SEARCH A RETREAT ON LIFE S BIG QUESTIONS INTRODUCTORY MATERIALS IMPORTANT DETAILS ABOUT THIS RETREAT SESSION ONE: FINDING LOVE GOD IS LOVE

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2 RETREAT SEARCH A RETREAT ON LIFE S BIG QUESTIONS CONTENT INTRODUCTORY MATERIALS IMPORTANT DETAILS ABOUT THIS RETREAT SESSION ONE: FINDING LOVE GOD IS LOVE (Pg. 4) (Pg. 12) Unless otherwise noted, Scripture passages have been taken from the Revised Standard Version, Catholic edition. Copyright 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. SESSION TWO: FINDING HAPPINESS SIN AS DISTORTED HAPPINESS AND JESUS AS REDEEMER (Pg. 26) Quotes are taken from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America (indicated as CCC), 2nd ed. Copyright 1997 by United States Catholic Conference Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Author: Lily Hannan, Jessica McMillan SESSION THREE: FINDING PURPOSE KNOW, LOVE, AND SERVE GOD (Pg. 38) Design: Casey Olson Copy Edit: Elizabeth Bayardi 2018 Life Teen, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book, including interior design, cover design, and/or icons, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher. The information contained herein is published and produced by Life Teen, Inc. The resources and practices are in full accordance with the Roman Catholic Church. The Life Teen name and associated logos are trademarks registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Use of the Life Teen trademarks without prior permission is forbidden. Permission may be requested by contacting Life Teen, Inc. at SESSION FOUR: FINDING COMMUNITY THE BODY OF CHRIST (Pg. 54) SESSION FIVE: FINDING ME GOD S PLAN (Pg. 66) 2 SEARCH RETREAT 3

3 INTRODUCTORY MATERIALS INTRODUCTION TO THE THEME Walker Percy, a Catholic American author, wrote, To become aware of the possibility of a search is to be onto something. Not to be onto something is to be in despair. Most of us are aware that we are onto something because we have hope and find ourselves desiring and asking questions about love, happiness, and purpose. But in a culture that gives us conflicting answers, we may find ourselves lost. It is the Gospel message which personally guides our search for truth. God created each of us intentionally, out of love, and for a purpose. Our hearts search for God and will not be content until united with Him. During this retreat, we will embark on the search for God together. It is easy to look to Google for answers, but only God reaches into our lives and gives us a personal response. GOAL The goal of this retreat is to invite teens into a relationship with God by encouraging them to ask the big questions about the purpose of life and answering them with the Gospel message. BASIS 1 Timothy 2:3-4 John 3:16 Exodus 14:3 CCC 1-2 RETREAT PREPARATION As a planning team, give yourselves plenty of time to pray about and plan this retreat. The retreat will be most effective if the planning process begins at least two to three months in advance. As you plan, stay rooted in prayer and open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Here are some specific things to keep in mind as you begin your planning: As You Get Started. The outline provided in this resource is just a starting point. Add, subtract, and change things according to the needs of the teens that will be attending the retreat. Priests. The Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Eucharist are important parts of this retreat. Make sure to invite your priests well in advance. If possible, have more than one priest available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and a priest, deacon, or Eucharistic Minister to expose the Blessed Sacrament for Adoration. Music Ministry. If possible, have a band present to provide music ministry for the whole weekend. Ask the band that plays at your Life Teen Mass to be part of the retreat, or ask other local musicians. Teen Involvement. As you plan, make sure to involve teens in games, videos, skits, witness talks, etc. In particular, target teens that might not come on the retreat if they are not involved. Advertisement and Invitation. You can plan the best retreat ever, but if no teens come what s the point? Be sure to get the word out about the retreat early. Create and use flyers, bulletin announcements, s, Twitter, and Instagram invitations to get teens excited about the retreat. Make sure that everyone on the Core Team is personally inviting teens to come on retreat at Mass, at Life Night, at schools, wherever teens are! Create a retreat promo video that can be shown at Mass and Life Nights, and then post it on YouTube. Pray. In the end, this is God s retreat and not yours. As soon as teens start signing up, begin praying for the teens by name and for the help and inspiration of the Holy Spirit as you plan. 4 SEARCH RETREAT 5

4 PRAYER PREPARATION As you begin planning the retreat, gather a team of intercessors. Ask this group to pray for the Core Team, teens, and everyone involved with the retreat. As teens sign up, provide the intercessory team with the names of the participants. If possible, have them come on the retreat to pray and intercede during the weekend. SMALL GROUPS The teens will need to be broken into small groups of six to eight teens with one Core Member. It is the role of the small group facilitator to establish trust and honesty within the small group so that the teens will feel comfortable sharing. ENVIRONMENT Throughout the retreat, a giant Google search bar at the front of the room displays the driving question behind each session. The questions, What is love?, What is happiness?, What is the purpose of life?, What is the point of Church?, and What do I do with my life? focus the teens on the particular search addressed in each session. Popular answers to each question are displayed around the room. Create the giant search bar and the rotating questions by having an artistic Core Member draw or paint it on cardboard or poster board. Make it suitable to the size of your space. It should be a prominent centerpiece. Write the questions on separate poster boards so they can be added and removed for the different sessions. If your budget allows, consider purchasing a vinyl banner of the search bar and use velcro to switch out the questions. Check out vistaprint.com, signs.com/banners/, or local graphic design companies to purchase a customized banner. THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION The Sacrament of Reconciliation is introduced in the second session and is available throughout the retreat. Be sure to make a Reconciliation schedule and post it in several prominent locations for teens to reference. Also, consider having sign ups. If a priest is not available to join, ask him to be available to offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation before leaving for the retreat. 6 SEARCH RETREAT 7

5 SAMPLE WEEKEND RETREAT SCHEDULE FRIDAY 5:00 pm Registration 5:30 pm Depart for Retreat Site 7:30 pm Arrive at Retreat Site 8:00 pm SESSION I: Finding Love 9:30 pm Free Time 11:00 pm Lights Out SATURDAY 8:00 am Breakfast 9:00 am SESSION II: Finding Happiness 11:30 am Lunch and Free Time with Confession Available 2:00 pm SESSION III: Finding Purpose 3:30 pm Free Time with Confession Available 4:30 pm Dinner and Free Time 7:00 pm SESSION IV: Finding Community 8:30 pm Free Time with Confession Available 11:00 pm Lights Out SAMPLE DAY RETREAT SCHEDULE SATURDAY 8:00 am Breakfast 9:00 am SESSION I: Finding Love 10:30 am Free Time 11:00 am SESSION II: Finding Happiness 12:30 pm Lunch and Free Time with Confession Available 1:30 pm SESSION III: Finding Purpose 3:00 pm Free Time with Confession Available 4:00 pm SESSION IV: Finding Community 5:30 pm Free Time with Confession Available 7:30 pm SESSION V: Finding Me 9:00 pm Retreat Gift and Dismissal *Adapt as necessary SUNDAY 9:00 am Breakfast 10:00 am SESSION V: Finding Me 11:30 am Lunch 1:00 pm Clean Up and Pack 2:30 pm Depart Retreat Site 4:30 pm Arrive at Parish 5:30 pm Sunday Mass *Adapt as necessary 8 SEARCH RETREAT 9

6 RETREAT PACKING LIST Name tags for each teen and Core Member First-Aid kit and medical/waiver forms for each teen Audio/Visual needs - Sound system - Projector and screen Handouts - The Search - Seek, Know, & Love - Cut and Fill Examination of Conscience - Renewal of Baptismal Promises - Song Suggestions for Retreat Adoration Mass and Adoration Supplies - Lectionary, Missal - Hosts, wine - Altar cloth - Two candles, matches - Small crucifix - Paten, chalice(s) - Small container for water and wine - Purificators - Corporal - Small bowl to wash hands, finger towel - Monstrance - Candles - Lighter Bibles Spiritual reading material for Seek, Know, & Love Activity Pens Large white trash bags Sharpies Map of retreat facility Shutter Shades Poster board Cool whip or canned cheese Large bowl Holy water Mason jars and decorating supplies Tea candles Environment Supplies - Giant Google search bar - Session questions to place in the search bar - Large cross or crucifix for main room - Fake money - Google printouts for each session theme - Small gift boxes - Wrapping paper - Large puzzles Retreat t-shirts and any other retreat gifts 10 SEARCH RETREAT 11

7 GOAL FINDING LOVE GOD IS LOVE SESSION ONE OVERVIEW To introduce the idea that God s love is the origin and destination of the desires of the human heart. KEY CONCEPTS The desire for love is written on our hearts because we are created by love, for love, and to love. Our culture defines love as a feeling, but real love is to give of ourselves and will the good of others. God created us freely out of love and gives us the same freedom to choose Him. ABOUT THIS SESSION The Gather starts the retreat off by having teens search to find their small group leader, luggage, and room. The Proclaim discusses the desire to love and be loved, the many places we search for love, and ultimately, God s infinite love for us. The Break is a small group discussion that dives into the universal search for the answers to life s big questions and challenges the teens to enter into the retreat intentionally. The Send creates a mobile of the teen s hopes and fears when searching for God. MEDIA SUGGESTIONS What is Love, Haddaway (The Album, Artista Records, 1993) I Still Haven t Found What I am Looking For, U2 (The Joshua Tree, Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, 1987) Girls Chase Boys, Ingrid Michaelson (Lights Out, Cabin 24, 2014) KEY TERMS: God Trinity Free Will Love SCRIPTURE: Genesis 1:26-28 Isaiah 43:1 John 17:3 CATECHISM: 1 27 We Found Love in a Hopeless Place, Rihanna and Calvin Harris (Talk That Talk, Def Jam Records, 2011) ArthurVideoSong: Just Dance What is Love Alternativa (youtube.com) Love Won t Let Me Down, Hillsong Young and Free (Love Won t Let Me Down, Hillsong Music Publishing, 2017) The More I Seek You, Kari Jobe (Healing Waters, Pure Worship, 2005) 12 SEARCH RETREAT 13

8 ENVIRONMENT Throughout the retreat, a giant Google search bar at the front of the room displays the driving question behind each session. Consider having an artistic volunteer draw or paint the search bar on poster board or bulletin board paper. Make it suitable to the size of your space. It should be a prominent centerpiece. Write the questions on separate poster board so they can be taped and removed for the different sessions. If the budget allows, consider purchasing a vinyl banner with the search bar and use velcro to switch out the questions. Check out vistaprint. com, signs.com/banners/, or local graphic design companies to purchase a customized banner. For this session, the question What is love? is placed in the search bar. The following popular answers to this question (and their corresponding authors) are displayed around the room. Madness of the gods. (Ancient Greek Thought) Craving for a specific person. (Google) A feeling of strong and constant affection. (Merriam- Webster Dictionary) To will the good of the beloved. (Saint John Paul II, Catholic Thought) Nature s way of tricking people into reproducing. (Urban Dictionary) Print and hang pictures of couples from popular romantic comedy movies. Create a relationship goals wall with quotes and pictures. Search relationship goals on Pinterest or Instagram for ideas. Have Haddaway s song, What Is Love, playing in the background followed by U2 s, I Still Haven t Found What I am Looking For. See Media Suggestions for more song recommendations. SOCIAL MEDIA HASHTAGS #LT_ FindingLove AS YOU GET STARTED To make a game out of the environment, separate the definitions of love from their authors. As teens enter, give them each a pen and paper and instruct them to write down the different definitions of love, the authors, and then match them. For a more personal Proclaim, compile a video of parishioners and teens answering the question, What is love? as well as people at the mall, grocery store, and other public places. Play it at the beginning of the Proclaim. To introduce the Core Members in the Gather, consider having them learn the What is Love? dance and perform it. See Media Suggestions. If there is limited time in the Gather, make one search that leads the small groups to their small group leader, luggage, and cabin assignment. 14 SEARCH RETREAT 15

9 GATHER SESSION ONE: FINDING LOVE Welcome, Introductions, and Rules (15 min) Gather the teens into the main meeting space, welcome them to the retreat, and introduce the Core Members and music ministry team. Review the rules for the weekend specific to the youth group and retreat facility. Search (40 min) Inform the teens that their luggage was misplaced, and they are going to have to search for it and bring it to their assigned room. Explain that there are three steps to the search: 1) search for their small group leader, 2) search for their luggage, 3) search for their assigned room. The Core Members pass out the Word Search found on the January 2018 Life Teen USB and online at lifeteen. com under Life Support: January The name of the teen and his or her small group leader are pre-filled on the top of the handout. Instruct the teens to complete the Word Search and then find their small group leader. Once all the teens are ready, the small group leaders then share with their small group a riddle to find their luggage. For example, if the luggage is hidden under a tree by the water say, It is near something brown, under something green, which is by something blue. Make up a riddle particular to the retreat site. Each small group s luggage is hidden in a different location and has a different riddle. The teens use the riddle to search for and find their luggage. Taped to their luggage is a map to their room assignment. The Core Members instruct the teens to bring their luggage to their room using the map. Once they find their room, they drop off their luggage and meet back in the main meeting space. For detailed instructions on how to prepare this dynamic, read the Search Dynamic Leader Guide, found on the January 2018 Life Teen USB and online at lifeteen.com under Life Support: January PROCLAIM Talk: Finding Love Teaching (10 min) The Proclaim Details can be found on pages 20 to 23. BREAK Small Group Discussion (15 min) Have the teens break into their small groups and search for a small group meeting spot for the duration of the retreat. Once settled, the Core Member opens in prayer and leads the small group discussion using the following questions: To begin, please share your name, school, and favorite activity. Whip Around: What is your favorite social media app? (A whip around question is a question that can be answered in one word or phrase and goes clockwise starting from the leader. The goal is to quickly whip around the circle encouraging every teen to speak when it s his or her turn.) Would you rather search for a gift for your best friend s birthday with ten highly opinionated friends or totally alone? Have you ever searched for something that took a good amount of time and effort? A prom dress? The perfect phone case? What was it, and what was the experience like? If needed, share a personal story to get the discussion going. What are non-physical concepts we search for everyday? Do you think you focus more on loving or being loved? Do you think it is easier to focus on one or the other? Why? Why not? 16 SEARCH RETREAT 17

10 How have you searched for God? How have you seen God search for you? Seek, Know, & Love (10 min) While in small groups, Core Members pass out the Seek, Know, & Love handout, found on the January 2018 Life Teen USB and online at lifeteen.com under Life Support: January Introduce the handout using the following: Wherever you stand right now in your relationship with God, with faith, with His Church, God wants to draw closer to you. He does not want to manipulate or bully you into a relationship with Him, but invites you into relationship with Him. Right now, take some time to quiet your heart and reflect on the different ways you have searched for God in your desire to get to know Him more deeply. The Core Members will be handing out a guide to assist you as you pray. SEND Hopes and Fears (15 min) Flowing out of the journal reflection, instruct the teens to write down on a cardstock cutout of a heart what fears they have encountered while searching for God s love. On the other side of the heart, instruct the teens to write down what they hope to find in their search for God s love. Instruct them that this is anonymous and to avoid writing their name on the heart. The hearts are premade with a small hole at the top of the heart and hemp string tied through the hole. Meanwhile, the Core Members spread throughout the main meeting space each holding two medium sized sticks that are tied together with hemp string. Instruct the teens to find any Core Member and tie their heart to one of the sticks creating a mobile. Use the following to explain the activity: We all have hopes and fears on our search for God. I invite you to let them go and entrust them to God and to your community. When you are ready, find a Core Member and tie your heart to the mobile. The mobiles will then be hung as a reminder that we all have hopes and fears on our search for God. The music minister plays prayerful music during the activity and ends with a song when the teens finish. 18 SEARCH RETREAT 19

11 KEY TERMS FINDING LOVE PROCLAIM DETAILS God: The infinite divine being, one in being, yet three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Trinity: The mystery of one God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Free Will: The power of the will to choose for itself, and to act of itself, without compulsion from within or coercion from without. Love: An action, to will good of another. TEACHING THE SEARCH We are all constantly searching. We search for our classroom on the first day of school. We search for a group of friends or a table to sit at during lunch. We search for a college to attend and a major to pursue. As we get older, we search for a job, the person we will spend the rest of our life with, or maybe the religious order we will join. Share a story about a lengthy search of yours. One of the clearest driving forces behind our search is love. Whether we recognize it or not, a lot of what we do comes from the desire to be loved. We may pretend to like things other people like because we want to be accepted by them. We may diligently practice our sport because we think we will earn our place if we are successful. We may dress provocatively or show off to try to get attention from the opposite gender. We may say, gross to the couples we see on Instagram because deep down we are jealous of what they have. We may even get on dating apps and literally search for matches. Look at the different images from rom coms around the room. They tell the same love story, over and over again two people meet, confront a struggle that threatens to tear them apart, and in the end, overcome all obstacles to be united again. Why do we tell this same story over and over? Because we are created by love, for love, and to love; this story is our story. In the beginning, God created man and woman, and humanity was united with God. Then, humanity made a mistake, disobeyed God, and separated themselves from God. As with every love story, the hope is that there will be a union again in the end. LOVE WAS MADE FOR YOU AND ME 1 John 4:8, CCC 27 Let s take a moment to define love. Look around the room at the different definitions or ideas of love. What do you see? How do you think our culture searches for and defines love? Allow the teens time to answer. So often our definition of love is focused on the way we feel. The friendship or relationship has good vibes. We enjoy each other s company. We want to be around our significant other all the time. However, is that enough? Does this satisfy us long term, or is it only temporary? Our faith tells us that God is love. Our God is a communion of Persons, a communion of love. He is three Persons in one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As the Father gives and receives love from the Son, the Son gives and receives love from the Father. The love shared is the Holy Spirit. God is love. He loves us into being, and He invites us into 20 SEARCH RETREAT 21

12 communion with Him. This is the love for which we search, and this is the love we are to give. 1 John 4:8, Genesis 1:27, CCC 264, 356 Jesus confirms this and tells us that there is no greater love than to give our life for a friend. Like God who gives Himself to His Son and His Son who gives Himself to God and to all of humanity, love must be given. Love is the act of giving ourselves wholly and completely to others. Love requires selflessness as opposed to selfishness. The world see s love as selfishly receiving good feelings. God sees love as a selfless and complete gift of self; Jesus does this perfectly on the cross. Galatians 1:4 When we make the Sign of the Cross, we are reminded that God is love, a trinity of persons, a communion of love, who loves us and gives Himself completely for us. Have the teens slowly make the Sign of the Cross with you. In moments when you question whether or not you are loved, make the Sign of the Cross and remind yourself of the love you are created to be part of. Remind yourself that in your search, no other love satisfies. When you are struggling to love someone, make the Sign of the Cross and ask for strength and grace. You are called to love and those around you are created to be loved. GOD DOESN T BULLY In the same way that God created us freely out of love, He allows us to freely choose to love Him. He gives us free will: the ability to make our own decisions. Real love cannot be forced from someone or taken. Unfortunately, many of us have been hurt by others. People fail us. They make mistakes and let us down. They may use us for their own benefit. It makes it hard to trust when we experience our friends talking about us behind our backs or see our parents marriage end in divorce. Have you ever had someone say, Well, if you really love me you would... or If you are really my friend, you would...? When we experience these things, it can taint our understanding of love. The reality is that we have a God who does not force us to love Him or manipulate us into loving Him. He loves us freely and wants us to love Him freely. His love is there for you to search for and choose, but He does not and will not force it upon you. During this retreat, we are going to spend time asking the big questions about life. What is love? What is happiness? What is the purpose of life and what specifically am I supposed to do with mine? And in all of that, what roles do God and the Church play? We will look at what the world teaches and what God teaches. I invite you to personally ask these questions and search for answers. What is love? God is love and we were created to live in His love. Our desire for acceptance is a desire for God. Our desire for athletic success is a desire for God. Our desire for friendships, a relationship, is a desire for God. Be not afraid to search for Him and ask life s big questions. He wants to meet you in your desire and your questions. Let the search begin. 22 SEARCH RETREAT 23

13 FINDING LOVE: God Is Love CORE TEAM OVERVIEW GOAL: To introduce the idea that God s love is the origin and destination of the desires of the human heart. GATHER (55 MIN): Welcome, Introductions, and Rules: Search: PROCLAIM (10 MIN): Finding Love Teaching: BREAK (25 MIN): Small Group Discussion: To begin, please share your name, school, and favorite activity. Whip Around: What is your favorite social media app? (A whip around question is a question that can be answered in one word or phrase and goes clockwise starting from the leader. The goal is to quickly whip around the circle encouraging every teen to speak when it s his or her turn.) Would you rather search for a gift for your best friend s birthday with ten highly opinionated friends or totally alone? Have you ever searched for something that took a good amount of time and effort? A prom dress? The perfect phone case? What was it, and what was the experience like? If needed, share a personal story to get the discussion going. What are non-physical concepts we search for everyday? Do you think you focus more on loving or being loved? Do you think it is easier to focus on one or the other? Why? Why not? How have you searched for God? How have you seen God search for you? Seek, Know, & Love: SEND (15 MIN): Hopes and Fears: 24 SEARCH RETREAT 25

14 GOAL SESSION TWO OVERVIEW FINDING HAPPINESS SIN AS DISTORTED HAPPINESS AND JESUS AS REDEEMER To uncover the illusion of happiness that sin offers and explore the depth of happiness found in God s love and redemption in Jesus. KEY CONCEPTS Our experiences of happiness are meant to draw us to God and give us glimpses of eternal happiness with Him in heaven. When the search for happiness becomes our focus and a replacement for God, we can can fall into sin. Through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God offers us the grace to seek the true happiness for which our hearts long. KEY TERMS: Sin Jesus Christ Conversion Happiness SCRIPTURE: Genesis 3:8-9 Matthew 13:22 John 15:10-11 Romans 6:23 CATECHISM: ABOUT THIS SESSION The Gather is a competition that requires the completion of a task with distorted vision. The Proclaim discusses our desire for happiness and sin as a distorted version of happiness. In the Break and Send, the teens are given the opportunity to examine their conscience and participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. MEDIA SUGGESTIONS Happy, Pharrell Williams (Happy, Columbia Records, 2013) Cheap Thrills, Sia (This is Acting, RCA Records, 2016) Life Teen: Heartbeat Dreams (Edge Video Support: November 2016) Love Came Down, Kari Jobe (Where I Find You, Sparrow Records, 2012) Interdreamer: 3 HOURS Healing Gregorian Chant 432Hz I Benedictus (youtube.com) ENVIRONMENT Throughout the retreat, a giant Google search bar at the front of the room displays the driving question behind each session. The question What is happiness? is placed in the search bar. The following popular answers to this question (and their corresponding authors) are displayed around the room. A state of well-being and contentment. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) The joy we feel when striving after our potential. (Ancient Greek Thought) A small metal hinged box with pointy edges, wrapped with barbed-wire and hidden in a dark room full of electric eels, razorblades, piles of salt crystals with fans behind them and random pools of lemon juice. (Urban Dictionary) 26 SEARCH RETREAT 27

15 The state of activity. (Aristotle) Being satisfied from within. (Dr. Tsabary, Psychologist and Author) Print and hang images of fancy cars, the newest technology, the latest clothing trends, couples in love, friends enjoying time together, etc. Have Pharrell Williams Happy playing in the background followed by Sia s Cheap Thrills. SOCIAL MEDIA HASHTAGS #LT_FindingHappiness AS YOU GET STARTED To make a game out of the Environment, separate the definitions of happiness from their authors. As teens enter, give them each a pen and paper and instruct them write down the different definitions of happiness, the authors, and then match them. For a more personal Proclaim, compile a video of parishioners and teens answering the question, What is happiness? as well as people at the mall, grocery store, and other public places. Play it at the beginning of the Proclaim. 28 SEARCH RETREAT 29

16 GATHER SESSION TWO: FINDING HAPPINESS Distorted Vision (15 min) Gather the teens in the main meeting space. Ask for four volunteers to come to the front of the main meeting space. Give each volunteer a pair of glasses that distorts their vision. Consider purchasing shutter shades from orientaltrading.com or amazon.com. Give each teen a poster board with Seek the Lord written lightly in pencil on it and a can of whipped cream. Explain that they will have one minute to trace the saying with whipped cream as neatly as possible and then sign their name. The teen that writes the clearest wins. Praise and Worship (10 min) The music minister invites the teens to stand and leads them in praise and worship. PROCLAIM Finding Happiness Teaching (15 min) The Proclaim Details can be found on pages 32 to 35. BREAK & SEND Cut and Fill (50 min) Have the Core Members distribute the Cut and Fill Examination of Conscience handout found on the January 2018 Life Teen USB and online at lifeteen.com under Life Support: January Instruct the teens to spread out around the room and find a place separate from friends to quietly pray through the Examination of Conscience. Encourage them to take their time, and when they are ready, to go to the indicated area to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Once they have celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation, instruct the teens to use the other side of the Cut and Fill Examination of Conscience handout to reflect on how they can cut out negative behaviors and fill up with positive behaviors. Have the music minister play instrumental music and then move into songs focused on mercy and freedom. 30 SEARCH RETREAT 31

17 KEY TERMS FINDING HAPPINESS PROCLAIM DETAILS Sin: An offense against God as well as a fault against reason, truth, and right conscience. Jesus Christ: The eternal Son of God, who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered crucifixion and death, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, and will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. Jesus name in Hebrew mean, God saves. Conversion: A radical reorientation of the whole life away from sin and evil, and toward God. Happiness: Joy and beatitude over receiving the fulfillment of our vocation as creatures: a sharing in the divine nature and the vision of God. TEACHING THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS What makes you happy? Seriously, take a moment to consider the last thing that happened in your life that made you happy. Did you get a new iphone? Were you hanging out with your friends? Were you telling people about a new relationship? Maybe you received a good grade on a test, impressed your parents with the winning touchdown, or were asked to prom by that cute crush you sit behind in class. If I search for a Pinterest board titled happiness or pulled up #happiness on Instagram, what would I find? Delicious food, smiling faces, little kids playing, travels around the world, and perfectly decorated homes? All of these things offer us moments of happiness and can put a smile on our face, but are they really enough? Can they keep our attention for an extended period of time? How long after getting the new iphone are we ready for the next one to come out? Our experiences of happiness, as fleeting as they are, serve a purpose: they are tastes of the eternal happiness we will have with God in heaven. When we make our parents proud, spend time with a good friend, achieve something we have worked extremely hard for, or even eat an amazing meal, we experience moments of happiness. Once these moments pass, we must remind ourselves of our destiny, of heaven, where happiness is no longer fleeting, but eternal. CCC 27, 358, 1718 In the Psalms, we are invited to actually taste and see the goodness of the Lord. Project and read Psalm 34:8. Psalm 34:8 Consider playing Heartbeat Dreams found in the Media Suggestions. DISTORTED VISION Often times we want to cling to the pleasure or happiness that something in our life gives us. It becomes our focus, our god. Instead of focusing on God and the goodness He intends for us, we focus on the partying, drinking, hooking up, etc. Soon, the things that are meant to draw us closer to God, are overindulged in, distorted, and become replacements for Him. Our vision can get distorted. Desiring a relationship, desiring to love and be loved, is a good desire; it comes from God. However, we can obsess over our significant other and even compromise our purity, thinking it is good because our vision of what is good has been twisted. Desiring friendships, 32 SEARCH RETREAT 33

18 acceptance, and community is a good desire; it comes from God. However, when our life becomes centered around drinking and partying, our vision of good gets twisted. This desire no longer leads to God and His goodness, but to sin and darkness. What we seek in sin is a twisted version of what our hearts are really searching for. From the beginning, Satan desired to separate humanity from God. He works actively to present many options that divert our attention and work against God s will for our lives. However, he cannot reign over or defeat God, and he cannot create. He can only take what God creates and deform it. When we party, we grasp at true fellowship and community, but fall short. When we push the boundaries with our significant other, we grasp at true love, but fall short. CCC 394, 395, Genesis 2, 3:4-6 The good news is that God does not abandon us when we are lost on our search; He always provides a way for us to find what we are really looking for. He sends His Son, Jesus, to tell us to repent and believe, to turn back to God. He convicts us of our sin, our actions that lead to distorted versions of happiness, and gives us a way out, a new start. And that new start is life in Christ. Through the life, Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus, God became man, died on the cross, and redeemed us. Through the cross, we have a way to true and eternal happiness. Ephesians 1:7, CCC 55 Have a Core Member or teen leader share a testimony about turning away from sin and finding true happiness in Jesus. CUT AND FILL If we want to turn away from sin and reorient our lives to Jesus, we must be willing to stop clinging to the distorted pleasures of the world and instead, search for contentment in Jesus. We must cut out of our lives what is unhealthy, and in turn, fill ourselves with what is good and leads us back to Jesus. Turning away from sin, and the habits of vice we have formed, takes time; it does not happen all at once. Every day we choose to live as God s son or daughter is a day we journey closer to Him. If a man has unhealthy habits, like eating tons of junk food while sitting in front of the TV all day, he doesn t just decide to become healthy and do so overnight. No, it takes time. At first, he cuts down on time spent watching TV and adds a walk. Then, he throws out all the sugary foods and potato chips, and buys Lean Cuisine meals. Next, instead of Lean Cuisines, he buys groceries and cooks a healthy balanced meal. Soon, he begins working out at a gym. Over time, he becomes healthier and healthier. We too must apply this same line of thinking to our journey toward holiness. We must cut out sin and fill ourselves with Jesus. We must cut out toxic relationships and add a relationship with God. We may even cut 30 minutes of social media before bed and fill that time with a daily Examination of Conscience. We can cut gossip and fill our conversations with affirmation. We can cut immodesty and decide to receive our value and identity as sons and daughters of God. As we fill our lives with good and healthy habits, we find that the old, bad habits and sins become less attractive. Through these practices, we will know more clearly the true happiness we are searching for and become unwilling to settle for anything less. CCC SEARCH RETREAT 35

19 CORE TEAM OVERVIEW FINDING HAPPINESS: Sin as Distorted Happiness and Jesus as Redeemer GOAL: To uncover the illusion of happiness that sin offers and explore the depth of happiness found in God s love and redemption in Jesus. GATHER (25 MIN): Distorted Vision: Praise and Worship: PROCLAIM (15 MIN): Finding Happiness Teaching: BREAK & SEND (50 MIN): Cut and Fill: 36 SEARCH RETREAT 37

20 GOAL SESSION THREE OVERVIEW FINDING PURPOSE KNOW, LOVE, AND SERVE GOD To give teens the opportunity to reflect on the purpose of life and point them to knowing, loving, and serving the Lord through the grace of Baptism. KEY CONCEPTS Our purpose is to know, love, and serve God. Throughout the Old Testament, God draws His people out of darkness and into the light of His divine life and mission. In Baptism, we receive the grace to live out the redemption offered to us by Jesus on the cross. KEY TERMS: Divine Life Baptism SCRIPTURE: John 3:16 Ephesians 1: Timothy 2:5-6 CATECHISM: ABOUT THIS SESSION The Gather splits the teens into pairs and has them maintain a conversation using only questions. The Proclaim explores our purpose in life as knowing, loving, and serving God, which is made possible through the grace of redemption offered in Baptism. The Break leads the teens in a small group discussion about living for Jesus, which leads into a renewal of baptismal promises in the Send. MEDIA SUGGESTIONS What Do You Mean, Justin Bieber (Purpose, Def Jam Records, 2015) itsklife: Toddler Asking Why?! (youtube.com) Great Are You Lord, All Sons & Daughters (Live, Integrity Music, 2013) ENVIRONMENT Throughout the retreat, a giant Google search bar at the front of the room displays the driving question behind each session. The question, What is the purpose of life? is placed in the search bar. The following popular answers to this question (and their corresponding authors) are displayed around the room. To be happy. (The Dalai Lama) To attain the highest form of knowledge. (Plato) Freedom from suffering through harmony with the universe. (Stoicism) There is no meaning or purpose of life. (Nihilism, Nietzche) Know God, love God, serve God. (Christianity) Be mindful of what causes well-being and ill-being. Work to end ill-being. (Buddhism) SOCIAL MEDIA HASHTAGS #LT_ FindingPurpose 38 SEARCH RETREAT 39

21 AS YOU GET STARTED To make a game of the Environment, separate the answers to What is the purpose of life? from their authors. As teens enter, give them each a pen and paper and instruct them to write down the different purposes of life, the authors, and then match them. For an upfront Gather, have one volunteer from each small group come forward and compete tournament style until one teen is declared the winner. For a more personal Proclaim, compile a video of parishioners and teens answering the question, What is the purpose of life? as well as people at the mall, grocery store, and other public places. Play it at the beginning of the Proclaim. For a Send with a larger group, consider having the Core Members fill the small bowls with holy water at the base of the cross at the beginning of the Send. Core Members spread out in the front of the room and teens form multiple lines to bless themselves with the holy water after the renewal of baptismal promises. 40 SEARCH RETREAT 41

22 GATHER SESSION THREE: FINDING PURPOSE 20 Million Questions (15 min) Gather the teens into the main meeting space. Ask teens to pair off and face each other. Instruct them to maintain a dialogue as long as possible only using questions. The first teen asks a question and the second teen responds with a question. If a teen hesitates or uses a statement, he or she loses and must sit down. Have the winners from each round find each other and keep competing until there is only one winner left, or as long as time allows. Praise and Worship (10 min) The music minister invites the teens to stand and leads them in praise and worship. PROCLAIM Finding Purpose Teaching (15 min) The Proclaim Details can be found on pages 46 to 50. BREAK Small Group Discussion (15 min) Have the teens meet their small groups at their meeting spot established at the beginning of the retreat. The Core Member opens in prayer and leads the small group discussion using the following questions: Whip Around: What is your favorite Instagram or SnapChat filter? (A whip around question is a question that can be answered in one word or phrase and goes clockwise starting from a leader. The goal is to quickly whip around the circle encouraging every teen to speak when it s his or her turn.) Whip Around: What is one subject or skill you have to learn in school that you don t know the purpose of? Do you know when you were baptized? Were you a baby or a little bit older? What stories have you heard about your baptism? What is one of the most important things in your life right now? Do other people know it is important to you? How? Is it challenging to be a Catholic Christian? When have you felt it is most challenging? In what ways do you live differently as a baptized Christian? In what ways would you like to start living differently? Do you think about the purpose behind what you do? In what ways? Light (20 min) While in small groups, give each teen a small mason jar and tea light candle or electric tea light candle. Instruct the teens to decorate the mason jar in a way that reminds them of their purpose as a follower of Jesus. Provide basic materials such as glue, river pebbles, hemp string, lace, faux leaves, etc. Search DIY jar candle holders on Pinterest for examples. Once they are finished, close using the following: Light is a powerful symbol in our faith. At your baptism, you received a candle which was lit as a sign of the light that enters into our lives through the Sacrament of Baptism. Jesus not only shines light into the darkness of our lives, but also calls us to bring that light into the world, into the darkness that others may be facing. The candle you are given now can serve as a reminder of your purpose to know, love, and serve God and to lead others in their own search for meaning and purpose. Encourage the teens to take the candle home and put it in a place where they often pray or where they would like to pray. Use it to create a sacred space and light it during times of prayer. 42 SEARCH RETREAT 43

23 SEND Renewal of Baptismal Promises (15 min) Gather the teens into the main meeting space. Have the music minister transition into a time of prayer with soft instrumental music. Instruct the teens using the following: Every year during the Easter Vigil Mass, (the evening before Easter Sunday) we renew our baptismal promises. For most of us, these promises were initially made for us by our parents. The life of a baptized Christian is an incredible one, but it comes with challenges that can make us lose sight of our purpose. Right now, we are going to renew the promises made at our baptism and then, you are invited to come forward to bless yourself with the holy water at the base of the cross. Allow this time of prayer to be a time to refocus on your purpose in life: to know, love, and serve God, who knows all the desires of your heart and longs to fulfill them. Using the Renewal of Baptismal Promises handout found on the January 2018 Life Teen USB and online at lifeteen. com under Life Support January 2018, the youth minister or priest guides the teens through the prayer and then blesses himself or herself with holy water. Core Members follow suit. Allow enough time for all teens to do the same. Conclude with the Glory Be or Our Father. Challenge the teens to find out the date of their baptism and renew their baptismal promises every year on that date. 44 SEARCH RETREAT 45

24 TEACHING FINDING PURPOSE PROCLAIM DETAILS Baptism: The first and chief sacrament, which offers forgiveness of sins because it unites us with Christ, who died for our sins and rose for our justification. Divine Friendship: The state of grace by which a person is loved by God, becomes an heir of heaven, and loves God by sincerely doing His divine will. TEACHING WHY, WHY, WHY? Consider playing the first 45 seconds of Toddlers Asking Why?! found in the Media Suggestions. Little kids are notorious for asking, Why? Hopefully we, as teens and adults, still ask this question. Sometimes we stop asking because we don t want to be seen as stupid or be embarrassed. But, the question, Why? can make a big impact on what we consider important and worth our time. Why do we need to know how to do that math problem? Why do we need to do that science project? Some of us are content with the reason being to receive an A, but others want a deeper reason or application. They want to know, What s the point? or What s the purpose? Sometimes, we may even find ourselves asking, What s the purpose of life? or, What am I living for? If you ve ever encountered someone who feels like life has no purpose, they can be a real mood killer and have no motivation to do anything. On the other hand, when people find purpose in life, they recognize a unique peace and joy in the way they live. They have hope and confidence, and make decisions that are intentional. They have a reason to persevere when things get tough, and no SnapChat or Instagram filter can do justice to the vibrancy of the world around them. The world tells us conflicting messages about the purpose of life. Some say it s to do whatever makes you happy or whatever you feel like doing. Some say serve others. Some say there is no purpose. We also see people who think it means dominating everything around them or gaining as much wealth and power as possible. Many people think we just need to strive to be a good person. God s message about the purpose of life, though, is much greater than any of these He desires for us to enter into His divine friendship, an intimate relationship filled with life and love. FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT Throughout the Old Testament, we hear story after story of God s people searching for purpose and intimacy with Him. From the moment Adam and Eve lose sight of God and sin, He immediately goes to work in order to reveal, again, the purpose of life. He slowly reveals Himself again, acclimating the people to His presence, and teaching them what it means to be His people. Hebrews 1:1 God establishes covenants with Noah and Abraham. He begins to form His people as a nation. He reveals His name and law through Moses. He gives them a king, and through the prophets, prepares their hearts for the ultimate King. Over the years, as Israel searches for purpose, God does all He can to show them the way to know Him and live for Him. There is a lot of confusion, frustration, wandering, and feeling lost in between, but God s people always continue the search. Genesis 9:9-10, 15:5, Exodus 3:14, 20, 1 Samuel 8:22 46 SEARCH RETREAT 47

25 Some of you may be wondering, Why would God have to acclimate us to His presence? Let s set the scene. You are in your living room with your family. The most recent Amazon Prime release is playing, and all the lights are off. As the credits roll, someone gets up and suddenly flips on the lights. What s your typical response? Allow the teens time to respond by shielding their eyes, burying their heads, or shouting in pain. In Scripture, we hear that God dwells in unapproachable light. When our eyes have been in darkness and not had time to adjust, light is painful. The brighter the light, the less likely we are to even try to look at it. God wants us in His presence. He wants us to know love, happiness, and purpose. So, He reveals Himself slowly and in stages until, through Jesus, He is fully revealed. As we search for Him, He acclimates the eyes of our soul. God calls us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. BAPTISM 1 Timothy 6:16, CCC 52, Peter 2:9 We all have moments of darkness, and at times, lack purpose in our lives. Sometimes, we feel lost and aimless. Like Israel, we are all searching for purpose and light in the darkness of daily struggles. We want purpose for our life, purpose that gets us up out of bed in the morning, purpose that makes life a wild adventure. In Baptism, we are given that purpose. We are given sanctifying grace, which makes us adopted sons and daughters of God. In Baptism, we experience the security of being loved and learn the joy of loving. We know who we are, whose we are, and where we are going. CCC 1129, 1265, Romans 8:28 A symbol we use in Baptism is water. One of the first and last things we do when we walk into a church is bless ourselves with holy water. Holy water serves as a reminder of our baptism. Many of us, though, have been doing it since we were old enough to reach the font and give it very little thought; it is just a habit. Although a great habit, it is meant to serve as so much more than just a motion we go through. It is meant to remind us of our identity and purpose. Through the waters of baptism, we are sons and daughters of God, who have a reason for the way we interact with the world around us. Every time your hand hits that water, you should remind yourself that your life has purpose and living that purpose will be the greatest adventure you can ask for. AN ETERNAL PURPOSE So often, we search for purpose in life based on what we can see around us, like fame, money, and the maximum fun possible. When we choose a purpose strictly based on what we can achieve in the world, we severely limit ourselves. The goals of the world end with death, but God s ultimate purpose for us is eternal life. He wants us to live a life with Him and that life with Him does not begin once we die, it begins now. As a child of God, we make specific choices. Everything we choose either leads us closer to a life with God or further away. Scripture tells us that we cannot serve two masters. The friendships we foster, the media we consume, the things we consider important, all of these not only reflect the purpose for which we live, but for whom we choose to live. What we choose to live for now is what we will live for in eternity. Who we serve now is who we will serve in eternity. Ephesians 5:8-9, Matthew 6:24 Sometimes it s difficult to be aware of what we believe is the purpose of life. Sometimes we might think it s God, but it s not. What goes through your mind when you make a decision? Is it, Will this be fun? Will this make me happy? Is this worth my time? Or is it, Does God want me to do this? Would this make God happy? Would this build God s Kingdom? Often, we find that it s the former not the latter. Try to include these questions seeking God s will in your decision making and then be aware of what living in the abundance of God is really like. John 10:10 48 SEARCH RETREAT 49