Sts. Perpetua and Felicity (Feast Day March 7) 

d. 203 

Saints Perpetua and Felicity were Christian martyrs who lived during the early persecution of the Church in Africa by the Emperor Severus. Perpetua, a well-educated noblewoman, made the decision to follow the path of her mother and became a Christian, although she knew it could mean her death during the persecutions ordered by the Emperor Severus. Her pagan father was frantic with worry and tried to talk her out of her decision. At 22-years-old, the well-educated, high-spirited woman had every reason to want to live -- including a baby son whom she was still nursing.

Perpetua was arrested with four other catechumens, including Felicity who was eight months pregnant, and their instructor in the faith, Saturus. Perpetua was baptized before she was taken to prison. She was known for her gift of "the Lord's speech" and receiving messages from God. At the time of her baptism she was told by God to pray for nothing but endurance in the face of her trials. 

While in prison, Perpetua was able to visit with her baby. Her father came and begged her to change her mind. When she and the others were taken to be examined and sentenced, the judge, out of pity, tried to get her to change her mind, but she did not back down. For their unwillingness, all were sent to the public games in the amphitheater. Felicity gave birth to a girl a few days before the games commenced. There Perpetua and Felicity were beheaded, and the others killed by beasts. 

·       Jesus was angry with the merchants in the temple because they were cheating the people. Have you ever been cheated? How did that make you feel?

·       Jesus was also angry because the merchants were robbing the people of the opportunity to worship and pray. Have you ever been distracted in prayer? What did you do to push away the distractions?

·       Everything that Jesus says is important, but sometimes the people in the story don’t understand what he means. For example, in today’s Gospel, the people didn’t understand what Jesus meant when he said, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." What do you do when you don’t understand something that Jesus says?

·       Perpetua and Felicity were brave women who knew that God would take care of them and their families, even though they were punished for being Christians. Share a time when you did something brave with God’s help.

God Made vs. Human Made

We hear in today’s Gospel about what people have made (the temple) and what originates from God (Jesus). This game is a fun and easy way to teach young children about God as creator and giver of all good gifts. Point to an object and ask, “human-made or God-made?” Children are then invited to respond. This game is a lot of fun and can lead to many teachable moments. For example, is a car human-made or God-made? A car is human-made but God gave the human the intelligence and creativity to design it and the strength and diligence to assemble it. Isn’t God good? 

24-Hour Salad

Today’s Gospel teaches us that it took forty-six years to build the Jerusalem temple! Build this delicious salad in just one day! This recipe is meant is for a party so feel free to cut it in half for a smaller crowd.

3 heads of lettuce, shredded

1 bag of frozen peas, thawed

6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

6 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled

8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (can substitute swiss cheese or combine the two)

2 envelopes of Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix

2 cups of mayonnaise

2 cups of sour cream

Optional: paprika

In a large bowl, layer lettuce, peas, eggs, bacon, and cheese. In another bowl, make the dressing by mixing together the mayonnaise, sour cream, and ranch mix. Spread the dressing over the top layer in the bowl. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the salad for up to 24-hours. Right before serving, toss the salad with the dressing and mix well. Enjoy!

Righteous Anger

In today’s Gospel, Jesus expressed anger to convey his displeasure over abuses in the temple. As followers of Christ, it is appropriate for us too to get angry over sin. Evils such as abuse, racism, pornography, etc. should incense us. This prayer will help to transform righteous anger into peace.

God of righteous anger and holy healing,

We pray for our world

and for people who have been hurt by members of the Church.

We ask for accountability, change and healing.

God of Peace,

We pray for our world

where war has become a way of life.

We pray for reconciliation and your peace that surpasses all understanding.

God of Creation,

We pray for our world

For ocean and mountain, hill and vale, forest and meadow

and for all the creatures with which we share

this beautiful creation.

We pray for wisdom that we may be faithful and humble

stewards of this beautiful planet.

God of Love,

We pray for our hearts

And all that we hold dear

Family and friends,

Work and rest and play.

We pray for joy and compassion that we may live and share

your love.

Amen.

Adapted from: https://worshipwords.co.uk/god-of-righteous-anger-a-prayer-thandiwe-dale-ferguson-usa/

In the time of Jesus, the temple was the most important of Jewish buildings because God was present there in a special way. Today, Jesus is present in a special way in the Eucharist, which is reserved in the tabernacle. Find the tabernacle in your church.

Today's Gospel invites us to reflect on the quality of our worship and prayer at home. Create and decorate a prayer space in your home that is dedicated to prayer and worship of God. Invite family members to use this space throughout the week and beyond.

The Jerusalem temple was divided into several courts. The outermost court, open to non-Jewish pilgrims, was used to for selling sacrificial animals and exchanging foreign currency for the appropriate coins needed to pay the temple tax.