Presentation Transcript

1. Chapter 10: EpilogueLiving the Christian Life

   OUR MORAL LIFE IN CHRIST
2. 1. The Imitation of Christ (pp. 271–273) ANTICIPATORY SET Opening Prayer on1 John 1:1–4, the beginning of St. John’s first letter: That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us. Discuss how this passage describes a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.
3. 1. The Imitation of Christ (pp. 271–273) BASIC QUESTIONS ❏ What does imitation of Christ mean? ❏ How can we personally encounter Christ today? KEY IDEAS ❏ The Christian vocation is a call from God to each individual to imitate Christ by living according to his moral perspective and example. ❏ The Christian vocation is the result of a free, personal encounter with Christ, whom we get to know through the Church and the Sacraments.
4. 1. The Imitation of Christ (pp. 271–273) FOCUS QUESTIONS ❏ What is morality? It is the principles of right conduct. ❏ What kind of morality is Christian morality? It is a morality of love as taught by Jesus Christ. ❏ Why is Christian life a vocation? It is a call from God. ❏ What is necessary for the Christian’s vocation to flourish? It is necessary to say “yes” to God’s call.
5. 1. The Imitation of Christ (pp. 271–273) ❏ What does imitation of Christ mean? It means living according to Christ’s moral perspective and example. ❏ What is the essence of Christ’s life, which we are to imitate? Christ became a servant even to the point of giving himself on the Cross. ❏ How is every Christian “another Christ”? Christ dwells in the soul of each Christian through Baptism and helps the Christian turn to him and act more like him. ❏ How is the Christian life different from learning a skill? The Christian life and morality are not merely exercises that reach perfection through practice; they require God’s grace.
6. 1. The Imitation of Christ (pp. 271–273) ❏ What are the normal ways through which Christ and the Holy Spirit act? They act through the Christian’s prayer and the transforming grace of the Sacraments (particularly the Eucharist and Penance). ❏ What is the role of freedom in the Christian vocation? Each person can freely choose to accept the divine call or to reject it. ❏ Why would it be wrong to say that the Christian vocation is simply an invitation to live according to a lofty philosophy? The Christian vocation is based on a personal relationship with Christ, not a set of philosophical precepts.
7. 1. The Imitation of Christ (pp. 271–273) GUIDED EXERCISE Imagine that a person undertakes to live literally all the laws of the Old Testament for a full year. Do a think / pair / share on the following question: ❏ Why would growing a beard, wearing a robe and sandals, eating first‑century food, not owning anything, and traveling around the country preaching NOT be valid ways of imitating Christ?
8. 1. The Imitation of Christ (pp. 271–273) GUIDED EXERCISE Perform a focused reading on the three paragraphs that begin, “How is it possible for us...” (p. 272) using the following question. ❏ How is it possible for us personally to encounter Christ today?
9. 1. The Imitation of Christ (pp. 271–273) CLOSURE Free write for five minutes, summarizing the main ideas of this lesson.
10. 1. The Imitation of Christ (pp. 271–273) HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT ❏ Workbook Questions 1–4 ❏ Read “The Spiritual Life of a Christian” through “Conclusion” (pp. 273–278)
11. 1. The Imitation of Christ (pp. 271–273) ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT Revisit 1 John 1:1–4 and free write on the following: In what ways does this passage exemplify the two Key Ideas of this lesson: (1) that the Christian vocation is a call from God to each individual to imitate Christ, living according to his moral perspective and example; and (2) that the Christian vocation is the result of a free, personal encounter with Christ, whom we normally get to know through the Church and the Sacraments?
12. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) ANTICIPATORY SET Opening Prayer onChrist’s reaffirmation of St. Peter’s vocation as chief pastor of the Church in John 21:1–19.
13. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) BASIC QUESTIONS ❏ Of what does the Christian life basically consist? ❏ What is the universal call to holiness? KEY IDEAS ❏ The spiritual life of a Christian can be summarized as knowing God, loving God, and serving God. ❏ Every person is called to holiness through an interior life united to God through his Church and applied to our daily lives.
14. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) FOCUS QUESTIONS ❏ How can the spiritual life of a Christian be summarized? It can be summarized as knowing God, loving God, and serving God. ❏ Where does the journey of the spiritual life begin and end? It begins in this life and culminates in eternal life with God in Heaven. ❏ Why does knowing God come first on the Christian journey? We must get to know a person before we can love him or her, and we must love a person before we can truly serve him or her.
15. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) ❏ What are two kinds of religious truths that we can gain by reason alone? We can know the existence of God and the principles of the moral law. ❏ How is it possible to attain the fullness of knowledge of God and morality? It has to be revealed by God, something he has done first through his Chosen People and finally through his Son, Jesus Christ. ❏ What teaching office did Christ establish? He granted divine authority to his Apostles and entrusted them with transmitting his salvific message to all nations, promising that he would be with them always.
16. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) FOCUS QUESTIONS ❏ What are the sources to study in order to educate and train our consciences according to the teachings of Christ? The Sacred Scriptures and Sacred Tradition are the sources. ❏ Where can we find a compilation of the truths taught by Scripture and Tradition? The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a compilation. ❏ What was the essence of what Christ taught about the Law of the Old Covenant? Love of God and love of neighbor are the principles that sum up the entire Law of the Old Covenant, a Law that he had come not to abolish but to fulfill and perfect.
17. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) GUIDED EXERCISE - A mini‑lecture on how the Catechism of the Catholic Church is organized (using the table of contents). ❏ The Catechism is divided into four sections. ❏ The first is on what we believe and is organized according to the Creed. ❏ The second is on the Sacraments and is organized around the Seven Sacraments. ❏ The third is on life in Christ and is organized according to the Ten Commandments. ❏ The last is on Christian prayer and is organized according to the Lord’s Prayer.
18. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) FOCUS QUESTIONS ❏ What did the lawyer want to know with certainty? He wanted to know whom the Law obligated him to love and whom he was allowed to hate. ❏ What answer did Christ give the lawyer through the Parable of the Good Samaritan? Every person is our neighbor, so we ought to love every person. ❏ Why is it difficult for us to love God and neighbor? It is difficult because of the wounds of Original Sin.
19. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) ❏ Why does God make his grace available to us through prayer and the Sacraments? We can return to him after we sin. ❏ How do we know that there is a universal call to holiness? Christ said, “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48).
20. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) ❏ What is holiness according to Vatican II? It is the fullness of Christian life and the perfection of charity. ❏ How did the early Christians live the call to holiness? “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). ❏ Put into modern language, how did early Christians live the call to holiness? They prayed and attended Mass together, were united to the Pope and bishops, and adhered to the Magisterium of the Church.
21. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) ❏ Why must our love for God be shown in deeds or works? If we do not make it concrete through actions, our love is only philosophical or theoretical. ❏ How do we know if we love God according to John 14:15? We keep his Commandments.
22. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) GUIDED EXERCISE Review the corporal and spiritual works of mercy and come up with one concrete way you can live any three of these in your daily life. The corporal works of mercy: To feed the hungry; To give drink to the thirsty; To clothe the naked; To harbor the harborless; To visit the sick; To ransom the captive; To bury the dead. The spiritual works of mercy: To instruct the ignorant; To counsel the doubtful; To admonish sinners; To bear wrongs patiently; To forgive offences willingly; To comfort the afflicted; To pray for the living and the dead.
23. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) FOCUS QUESTIONS ❏ What is the greatest and most basic of Christ’s commands? We should love one another as Christ has loved us. ❏ Why did Christ wash his disciple’s feet at the Last Supper? He gave an example of service that the leaders of his Church must follow. ❏ What was the ultimate expression of Christ’s service? He died on the Cross. “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). ❏ What are some of the qualities of Christ’s and a Christian’s heart? Mercy, humility, kindness, meekness, and patience are present.
24. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) ❏ What is the relationship between works of service and salvation? Salvation comes from God’s grace. We hold on to and complete the holiness God gives us through our works of service. ❏ What is the connection between holiness and happiness? Holiness unites us to God and is the way to achieve true happiness. ❏ How does a life of holiness affect our daily lives? It transforms the ordinary things of life because they are all ways of loving God and serving our neighbor. ❏ What was Christ’s threefold response to the young man? First, “No one is good but God alone” (Lk 18:19); second, “If you would enter life, keep the commandments” (Mt 19:17); and third, “If you would be perfect, go, sell all what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow me” (Mt 19:21).
25. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) FOCUS QUESTIONS ❏ What did Christ mean by saying, “Only God is good”? He meant only a total union with God can satisfy the longing of the human heart. ❏ What is the purpose of keeping the Commandments in the Christian life? The Ten Commandments are not ends in themselves but means of seriously following Christ. They lead a person toward the fullness of Christian love. ❏ What does, “If you would be perfect, go, sell all what you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven, and come follow me” mean? Christ himself is eternal life, which can only be reached through a total gift of self to God through one’s whole heart, mind, and strength.
26. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) ❏ What is the great example of God “reaching out” to humanity? In the Incarnation, God himself entered human history in the Person of Jesus Christ. ❏ What is the premise of Scripture in regard to God’s will? Man has knowledge of God’s will in his inmost heart, a participation in God’s knowing, which we call conscience. ❏ Despite the disfigurement of Original Sin, what does each individual possess in his or her heart? Each has a hunger for God and a desire to search for truth and everlasting happiness. ❏ How does St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans show that every person has a conscience, which is in relationship with God? St. Paul said that when the Gentiles obeyed the moral law, they showed that what the Law required was written in their hearts. Their consciences accused or excused them based on their actions.
27. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) FOCUS QUESTIONS ❏ How do we know the will of God? We know it through a properly formed conscience. ❏ How do we properly form our consciences? We inform our consciences in accordance with Divine Revelation given by Jesus Christ and transmitted by the Church. ❏ Why did God create us? He created us to share in his divine life and, in doing so, to enjoy eternal happiness.
28. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) ❏ What is the happiness God destines for us? He desires the happiness of genuine friendship with God, i.e., the friendship of being a son or daughter of God. ❏ How did Christ perfect the Fifth Commandment? He taught that the Fifth Commandment did not just prohibit murder but also anger and insults. ❏ Where is the perfection of the Law found? The Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes are the two primary sources. The entire teaching of Christ is found in Sacred Tradition and Scripture. ❏ What is the connection between the Law of Love and the perfection of the moral law? They are the same thing. While the Law of Love of God and neighbor was present in the Old Testament, Christ extended the definition of neighbor to include every person. He further perfected the command to love your neighbor as yourself with the command to love our neighbor as he loved us, that is to say, completely.
29. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) CLOSURE Write a paragraph in which you summarize what it means to know, love, and serve the Lord.
30. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT ❏ Workbook Questions 5–9 ❏ Read “Christian Morality” (pp. 279–283)
31. 2. The Spiritual Life (pp. 273–278) ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT Free write on how Christ’s dialogue with the young man relates to the universal call to holiness.
32. 3. Program of Christian Morality (pp. 279–283) ANTICIPATORY SET Review the first paragraph of this section, beginning “Now that you have completed...” (p. 279) to understand the purpose of this lesson.
33. 3. Program of Christian Morality (pp. 279–283) BASIC QUESTIONS ❏ How do we achieve true happiness? ❏ How do we know the will of God? ❏ How do we exercise our freedom wisely? ❏ How is this new commandment of love put into practice? KEY IDEAS ❏ We achieve true happiness by living in personal friendship with God. ❏ We know God’s law through a properly formed conscience. ❏ We exercise our freedom wisely by freely conforming our will to the will of God. ❏ We put the new commandment of love into practice by first embracing it and then living out its demands day by day.
34. 3. Program of Christian Morality (pp. 279–283) GUIDED EXERCISE Have the students perform a focused reading of the paragraph beginning, “Through the Incarnation...” (p. 279) using the following question: ❏ How has God made himself accessible to mankind in the Incarnation?
35. 3. Program of Christian Morality (pp. 279–283) FOCUS QUESTIONS ❏ How does the Old Testament record God revealing himself to man? In the Old Testament, God revealed himself through the prophets, beginning with Abraham, with whom he established a covenant, and Moses, through whom he revealed the moral law in the form of the Ten Commandments. ❏ How does the New Testament show God revealing himself? God definitively reveals himself through Jesus Christ: “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9). ❏ How, then, does God fully reveal his Law? Through the Person of Jesus Christ, God redeemed his people and revealed the fullness of moral law. Therefore, it is only in Christ that we can know the will of the Father.
36. 3. Program of Christian Morality (pp. 279–283) ❏ What did Christ do in relation to the Ten Commandments given to Moses? Christ did not come to abolish or detract from any of the truths God had revealed, but came to perfect these teachings. ❏ How did Adam and Eve exercise their freedom? They used it to lose their friendship with God and to introduce sin and suffering into the world. ❏ Why is freedom necessary to friendship, including friendship with God? For friendship to have value, we must enter into it freely. ❏ Is it possible to separate love of God and neighbor? No. It is impossible to love God and hate one’s neighbor.
37. 3. Program of Christian Morality (pp. 279–283) FOCUS QUESTIONS ❏ According to the New Testament, what is the relationship between love and good works? Our interior attitude of love of God and neighbor must be reflected in our external actions. Therefore, our good works reflect our love of God and neighbor. ❏ What is the natural hierarchy of love? It is natural that we first love those closest to us—parents, brother and sisters, relatives, friends, classmates, and so on. We cannot truly live as followers of Christ if we do not show love and consideration to those who are intimately connected to our lives.
38. 3. Program of Christian Morality (pp. 279–283) GUIDED EXERCISE Perform a focused reading on the paragraph beginning, “Considering all the human suffering...” (p. 281) using the following question: ❏ Is freedom truly worth it? GUIDED EXERCISE A think / pair / share on the following question: ❏ Why does following God’s will make us free? GUIDED EXERCISE Work with a partner to summarize the relationship between conscience and the moral law.
39. 3. Program of Christian Morality (pp. 279–283) FOCUS QUESTIONS ❏ Why is love of those who love us not enough? As Christ said, even sinners love those who love them. ❏ What is the fullness of love in this life? We must love our enemies, the poor, the sick, the homeless, and the imprisoned. It is in our love for those who are difficult to love that we conform our lives and our hearts to Christ. ❏ What is the first thing we must do to put the new Commandment of Love into practice? We must first say “yes” to it. ❏ Are we saved all at once? Although Baptism is the beginning of our lives as God’s children, we say “yes” to God daily by doing his will in obeying our consciences.
40. 3. Program of Christian Morality (pp. 279–283) ❏ What does conscience do? It allows us to discern good from evil. ❏ How did the criteria of good and evil shift after the Fall? Adam and Eve moved the criteria of good and evil from God’s standard to their own. ❏ How does concupiscence warp our own understanding of good and evil? Concupiscence makes us want to make ourselves the center of moral truth. ❏ What is the logical extreme of our desire to be our own arbiters of good and evil? It is moral relativism, which denies the existence of moral law and makes the individual the only standard for deciding right and wrong. ❏ Why is the Church the best place to educate our consciences? Christ gave the Church the fullness of Revelation, guaranteeing that his truth would be transmitted in its entirety and without error.
41. 3. Program of Christian Morality (pp. 279–283) FOCUS QUESTIONS ❏ Is a well‑formed conscience enough for us to follow the moral law? No. In our weakened condition, we also need God’s grace. ❏ What is integrity of life? The life of a Christian must be a unified whole reflecting in deeds the faith that exists in the heart. ❏ Is it possible to live integrity of life? Yes. Even though it means carrying our own cross, God will help us with grace. ❏ What is the relationship between the Law and joy? Obedience to the moral law will result in eternal happiness with God. Even on earth, obedience to the moral law gives a joyful foretaste of Heaven. ❏ What do we accomplish by following the Law of Christ? We receive a foretaste of Heaven on earth and ultimately eternal union with God.
42. 3. Program of Christian Morality (pp. 279–283) CLOSURE Summarize in one paragraph any five of the ten points in this lesson.
43. 3. Program of Christian Morality (pp. 279–283) HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT ❏ Read “Vocations in the Christian Life” (pp. 284–286)
44. 3. Program of Christian Morality (pp. 279–283) ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT Free write for five minutes on the point in this chapter that is the most difficult for you to understand or to live.
45. 4. Vocations in the Christian Life (pp. 284–286) ANTICIPATORY SET Class discussion on excerpt from Lumen Gentium (p. 284): ❏ What is the general vocation of every Christian?
46. 4. Vocations in the Christian Life (pp. 284–286) BASIC QUESTIONS ❏ What is the general vocation of every Christian? ❏ What are some organizations through which many of the laity live out their vocations? KEY IDEAS ❏ The general vocation of every Christian is holiness. ❏ Many of the laity live out their vocations through the consecrated life, societies of apostolic life, third orders, lay ecclesial movements, personal prelatures, military ordinariates, and associations of the faithful.
47. 4. Vocations in the Christian Life (pp. 284–286) GUIDED EXERCISE Class discussion: ❏ What is the universal call to holiness? ❏ How can a person recognize his or her specific vocation?
48. 4. Vocations in the Christian Life (pp. 284–286) FOCUS QUESTIONS ❏ Who calls the followers of Christ? God calls them. ❏ What does the word vocation mean? From the Latin to call, it is God’s call to each person. ❏ What are the three evangelical counsels of the consecrated life? They are poverty, chastity, and obedience.
49. 4. Vocations in the Christian Life (pp. 284–286) GUIDED EXERCISE - A mini‑lecture on the topic of the universal call to holiness. ❏ The general vocation of every Christian is holiness. ❏ Christians are truly holy because, through Baptism, we become sons and daughters of God and sharers in the divine nature. ❏ We must hold on to and complete in our lives this holiness we have received. ❏ The word vocation comes from Latin “to call.” ❏ Most Christians are called to serve God and others as laypersons, seeking holiness through our ordinary daily work, studies, duties, and relationships.
50. 4. Vocations in the Christian Life (pp. 284–286) GUIDED EXERCISE Work with a partner to do a bullet‑point summary of the first three paragraphs on page 284 (“The Second Vatican Council ... to the Consecrated Life.”). Note the statement in Lumen Gentium that reads, the baptized “truly become sons of God and sharers in the divine nature.” You can take these words literally. Free write on the implications of this statement for you.
51. 4. Vocations in the Christian Life (pp. 284–286) FOCUS QUESTIONS ❏ In what do religious orders have their origin? Their origin is in the monasticism of the early Church. ❏ What are some of the works performed by members of societies of apostolic life? Members perform missionary activities, charity, social work, education, and health care. ❏ How do members of third orders differ from those consecrated to the orders to which they are attached? They do not live in community, and they live the charism of the orders in the world. ❏ Whose teachings and example serve as an example for members of lay ecclesial movements? The founder of each movement provides the teachings and example.
52. 4. Vocations in the Christian Life (pp. 284–286) CLOSURE Free write for five minutes about the universal call to holiness.
53. 4. Vocations in the Christian Life (pp. 284– 286) ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT A class discussion on the following questions: ❏ Which organizational structure in this lesson do you think best fits the modern world? ❏ Which organizational structure do you think provides the most stability for its members?
54. The End