, Elkhart