What's Up Ice Skating Glory??!

This past friday there were nearly 30 of us out at Buhr Park for some crazy Ice Skating! Here are a few of the highlights...

-Karen wore the kiddie helmet for extra protection!

-A game of keepaway resulted in a few dangerous falls (Ahem...Robert...)

-Peter ran into the wall and fell down...(that *may* have been a little bit my fault...but who could say?)

-Bridget + Rachel started a few snowball fights with all the snow on the ice!

-After several tries, Tom discovered his true size in an Ice Hockey Skate to be a 12! :)

Do I hear sounds of Villagers going ice skating again someday?? Thanks to everyone who came out, and especially to the Volunteers for making sure none of us died. Thanks! :)

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Next Sunday
Join us next Sunday March 16th from 5-6:30 for games and a discussion of Sharing the Love through Service Evangelism.

Spring Retreat
Register by *next* Sunday, March 16th and you will be entered into our drawing to win A Year's Supply of Big League Chew! Don't miss the commercial- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GyEkvqtHPs. Registration is limited to the first 35 who sign up; newly confirmed 8th graders are welcome.

The Passion this Saturday 3/15, 7-9:30
A group of us have decided to watch Mel Gibson's the Passion in preparation for Holy Week! We're going to have pizza at 7, and then settle into the film. Everyone is welcome! Bring a pillow/blanket for comfort. Please be aware of the graphic nature of this film.

Dinner and Some Bible: Every Thursday 7-8:30
Stop on by St Thomas this week for Dinner and Some Bible. We'll be eating some great food, and then reading some of the book of 1 Peter. It's going to be swell0- come hungry!

Other News:
-----GUS IS THIS FRIDAY! GUS Volunteers, please come 6-9:15pm.
-----Eight spaces still remain for the Steubenville Youth Conference June 13-15…

Mushroom Barley Soup? Just Say NO!

Last night Jason shared with us about Heaven, Hell and Purgatory.

We learned that “[Those in heaven] are hungry and satisfied, satisfied yet hungry- but they are far from bored with satiety or pained in their hunger.” [St Catherine of Sienna]

And my favorite- that “They will never hunger or thirst again; sun and scorching wind will never plague them, because the Lamb who is at the heart of the throne will be their shepherd and will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.” [Revelations 7]

The thing I keep thinking about, is that all goodness comes from God. Therefore- heaven is the absolute presence of all goodness, and hell is the absolute absence of all goodness.

What I'm trying to say here, is that Mushroom Barley Soup does not make the cut. There will be --absolutely--no-- Mushroom Barley Soup in heaven. This soup has no goodness in it. As you can see from the attached/below photo...the bits of barley are sqwooshy like worms- mixed with slippery mushrooms making an altogether wretched bowl of mostly tasteless mush.

This week- instead of trying to warm up with a bowl of nast (!) come on out this Friday Night for some fantastico Ice Skating!!! The Village is going Ice Skating this Friday, at Buhr Park from 7-9pm. Bring your permission slip and $10 with you on Friday.

LOST!

I've been thinking a lot about the concept of being 'lost' these days...for a couple reasons.

1. I've become obsessed with the TV Show! Although I'm about 3 years behind the show, I love the idea of having no idea where you are... having to look for clues... and the adventure of chaos at every turn.

2. I seem to get lost quite a bit! This past weekend I roadtrip-ed it to Cincinnati with Rachel, only to get lost innumerable times! Maps and I don't get along- so I turn to Mapquest, only to be confused when signs don't read exactly as Mapquest said they would. Sunday afternoon I was wandering through downtown Cincinnati talking to Rob on the phone- only to realize I had gone 15 minutes in the wrong direction!

There are millions of ways to get lost in real life- wrong turns, confusion, anger, and sin to name a few. Of course recognizing that you are lost suggests there is somewhere you are trying to go!

As Catholics we are called to Put Out Into the Deep- to follow Jesus into the deep waters...to put our trust in Him to the test. It's easy to trust in Jesus when you stay in the shallow end. Jesus calls us to recognize *who* we are- and *what* we are called to! This semester, at Spring Retreat, we will be focusing on who we are.

Beloved. Chosen. Called.

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Village News:

Village Volunteer Changes: Bethany Thelen to focus more on Catholic Nursing Student Association

Catching a Goose

Many of you know that I volunteer at the petting zoo over at Domino's farm once a week. I feed the sheep and the cows, take water to the 800lb pig, and chase around my favorite baby goat. Mostly, I do whatever they ask! This week I was asked to climb into a giant pen with geese and ducks, and catch two of them. Now, if we were together, I would ask for a show of hands to see how many of us have attempted this...Suffice to say it was *my* first time.

I managed to climb the wire fence...and I approached with all the stealth-ness I could muster. Perhaps the 8ft net gave me away, bc I think they knew I was coming! Finally, I managed to corner a couple of them, but my net got caught on on a root. Not wanting to lose the opportunity, I dove in to catch the goose with my arms! I imagine my dive was quite a ridiculous sight to behold..but I sure caught that goose.

We are often afraid to really dive for the things we want. We are afraid of looking foolish, or of trying our hardest and still failing. As we prepare for Spring Retreat, Jesus asks us to be courageous and to dive deeper into our faith. Our theme for the upcoming Spring Retreat is "Put Out Into the Deep"! This passage comes in Luke Chapter 5, when Jesus invites Peter to put his boat out into the deep for a catch. Peter had been fishing all night and caught nothing, but in his weariness he obeys and is richly rewarded. The goal of this retreat is to listen for the personal call of Jesus- to recognize that we are beloved, chosen, and called.

More information will be coming this Sunday about our Spring Retreat, March 28-30th.

Anybody have a funny story about a goose? Any farm animal?

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Spring Retreat Giveaway?

Hey Teens! Now's your big chance to vote on what our Spring Retreat giveaway should be!! We could give away 40 lbs of Neco Wafers, http://www.candydirect.com/bars/Necco-Assorted.html, but word on the street is they're *sick*. What should it be, team??

Sticky, Messy Lives

Last night Amy Winehouse won Grammy's in 5 out of the 6 categories she was nominated- including record of the year, song of the year (both for "Rehab") and best new artist.

People are having a hayday discussing her "rapid descent from promising newcomer to emaciated junkie." Not allowed a visa due to "narcotic abuse", Amy performed 2 songs in London before a smaller audience...for the first time in awhile- since her husband got sent to jail for assault and faking a trial...?

One thing we can see clearly from Amy (and kiddie pools of jello), is that life is messy. We try and fail, try harder, and fail yet again. Luckily for us, God doesn't love us because of what we do.

As Bridget explained last night- we are saved by grace! Jesus came and died in our place, not because we deserved to be saved- but because he loved us. “It is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God; not by anything you have done, so that nobody can claim the credit.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Grace is not the end of the story- we are saved by grace through faith working in love. As St. Augustine said, “The God who created us without our participation has not willed to save us without our cooperation.” We must believe in Jesus, and show our faith through actions of love. As it says in James chapter 2, “Faith apart from works is dead.”

There are millions of ways we can allow God's grace to flower in us through our faith working in love. This week let's focus on our prayer lives. In prayer we meet God and learn of a love that is sincere, unconditional and eternal.

What are some of the things you pray for regularly?

What are some things you wish you prayed for more often?
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The Impossible

In one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history, the New York Giants beat the Patriots 17-14. With the Patriots undefeated all Season- and favored to win by 12, fans all over New England were left scratching their heads last night. With the Patriots 4 point lead at 2:42 remaining, only faith-filled fans would have imagined the Giants coming back to win the game.

"Look over the nations and see, and be utterly amazed! For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." Habbakuk 1:5

God accomplishes the impossible everyday!! As we begin the Holy season of Lent this week, let us not imagine that our Lenten Resolutions are dependant on our own strength lest we fail. As we prayerfully consider the ways in which we can renew our focus on prayer, almsgiving, and fasting-- let us remember that it is God who is at work in us. He is the one who gives us strength.

God can do incredible things through us, things we once thought impossible. Trust Him, trust that He will give you the strength to make sacrifices for Him this Lenten Season. He will give you the commitment to make that daily prayer time- the courage to make sacrifices with your time- the strength to let go of worldly attachments.

Take some time to decide what your Lenten commitments will be- and if you're up to it, post them anonymously on our blog. As you read the commitments of your brothers and sisters, remember to pray for them throughout Lent. :)

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Sunday's Village: Saved By The What?
Join us this Sunday from 5-6:30 for a redo of the old time classic, Saved by the Bell. Get the theme song stuck in your head at http://youtube.com/watch?v=2K4iTh1TL9g. We’ll be talking about Salvation, Lent, and doing a whole lot of very fun very stupid things.

Bible Study this Thursday, 7-8:30pm
Please RSVP if you will be joining us for Bible Study this week, so we can make sure we have enough food! Join Beth Montgomery and Volunteer Rachel Dudek in studying the book of 1 Peter this semester, on Thursday nights from 7-8:30pm here at St Thomas.