Listed below are the key Church laws known as the precepts of the Church. Review the precepts and the requirement for Catholics to keep them. Use the accompanying questions for a discussion or journal-writing activity. Non-Catholics can answer the questions in terms of “if they were Catholic.”
1. You shall attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation and rest from servile labor.
What are the times of the weekend Masses at your parish?
Which time do you prefer to celebrate Mass? Why?
2. You shall confess your sins at least once a year.
What value do you find in the celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation?
When are natural times during the year that you celebrate this sacrament?
3. You shall receive the Sacrament of Eucharist at least during the Easter season.
What is a prayer or reflection you say to yourself after receiving Holy Communion?
Compare your feelings about the Eucharist now as to when you received your First Communion?
4. You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
How does maintaining your physical health related to being spiritually fit?
What are the benefits of days of fasting and abstinence? Should the Church have more of these days?
5. You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.
How might you divide your charitable donations among your parish and other organizations?
What percentage of a person’s income is reasonable to expect to be allowed for charity?
Pope Benedict XVI’s 2007 Encyclical, Spes Salvi, which takes its name from Romans 8:24, “Spes salvi facti sumus” – in hope we were saved, is dedicated to the theme of Christian hope. The following citation is from paragraphs 10 to 12, a section subtitled “Eternal Life—what is it?”
Make copies of the text and pass out to each student. Lead a discussion on eternal life based on this reading. Discussion prompts are listed below.
We have spoken thus far of faith and hope in the New Testament and in early Christianity; yet it has always been clear that we are referring not only to the past: the entire reflection concerns living and dying in general, and therefore it also concerns us here and now. So now we must ask explicitly: is the Christian faith also for us today a life-changing and life-sustaining hope?
Is it “performative” for us—is it a message which shapes our life in a new way, or is it just “information” which, in the meantime, we have set aside and which now seems to us to have been superseded by more recent information? In the search for an answer, I would like to begin with the classical form of the dialogue with which the rite of Baptism expressed the reception of an infant into the community of believers and the infant's rebirth in Christ. First of all the priest asked what name the parents had chosen for the child, and then he continued with the question: “What do you ask of the Church?” Answer: “Faith”. “And what does faith give you?” “Eternal life”. According to this dialogue, the parents were seeking access to the faith for their child, communion with believers, because they saw in faith the key to “eternal life”. Today as in the past, this is what being baptized, becoming Christians, is all about: it is not just an act of socialization within the community, not simply a welcome into the Church. The parents expect more for the one to be baptized: they expect that faith, which includes the corporeal nature of the Church and her sacraments, will give life to their child—eternal life. Faith is the substance of hope. But then the question arises: do we really want this—to live eternally? Perhaps many people reject the faith today simply because they do not find the prospect of eternal life attractive. What they desire is not eternal life at all, but this present life, for which faith in eternal life seems something of an impediment. To continue living for ever —endlessly—appears more like a curse than a gift. Death, admittedly, one would wish to postpone for as long as possible. But to live always, without end—this, all things considered, can only be monotonous and ultimately unbearable. This is precisely the point made, for example, by Saint Ambrose, one of the Church Fathers, in the funeral discourse for his deceased brother Satyrus: “Death was not part of nature; it became part of nature. God did not decree death from the beginning; he prescribed it as a remedy. Human life, because of sin ... began to experience the burden of wretchedness in unremitting labor and unbearable sorrow. There had to be a limit to its evils; death had to restore what life had forfeited. Without the assistance of grace, immortality is more of a burden than a blessing”. A little earlier, Ambrose had said: “Death is, then, no cause for mourning, for it is the cause of mankind's salvation”.
Whatever precisely Saint Ambrose may have meant by these words, it is true that to eliminate death or to postpone it more or less indefinitely would place the earth and humanity in an impossible situation, and even for the individual would bring no benefit. Obviously there is a contradiction in our attitude, which points to an inner contradiction in our very existence. On the one hand, we do not want to die; above all, those who love us do not want us to die. Yet on the other hand, neither do we want to continue living indefinitely, nor was the earth created with that in view. So what do we really want? Our paradoxical attitude gives rise to a deeper question: what in fact is “life”? And what does “eternity” really mean? There are moments when it suddenly seems clear to us: yes, this is what true “life” is—this is what it should be like. Besides, what we call “life” in our everyday language is not real “life” at all. Saint Augustine, in the extended letter on prayer which he addressed to Proba, a wealthy Roman widow and mother of three consuls, once wrote this: ultimately we want only one thing—”the blessed life”, the life which is simply life, simply “happiness”. In the final analysis, there is nothing else that we ask for in prayer. Our journey has no other goal—it is about this alone. But then Augustine also says: looking more closely, we have no idea what we ultimately desire, what we would really like. We do not know this reality at all; even in those moments when we think we can reach out and touch it, it eludes us. “We do not know what we should pray for as we ought,” he says, quoting Saint Paul (Rom 8:26). All we know is that it is not this. Yet in not knowing, we know that this reality must exist. “There is therefore in us a certain learned ignorance (docta ignorantia), so to speak”, he writes. We do not know what we would really like; we do not know this “true life”; and yet we know that there must be something we do not know towards which we feel driven.
I think that in this very precise and permanently valid way, Augustine is describing man's essential situation, the situation that gives rise to all his contradictions and hopes. In some way we want life itself, true life, untouched even by death; yet at the same time we do not know the thing towards which we feel driven. We cannot stop reaching out for it, and yet we know that all we can experience or accomplish is not what we yearn for. This unknown “thing” is the true “hope” which drives us, and at the same time the fact that it is unknown is the cause of all forms of despair and also of all efforts, whether positive or destructive, directed towards worldly authenticity and human authenticity. The term “eternal life” is intended to give a name to this known “unknown”. Inevitably it is an inadequate term that creates confusion. “Eternal”, in fact, suggests to us the idea of something interminable, and this frightens us; “life” makes us think of the life that we know and love and do not want to lose, even though very often it brings more toil than satisfaction, so that while on the one hand we desire it, on the other hand we do not want it. To imagine ourselves outside the temporality that imprisons us and in some way to sense that eternity is not an unending succession of days in the calendar, but something more like the supreme moment of satisfaction, in which totality embraces us and we embrace totality—this we can only attempt. It would be like plunging into the ocean of infinite love, a moment in which time—the before and after—no longer exists. We can only attempt to grasp the idea that such a moment is life in the full sense, a plunging ever anew into the vastness of being, in which we are simply overwhelmed with joy. This is how Jesus expresses it in Saint John's Gospel: “I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (16:22). We must think along these lines if we want to understand the object of Christian hope, to understand what it is that our faith, our being with Christ, leads us to expect.
Do the following prior to a class discussion:
Put a question mark near two sentences you don’t understand or would like more information about.
Underline three sentences caused you to muse about eternal life. Be able to explain your thoughts regarding these sentences.
Write your response: How do you understand the meaning of “eternal life”?
Here’s an activity and reflection to accompany either the Feast of the Immaculate Conception or the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
If you could create the ideal mother, what would she be like?
Have the students use an art medium of their choice to design the perfect mother.
Then have them listen and reflect on the Mother of Jesus (25:18) by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.
This exercise works well as a classroom prayer and meditation.
Share this story in your own words:
An older man came to the library every evening, sitting at the same table each time. At 9:50 the announcement came: “The library is closing in ten minutes.” Still the man wouldn’t leave. Every night the librarian would have to come to his table and tell him that it was time to leave.
One night, she could resist no longer. “Why do you come here each night? You never have a book. All you do is sit here.”
“Oh,” the man said. “Why I am waiting for my friend. My friend is the most beautiful person you could ever meet. So talented in many ways. I love my friend so much. If you give me just a few more minutes, my friend is bound to come.”
So the librarian gave the man some extra time. A few minutes later, as the library was being closed, she returned to the man and told him to leave.
“My friend is extremely busy,” the man said on his way out into the night. “But tomorrow my friend will certainly be here.”
Ask the students to share some thoughts on what the story means. They should recognize that the older man is meant to represent God. The man’s friend is meant to represent each of them.
Point out that God longs to spend time with each of us. How patiently God waits for us. God will never give up on us. God will always be waiting. It’s up to us to notice God’s presence.
Play a reflective song as an interlude, perhaps “Center of My Life” by Paul Inwood.
Have the students turn to Psalm 139 in their Bibles. Tell the students to spend a few minutes reflecting on the words of the psalm. Explain that Psalm 139 is a message that God is a loving, caring presence in their lives and has been intimately connected with their lives since they were first conceived.
Ask the students to complete the following sentences as a journal exercise:
The thought of a God who is very close to me . .
When God examines my heart, he finds that I am . . .
As appropriate, call on students to share their finished sentences either with a partner or with the entire class.
Conclude by praying the Our Father.
An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines to words that have opposite meanings.
What might be some “Christian-themed oxymorons”? Have your students work in small groups to brainstorm some samples. You might award a winning group that comes up with the most examples. Or, just call on representatives from each group to share. For any confusing examples, the group members must explain why they came up with them. Here are some examples to get the class started:
Holy Hell
Righteous Sinner
Hell’s Angel
Minor Miracle
Lukewarm Christian
This one-on-one discussion activity encourages students to meet and dialogue with a variety of people in class, including those they don’t know well or don’t know at all.
Make a worksheet with a large traditional clock with numbers on it. Print copies for every student. Tell them they will be finding people in class ask asking them to write their names on each hour of the clock. They can only use a person’s name one time. Read the items on the list one at a time, pausing between each item to allow the students to find a person and write in the other’s name.
Items
At twelve o’clock, exchange names with a person with different color hair than yours.
At one o’clock, exchange names with a person who lives more than five miles from where you live.
At two o’clock, exchange names with a boy if you are a girl, and a girl if you are a boy.
At three o’clock, exchange names with a person who is fan of a different sports team than you.
At four o’clock, exchange names with a person who has different musical tastes than you.
At five o’clock, exchange names with a person who has a different number of siblings than you.
At six o’clock, exchange names with a person who has different color eyes than yours.
At seven o’clock, exchange names with a person who is has a different political perspective than you.
At eight o’clock, exchange names with a person who hangs out with a different group of friends than you.
At nine o’clock, exchange names with a person who has a different hair length than you.
At ten o’clock, exchange names with a person with different color socks than yours.
At eleven o’clock, exchange names with a person who was born in a different month than you were.
When everyone has filled in a name at each time on the clock, tell them they are going to conduct short (one minute) interviews with the people they listed. Say: “Meet with your one o’clock appointment. Discuss this question: When was a time you got really angry and why?”
Allow one minute, call time and ask the participants to meet with their “two o’clock appointments.” Continue with the same process using the list of questions below.
Questions
When was the last time you got really angry? Why?
When was the last time you cried? Why?
On what basis do you choose your friends?
What advice would you give to a sixth grader?
Are you more of a leader or a follower? Explain.
How important to you is following the Ten Commandments?
How important to you is attending church on Sunday?
When do you pray? What does your prayer mean to you?
Who is a person who has influenced your life? How?
Who is an adult you find it easy to talk with? Why?
If you could go back in time, what period of history would you like to live in? Why?
Tell about a goal for your life.
No matter what subject or level of theology course you are teaching, it’s wise to continue to teach students new vocabulary terms and assess their comprehension of these terms.
You can do this in several ways, including having the students study and memorize the correct spelling and definitions of terms, and then repeat them back to you o a written text.
You might also make a vocabulary assessment as part of regular opening or closing period of a class session. Here is one idea for assessment to use without having to have the students write responses.
First, prepare a list of ten vocabulary terms and definitions and give them to the students. Or assign, particular terms and definitions from the glossary of their textbook. For example:
Annulment— An official church declaration that what appeared to be a Christian marriage never existed in the first place.
Beatific Vision—Seeing God “face-to-face” in heaven, the source of our eternal happiness; final union with the Triune God for all eternity.
Catechesis—Process of systematic education in the faith for young people and adults with the view of making them disciples of Jesus Christ.
Concupiscence—An inclination to commit sin that can be found in human desires and appetites as a result of original sin.
Dogma—A central truth of revelation that Catholics are obliged to believe.
Encyclical—A letter on some important topic written by the pope and sent to the whole Church or to the whole world. An encyclical contains the ordinary teaching of the Magisterium.
Magisterium—The official teaching authority of the Church. The Lord bestowed the right and power to teach in his name on Peter and the apostles and their successors, that is, the bishops and the pope as their leader.
Sanctifying grace—The grace, or gift of God’s friendship, that heals our fallen human nature and gives us a share in the divine life of the Blessed Trinity. A habitual, supernatural gift, it makes us perfect, holy, and Christ-like (CCC, 1999).
Subsidiarity—A principle of Catholic social justice that holds that a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving it of its functions. For the sake of the common good, higher order societies should support and help lower order societies as needed.
Transubstantiation—The term used to describe that at the consecration of the bread and wine at Mass their entire substance is turned into the entire substance of the Body and Blood of Christ, even though the appearances of bread and wine remain.
Next, come up with two lists of sentences — one with correct usage of vocabulary words and one with incorrect usage. Write both lists and keep them with you.
Read each sentence aloud, pausing between each one so that students can identify the vocabulary word and determine if the word is used correctly or not.
If you have digital options for students to respond “correct” or “incorrect” you will be able to gain an accurate understanding of the class’s comprehension of the terms. If not, simply use hand signals to respond correct (e.g., thumbs up) or incorrect (e.g., thumbs down).
Prepare a worksheet using the following text. Have the students follow the directions listed below. To conclude the activity, call on volunteers to share any part of the activity or discussion with the entire class.
Directions: Read the following quotations on prayer. Start the quotation that you find most meaningful. Complete the sentences below. Share them with a partner.
My heart is restless, Lord, until it rests in you.
--St. Augustine
Prayer is wine which makes glad the heart of all.
--St. Bernard
The whole world is asleep, and God, so full of goodness, so great, so worthy of all praise, no one is thinking of him! See, nature praises God, and we . . . who ought to praise God, sleep! Let us to and wake up the universe and sing God’s praises.
--St. Mariam Baourady
Prayer does not change God, but changes the one who prays.
--Soren Kierkegaard
We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of humankind does not depend on material success; nor on sciences that cloud the intellect. Neither does it depend on arms and human industries, but on Jesus alone.
--St. Frances Cabrini
I pray when . . .
A time prayer helped me was when . . .
