Sacred Heart, Scripture, and Water Balloons?

Water balloons were hurtling through the air like enemy grenades and youth were screaming as warm, dry clothes instantly took on the texture of clammy wet skins. No, It was not an exercise in enemy combat, but just another session of the Amigos de Jesus youth group.

The June 11 session began with the recitation of the Rosary in the Hope Room at 5:45 pm. Afterward, Brother explained the significance of the date in the Church calendar. June 11 was a solmenity, the highest celebration of the Church. It was the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The next day, June 12 was the memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

After prayers, the youth participated in a game of "catch" with water balloons. It was not long before several balloons had exploded and several youth were drenched. Among the casualties were Alejandra, Leslie, Miguel, and Illiana. Due to the poor tossing ability of Omar, Br. Joseph was also drenched by an errant water balloon. The point of the activity was to demonstrate the need for focus. Whether it is participation in Mass, personal prayer, homework, driving a car, etc., we should be focused on the task at hand. When we lose our focus, life can given us an unexpected drenching.

After the balloon activity, youth split into two groups to discuss the Gospel themes of mercy and forgiveness. Several youth shared about how the Gospel spoke to their life situations.

The group rejoined at 7:30 pm, just in time to sing Happy Birthday to Leslie, Jose, and an absent Patty, all of whom celebrate June birthdays. The youth were then treated to a deliciously exquisite lemon cake courtesty of the Capuchin kitchen. Despite the fact that it all fell apart and looked like white and yellow mush, it didn't taste half-bad. Below the post is a slide show presentation of images from the evening.

The session ended at 8:00 pm with a reminder about some of the upcoming events. These include:

Sat, June 18 - Movie Night with Pizza - 7:15 pm
Sat, July 03 - Soccer and Barbecue - 12:00 pm
Sat, July 24 - Catechesis on Modernism - 4:00 pm
Aug 2 to 5 - Children's Bible Camp - 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Aug 6 to 8 - Amigos de Jesus Retreat (Please let us know next Friday if you are going)
Sat, Aug 21 - End of Summer Barbecue - 2:00 pm
Sat, Aug 28 - Planning Vigil for Youth Leaders - 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm

God bless you all,
Br. Joseph