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Engaging Faith

Practical Lesson Ideas and Activities for Catholic Educators
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Ash Wednesday Journal Reflection

For Ash Wednesday, share the following journal reflection on the Temptation of Jesus from Luke 4:1–13.   Prelude Refer to the shema in Deuteronomy 6:4–5. Point out that each of the temptations of Jesus is a temptation against the shema. Likewise, each reply from Jesus comes from Deuteronomy.   First Temptation  Ask a student to read Luke 4:1–4. Explain that the first temptation is to the quick fix, the easy answer, the instant gratification. It’s Veruca Salt screaming at Willie Wonka, “I want it NOW!” The response of Jesus tells us to have patience, to reject the easy fix, and to discover how to rely on God.  Have students respond in their journals to the following:    In what ways do I seek instant gratification?  In what areas of my life do I need to learn patience and self-control?   Second Temptation  Ask a student to read Luke 4:5–8.  Tell the class that the second temptation is to power and wealth over and rejects our loving God.  Have the students respond in their journals to the following:   In what ways do I lord it over others? Put others down?   Third Temptation  Ask a third student to read Luke 4:9–12. Help the students see that the third temptation is to fame, or to glory. Jesus responds to the devil with humility. Have the students respond in their journals to the following:    What temptations to fame come my way via TV, videos, advertising?  How does the way I spend my money—on clothes, makeup, or whatever—lead me to succumb to this temptation?   Conclusion Finally, have the students respond in their journals to this question: “To which temptation do you give in to the most?” Tell students that their answer will give them a starting point their Lenten penance—and for their own dying to sin and rising to a new way of living This lesson is drawn from Catholic Essentials: An Overview of the Faith.  

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Lesson Plan: Development of the New Testament Canon

This lesson plan is useful for anyone teaching a course on the Introduction to the New Testament. Access to computers and the internet is required, so students should have laptops at their desks or they should be taken to the school computer lab or library. Background:  Canon of the New Testament It took centuries for the Catholic Church to make a recognition of the official books of the Bible. “Canon” refers to the official list of the inspired books of the Bible. Catholics list 46 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books in the canon. Technically it wasn’t until the Council of Trent in the 16th century that an ecumenical council officially recognized the canon by affirming St. Jerome’s Latin Vulgate as the authoritative text of Scripture. Traditionally, St. Athanasius is credited with fixing the New Testament canon at 27 books in AD 367. The Church canon was developed according to the following criteria: 1. Apostolic Origin - the author should be an Apostle or closely connected to one 2. Widespread Acceptance – the book should not be unique to a certain geographic area 3. Conformity with the rule of faith – the book must reflect what the Church expresses in its traditional teachings and the liturgy   Lesson Plan: To help students understand the formation of the New Testament canon, direct them to a website called “The Development of the Canon of the New Testament”: http://www.ntcanon.org/table.shtml. Objectives: SWBAT trace the developments of a particular book of the New Testament canon. SWBAT predict why some books were accepted into the canon earlier than others. 1)  First, assign each student a person (or codex) at the top of the table. Ask them to prepare answers to the following:     Symbol: Full Name: Date: One sentence summary: Give students about 5 minutes to complete the assignment, then have them share the information with the class. Have students copy the information in their notes or create a word document on the computers to keep track of the information. They may copy and paste the table from the website into a word document to take notes. 2)  Next, assign each student in your class a particular book of the New Testament. Ask them to use the information in this website to trace the history of the book’s connection to the New Testament canon. Distribute the following questions as a guide to their research: 1. When was mention of this book recorded? 2. Was the book consistently accepted by the Church Fathers in the table? 3. How does this book’s acceptance compare to the other books in the New Testament? 4. What does the timeline suggest about the date that the book was written? 5. Why do you think it took as long as it did to be widely accepted? While students are working on the assignment, help them with questions 3-5. Remind them of the three criteria for the canon. Suggest that they use these criteria to form their responses to question #4. Invite students to share their findings with the class. 3)  For homework, ask students to write a 250+ word reflection on the day’s activity. What did they learn about the development of the New Testament canon? What conclusions can they draw from their research?

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Distinctive Gospel Passages

Directions: Each of the following events or stories is in only one Gospel. Have the students work either on their own or with a partner to read through the Gospels and identify the Gospel, chapter, and verse for each. Jesus washes the feet of the Apostles at the Last Supper. Jesus raises back to life the son of the widow Nain. The wedding feast at Cana and the changing of water into wine. The eight Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount. A young man, who had his linen clothes torn away from in the Garden of Olives, runs away naked. The parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus is laid in a manger at birth. Jesus makes a charcoal fire on the seashore for the disciples and cooks fish and bread. Jesus is crucified at nine o'clock in the morning. Jesus tells Martha that her sister Mary has chosen the better part. Jesus appears to the Apostles on a mountain in Galilee after he rises from the dead. A star appears over the place of Jesus' birth. The parable of the Prodigal or Lost Son. This Gospel begins at Jesus' baptism when he is thirty years old. Jesus tells the repentant criminal on the next cross: "Today you will be with me in paradise." Jesus reads the thoughts of the woman at the well. Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth who is pregnant with John the Baptist. The parable of the two sons, one of whom who worked for his father even though he originally refused. Jesus looks with love on a rich young man. Peter is the first to enter Jesus' empty tomb. Jesus weeps over Jerusalem before he cleanses the Temple. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph travel to Egypt to escape King Herod's death threat. The parable of the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead after he has been lying four days in the tomb. Zacchaeus, the tax collector, comes down from the sycamore tree and has Jesus stay with him. Jesus saves the woman caught in adultery by saying, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Pontius Pilate orders guards to be placed at Jesus' tomb. Jesus and the Twelve have their traveling expenses paid by a number of rich women. Jesus carried his cross all by himself, with no help. Vernonica wipes the face of Jesus while he is carrying the cross and receives an impression of his face on her veil. Answers: 1. John 13:4-10; 2. Luke 7:11-17; 3. John 2:1-11; 4. Matthew 5:3-12; 5. Mark 14:51; 6. Luke 10: 29-37; 7. Luke 2:7; 8. John 21: 9; 9. Mark 15:25; 10. Luke 10:38-42; 11. Matthew 28:16; 12. Matthew 2:9; 13. Luke 15:11-32; 14. Mark 1: 9; 15. Luke 23: 43; 16. John 4:4-26; 17. Luke 1:39-45; 18. Matthew 21: 28-32; 19. Mark 10: 21; 20. John 20:1-6; 21. Luke 19:41; 22. Matthew 2:13-15; 23. Matthew 25:1-13; 24. John 11:1-44; 25. Luke 19:1-10; 26. John 8:7; 27. Matthew 27:63-66; 28. Luke 8:2-3; 29. John 19:17; 30. Not in any Gospel—legend. 

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Getting to Know Jesus

The Easter Season is a time for students to deepen their relationship with Jesus. Here is a short activity from Catholic Essentials: An Overview of the Faith. Christians are to imitate the values of Jesus in their own lives. Here are some of the things Jesus valued. Conversion Commitment Service Community Fellowship Forgiveness Healing Love Leadership Reconciliation Trust Family Life Jesus instituted the sacraments from his own life and values. Read the following Gospel passages. Determine which sacrament each one points to. Names some values of Jesus that each passage represents:     Matthew 3:13-17; 9:35-36; 16:15-16; 28:16-20 Mark 1:40-45; 8:22-26 Luke 7:36-50; 12: 8-12; 22: 14-20 John 2:1-11; 6:47-58; 16:5-16; 20:19-23

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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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Scripture Team Charades

This engaging warm up activity from Time Out: Resources for Teen Retreats by Sr. Kieran Sawyer works well as a fun break in any Scripture course. The game operates as a regular game of charades, with teams acting out famous Bible stories for others to guess. Directions To begin, prepare 3"x 5" cards with Bible phrases like those below, one phrase per card. Divide the class into teams of about six persons each. Ask each group to sit together. Then say:   In my hand I have a set of cards. On each card is phrase describing a famous scene from the Bible, like "John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the River Jordan." Each team will pick one of the cards and have three minutes to decide how to act out the phrase so that the rest of us can guess what the card says. You may use actions, sounds, and gestures, but you may not use words. Every member of your group should have a part in your presentation.   Hold the cards face down ask ask the small groups to send up a representative to pick one. Allow about three minutes for the teams to decide how they will present their phrases. Call the class back together and select one group to do the first presentation. Call on participants to guess the scene being enacted. When all the teams have performed two or three scenes from the prepared cards, give each group a blank 3"x 5" card and a pencil and say:     Now I am going to ask you to write down other scenes from the Bible that your group can act out. Each scene should fit the pattern: "John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the River Jordan." In other words, someone must be doing something specific. Your group will make up a phrase for another group to act out.   Allow a few minutes for the groups to think up Bible scenes and write them on the cards. Check back to make sure the phrases are worded correctly. Then say:     Now pass your card to the group sitting at your left, and take three minutes to plan your presentation.   Call the teams back together for another round of performances. The group whose Bible scene is being acted, of course, does not help with the guessing. Give out another set of cards, have the groups think up another Bible phrase, and pass the cards to the group sitting at their right. The game can continue for any number of rounds.

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St. Paul's Letters: Commentary Paper

Continuing the Year of St. Paul, have the students write a 750-word commentary paper on a selected passage in one of Paul's letters. Suggested passages include:1 ThessaloniansMission of Timothy (3:1-8)Chastity and Charity (4:1-12)I CorinthiansBody of Christ (12:12-31)Love (13)PhilemonDignity of All (entire letter)GalatiansCalled by Christ (1:10-24)Justification through Faith (3:1-14)2 CorinthiansFalse Apostles (11:1-5)RomansFaith, Hope, and Love (5:1-15)Love and Law (13:8-10)Use the following outline to help you organize your paper:I. Text of the PassageWhat does the passage say?II. Content of the PassageWhat do biblical commentaries and scholars say about the passage?Analyze based on historical criticism, source criticism, form criticism, and redaction criticism.III. Interpret the PassageWhat does the passage mean for our world?What does this passage mean for me?This activity is taken from Encountering Jesus in the New Testament by Michael Pennock.

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