BRECKSVILLE, Ohio — Teens from four Cleveland-area parishes gathered for a Lenten day of reflection at St. Joseph Parish March 4.
Father Michael Denk, parochial vicar at St. Gabriel Roman Catholic Parish in Concord, Ohio, gave a talk about how to experience God every day. He explained how cell phones and technology have taken the place of prayer, since it is so common for people to check their phones instead of praying a rosary, for example.
He described a new fear that has developed from being detached to one’s cell phone, called “nomophobia,” an expression that refers to “no more phone.”
Father Denk asked the teens to describe how they had prayed over the past 24 hours. He was surprised to hear that many of the teens knew and prayed the Jesus Prayer. He led the teens through a session of guided meditation to experience prayer in a different way than recited prayers. He also taught the teens the Examine Prayer, which consists of asking oneself whose voice one is hearing — one’s own, God’s or Satan’s — and examining how close to God one feels each day.
The teens shared the experiences they had during the meditation session. Following the talk, the teens prayed together in the church and received the sacrament of confession.
“My favorite part of the talk was the guided meditation,” said Isabella Popp of St. Mary Parish in Cleveland. “It was a really great way to pray instead of just verbal prayers.”
Zach Lee, a parishioner of St. Stephen Parish in Euclid, said he “was really glad that we had an opportunity to go to confession and it was nice that we were encouraged to do so.”
Other teens came from St. Nicholas Parish in Lorain and St. Joseph Parish. The day ended with pizza and time to socialize.
Caption:
(L. to r.): Almost 20 teens gather at St. Joseph Parish in Brecksville, Ohio, for a Lenten day of reflection for teens, March 4. (Photo: Mark Hritz)
As published in Horizons, March 25, 2018.
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