Each week at Mass we dutifully recite the Nicene Creed. We know it, we know where to find it in the missal if we are still used to saying it the “old way” but what do we really KNOW about The Creed? To better understand The Creed, Our Faith Formation Families are working on creating a Family Faith Creed as a part of the February Family Faith Activity. Let’s join our Faith Formation families in learning or relearning about the Creed.

What is a creed? The word creed comes from the Latin credo which means “I believe” and basically is a statement of our faith beliefs. The Creed is a summary of our whole Faith that allows Catholics from around the world to have a common formula for professing our Faith, the same Faith that was passed on from Jesus!

The Nicene Creed originated at the First Ecumenical Council of Nicea in 325 AD and was later adopted and authorized as a true expression of Faith at the Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople in the year 381. It was built upon the Apostles Creed to combat heresies or contradictions to the Catholic faith at that time. The Creed later became part of the Mass in the 6th century to once again combat heresies. The Creed continues to be an important part of Mass today.

The Creed is organized into four main parts: 1) God, the Father 2) Jesus Christ, the Son 3) God, the Holy Spirit, and 4) Key Catholic Beliefs. Each of these parts begins with “I believe” then continues with what we believe in a series of statements of our faith. We end with “Amen” which means “so be it”. This is our acknowledgement that we accept God’s will and are saying a big “Yes!” to what we believe.

If you want to learn more about this topic, check out the video on the bottom of the homepage of our parish website www.blessedtrinitypgh.org and take the “Creed Challenge” to create a personal Faith Creed of your own!

-Elaine Garfold-Co-Director of Religious Education

“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” -Psalm 126:3

Each day of this new year thus far, I remind myself of this verse. I cannot begin to describe all the wonderful things the Lord has done for me and my family. My family and I are so thankful and blessed to have all the things we have. Although we may not always be joyful, we can see how much God continues to love us. It is by His goodness alone, that we are able to carry out His will for our lives. So, as I sit in contemplative prayer today, I will rejoice knowing that my God loves me, and I hope you do the same.

—Nicholas Wolf, Youth Minister

Prayer is very powerful. It can be very public like saying the prayers together at Mass and it can be very personal such as our daily prayers, praying the rosary or a novena intention. We all have “learned our prayers” when we were growing up. There are many ways to pray in our Catholic faith.

A lesser-known way to pray is Lectio Divina, which means “divine or sacred reading.” With Lectio Divina, you pray and reflect on Scripture. It is more than reading the Bible and trying to interpret or understand it. It is praying, reflecting and listening to God through His Word.

Here is a how-to guide for Lectio Divina:

Choose a Scripture passage. It can be as long or as short as you like.
• Reading (Lectio) Read the passage slowly either out loud or to yourself. Be open to the Holy Spirit to call attention to a word or phrase that stands out to you. Then read the passage again.
• Meditation (meditation) Think about what stood out to you. What might the Holy Spirit be bringing to your heart? What might God be saying to you in this reading?
• Praying (oratio) Respond to God’s Word for you in prayer. Talk to God. Thank him for what He is saying to you. If you are confused by what you read or feel, ask God for guidance.
• Contemplation (contemplatio) Quiet your heart and mind for a few minutes and just rest in God’s presence so you can hear God’s response to your prayer.

Quieting ourselves and taking time to sit with God in prayer is something that is becoming more and more difficult for people in our media and technology age. Most people are busier now than ever.

Take some time to experience Lectio Divina. It does take some practice, so I suggest starting with a brief period of time and grow into giving yourself more time to quietly sit with God. Pray, be still, and listen to what His Word is saying to you.

~ Carolyn Eisenbarth, Co-Director of Faith Formation

I came across this online as a creative way to meditate on the Stations of the Cross and thought I would share it. It is a Stations of the Cross Box that includes items to hold in your hand while you are praying each station. This is a wonderful way for anyone, young or old, to add to their Lenten journey. Remember that these are just suggestions; you can adapt any of these to fit your needs.

Station 1-Jesus is Condemned to Death: a string to represent the rope used to tie Jesus’ hands
Station 2-Jesus Carries His Cross: a small cross
Station 3-Jesus Falls the First Time: Band-Aid (1 of 3 to represent each fall) This is a great visual for small children to understand Jesus’ falling and getting hurt. They can relate.
Station 4- Jesus Meets His Mother: a Rosary
Station 5-Simon Helps Jesus: A small wooden heart painted red to represent Simon’s kindness to Jesus
Station 6- Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus: A small piece of white fabric with Jesus’ face drawn on it
Station 7- Jesus Falls the Second Time: Band-Aid
Station 8-Jesus Comforts the Women of Jerusalem: A tissue or handkerchief for their tears
Station 9-Jesus Falls the Third Time: Band-Aid
Station 10-Jesus is Stripped of His Garments: A small piece of purple felt or fabric to represent the purple cloak
Station 11-Jesus is Nailed to the Cross: a large nail
Station 12-Jesus Dies on the Cross: a Crucifix
Station 13-Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross: A picture or holy card of Michelangelo’s Pieta
Station 14-Jesus is Buried: A stone to represent the stone rolled in front of the tomb

Place the items in a box or basket and keep it in a prominent place in your home to be a reminder during the season of Lent of Jesus’ sacrifice for us.

~Elaine Garfold-Co-Director of Religious Education

Lent has started and so have all the traditions that follow. From receiving ashes, to fish fry, to stations of the cross, let us take a moment to begin to understand what these forty days are for. We know that Lent is a time we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Lent is also a time where we call to mind the sacrifices Jesus has made for each one of us. This Lent, we are given another opportunity to humble ourselves and sacrifice a little more so that we can begin to understand the magnitude of what our Savior has done. So, as we continue on this Lenten journey, let us ask the Lord to reveal to us the true meaning of this season, therefore transforming our hearts forever.

-Nicholas Wolf, Youth Minister

It is extremely obvious to me how wonderful and generous my parish family is. From the first time my family and I stopped by, we were welcomed with open arms. There have been countless conversations over the years, most of which left with a smile on my face. Church with a capital ‘c’ refers to the universal body of believers. When talking about my parish family I am reminded of a Bible verse from Sirach 6:14, “A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure.” Each one of you have given my family and I opportunities I never imagined were possible. I have been reassured, and I hope you are too, that God has worked incredible things in our lives and He will continue to do so. Whether we have participated in Mass together, chatted at the picnic or the festivals, distributed boxes of food to those in need, or have played frisbee together, I want to thank each of you for being Church for me.

-Nicholas Wolf, Youth Minister

I remember my later years of high school and most recently after college feeling totally directionless. I felt like I came to the end of going through the motions. Where was I to turn? Where do you turn when there is nowhere to turn? Most have faced some sort of adversity in life. With the adversity, we were forced to make a choice, give up or to keep on persevering. I hope you chose to keep on persevering like I did, because God has a purpose for you! God needs you to do things here on earth that no one else can do! That’s how much God trusts and loves you. So, if you don’t know where to turn, turn to God and allow Him to direct your next steps. You never know what might happen next!

-Nicholas Wolf, Youth Minister

Self-doubt can be a troubling and persuasive voice that holds you back from seizing your opportunities. Don’t allow doubt to take over your life. Allow the Lord in your life so that you can be rooted in truth. Surround yourself with good friends and family to help you. Knowing you have support will go a long way in helping you erase your doubts. I pray that God changes your doubts into confidence, and to know how much He cares for you.

-Nicholas Wolf, Youth Minister

Imagine being present at the Last Supper with Jesus and the apostles. Imagine what it would have felt like to be there surrounded Jesus and your friends. I think Jesus’ presence alone would have made me feel overwhelmed with joy. I think sharing in such an intimate moment with the Lord and His friends would give me goosebumps. Truth be told, we are invited to the table each and every day. When we attend holy Mass, we take our place at the table. You are worthy and you are welcome. I hope to see you at the table soon.

-Nicholas Wolf, Youth Minister

Happy New Year! For many of us the new year brings us to making new resolutions in our lives. Whether it is to cut back on the sweets or to pick up our Bible more, we all have the opportunity to be better. Usually for me this resolution lasts until the end of January and I forget about it or it seems so unattainable to keep up all year long. Maybe this has happened to you in the past. I want to help us out this year, so we can both have success with our resolutions. Here it is… Let’s remember our “daily bread.” Let’s take each of our 365 days this year one at a time. Let’s know that God provides us with what we need for each day when we need it. Let’s take each new chance and make the most of it. This year will be full of new opportunities and new chances, but let’s remember to take each one, one at a time. Let’s make this year the best one yet!

-Nicholas Wolf, Youth Minister

Do you have stress in your life? I bet we all do! We all want to find that internal peace and hold on to it. The problem is we search for it in all the wrong places. Some of us have even given up looking. Those of us who are searching, we look to our careers, our electronics, our cars, and our vacations to give us that peace, but ultimately we fall back to our stressful lives worrying and worrying about what’s next. In this, you are not alone. I have so many times wanted the things of this world to give me peace and it never does. I only have the peace I so desperately want to consume me, when I hand the keys of my life back to the Lord. See, God wants so much better for us than we want for ourselves, and for some reason we want to take control and map out our own lives. God will allow you to do so, and has allowed me to, but we won’t find that peace anywhere else.

-Nicholas Wolf, Youth Minister

Happy New Year! This is the time of the year that many of us make New Year’s resolutions to better ourselves in some way. There is so much information out on social media, in magazines and commercials about self-care. We are encouraged to get healthier by losing weight, exercising, taking time for ourselves to relax and rejuvenate. These are all very healthy things to try to do better. But, do you ever resolve to doing some “spiritual care” for yourself?

Why not set some spiritual resolutions this year? This could be a good time for a fresh spiritual start. Try to walk and talk with God more and in deeper ways. Here are a few suggestions to get us started.

Choose a patron saint for the year.
You may have your favorite saints that you pray to for intercessions, but choose a different one.Read about other saints and see who you might connect with. Pray to that saint throughout the year to intercede for your intentions.

Do some spiritual reading.
You can look for books written by Catholic saints who share their spiritual wisdom. Learn how to pray with Lectio Divina “divine reading’ of Scripture.

Start your day with prayerful inspiration.
Check out www.LoyolaPress.com and search for their 3- minute Retreats. Sign up to receive the daily 3- minute retreat sent right to your email. Maybe skip reading the news headlines online and take 3 minutes of prayer time with God.

Pray the Rosary.
This traditional devotion to reflect on the life of Jesus and Mary can be a very healthy spiritual habit to form. If you need a refresher or are not sure where to start – see the websites below.

Share your Catholic faith with others.
There is a real hunger for God and his Truth. Just do simple things such as buying some sacramentals, have them blessed and as you are inspired, give them to people. If someone you know may be going through a difficult time, giving them a Miraculous Medal or a prayer card, you keep handy might be the touch of God they need in that moment. You can buy sacramentals online or at a local Catholic store like JMJ Catholic Bookstore at 5318 Park Avenue in Bethel Park.

Start your new year by feeding your soul and exercising your spiritual self. Have a happy, healthy, faithfilled New Year! Websites to help you with your spiritual resolutions: www.Catholic.org/saints or www.usccb.org (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) You can search for any Catholic topic www.loyolapress.com 3 Minute daily retreat and other spiritual topics. (Article adapted from goodcatholic.com)

—Carolyn Eisenbarth

It is the end of January already! At the beginning of January, I wrote about ways to strengthen your spirituality. Hopefully, you are trying one or more of those suggestions. If you resolved to strengthen your faith and renew your relationship with God, how is that going so far?

I want to expand on the suggestion to make time for spiritual reading. I suggest listening to podcasts and/or download a Catholic app on your phone or tablet. You will have these resources anywhere, anytime. I suggest these to get you started:

www.ascensionpress.com There are many spiritual resources on this website. You can find the podcast here to listen to Fr. Mike Schmitz lead you in reading the “Bible in a year.” “Catechism in a Year” is currently being taught by Fr. Mike and you can listen to the podcast or see it on YouTube as well. If you are interested, there is a group meeting every other Wednesday at St. Elizabeth’s (Triumph of the Holy Cross now) in Pleasant Hills to discuss the “Catechism in Year” podcast. For information, see https://triumphoftheholycrosspgh.org

Laudate - Laudate is a great app to download on your phone or tablet. It includes a complete Bible, daily Mass readings, chaplets, rosaries, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Stations of the Cross, daily mediations, a saint of the day' feature and many other resources.

Finally, check out www.CatholicApps.com Many apps are available there and you can find recommendations and reviews of many resources for excellent Catholic content like apps, podcasts, videos series and more.

Keep on feeding your soul and exercising your spiritual self in the new year and encourage your family and friends to join you!

The Word on Fire Show, http://wordonfireshow.com/

~ Carolyn Eisenbarth, Co-Director of Religious Education

As we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, the Visit of the Three Kings, the gifts they brought baby Jesus immediately come to mind. You may wonder why, when these Wise Men were shopping for gifts for Jesus, that these very specific and unusual things ended up in their ancient shopping carts. What are these gifts and what is their significance?

Gold: Tradition has it that Melchior brought the gift of gold. Gold in the Bible is symbolic of God. It represents the most precious metals and is extremely rare in its purist form. Just like Jesus! It also symbolizes the Kingship of Jesus which was recognized by the Three Kings with their visit. The gold would help the Holy Family as they traveled on their flight to Egypt .

Frankincense: Frankincense, given by Balthasar, is a fragrant resin that comes from the trees in India and Arabia. It is used in incense, for perfume and is known for its healing properties. Mary would have used it to protect and keep Jesus’s body healthy. Frankincense was also used in the temple offerings. It represents Jesus as the High Priest.

Myrrh: Myrrh: the gift from Caspar, was a spice used for medicine, cosmetics and anointing. It was mixed into the oil that was used to anoint or consecrate Old Testament priest and prophets. It was also used to anoint the dead. Because of this it is closely identified with the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. It can also represent Jesus as the Prophet of God-one who speaks God’s Words. After taking a look at the gifts, it looks like the Kings had a pretty successful and appropriate shopping trip!

—Elaine Garfold, Co-Director of Religious Education

As He was washing His disciples’ feet at the Last Supper, Jesus told them, “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” (John 13:15) Through His teaching, Jesus made it clear that a path of discipleship towards eternal life involves caring for others. By our baptism, we ALL are called to be disciples of Jesus and we should try very hard to care for others as He would.

One way we can live as disciples is by performing the Works of Mercy. The Corporal Works of Mercy are acts of love that help us to care for the physical and material needs of others. The Spiritual Works of Mercy are acts of love that help us to care for the needs of people’s hearts, minds and souls.

This month, families in our parish Faith Formation program are learning about the Works of Mercy and are talking together about how they can better follow Jesus’ example and more intentionally be of loving service to others by performing the Works of Mercy.

Jesus asks us to see Him in every person we meet, especially in those who are suffering and in need. He asks us to care for each person in a spirit of loving service knowing that we are really loving and caring for Christ, who, through the Holy Spirit, lives on in every person. How might we change our own life and the life of others if we saw Jesus in every person that we meet?

“Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me” (Matthew 25:40)

~ Carolyn Eisenbarth, Co-Director of Religious Education

Life is full of relationships. Relationships with parents, siblings, extended family members, spouses, children, friends, coworkers, the Lord, and so many more! If you are like me, it’s hard to navigate and give each relationship in your life the proper time and care it deserves. Life can happen so fast that it could be weeks, months, or evens years before we see or talk to certain people we have relationships with. Now, I am not here as an expert on relationships, but I do know one thing, we are created to have relationships. God created each of us to be in a relationship with Him, so that we may share in His goodness. So, if you haven’t spoken or seen someone in a couple weeks, months, or even years, I encourage you initiate that conversation. Whether it’s with an old friend or our Lord, make the time to renew that relationship today.

-Nicholas Wolf, Youth Minister

Lent is a time of preparation. Preparing ourselves to celebrate Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection! Many Catholics around the world use this time of preparation to give up something and/or to do something spiritual to help ourselves understand the many sacrifices our Lord has made for us. This year, I propose we eliminate our negative thinking. Most of us could think of a person we disagree with or even dislike and we don’t point the finger at ourselves for being the negative person. This kind of negativity affects the way think and feel. Before long, it begins to consume us. Let’s use this time of preparation to transform our minds and our negative thinking to more positive and helpful ways of living. This Lent, Let’s Eliminate Negative Thinking!

-Nicholas Wolf, Youth Minister

I hope you have felt the love of our Lord wrap His arms around you at least once in your life. It is the most incredible feeling in the world. If you have felt that feeling before, you want it to last forever. Unfortunately, it doesn’t and bad things happen. We feel hurt or sad about the circumstance. You may find it hard to pray and talk to God. Before long, you may begin to not pray at all. If you have come to a point in your life where it is hard to pray, you’re human. Not every season feels the same. Some seasons of life last longer than others, but we must always have faith that God has not abandoned us in any of them. We need God just as much on our good days, as we do on our bad days. Some days we may have long lists of things to talk to the Lord about and others short simple prayers. Whatever season you are in, know that the Lord loves you the way He made you and not as the world sees you.

-Nicholas Wolf, Youth Minister