EX TENEBRIS LUX A LIFE NIGHT SERIES ON SCRIPTURE ABOUT THIS SERIES IMPORTANT DETAILS ABOUT THIS SERIES

Transcription

1 1 EX TENEBRIS LUX 1

2 SERIES EX TENEBRIS LUX A LIFE NIGHT SERIES ON SCRIPTURE CONTENT 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. ABOUT THIS SERIES IMPORTANT DETAILS ABOUT THIS SERIES SHATTERING NIGHT A LIFE NIGHT ON GOD S SELF-REVELATION (Pg. 4) (Pg. 10) 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, Allison Duetermann, Jason Theobald Design: David Calavitta Copy Edit: Colleen Stepanek, Joel Stepanek Hispanic Inculturation Team: Esme de la Rosa, Stephanie and Chilo Salinas, Chris Martinez 2017 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 CARRY THE FIRE A LIFE NIGHT ON HOW THE CHURCH PROTECTS SCRIPTURE (Pg. 26) ILLUMINATION A LIFE NIGHT ON GOD S PROMISE THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE (Pg. 44) TRIUMPHANT LIGHT A LIFE NIGHT ON JESUS IN SCRIPTURE (Pg. 60) 2 EX TENEBRIS LUX 3

3 ABOUT THIS SERIES ABOUT THIS SERIES God chooses to reveal Himself to His people, and His revelation is recorded in Sacred Scripture so that all can come to know Him. Ultimately, God reveals Himself in His Son, Jesus Christ. God, who dwells in unapproachable light, shatters our darkness and brings us into His light. This series unpacks the inspiration and development of Sacred Scripture and how God continues to make Himself known to us today. It equips and empowers teens to encounter Jesus and live in the light through the Word of God. STRUCTURE AND METHOD Ex Tenebris Lux is a four-part series and is best used if the Life Nights are executed in order. If this is the first programming of your semester, implement a Social or Kick-Off Life Night before beginning. The Life Nights in this series easily flow from one to the next. However, if you would like to take a certain topic further, you can either schedule an additional mid-week Life Night or add a Life Night to the series itself. Between Ex Tenebris Lux and the next Life Night Series or Curriculum Guide, offer a Social Life Night to add variety. CORE PREPARATION Reading and encountering God in Scripture changes you. Core Members will most effectively teach a life of prayerful Scripture reflection if they are first living it themselves. One of the most popular ways to pray with Scripture is through a process called lectio divina. Challenge the Core Members to practice lectio divina with the daily readings so that they can be living witnesses to the grace of prayerfully reading Scripture. A Lectio Divina Handout can be found on the Life Teen May 2017 USB and online at LifeTeen.com under Life Support: May INTRODUCTORY MATERIAL Each Life Night begins with a Goal, Key Concepts, Key Terms, and Scripture and Catechism references. These sections work together to provide an overview of the content and themes of the Life Night. ABOUT THIS LIFE NIGHT About This Life Night briefly describes the Gather, Proclaim, Break and Send. It provides a step-by-step framework for the Life Night. ENVIRONMENT The environment section offers ideas on how to create a meeting space that supports the content and main themes of the Life Night. Not only can the environment be part of the evangelization and catechetical process, but also the effort and creativity put into it can make the teens feel valued and welcomed. MEDIA SUGGESTIONS Media Suggestions provides music and video clip suggestions that creatively support the content and main themes of the Life Nights. While planning, take a look at the media suggestions and consider weaving a video clip or song into the Life Night. Media communicates with our hearts and minds in a unique, powerful way especially the hearts and minds of teenagers. FLOCKNOTE For those parishes that also subscribe to Flocknote, Parent Updates and text messages are loaded into the interface. Simply log in to schedule and send these communications. Find more information about subscribing to Flocknote at flocknote.com. AS YOU GET STARTED As You Get Started offers adaptations to keep in mind as you read through and plan the Life Night. 4 EX TENEBRIS LUX 5

4 HISPANIC INCULTURATION Across the United States, the Hispanic population in Catholic parishes is large and growing. According to the National Study of Catholic Parishes with Hispanic Ministry, 38 to 40 percent of adult Catholics self-identify as Hispanic. Additionally, Hispanics account for 71 percent of growth of the Catholic population in the United States since According to the USCCB s survey on the Hispanics in the United States and the Catholic Church, 54 percent of Catholic Millennials (those born in 1982 or later) are Hispanic. To meet this growing need, Life Teen has added a Hispanic Inculturation section to Life Nights. This section was developed by a group of dedicated youth ministers who serve at largely Hispanic parishes throughout the United States and Mexico. We recognize that not all Hispanic communities are the same. It is our hope that this section assists youth ministers in adapting to the needs of their specific community by providing insight into the Hispanic culture. PROCLAIM In this series, you will find two versions of the Proclaim for each Life Night. The Proclaim Outline lays out the key terms and main points quickly so the person giving the Proclaim can expand upon them with their own insight and ideas. The Proclaim Details offers a more robust version of the teaching with examples, ideas for a personal testimony, and suggested expansion on the key points. Use them both to help write a Proclaim that fits your youth group and local community. SMALL GROUPS In order to hold the teens accountable in attending all the Life Nights in the series and to build a sense of trust and community, it is recommended to break teens into small groups on the first Life Night of the series and to have them stay with those groups through the duration of the series. This will allow for deeper conversations and a greater sense of openness among the teens. Do your best to have the same Core Members leading the same small groups at each Life Night. This will lead to greater trust and deeper small group discussions. HANDOUTS All the handouts for Life Nights are on the May 2017 Life Teen USB and online at under Life Support: May The handouts are formatted for you to easily print and copy on standard letter-size paper. Please be diligent in accessing and looking these over while planning the Life Nights. SOCIAL MEDIA RECAP AND PACKAGE The Social Media Recap and Package provides Instagram images, hashtags, and tweets that both you and your teens can use to engage social media throughout the week. They recap the main themes and remind teens of the important aspects of the Life Night. Find these at the beginning of every Life Night and on the May 2017 Life Teen USB. PARENT UPDATE The Parent Update contains Content Overview and Conversation Starters for each Life Night. The Parent Update not only includes and equips the parents in the formation and catechesis of their teens, but also provides them with an opportunity for ongoing conversion and catechesis. The Parent Update can be ed in advance or after a Life Night. It can also be handed out at the end of a Life Night. Consider having Core Members at the doors and in the parking lot during pick up passing out Parent Updates and looking out for the safety of the teens. The Parent Update is available in both English and Spanish. If you have a bilingual community, we recommend double side printing the Parent Update in both English and 6 EX TENEBRIS LUX 7

5 Spanish. Teens, and sometimes even Core Members, have the tendency to grab any handout, not necessarily the right handout. We want the right handout to get in the hands of parents. Also, if the word gets out in your community that you are handing out bilingual materials the Spanish speaking community will feel more welcomed and encouraged to become involved. USCCB FRAMEWORK For parishes using the USCCB framework for high school catechesis, this series will work with your Scripture semester. Notes: 8 EX TENEBRIS LUX 9

6 GOAL LIFE NIGHT OVERVIEW SHATTERING NIGHT A LIFE NIGHT ON GOD S SELF-REVELATION The goal of this Life Night is to introduce teens to God, who chooses to reveal Himself to us, and to encourage teens to get to know God better by reading His Word. KEY CONCEPTS God chooses to reveal Himself to His people. This has happened throughout salvation history to Adam, Abraham, Moses, and many others, is recorded in Sacred Scripture, and is called divine revelation. Ultimately, God reveals Himself in His Son, Jesus Christ. God becomes man, takes on our sin and suffering, and redeems us. God, who dwells in unapproachable light, shatters our darkness and brings us into His light. Jesus is the Word of God, and He is alive in Scripture. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, our hearts can burn within us when we read Scripture. KEY TERMS: Divine Revelation Inerrant Sacred Scripture SCRIPTURE: Luke 24:32 1 Timothy 6:16 2 Timothy 3:16 Hebrews 4:12 1 Peter 2:9 CATECHISM: CCC CCC CCC ABOUT THIS LIFE NIGHT In the Gather, song lyrics and Scripture verses collide in an interactive video. The Proclaim introduces the series by explaining that Scripture is a record of God s self-revelation that God continues to use to make Himself known to us today. Teens personally reflect on God s Word during the Break by praying lectio divina and make a resolution based off their lectio divina in the Send. ENVIRONMENT Create a theatre experience in your main meeting space. Set up a stage with lights, a microphone, and a podium. Put out chairs. Dim the lights over the audience. For the Gather, have no lights on the stage except for one light shining through a large sheet of shattered glass. Go to your local home improvement store to purchase the glass. Play contemporary songs that have a darker tone in the background. Use the music to transition into the interactive video found in the Gather. For the Proclaim, turn on the stage lights or house lights so the presenter can be seen. MEDIA SUGGESTIONS The Book or Kanye, Life Teen Video Support May 2017 (LifeTeen.com) Ascension Presents: Ways to Read the Bible (youtube.com) Spirit Speaks, All Sons & Daughters (Season One, 2012, Integrity Music) You Speak, Audrey Assad (Fortunate Fall, 2013, Fortunate Fall Records) Zombieblizzed2: Shattering Glass Intro (Test) (youtube.com) 10 EX TENEBRIS LUX 11

7 SOCIAL MEDIA HASHTAGS: #LT_ShatteringNight #GodsTBH AS YOU GET STARTED... To integrate and introduce other Life Teen resources, use the following Sunday s Summit session and pray through the following Sunday s Ascend reflection for the Break or Send. This would also be a great time to start Summit small groups. For a more liturgical Send, create your own handout or PowerPoint with psalms, antiphon, or readings that match the current cycle or feast day. You can find the Liturgy of the Hours online at or download the app, ibreviary. HISPANIC INCULTURATION By Chilo and Stephanie Salinas God revealed Himself to Moses by revealing His name. Our names are part of our identity, they reveal our history and make us proud to be a part of that history. I am a (insert last name). Our names tell us where we come from and how we do things. Hispanics often have two last names. Likely, there is a story about whose name they have and why. Challenge the teens to go home and ask their parents the story behind their last name and their parents last names. The teens will learn more about themselves and their parents, just like we all learn more about God through His name. Notes: 12 EX TENEBRIS LUX 13

8 GATHER LIFE NIGHT: SHATTERING NIGHT Welcome and Prayer (5 min) Gather the teens into the main meeting space, welcome them to the Life Night, and begin in prayer. Invite teens that are at the Life Night for the first time to stand and ask them a few introductory questions. Encourage the rest of the group to welcome them with snaps, claps, or some other interesting applause. The Book or Kanye? (5 min) Play The Book or Kanye found on the Life Teen May 2017 USB or online at LifeTeen.com under Life Support: May This interactive video asks teens to guess whether a certain quote is from Sacred Scripture or pop culture. PROCLAIM Shattering Night Teaching (15 min) The Proclaim Outline and Proclaim Details are found on pages 17 to 23. BREAK Lectio Divina (30 min) This prayer activity walks the teens through a lectio divina on Luke 24:13-35, The Walk to Emmaus. The Lectio Divina Handout can be found on the Life Teen May 2017 USB or online at LifeTeen.com under Life Support: May Have the Core Members pass out the handout and pens to the teens. Now, we are going to have the opportunity to reflect on God s word and allow God to reveal Himself to us. The handout you ve received walks through lectio divina. As you can see, lectio divina has four elements. The first one is lectio or reading. I will read the Scripture passage slowly one time. I encourage you to listen, close your eyes, and picture the scene. Then you will have a few minutes to read the Scripture passage on your own. Read the passage slowly. If a certain section strikes you, pause with that section. Use a pen to underline, star it, or make a note. You don t need to rush. Give God the space to speak. After the lectio portion, I ll announce each of the other sections, but you will follow the instructions on the handout on your own in silence. Then, lead an extemporaneous prayer inviting the Holy Spirit into this time of prayer. Give the teens about five minutes for each element: lectio, meditatio, oratio, and contemplatio. At each transition point, simply say, Now we ll move into, naming the next step. At the end of contemplatio, close with a brief prayer thanking God for His revelation to us through Scripture. Small Group Discussion (15 min) Instruct the teens to get into their small groups and discuss the prayer experience using the questions provided below: Which part of the Scripture passage struck you? Why? How did you reflect on it further? What do you think God was saying to you through this Scripture passage? Instruct the teens to spread out, staying in the same vicinity but having at least an arm span of space between themselves and the next person. Then use the following to introduce lectio divina: 14 EX TENEBRIS LUX 15

9 SEND Scripture Resolutions (10 min) During the last few minutes of the Life Night, encourage the teens to make a personal resolution based on their lectio divina. Share the following with the teens: Like the men on the road to Emmaus, encountering Jesus changes us. The men could not continue the way they were going. They turned the opposite direction and returned to Jerusalem. We, too, may be called to a new direction or deeper in our faith every time we pray. Have your music minister play an instrumental song or play one of the songs from the Media Suggestions while the teens reflect on their lectio divina and choose one specific, concrete resolution for the week. When they are ready, instruct them to come to the piece of shattered glass in the front of the main meeting space, pick up a notecard, and write down their resolution. Encourage them to take the notecard home with them and tape it to the wall beside their bed so they remember their resolution every morning and night. Notes: KEY TERMS SHATTERING NIGHT PROCLAIM OUTLINE Divine Revelation: God s communication of Himself, by which He makes known the mystery of His divine plan, a gift of self-communication, which is realized over time, and most fully by sending us His own Son, Jesus Christ. Inerrant: The absence of error in matters of truth. Commonly applied to the Bible as the revealed Word of God. Sacred Scripture: The sacred writings of the Old and New Testaments. TEACHING POINTS GOD REVEALS HIMSELF The song lyrics and the Scripture verses were more difficult to tell apart than we expected. Words can move us in many ways. When we read Scripture, we can feel understood, supported, and encouraged. We also get a glimpse into the Author s heart God s heart who He is, and what He desires. God chooses to reveal Himself to His people. This has happened throughout salvation history, is recorded in Sacred Scripture, and is called divine revelation. God creates the world and places Adam and Eve in the garden with Him. He calls Abraham to begin the family that will become a nation. He reveals His name to Moses. 16 EX TENEBRIS LUX 17

10 God reveals His name as YHWH (pronounced yahway) or I AM WHO AM. His name expresses His identity as being itself, God Is. Ultimately, God reveals Himself in His Son, Jesus Christ. God becomes man, takes on our sin and suffering, and redeems us. God, who dwells in unapproachable light, wants to share His divine life with us. He shatters our darkness and brings us into His marvelous light. SACRED SCRIPTURE The history of God s self-revelation has been recorded so that all generations can receive the light. We call this record Sacred Scripture. When we read Scripture, we need to hold two realities in our heads. One, God is the true author of Sacred Scripture. Two, He inspired human beings to write it. Sacred Scripture is without error in teaching us what God wills us to know for our salvation. Our hearts can burn within us when we read Scripture. While the books of the Bible were written a long time ago, God makes Himself known and speaks to us through them today. TAKE AND READ Scripture is one of the best places we can get to know God. As we read the Gospels, we can reflect on Jesus life His teachings, His miracles, and His interactions with others. The Psalms make up the prayer book of the Old Testament, covering nearly every element of the human experience; joy and sorrow, desolation and victory, individual reflection and communal praise. The Liturgy of the Hours sets up Psalms, readings from the Old and New Testaments, spiritual reading, and intercessory prayer in a cycle that follows the liturgical year. Meditating on Scripture can be especially helpful. One way to meditate on Scripture is lectio divina, the divine reading. In lectio divina, we don t read Scripture to study it but to prayerfully allow Christ the Word to speak and reveal Himself to us. Like songwriters who share their hearts with us through their songs, God shares His heart with us through Scripture. Will you listen to His song to you by reading His Word? Notes: _ 18 EX TENEBRIS LUX 19

11 SHATTERING NIGHT PROCLAIM DETAILS Throughout the history of the Jewish people, God gradually reveals Himself. He calls Abraham to begin the family that will become a nation. He reveals His name to Moses. CCC TEACHING GOD REVEALS HIMSELF The song lyrics and the Scripture verses were more difficult to tell apart than we expected and both have a way of deeply impacting us. When we listen to a favorite song, our hearts are moved, we feel understood and encouraged. We get a glimpse into the depths of the songwriter s heart, who that person is and what that person desires. Scripture is not all that different. When we read Scripture, our hearts can be moved and we can feel understood and encouraged. We get a glimpse into the Author s heart God s heart who He is, and what He desires. God chooses to reveal Himself to His people. This has happened throughout salvation history, is recorded in Sacred Scripture, and is called divine revelation. When we read Scripture today, we read God s self revelation to us. CCC 52 God started revealing Himself in the beginning, when He created the world and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God provides evidence of Himself in created realities and manifested Himself personally to man. Genesis 1-2, CCC Have the teens open their bibles to Genesis 1:26-31 and give them a moment to read the passage. Even after original sin, God directly communicated His promise of redemption and revealed Himself as merciful and loving. Genesis 3 Have the teens open their bibles to Exodus 3:13-15 and give them a moment to read the passage. Names are how we become accessible and capable of being known. When God reveals His name, He is saying He is not an anonymous force but a Person to be known and to have a relationship with. CCC 203 God revealed His name as YHWH (pronounced yah-way) or I AM WHO AM which is also translated as HE WHO IS or I AM. His name expresses His identity as being itself, God Is. He is without origin and without end. Exodus 3:13-15, CCC 206, 213 Ultimately, God reveals Himself in His Son, Jesus Christ. God becomes man, takes on our sin and suffering, and redeems us. God, who dwells in unapproachable light, wants to share His divine life with us. He shatters our darkness and brings us into His marvelous light. CCC 51-52, 65, 68, 1 Timothy 6:16, 1 Peter 2:9, John 1:1-5 Have the teens open their bibles to John 1:1-5 and give them a moment to read the passage. SACRED SCRIPTURE The history of God s self-revelation has been recorded so that all generations can receive the light. We call this record Sacred Scripture. 1 John EX TENEBRIS LUX 21

12 When we read Scripture, we need to hold two realities in our heads. One, God is the true author of Sacred Scripture. Two, He inspired human beings to write it. CCC 105, 109 What is written in Sacred Scripture has been inspired by the Holy Spirit. This might raise some questions because the Bible has some confusing or seemingly contradictory passages. The human authors God used to write Scripture wrote within their own culture and literary style. We may misread a passage outside of the culture and style and because of that, misinterpret it. However, Sacred Scripture is without error in teaching us what God wills us to know for our salvation. CCC 107, 136 We also need to remember that the Bible itself isn t a dead letter. Jesus is the Word of God and He is alive in the Scriptures. After Jesus Resurrection, He appeared to two disciples on their way to the town of Emmaus. Though they didn t recognize Him, Jesus explained how He fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. After Jesus left them, they exclaimed, Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us? Have the teens open their bibles to Luke 24:32 and give them a moment to read the passage. Our hearts can burn within us, too, when we read Scripture. While the books of the Bible were written a long time ago, God makes Himself known and speaks to us through them today. Hebrews 4:12, CCC 108 When God makes Himself known today, it is not new revelation. Christ was the fullness of revelation. Jesus, the Word, said everything. No new revelation is expected. Revelation is complete, though we may still be growing in our understanding of it. CCC 65,66 Share a testimony about how God has used Sacred Scripture to speak truth, comfort, or conviction into your own life. TAKE AND READ Scripture is one of the best places we can get to know God. As we read the Gospels, we can reflect on Jesus life His teachings, His miracles, and His interactions with others. CCC 2554, 2653 The Psalms make up the prayer book of the Old Testament, covering nearly every element of the human experience; joy and sorrow, desolation and victory, individual reflection and communal praise. Originally, the Psalms would have been sung... making them some of the most ancient examples of song lyrics. CCC , 2597 The Liturgy of the Hours sets up Psalms, readings from the Old and New Testaments, spiritual reading, and intercessory prayer in a cycle that follows the liturgical year. It s called the Liturgy of the Hours because there are different prayers and readings for different hours of the day. Priests and religious are required to pray it, and everyone is encouraged to pray it. CCC Meditating on Scripture can be especially helpful as well. One way to meditate on Scripture is lectio divina, the divine reading. In lectio divina, we don t read Scripture to study it but to prayerfully allow Christ the Word to speak and reveal Himself to us. CCC 1777, 2708 God reveals Himself to us personally. This is not only a thing of the past or something that happened long ago. It is something that is still happening today, through Sacred Scripture and personal prayer. God wants us to know who He is. Like the songwriters who share their hearts with us, God shares His heart with us. Will you listen to His song to you by reading His Word? 22 EX TENEBRIS LUX 23

13 CORE TEAM OVERVIEW SHATTERING NIGHT: A Life Night on God s Self-Revelation GOAL: The goal of this Life Night is to introduce teens to God, who chooses to reveal Himself to us, and to encourage teens to get to know God better by reading His Word. GATHER (10 MIN): Welcome and Prayer: The Book or Kanye: PROCLAIM (15 MIN): Shattering Night Teaching: BREAK (45 MIN): Lectio Divina: Small Group Discussion: Which part of the Scripture passage struck you? Why? How did you reflect on it further? What do you think God was saying to you through this Scripture passage? SEND (10 MIN): Scripture Resolutions: Notes: 24 EX TENEBRIS LUX 25

14 GOAL LIFE NIGHT OVERVIEW CARRY THE FIRE A LIFE NIGHT ON HOW THE CHURCH PROTECTS SCRIPTURE The goal of this Life Night is to explain the development of Sacred Scripture and challenge teens to carry the fire of the Good News to those in their lives. KEY CONCEPTS For two thousand years, the Church, through Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, has accurately passed down the unfolding story of salvation. The Church guards the deposit of faith, keeping inaccurate books out and retaining all books that are divinely inspired. We are called to continue the work of the Church and carry the fire of Christ to those around us. ABOUT THIS LIFE NIGHT In the Gather, teens pass along information in a fun game. The Proclaim explains the development of Sacred Scripture. During the Break, teens are given the opportunity to ask a panel of experts questions about Scripture. In the Send, teens are challenged to carry the fire of the Good News to those in their lives. ENVIRONMENT Decorate the meeting space with several Mason Jar Tiki Torches and a larger Mason Jar Tiki Torch in the front of the main meeting space. Consider placing them on tables and hanging them across the room on wire. Use the directions below to make the Mason Jar Tiki Torches with Core Members before the Life Night. How To Make Mason Jar Tiki Torches: 1. Gather the following supplies: Mason Jars with lids of various sizes Tiki Torch Replacement Wicks Tiki Torch Fuel Hammers and nails Matches or lighter KEY TERMS: Deposit of Faith Sacred Tradition Sacred Scripture SCRIPTURE: Matthew 4:4 Matthew 28: Timothy 6:20 2 Timothy 1:6 CATECHISM: CCC CCC 120 CCC Use a hammer and nail to punch a hole in the lid and then keep punching the hole to make it big enough for the wick to go through. The holes do not have to be completely round or smooth. They will be hidden by the wick. They need to be just big enough so that the hole tightly holds the wick so it doesn t fall back into the jar. 3. Cut the wicks in half and thread them through the hole. 4. Fill Mason Jars with oil, half full, and screw the lid back on. 5. Wait a few minutes for the wick to soak up oil. 26 EX TENEBRIS LUX 27

15 MEDIA SUGGESTIONS Prized Possession, Life Teen Video Support: May 2017 (LifeTeen.com) Spirit of the Living God, Audrey Assad (Fortunate Fall, 2013, Fortunate Fall Records) Audrey Assad: Audrey Assad - Be Thou My Vision Official Music Video (youtube.com) SOCIAL MEDIA HASHTAGS: #LT_CarrytheFire AS YOU GET STARTED... If your parish doesn t allow fire, use battery operated tea lights or put tea lights in the Mason Jars. For an upfront Gather, play Two Truths and an Exaggeration. Prior to the Life Night, find out which of your Core Members have outlandish stories. Pick two Core Members to share one outlandish story each. A third Core Member tells a mundane story, but embellishes it on a near-ridiculous level. Have all three Core Members come to the front of the room and share their stories. Then have the teens guess which two stories are entirely true and which story is exaggerated. If Bible experts are few and far between, have the teens write down questions they have about the Bible at the previous Life Night and then give them to Core Members to prepare an answer and share it during the panel discussion. For a more Arts n Crafty Send, instruct the teens to get into their small groups and have the Core Members guide the teens in making their own Mason Jar Tiki Torches using the directions found in the environment section. HISPANIC INCULTURATION By Chris Martinez During the Protestant Reformation, Our Lady of Guadalupe was appearing in Mexico and the faith was growing rapidly. While the Church was being divided in Europe, it was being gathered in Mexico. God is always working. The Protestant Reformation may seem like a dark part of Catholic history, but God worked for good. He reformed the Church making it better and stronger. He inspired the Church to declare a canon and protect divine revelation. He grew His Church by sending the Americas His mother. Notes: 28 EX TENEBRIS LUX 29

16 GATHER LIFE NIGHT: CARRY THE FIRE Welcome and Prayer (5 min) Gather the teens into the main meeting space. Welcome them to the Life Night, welcome any teens that are there for the first time, and begin in prayer. Telepictionary (20 min) Instruct teens to get into their small groups and sit in a circle. Each teen needs a piece of paper and a pen. Instruct the teens to write a sentence across the top of the paper. The sentence could be anything they want, as long as it s appropriate. After every teen has written a sentence, instruct them to pass it to the next teen in the circle. Have that teen read the sentence, draw a picture of the sentence, and then fold over the sentence so only the picture can be seen. When everyone is done drawing their picture, instruct them to pass it to the next teen. Have that teen write a sentence describing the picture and fold the paper so only their sentence is showing. Repeat this until the paper is back to the person who first wrote the sentence. PROCLAIM Carry the Fire Teaching (15 min) The Proclaim Outline and Details can be found on pages 33 to 40. BREAK Ask the Experts (20 min) Prior to the Life Night, arrange for local Bible experts to come in and answer questions about the development of the Bible. These experts could be priests, someone from the parish s faith formation staff, or knowledgeable parishioners. Before beginning the Proclaim, hand the teens a small slip of paper and a pen or pencil. Tell them they will have the opportunity to ask questions from a panel of experts after the Proclaim and invite them to write questions down as they think of them. After the Proclaim, give them one or two minutes to finish up and then collect the papers. Invite a Core Member to host the panel discussion. To begin, give the experts two to three minutes to introduce themselves. Meanwhile, sort through the questions, setting aside the irrelevant questions and choosing the most pertinent or most repeated questions. Then, give the questions to the host so he or she can begin and guide the panel discussion. If the questions are weak or irrelevant, have a few extra questions ready. Here are some examples: How much time passed before the first Gospels were written? Why did the Protestant reformers want to take books out? What do Protestants think of the apocryphal books now? Do they read them? SEND Carry the Fire (15 min) Instruct the teens to get into their small groups. Dim the lights and play prayerful music. In small groups, the Core Members hand each teen a Mason Jar Tiki Torch, invite the teens to light their torches using the following: Through the passing down of the story of salvation, we have received the deposit of faith in Sacred Scripture. We are called to not only kindle the fire of faith in our own lives but also to continue passing it on to those around us. In 2 Timothy, the writer charges us to preach the word, 30 EX TENEBRIS LUX 31

17 be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching. 2 Timothy 4:1-5 Have each Core Member light his or her Mason Jar Tiki Torch, turn to the teen next to him or her, and ask, Do you receive the fire of faith? The teen should respond, yes. Then, the Core Member lights the teen s torch from their own torch. That teen then asks the same question to the teen next to them. This continues until all torches have been lit. Notes: KEY TERMS CARRY THE FIRE PROCLAIM OUTLINE Deposit of Faith: The heritage of faith contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition. Sacred Tradition: The living transmission of the message of God in the Church. The oral preaching of the apostles and the written message of salvation, which have been conserved and handed on as the deposit of faith through the apostolic succession of the Church. Sacred Scripture: The writings of the Old and New Testaments. TEACHING POINTS VALID STORIES We all know what it s like to be interrupted when telling a story or what it s like to have our version corrected. We naturally want to guard the truth of what happened. The Church thinks it s important to guard the truth of our faith and has set a canon or list of the divinely inspired books of the Bible. THE BIBLE The Old Testament contains a record of God s salvific mission through the Jewish people. It includes stories, laws, and prophecies and lays the foundation for the New Testament and Jesus, as the fulfillment of the prophecies. The Gospels faithfully hand on what Jesus did and taught. 32 EX TENEBRIS LUX 33

18 We also have the epistles of Paul, Peter, James, and Jude. These are formal letters of instructions from church leaders to members of new church communities. The book of Revelation was given to John by God to show his servants what must soon take place. In the early Church, there were more books than these claiming to be inspired by God, but the early Church didn t consider them part of the deposit of faith because they weren t consistent with what Jesus and the apostles said and did. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CANON Play Prized Possession, found on the Life Teen May 2017 USB and online at LifeTeen.com under Life Support: May The first record of the development of the books of the Bible is found in St. Athanasius Easter Letter in 367 A.D in which he names and orders the books of the New Testament. It took almost 400 years to develop a list of books of the Bible because information travelled slower, at the speed of horses and sailing ships, and because the Church was under persecution which made it difficult and dangerous to gather to discuss such matters. Before the Bible, the deposit of faith was passed down through oral tradition. THE CANON DECLARED Because Martin Luther, during the Protestant Reformation, was trying to take books out of the Bible, the Church needed to officially declare a canon or list of books. The Church, at the Council of Trent, between 1545 and 1563, infallibly declared the lists found in St. Athanasius Easter Letter and in the councils of Hippo and Carthage, the official canon of Scripture. Protestant Bibles are lacking the deuterocanonical (meaning second canon ) books; Esther, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 & 2 Maccabees. When the Old Testament was originally written, thousands of years ago, it was in Hebrew. However, the deuterocanonical books were written later and in Greek. Jews at the time of Jesus, Jesus Himself, and the early Christians used this later version, also known as the Septuagint. Jesus died around 30 A.D. and the Jewish Temple was destroyed around 70 A.D. Because the Christians were seen as a threat, the Jewish leaders felt the need to strengthen their doctrine and around 100 A.D. they declared their canon, which rejected the Greek books. Martin Luther decided to exclude the Greek books because the Jewish leaders excluded the Greek books. Though people have been trying to take books out and put books in, the Catholic canon of Scripture has stayed the same for centuries. We can trust that the Bible tells us the truth of who Jesus is and the truth of God s unfolding plan of salvation. The Church guards, protects, and proclaims what she knows to be true. She carries the fire of our faith. Will you carry the fire? Notes: _ 34 EX TENEBRIS LUX 35

19 TEACHING VALID STORIES CARRY THE FIRE PROCLAIM DETAILS THE BIBLE The Old Testament includes stories, laws, and prophecies and lays the foundation for the New Testament and Jesus, as the fulfillment of the prophecies. It was written by various authors who were inspired by God. The Old Testament, along with the rest of the Bible, proceeds from the mouth of God. Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4 Prior to the Life Night, arrange for two to three Core Members to interrupt the speaker while he or she is telling a story. The Core Members should add something the speaker didn t mention, tell the speaker to cut something out, or begin telling the story themselves. When it starts getting ridiculous, the speaker cuts it off and transitions into the teaching. We all know what it s like to be interrupted when telling a story. We also know what it s like to have our version corrected or, conversely, to correct somebody else when they re telling it wrong. We naturally want to guard the truth of what happened. If this is the case for simple stories like the funny thing that happened in class or what really happened on your family vacation, how much more so is that true regarding our faith? The Church thinks it s important to guard the story of salvation. Two thousand years is a long time to accurately pass down the unfolding story of salvation, and the Church takes this role seriously. The Church passes on the deposit the faith, which is made up of Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture. The deposit of faith is our faith heritage, the truths of salvation communicated throughout all time. It begins at the creation account, grows throughout the Old Testament, is fulfilled in Christ, and continues in the life of the early Church. The Gospels faithfully hand on what Jesus really did and taught. These stories were originally told orally through the preaching of the apostles and then were summarized in writing. CCC 126 Each Gospel is unique because the human author is trying to tell Jesus story to a specific audience. Matthew, for example, wanted the Jewish people to recognize that Jesus was the Messiah they d been waiting for. He begins his Gospel with Jesus genealogy, showing Him to be a direct descendent of King David, like the prophets predicted. Luke s Gospel pays special attention to the lowly. It s in Luke that we find the stories of the life of the Virgin Mary, a woman, as well as other unique parables like the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan. We also have the epistles of Paul, Peter, James, and Jude. These are formal letters of instructions from church leaders to members of new church communities. These letters helped the new church communities live in accordance with Christ s teaching, and they help us today do the same. The book of Revelation was given to John by God to show his servants what must soon take place. This book is filled with mysteries about things to come. It gives a final warning that the world will end and judgment is certain and tells us glimpses of heavenly glories. Revelation 1:1 36 EX TENEBRIS LUX 37

20 In the early Church, there were more books then these claiming to be inspired by God. Occasionally, the Bible makes a big splash in the news when a book that looks like a lost book of the Bible is discovered. These ancient documents are old news to the Church. The early Church knew about them, but didn t consider them part of the deposit of faith because they weren t consistent with what Jesus and the apostles said and did. It s frustrating when people are inconsistent. When one day your friend likes a certain someone and the next, they want nothing to do with them or when your teacher gives you an assignment and then changes it a week later. The Church didn t want inconsistency in the Bible and she wanted the faithful to know, without a doubt, that all Scripture is inspired by God. So she prayed, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, discerned which books were inspired by God. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CANON Play Prized Possession, found on the Life Teen May 2017 USB and online at LifeTeen.com under Life Support: May The Church had the task of putting together a canon or list of the books that accurately reflected God s unfolding message of salvation. CCC 120, 138 The first record of the development of the canon is found in St. Athanasius Easter Letter in 367 A.D., in which he both names and orders the current books of the New Testament. We also have copies of the canons declared at two local councils in North Africa, in Hippo in 393 A.D. and in Carthage in 397 A.D., which again match the canon we use today. It might seem weird that it took nearly four hundred years to put together a list of the books of the Bible. It s important to keep a few things in mind. First, information traveled slower. Information today travels at lightning speed. Your tweet can be seen around the globe in seconds. Information in the age of the early Church traveled at the speed of horses and sailing ships, with the additional risks of shipwrecks, bandits, and injury. When the Church was going to have a council, she declared it months, even years in advance just so everybody could make it on time. Second, Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire until 314 A.D. For the first three hundred years of Christianity, bishops couldn t meet publicly, and gathering together to make decisions was dangerous, especially in times of heavy persecution. Before the canon was developed, early Christian communities would worship at home and pass the faith on orally. The apostles handed on, by spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, and by the institutions they established, what they themselves had received from Christ. CCC 76 THE CANON DECLARED Because Martin Luther, during the Protestant Reformation, was trying to take books out of the Bible, the Church needed to officially declare a canon or list of books. The Church, at the Council of Trent, between 1545 and 1563, infallibly declared the lists found in St. Athanasius Easter Letter and in the councils of Hippo and Carthage, the official canon of Scripture. If you ve ever picked up a Protestant Bible, you may have noticed it is a little lighter. Catholic Bibles include seven books that are missing from most Protestant Bibles. If the books are included, they re listed as deuterocanonical (meaning second canon ). 38 EX TENEBRIS LUX 39

21 When the Old Testament was originally written thousands of years ago it was in Hebrew. However, there are seven books of the Old Testament that were written later and in Greek; Esther, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 and 2 Maccabees. Jews at the time of Jesus, Jesus Himself, and the early Christians used this later version, also known as the Septuagint. Jesus died around 30 A.D. and the Jewish Temple was destroyed around 70 A.D. Because the Christians were seen as a threat, the Jewish leaders felt the need to strengthen their doctrine and around 100 A.D. they declared their canon, which rejected the seven Greek books. Martin Luther decided to exclude the Greek books because the Jewish leaders excluded the Greek books. The books of the Bible are currently not in danger of exclusion, but what threatens the Bible today? One of the greatest threats to the Bible is that we fail to substantially read it. We are quick to take a photo and overlay an inspirational quote from Scripture on it. But do we take the time to understand the context of the quote and get the whole story? We might make a resolution to read a passage of the Bible everyday, but do we give up shortly after we begin? We might turn to the Bible to find the one passage we are looking for to justify what we want to do, but do we consider the entirety of God s Word? The entirety of the Bible is important. Early Christians, the Church during the Reformation, and the Church today fight to protect it s integrity. Though people have been trying to take books out and put books in, the Catholic canon of Scripture has stayed the same for centuries. We can trust that the Bible tells us the truth of who Jesus is and the truth of God s unfolding plan of salvation, and we should care enough to invest in making an effort to read it substantially. The Church works diligently, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to guard, protect, and proclaim what she knows to be true. She carries the fire of our faith. Will you carry the fire? Notes: 40 EX TENEBRIS LUX 41

22 CORE TEAM OVERVIEW CARRY THE FIRE: A Life Night on How the Church Protects Scripture GOAL: The goal of this Life Night is to explain the development of Sacred Scripture and challenge teens to carry the fire of the Good News to those in their lives. GATHER (25 MIN): Welcome and Prayer: Telepictionary: PROCLAIM (15 MIN): Carry the Fire Teaching: BREAK (20 MIN): Ask the Experts: If the questions are weak or irrelevant, have a few extra questions ready. Here are some examples: How much time passed before the first Gospels were written? Why did the Protestant reformers want to take books out? What do Protestants think of the apocryphal books now? Do they read them? SEND (15 MIN): Carry the Fire: Notes: 42 EX TENEBRIS LUX 43

23 GOAL LIFE NIGHT OVERVIEW ILLUMINATION A LIFE NIGHT ON GOD S PROMISE THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE The goal of this Life Night is to introduce teens to the Old Testament covenants, which reveal that God makes promises that He keeps and ultimately point us to God s promise fulfilled in Jesus Christ. KEY CONCEPTS In the Old Testament covenants, God repeatedly makes promises to humanity, which God keeps, even though humanity fails to be faithful. We now live in a new and everlasting covenant with God, established by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, and fulfilled in His Death and Resurrection, which we experience every time we go to Mass. When we doubt God s promise, we can open up Sacred Scripture to the stories of those who believed and whose promise was fulfilled, and we can return to the Eucharist to be present to God s promise fulfilled to us today. KEY TERMS: Covenant Eucharist SCRIPTURE: Genesis 2:15-3:24 Genesis 9:1-18 Genesis 15:1-6 Exodus 20:1-17, 24:1-8 2 Samuel 7:1-17 Matthew 26:17-30 CATECHISM: CCC CCC ABOUT THIS LIFE NIGHT The Gather is an outlandish activity that gets teens to think about broken promises, which leads into a Proclaim that discusses God s promises throughout salvation history and how they are fulfilled in Jesus and the Eucharistic covenant. In the Break, teens review specific covenants and discuss what God s promise might look like for us today. In the Send, teens reflect on God s promises in their own lives while adoring Him in the Eucharist. ENVIRONMENT Create a large poster board timeline of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus. Print singular, large pictures of each person and frame them by gluing them to colored poster board. Decorate as desired. Hang the framed pictures in the front of the main meeting in chronological order and below each poster have a small table with a tablecloth and a Mason Jar Tiki Torch. Use the same torches from the previous Life Night. As each person is discussed, have a Core Member light the Mason Jar Tiki Torch under their picture. Make the final Mason Jar Tiki Torch, the one that lights Jesus, larger and more prominent than the others. MEDIA SUGGESTIONS The Bible Project: Animated Explanation of the Covenants (youtube.com) Good, Good, Father, Chris Tomlin (Never Lose Sight, 2016, Sixsteprecords) It Is Well, Bethel Music (You Make Me Brave: Live at the Civic, 2014, Bethel) Lord I Need You, Matt Maher (All the People Say Amen, Essential Records) 44 EX TENEBRIS LUX 45

24 SOCIAL MEDIA HASHTAGS: #LT_Illumination LIFE NIGHT: ILLUMINATION AS YOU GET STARTED... For a Gather that uses media and technology, have the teens break into small groups and find examples of broken promises in movies and TV shows using their phones or with a provided ipad or laptop. Then, have the small groups present their findings to the large group. For a Break that involves sacred art, print off the paintings of the covenants found in the Sistine Chapel and place them at different stations around the room. Have the teens go around to each station, in their small groups, and identify which covenant they are looking at. HISPANIC INCULTURATION By Esmeralda de la Rosa Your word is important in Hispanic culture. Say what you are going to do and do what you said you would do. This goes from washing the dishes, to picking up your sibling, to not having sex before marriage. Hispanics are raised to commit all the way. Being a flake is deeply frowned upon. Remind the teens that God is not a flake. God keeps His promises. Remind the teens that a covenant requires a response from us. We are in a covenant relationship with God; we live in response to His promise to us. Stress the importance of keeping your word with God is even more important than keeping your word with friends and family. If you break your word with your family, you will receive shame. If you break your word with God, you will receive mercy. Notes: GATHER Welcome and Prayer (5 min) Gather the teens into the main meeting space, welcome them to the Life Night, and begin in prayer. Big Promises (15 min) Divide the teens into groups of eight to ten. The teens, as a group, choose one person to be their group s candidate for President of Life Teen. Give the groups a few minutes to make a thirty second campaign. The campaign must include a slogan, why the candidate should be elected, and a few promises of what their candidate will do for the youth group when elected. Provide supplies so the groups can make signs with the campaign slogan. Then, invite all the candidates to come to the front of the room, stand behind a podium, and present their slogan and promises to the whole group. Encourage a rally like environment by playing upbeat music, having the Core Members and teens cheer, and having props like pom poms and crazy hats. After all the candidates have had a chance to speak, give all of the teens a ballot and have them cast their vote. A President of Life Teen Ballot can be found on the Life Teen May 2017 USB or online at LifeTeen.com under Life Support: May PROCLAIM Illumination Teaching (15 min) The Proclaim Outline and Details can be found on pages 50 to EX TENEBRIS LUX 47