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Engaging Faith

Practical Lesson Ideas and Activities for Catholic Educators
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Jesus Teaches about Prayer

Jesus taught several things about prayer and how to pray. Have the students read each of the following examples. Have them write a summary for each example and explain the teaching on prayer. (Same summaries are included with each passage.) Matthew 6:6-8 Keep your prayers short. Some people think by heaping on a lot of words their prayer will be more effective. But Jesus says its is better to keep your prayers short and to the point. Luke 11:9-13 Pray with childlike simplicity. Jesus said to prayer as if you were a child who is dependent on a parent for all your needs. He reminded us of the Father's great love which far surpasses the love of any earthly parent. Matthew 21:21-22 Pray with faith. God always answers each petition, giving an answer that is ultimately good for us. Sometimes, as with ayoung child begging for an unneeded toy, the answer is "no." Luke 11:5-8 Be persistent with your prayer. We are to keep petitioning God for all our needs as illustrated in the story of the person who visits the friend at an ungodly hour of night. The message is simple: God cannot resist answering the petitions of a person who is persistent in prayer. Mark 11: 25 Besides private prayer, Jesus encourages us to pray with others, to the point that he promises to be present when "two or three are gathered in my name." He also instructs the entire community of faith to come together and celebrate the Eucharist (see: Luke 22:19) Matthew 18:18-20 Jesus says to pray with a forgiving heart. He says that whatever we ask for in prayer will be given to us provided that we forgive anyone with whom we have a grievance. After the students have written their summaries, on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being most difficult), have them rate how difficult it is for them to follow this teaching in their own lives. Finally, call on students to come in front of the class and be "on the spot" to answer answers some questions and dialogue more about prayer. Use the questions below and and some more of your own. Sample Questions Explain in your own words Jesus' teaching about forgiveness and prayer. Which teaching do you find most difficult? Why? Which teaching offers you the most encouragement for your prayer life? Why? Do you think there is anything that is not appropriate to pray for? Explain. Can you tell about an occasion when you were persistent in petitioning God? What was the result? Tell about a prayer of yours that was answered. Can you name two or three people you would feel comfortable praying with? Why? Share a short prayer in your own words for everyone gathered here.

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A Message on Immigration

Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, archbishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, is a strong advocate for the issue of immigration. Cardinal Mahony wrote the following foreword for mini-unit on immigration written by the Alliance for Catholic Education at the University of Notre Dame. This mini-unit is appropriate to be taught in a Catholic high school theology class or as part of a parish youth ministry program and is downloadable from Ave Maria Press and is free of charge. A video, Dying to Live: A Migrant's Journey, that traces is several aspects of the migrant experience from Mexico and Central America, accompanies the mini-unit. Immigrants. Immigration. Immigration reform. These topics have become hot button issues on talk shows, on the Internet, and during political contests the last few years. And immigration will be a major topic in the upcoming presidential, congressional, and local elections. I have little confidence that our elected leaders will have the courage to face the reality that our country depends upon low-paid workers all across the employment field: agriculture, the hotel and motel industry, restaurants, tourism, home health care, and landscaping, to mention but a few. Over the centuries we as a people have wanted it both ways: on the one hand, we want the services which immigrants provide—and the low costs of those services; and on the other, we don’t want newly arrived peoples in our communities. Where do I find hope for our future as a nation built upon the commitment, energies, and creativity of our immigrant brothers and sisters? Answer: with our youth and young adults—because they “get” this issue. Every time I visit a classroom or a gathering of high school or college students, my first question is the same: “How many of you were in school with a classmate, friend, or schoolmate who was here without legal papers?” In virtually every case, half of the hands go up. That is so encouraging to me because at least half of our students in Catholic high schools and colleges know an immigrant as a “real person,” someone with a human face, someone who shares the same hopes, life experience, and dreams that they do. We have posted two contradictory signs on all of our borders: No Trespassing and Help Wanted. It is this contradiction that cries out for resolution. We have some 11 million undocumented people in our country, and virtually all of them belong to blended families: some members have documents, while others do not. Because of that reality, these families are not going to split up with some returning to their country of origin. We as Catholics are an immigrant people—beginning with Abraham in the Old Testament and proceeding down Salvation History. Jesus Christ had to flee to Egypt to escape Herod shortly after his birth. Jesus’ own words have inspired his followers through the ages: “For I was a stranger, and you welcomed me…” (Matthew 25:35). In our own country, Catholics since the late 1770s have carried on our outreach to immigrants from all lands. The rights and the plight of today’s immigrants in our country is one of the most pressing moral, ethical, and social justice issues of our time. For that reason, our young people in our Catholic high schools need to be fully informed about this issue, and they need to be able to relate their discipleship to Jesus Christ with their care and concern for today’s immigrants. The teaching materials in Migration and the Church: A Five-Day Mini-Unit from Ave Maria Press are intended to give all teachers a usable, workable, and inviting five-section module that they can easily include in any existing high school course. The module is interesting and interactive for the students, and will help them to know more about the Church’s teachings with this issue and how they can be informed and involved to assist our immigrants directly and through the process of immigration reform. Today’s teens need a broader sense of their own immigrant history, an understanding of the great contributions made by immigrants over the centuries, and how they can be actively involved in outreach to immigrants and to reform of our immigration laws to bring a lasting and just solution for them and their families. At least half of our students know personally an immigrant classmate without papers. Let’s motivate them to a Christian care, concern, and action on behalf of today’s immigrants! Check out the trailer for the Dying to Live video:

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Helping Teens Do the Right Thing

Teens always want to have helps for making the right decision or doing the right thing. Share these different "tests" they can take to help them make a good decision on the spot. Tell them to ask themselves these questions based on the following categories. The Jesus Test Is the act loving? Does it serve others or is it self-serving? Will it bring you a sense of joy? Would a follower of Jesus do this? The Mother Test Would you be proud to do this in front of your mother? The Children Test Would this action give good example to those younger than you? The Practicality Test What will be the results if you do this? Will the consequences be good or bad? Do you have any alternatives to this action? Do you have to do evil to achieve good? (A good end does not justify evil means to attain it.) The Integrity Test Will this make you more honest? Will it strengthen or weaken your character? Will you respect yourself more or less because of this action? People Test Will your action treat people as means or ends? Will it isolate you from others or result in frayed relationships? The Bible Test Does the Bible outlaw action? Specifically, do the Ten Commandments or Christ's law to love God, neighbor, and self forbid it? The Reality Test Would a reasonable person do this? If someone asked your advice about this same issue, what would you say? The Sinner Test Do you admit that you are weak and may not be thinking clearly? Is it possible that what you want to do might be wrong? Are your passions getting in the way? Will this bring you closer to God? Prayer Test Have you asked Jesus for his help? Have you asked the Holy Spirit to enlighten you? Church Test Have you asked a wiser, holier Christian for advice? Have you consulted Church teaching on this issue? Have the students apply these tests and then follow their conscience! If they are honest in how they answer these questions, they are likely to do the right thing.

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Pro-Life Flash Mob

October is Respect Life month but a teen-led effort for life that is one to remember occurred in February 2011 on a snowy, wintry day in downtown Chicago. The taxpayer-subsidized Planned Parenthood organized a pro-abortion "Walk for Choice" protest in Chicago's Daley Plaza. They were protesting a house bill that would limit taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood. The protestors were asked to wear orange. They carried signs. One women held up a homemade sign that said: "If you won't let me choose, I'll have no choice but to call you a @$#%." It was not a nice word on the sign. Suddenly from another corner of Daley Plaza a group of teenagers arrived, most from Catholic high schools and parishes around Chicago. They gathered inconspicuously at first. But some were carrying large plastic trash bags that appeared full. Then suddenly, with music blaring from a sound system hid in one of the teen's backpacks, the teens pulled yellow balloons from the bags with the word "LIFE" printed on each balloon. Singing and dancing and marching and chanting pro-life slogans followed. A sign was unveiled that read "ORANGE YOU GLAD TO SEE US." The Pro-Life Flash Mob has been a hit on YouTube ever since. You can view it here. This was a dramatic, planned but spontaneous pro-life demonstration. What are you doing to mark Respect Life with your teens. We would be very interested in your ideas. Share in the comment space below.

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Judaism in the United States

The Pew Research Religion & Public Life Project just released “A Portrait of Jewish Americans.” This information comes from a poll and then analysis of the data obtained through the poll. You may find that some of this material would relate to your curriculum. Scripture What are the major differences between Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism? (This might lead to research.) Which of these three groups is growing in size? (Orthodox, while the others are shrinking.) Where do most Jews live today? (80 percent live in the U.S. or Israel.) World Religions Because a person can be Jewish because of their ancestry rather than their religious practice, what does being Jewish mean? (The report investigates this complex question.) The number of people practicing Judaism has declined over the years. Does this decline resemble the change in practice for other religious groups in the U.S.? (The number of Jews, ages 18-29, who say they have no religion parallels the overall disaffiliation with religious groups in the US.) When the Jewish people returned to rebuild Jerusalem after their exile in Babylon, the prophet Nehemiah discouraged the people from marrying non-Jews in order to preserve the faith. How does marrying outside of Judaism affect Jewish practice today? (Jews who marry other Jews are more likely to observe religious practices than those who marry a non-Jew. The former group are more likely to raise their children Jewish than the latter group.)

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Canonizations of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II

The Vatican has announced the canonization dates for Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II: Sunday April, 27, 2014, the Sunday after Easter. This date is also the worldwide celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday, a feast instituted by Pope John Paul II. Find more information on the announcement here. Brief Biography of Pope John XXII (1881-1963) Pope John XXIII was born Angelo Roncalli, the fourth in a family of fourteen children. His parents were sharecroppers. In 1904, he was ordained a priest and then served as secretary to the Bishop of Bergamo, Italy. During this period, he wrote a five-volume biography of St. Charles Borromeo. During World War I, he served as a medic and a chaplain and then after the war worked in Rome as the Italian head of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Many years of his priestly life were then spent serving as a papal diplomat, most notably to Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, and France. In 1953, he was named the patriarch of Venice and elevated to cardinal. His election after the death of Pope Pius XII was unexpected. Because of his advanced age (a month shy of 77), most observers thought of him as an interim Pope who would not serve long or accomplish much. However, Pope John’s warmth, sense of humor, and kind heart quickly won over the entire world, contrasting sharply with the aristocratic bearing of his predecessor. One of his first official acts was to visit prisoners in Rome telling them, “You could not come to me, so I came to you.” One of his famous jokes involved his response to a question from a reporter, “Holy Father, how many people work in Vatican City?” The Pope responded, “About half of them.” What surprised most people was John’s assertion that the idea for calling the first Ecumenical Council in ninety years came to him like a ray of blinding light, an inspiration from the Holy Spirit. When he announced the council to a gathering of eighteen cardinals in January of 1959, they were dumbfounded. Days later, they voiced their reservations, but John insisted that the Church lived in a new age. The Catholic Church was no longer just a European community, but a worldwide Church embracing many people. Moreover, the Church needed to dialog with the fast-changing world of politics, economics, science, technology, and so forth. This council would be unlike previous councils which were called in times of crisis and heresy. It would be a pastoral council, one of mercy and hope, one that would reach out to the modern world and invite people around the world to consider the joyfulness of the Gospel. Pope John famously gave this as his reason for the council: “I want to throw open the windows of the Church so that we can see out and the people can see in.” Brief Biography of Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) When the cardinals met in October of 1978 to elect a new Pope, they chose Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the fifty-eight-year-old Archbishop of Kraków, Poland, the first non-Italian Pope in more than 450 years. As a Pole, he had lived a remarkable life as a survivor of both Nazism in his youth and communist tyranny as an adult. Multi-talented and athletic, Karol was a gifted actor, poet, playwright, and profound philosopher. He was chosen for his youth and his dedication to implementing the principles of Vatican II. The cardinals also thought he would be savvy enough to stabilize a Church that was experiencing problems associated with secularization from without and dissidents from within its ranks. Karol Wojtyla took the name John Paul II to signal his desire to continue the work of his three predecessors. He was the third-longest reigning Pope in history, behind St. Peter (approximately thirty-five years) and Pope Pius IX (31.6 years). His death on April 2, 2005, ended his twenty-six-year papacy. The massive outpouring of affection for him at the time of his death was unprecedented in history. For many Catholics, he was immediately acclaimed, “John Paul the Great.” This is an honorific title used for only three other Popes in history, Pope Gregory I, Pope Leo I, and Pope Nicholas I. Cardinals in New York and Dublin are among high-ranking clergy who have publicly used the title “the Great” for John Paul II. Millions of admirers of Pope John Paul II viewed him as a faithful and holy Apostle to humanity and one of history’s great figures, due in no small measure to the role he played in the collapse of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe, thus ending the Cold War.

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Homeless Man’s Return of Money Can Spark Discussion

Commissioner Edward Davis recently honored Glen James for the character James displayed when returning $42,000 in cash to its rightful owner on Saturday, September 14. Check out the complete story before exploring some questions like those below with your students. Morality Would keeping money you found be considered stealing? What if it was a dollar bill or five dollar bill? Five hundred dollars without a person’s name with it? Five hundred dollars with a person’s name with it? More? Explain your reasoning for each case. Does Glen James’ status as homeless make his gesture more virtuous than the action of a person on the edge of poverty? A middle class person? A rich person? Explain. A man living in another state wants to raise $50,000 to honor and help Glen James out. Is “virtue its own reward” or does it warrant a monetary reward? Faith Glen James said that even if he was desperate for money, he would not have kept a penny of that money. He also said he is a religious man and that “God has always looked after him.” Though he did not say that he returned the money because of his faith, do you think that he did? Social Justice How do you think most employed Americans view homeless people? Do they perceive them to be virtuous? Why or why not? Do you think that Glen James’ actions may cause some people to perceive homeless people differently or will they just think that Glen James is the exception? Explain.

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Guided Meditation on Our Baptisms

I'll never forget the anger a Sophomore girl expressed in class one day about her own baptism. We were discussing infant baptism and somehow the class discussion turned into a teenage tirade on the infringement of personal freedom and right to choose your own faith. Sitting in the back of the room, one girl said with passionate anger, "It isn't fair. I didn't even get the choice!" I would bet you have some students who would like to renounce their baptism. Or, worse yet, could care less one way or the other if they were baptized or not. The purpose of this meditation is to help your students realize the effect that baptism has had within them. Our baptisms make no sense unless accompanied by the realization of the love that we unknowingly experienced as infants. Our parents and godparents loved and cared for us. They wanted what was best for us. More importantly, at Baptism we experienced for the first time a sacramental expression of God's infinite love for us as his children. Through Baptism we become God's adoptive sons and daughters. We become a part of the body of Christ, God's own Son. Help students imagine the love of God that will always prefigure the development and acceptance of faith with this meditation on baptism. A Meditation on Our Baptisms Reading: The Baptism of Jesus if the Jordan River Matthew 3:13-17 Guided Meditation: My Baptism Most of us experienced our baptism as infants. We have no memory of it ourselves and can only ask our parents to recount the experience for us. Nevertheless, imagine if you were there at your own baptism. What would you have seen and heard? Who do you think would have been there? What kinds of expressions would they have on their faces? What do you think they were feeling or thinking at that moment? Now consider the Baptism of Jesus in relation to your own baptism. In baptism, we become like Christ, God's sons and daughters. Picture the priest pouring water over your infant head or dunking you in the baptismal font. Then at that moment, look up and imagine these words being proclaimed in silence, "This is my beloved [son/daughter] with whom I am well pleased." Now, imagine these words being said to you, today, right now. God speaks directly and privately to you: "You are my beloved child with whom I am well pleased." Silently, respond to him. What would you say if you heard these words from God right now? Closing Prayer Close with an "Our Father," but before you begin remind the students of the words that they are saying. They are God's children. God is our Father. When we pray the Lord's Prayer, we are expressing our relationship with God as our loving Father. (photo credit: mark sebastian)

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