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Engaging Faith

Practical Lesson Ideas and Activities for Catholic Educators
Archived - March 2009
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Scriptural Way of the Cross for Teens

        Have the students work in pairs to pray this Scriptural Way of the Cross. Allow a defined amount of time for each station. Call time and then read the leader prayer part for each station. Working with a partner, have the teens follow these directions: One person reads aloud the Scripture passage while the other follows along in the Bible.   Each person takes two or three minutes to reflect on and answer the question for his or her own life.   Each person tells something of his or her personal reflection to their partner.   Respond to the prayer.   Station 1     Agony in the Garden                                         Luke 22:39-46  When was the time you were most afraid? Prayer: Lord, you sweated drops of blood in your anxiety for our human condition. Help us to remain awake because.... Response: By your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Station 2 The Arrest of Jesus                                             Luke 22:47-53 Recall a time when you were falsely accused of something? How did you feel? Prayer: Lord, darkness had its hour but it could not over come you because.... Response: By your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Station 3   Peter's Denial                                                         Luke 22:54-62 When was a time you gossiped or betrayed a friend? Prayer: Lord, the love you always showed to others won because...." Response: By your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Station 4   Jesus Is Sentenced to Death                            Matthew 27:20-26 When did you go against the crowd and stand up for something you believe in? Prayer: Lord, we crucify you in so may ways: in our cruelty, greed, and injustice. Give us the strength to stand along with you, even to the point of death, because.... Response: By your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Station 5:  Jesus Is Mocked                                                   Matthew 27:27-31 Describe a time when someone made fun of you. How did you feel? What did you do? Prayer: Hail, king of the universe. By your stripes we are healed. We honor you always because.... Response: By your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Station 6:   Simon Helps Jesus Carry the Cross            Matthew 27:32 Who was a person you were forced to help when you didn't want to? Prayer: Lord, we offer you our hands and our hearts. Give us the strength to be your helpers, because.... Response: By your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Station 7:   Jesus Is Crucified                                                Luke 23:32-43 Name someone you knew or heard who gave up his life or her life for another. Prayer: Jesus, remember us in your eternal kingdom as we praise you forever, because.... Response: By your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Station 8:   Jesus Dies on the Cross                                    Luke 23:44-46 Imagine you were there when Jesus died on the cross. Describe your feelings. Prayer: We adore you O Christ and we praise you, because.... Response: By your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Note: There are only eight stations (not fourteen) in the Scriptural Way of the Cross.

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Guided Meditation: Anointing at Bethany

Share this guided meditation from Mark 14:3-9 of Jesus' anointing by a woman at Bethany (from Encountering Jesus ) by Patty McCulloch. Begin by telling the students that "You are with Jesus. You are at supper. A woman comes to Jesus and you will have the opportunity to talk with her. So . . . "   Enter into this place. Relax. Let go of everything. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Be still. Relax. Let all your worries fly away. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Imagine . . . You are sitting around the table with friends. Smell the rich aroma of a home-cooked meal. Enjoy the companionship. Picture yourself there with your friends. A woman who does not belong to your group enters the room. She looks around and heads toward Jesus. What is she doing here? What does she have in her hands? What does she want? Watch her. She has a bottle. She opens it. A wonderful perfume fills the air. She lifts the bottle over Jesus' head. She pours out the perfume on him. She rubs it through his hair with her hands. Why is she doing this? What is Jesus reaction? Judas yells out, "What is the point of such a waste of expensive perfume? It could have been sold for over thirty dollars and the money given to the poor." Everyone else is whispering, gossiping. The woman ignores all of you. She continues to anoint Jesus' head with perfume. Look at Jesus and the woman. The woman finishes. Jesus glances around the table. He says, "Let her alone; why must you make her feel uncomfortable? She has done a beautiful thing for me. You have the poor with you always. You can reach out to them whenever you like." Reflect on these words. How are they true? Jesus continues, "You will not always have me with you. She has done all she could. For she has anointed my body in preparation for burial. I assure you that wherever the gospel is preached throughout the whole world, this deed of hers will also be recounted, as her memorial to me." Sit back and wonder what these words mean. Go up to the woman. Ask her why she anointed Jesus. What does she say? Talk to her about her actions. Listen to her. It is time to reenter this space. Say good-bye for now. Ask Jesus to lead your way into the rest of the day. Say thank you. Come back gently. Open your eyes. Remember. Sit up.

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Quick Jesus Quiz

Assign the short fill-in-the blank quiz. See how many the students can complete in 15 minutes.1. The name Jesus means __.2. Jesus' hometown is____.3. Jesus was born in __.4. Luke traces Jesus' genealogy to __.5. Matthew traces Jesus' genealogy to ___.6. Nazareth is located in the province of ____.7. Jesus probably studied the ___ like other young Jewish boys.8. The __ was a place of Jewish assembly and worship.9. In Matthew's Gospel, God's protection of his Son is symbolized by the flight to____.10. Both _ and ____ recognized Jesus as Messiah during Jesus' presentation in the Temple.11. The term meaning God becoming man in Jesus is ____.12. The angel __ announced to Mary that she would be with child.13. The bar means ___ in the phrase "Jesus bar Mary."14. The Jews belived that the Messiah would come from the descendants of __.15. Bethlehem is in the province of ___.16. The ruthless king of Judea, ___, was a volatile mixture of policy and passion.17. The Emperor at the time of Jesus' birth was ____.18. Matthew was primarily writing to a __-Christian audience.19. Luke was primarily writing to a __-Christian audience.20. Jesus is both__ and ____.Answers1. "Yahweh is salvation."2. Nazareth3. Bethlehem4. Adam5. Abraham6. Galilee7. Torah8. synagogue9. Egypt10. Anna, Simeon11. Incarnation12. Gabriel13. son of14. King David15. Judea16. Herod the Great17. Caesar Augustus18. Jewish19. Gentile20. God, Man

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Teens Want to Know Jesus

The new handbook Catholic Essentials: An Overview of the Faith helps teenagers to really come to know Jesus. The book encourages a transforming relationship with Jesus to one of friendship and love. With stories of saints and contemporary people who are friends of Jesus along with the "essentials" of the Catholicism (Sacraments, Beatitudes, Creeds, Prayers, Scripture, and the like) teenagers are provided a base knowledge to grow deeper in their faith. Check out this new video to see how!

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Catholic College Bracketology

Here's an annual breakdown of the NCAA men's basketball tournament with a focus on Catholic colleges that have been selected. Amidst the filling out of brackets, use the opportunity to share some information on the particular Catholic colleges, their charisms, founders, and missions. Encourage your students to consider attending a Catholic college. Of the sixty-five entries beginning the tournament, seven were Catholic colleges. This is down from nine Catholic colleges in 2008 and eleven participants in 2007. To begin, ask your students to circle the Catholic colleges on a bracket sheet. The teams are: Midwest Region Siena Dayton Boston College West Region Marquette East Region Xavier Villanova South Region Gonzaga     Ask the students to rate the Catholic teams (based on seedings). It might look something like this: 1. Villanova (3) 2. Gonzaga/Xavier (4) 4. Marquette (6) 5. Boston College (7) 6. Siena (9) 7. Dayton (11) Also, hand out a blank map of the United States. See how many students can correctly place the Catholic college in the correct location by state. Pennsylvania Villanova Washington Gonzaga Ohio Xavier Dayton Wisconsin Marquette Massachusetts Boston College New York Siena And, don't forget to ask some questions pertinent to the colleges. For example: 1. Which colleges are founded by the Jesuits? (Gonzaga, Xavier, Marquette, Boston College) 2. Which colleges are named for saints? (St. Aloysisus Gonzaga, St. Thomas of Villanova, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Francis Xavier). 3. Which school originally had the nickname the "Fighting Irish"? (Gonzaga) 4. Which school was founded by the Friars of the Order of St. Augustine? (Villanova) 5. Which college is named after an explorer? (Marquette for Father Jacques Marquette (1637-1675), a French, Jesuit missionary and explorer in North America). 6. Which college was originally named St. Mary's College for Boys? (Dayton) If you have additional questions, activities, or games connected with "March Madness" share them with your fellow teachers in the comments section below. Also, you can conduct similar lessons with the NCAA Women's basketball bracket that will be released on Monday evening.

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Discussing the President's Embryonic Stem Cell Order

This has been an historic week with President Barak Obama unceremoniously issuing an executive order that allows for stem cell research using embryonic stem cells. This disregard for an ethic that respects all human life is met with opposition from the Church. Help your students to understand this issue and the Church's position on the side of life. Summarize the issue, for example, from the about.com site:   In August 25, 2000, the Pontifical Academy for Life released a document entitled “Declaration on the Production and the Scientific and Therapeutic Use of Human Embryonic Stem Cells,” which summarizes the reasons why the Catholic Church opposes ESCR. First, the preparation of embryonic stem cells from a living embryo requires the destruction of the embryo, which the Church teaches is a gravely immoral act. Second, some scientists have used cloning to produce embryos in order to harvest stem cells. While these embryos are not created in the normal manner, the Church recognizes that they, too, are alive, and their destruction is gravely immoral. Third, the Church opposes the use of embryonic stem-cell lines that already exist for the same reason that She opposes the creation of new lines: Those lines began with the destruction of innocent human life. It doesn’t matter whether scientific advances may be made through ESCR; the Church teaches that we can never do evil, even if good may come of it, and there is no way to obtain embryonic stem cells without destroying innocent human life.   Cardinal Justin Rigali chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' committee on pro-life activities, called Obama's decision "a sad victory of politics over science and ethics. This action is morally wrong because it encourages the destruction of innocent human life, treating vulnerable human beings as mere products to be harvested." Bishop John M. D'Arcy of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend described the occasion of Obama's signing of the bill as a "moment of sadness." In an article in the diocesan paper Today's Catholic the Bishop is quoted:     President Obama has introduced a utilitarian ethic, an ethic of relativism into our national life, and has supported it. Is this not the great tragedy: that this dictatorship of relativism, with this executive act, is now in the driver’s seat of ethical questions in our national life. Let us see what our scholar pope had to say of acts, to which our nation is now committed. “History itself has condemned such a science in the past and will condemn it in the future, not only because it lacks the light of God but also because it lacks humanity. “I would like to repeat here what I already wrote some time ago. Here there is a problem that we cannot get around; no one can dispose of human life. An insurmountable limit to our possibilities of doing and experimenting must be established. The human being is not a disposable object, but every single individual represents God’s presence in the world. “In the face of the actual suppression of the human being there can be no compromises or prevarications. One cannot think that a society can effectively combat crime when society itself legalizes crime in the area of conceived life.” — Sept. 11, 2006. So, let us be certain as to what has happened here. You can never use a human being as a means to a good end. The argument is made that it is not a human being. But, what is it? It is a stage of life, in which all of us once existed. It should also be made clear that our tax dollars will now be used to wipe out human life. This is a decision of historical significance. People will look back on it with sadness, and will be aware that this is the moment when the United States crossed the rubicon of life; and where as a nation, through our highest elected officials — we seemed to chose death, not life.   Consider having your students research and discuss this issue and more of Church teaching on the ethics that must always accompany a scientific decision.

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Guided Meditation: The Transfiguration

Share this guided meditation on the Transfiguration from Touching Jesus by Patty McCulloch. Begin by telling the students that "during this reflection you will be going up to the mountaintop with Jesus. You will witness something truly amazing. So . . . "   Place yourself in a quiet place. Relax. Allow all the distractions to go out of your head. Just still yourself. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Be still. Relax. Let all your worries fly away. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Imagine . . . Jesus asks you to go with him to the top of the mountain. You go with Peter, James, and John, friends of Jesus. You are climbing. It is a beautiful day. The sky is clear and you can see all around. Enjoy the sight. You have reached the summit. Sit and look all around. Something catches your eye. Something is happening where Jesus is. He is wrapped in light, his clothes are dazzingly white. There is Elijah from the scriptures! Moses is there, too. Jesus is talking with Moses and Elijah. Watch this sight for awhile. What do you make of it? Peter interrupts this vision. You can tell that he has seen it too. He says, It is great that we are here. Let's build some tents and stay for awhile." Then you heard a loud voice, "This is my beloved Son, listen to him." What do these words mean? Repeat them over and over in your mind. "This is my beloved Son, listen to him." As you repeat those words, only Jesus stands before you. Go up to Jesus. Ask him to sit. Sit next to him. Ask him what the words of the loud voice mean? He looks at you and asks, "Do you listen to me?" Answer him. Be with him for awhile. Listen to him. It is time to renter this space. Say good-bye for now. Ask Jesus to lead your way into the rest of the day. Say thank you. Come back gently. Open your eyes. Remember. Sit up.

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The Unity and Indissolubility of Marriage

">The textbook Marriage and Holy Orders: Your Call to Love and Serve addresses the unity and indissolubility of marriage. For example:In marriage, the man and woman grow continually in their life together through their daily fidelity to one another and through their mutual self-giving. The root of this relationship is the natural complementarity that exists between a man and woman. God made both man and woman for each other. But even more than this natural complementarity that keeps the couple together is the gift of the Holy Spirit given to them in the sacrament of Matrimony. Pope John Paul II wrote of this gift:The gift of the Spirit is a commandment of life for Christian spouses and at the same time a stimulating impulse so that every day they may progress towards an even richer union with each other on all levels—of the body, of the character, of the heart, of the intelligence and will, of the soul—revealing in this way to the Church and to the world the new communion of love, given by the grace of Christ (Familiaris Consortio. 19).This unique relationship of spouses is characterized not only by unity but also by its indissolubility. A marriage demands absolute fidelity between spouses. As the Catechism teaches: “Love seeks to be definitive; it cannot be an arrangement ‘until further notice’” (CCC, 1646). Fidelity is not just a matter of being physically faithful to one’s spouse. Fidelity also requires that one be faithful in one’s heart too. Indulging in daydreams about another person or about life without one’s spouse is an occasion of unfaithfulness. Fidelity to one other person may seem impossible; there are, after all, many people in the world whom you can be attracted to and infatuated with, even after you are married. But that is why God instituted the sacrament of Matrimony. The sacrament allows a couple to do what is impossible:The gift of the sacrament is at the same time a vocation and a commandment for the Christian spouses, that they may remain faithful to each other forever, beyond every trial and difficulty, in generous obedience to the holy will of the Lord: “What therefore God has joined together, let man not put asunder” (Familiarias Consortio, 20, quoting Matthew 19:6). The graces of the sacrament face strong and severe threats today against the unity and indissolubility of marriage. As part of a lesson, play the students a audio or video performance of Bruce Springsteen's "If I Should Fall Behind" in which he singsWe swore we'd travel darlin' side by sideWe'd help each other stay in strideBut each lover's steps fall so differentlyBut I'll wait for youAnd if I should fall behindWait for me.Have your students comment on the lyrics and discuss what they have to do with marriage. Also ask: What does it mean to say that marriage is perpetual and exclusive? What is the meaning of fidelity in marriage?* Share an example of a couple that exemplifies a strong marriage, including times when one spouse waited for and helped the other through a dark time.

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