GOAL LIFE NIGHT OVERVIEW FILLED FIRST A LIFE NIGHT ON RECEIVING MERCY The goal of Filled First is to learn how to receive the works of mercy in our own lives. KEY CONCEPTS All of us have had moments when we ve found ourselves in need of mercy. Desiring and receiving mercy is just as important as being merciful. While we desire mercy, it may not be easy to receive. We often reject mercy from God and from others because of various impediments like pride, doubt, and shame. Both giving and receiving the works of mercy bring about the presence of God. When we show mercy to others, people are cared for, physically and spiritually, and God s presence is made known to them. When we receive mercy we are cared for and God s presence is made known to us. ABOUT THIS LIFE NIGHT The Life Night begins with a Gather game, Q-Tip Pick Up. The Proclaim introduces the need for us to seek and receive mercy just as much as we seek to give it. The Break gives the teens a chance to share their experience of completing a work of mercy as well as challenges them to explore receiving the works of mercy. The Send explores the significance and grace of the Divine Mercy image. The teens complete a Divine Mercy Image Journal Reflection. ENVIRONMENT Display the same work of mercy posters or video loop from last week. This will help provide a connection between giving and receiving mercy. Play current, fun music. Provide drinks, snacks and a comfortable sitting environment. MEDIA SUGGESTIONS Joseph Velasquez: Les Miserables The Bishop. (youtube.com) SOCIAL MEDIA HASHTAGS: #receivemercy AS YOU GET STARTED... KEY TERMS: Impediment Pride Doubt Faith SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:7 Luke 7:47 Hebrews 4:16 Titus 3:4-5 CATECHISM: 1829 2447 For a deeper small group, expand the small group discussion by adding questions that reflect on times when mercy was rejected. Remind Core Members to help the teens understand that even though they rejected mercy, God continues to offer it. It s our responsibility to receive it. Some questions you could use are: Can you share a time in your life when you rejected mercy from God or someone else? What made you reject that mercy? What happened to that relationship or situation? 47 MERCIFUL SERIES 48
Some impediments to mercy are pride, doubt, and shame. Are there others you think should be added this list? Which is the biggest struggle for you? How does that affect your life? HISPANIC INCULTURATION By Marya Berruecos Instead of the Q-tip Pick Up, have a piñata. Fill a piñata with candy and hang in an open space. Blindfold a teen, spin them in a circle until dizzy, and then give them a bat to swing at the piñata. To get more challenging, have a Core Member move the piñata by the string. Allow the teens to charge for candy when the piñata breaks open. The piñata connects to the teaching the same way as Q-tip Pick Up. In both games, the teens eagerly work to get candy or Q-tips. Encourage the teens to be just as eager to receive mercy. Notes: GATHER LIFE NIGHT: FILLED FIRST Welcome and Sign of Peace (10 min) Gather the teens into the main meeting space. Welcome them to the Life Night and begin in prayer. The opening prayer asks God to help us desire and receive mercy so that we may know God s presence, love, and care. Invite everyone to stand and greet those around him or her with a sign of peace. This is a small way to continue the idea of giving and receiving mercy as a way of wishing another true peace. Game: Q-tip Pick Up (15 min) Divide the teens into teams of five to eight and give each team a roll of masking tape and a box of Q-tips. Instruct each team to select one person and then to wrap them in masking tape with the sticky side out. Allow a few minutes for the teams to do this. Now, have the teens that are wrapped in masking tape come to the front of the room. Explain that the tape-wrapped teens will have 60 seconds to get as many Q-tips stuck to them as possible. The other teens must remain behind a line and throw Q-tips at their tape-wrapped teammate. PROCLAIM Filled First Teaching (15 min) The teaching for this Life Night is found on pages 53 to 59. 49 MERCIFUL SERIES 50
BREAK Small Group Discussion (15 min) Have the teens get in their small groups. The Core Member opens in prayer and leads the small group discussion. Whip Around: Name one thing that stood out to you from the talk? What was your experience of doing the works of mercy last week? How did you encounter the presence of God in what you did? Can you think of a time in your life when someone showed you mercy? What was that like? How did you respond? Did receiving mercy affect your life? Which do you think is more difficult, to show mercy to others, or to receive mercy in your own life? Why? In what areas of your life do you need mercy? What can you do to receive mercy in that area? Take time to revisit the 14 works of mercy and brainstorm how to receive mercy. For example, for admonishing sinners, teens could ask their parents how have I sinned? By asking to be admonished, the teens will be able to better understand how they have sinned, ask for forgiveness, and grow from it. For instructing the ignorant, teens could ask their youth minister, Core Member, or parish priest, questions about Church teaching. For counsel the doubtful, the teens could be vulnerable and share their doubts about the faith with a close friend or Core Member and ask to be counseled. SEND Divine Mercy Image Journal Reflection (20 min) Keep the teens in their small groups for the journal reflection. Put the Divine Mercy image on the projector and have the Core Team pass out the Divine Mercy Image Journal Reflection. These are both found on the September 2015 USB or online at LifeTeen.com. Explain: The Divine Mercy message has three parts and is easily remembered by ABC. A: Ask for mercy. B: Be merciful. Tonight, instead of covering C, we are going to take a look at the Image of Divine Mercy. St. Faustina first received the Divine Mercy image when she was alone in her room. She saw the Lord Jesus, clothed in a white garment, with His right hand raised in blessing. His left hand was touching His garment in the area of the heart, from which two rays shone forth, one red, and the other pale. St. Faustina gazed intently at the Lord in silence, her soul filled with awe, but also with great joy. Jesus said to her: Paint an image according to the pattern you see with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over [its] enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I myself will defend it as my own glory (Diary 47,48.) In the Divine Mercy image, Jesus is not beckoning us to return to Him, but He is coming to rescue us. He is shown walking toward the viewer, with His hand raised in blessing. As He once said to St. Faustina Be not afraid of your Savior, O sinful soul. I make the first move to come to you, for I know that by yourself you are unable to lift yourself to me (Diary 1485.) Additionally, the red and white rays of His mercy are shinning out from His Heart, spreading out to embrace the whole world. Instruct the teens to silently complete the journal reflection. Close the Life Night by praying a Hail Mary. 51 MERCIFUL SERIES 52
Notes: KEY WORDS FILLED FIRST Impediment: A hindrance or obstruction in accomplishing a desired outcome. Pride: Reliance on self. Doubt: A feeling of uncertainty or a lack of conviction. PROCLAIM OUTLINE Shame: A painful feeling of distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior. TEACHING POINTS RECEIVING MERCY All of us have had moments when we ve found ourselves in need of mercy (give examples). All of us have sinned (give examples). In Scripture, we see examples of mercy s ability to restore relationships between people and communities. (Acts 9:17, Genesis 45:9, Matthew 27:3, John 21:5) IMPEDIMENTS TO RECEIVING MERCY While we desire mercy, it may not be easy to receive. We often reject mercy from God and from others because of various impediments. At times pride is an impediment. It convinces us that we are not wrong or that we shouldn t be weak and that receiving help or mercy shows weakness. 53 MERCIFUL SERIES 54
To combat pride, we must grow in humility. Humility is the acknowledgment of one s limitations or flaws in comparison with God s perfection. At other times, doubt is an impediment to mercy. We doubt that we can be forgiven. We think our failings are too great to overcome. TEACHING FILLED FIRST PROCLAIM DETAILS We conquer doubt with faith. St. Paul encourages us to confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help. (Hebrews 4:16) Another common impediment to receiving mercy is shame. Shame is a painful feeling of distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior. Shame can be good as it helps us to identify our sins, but it can also be dangerous if we let it rule us. Mercy is greater than shame and God teaches us to bring our sins to light and face our failures. Our challenge this week is to look for opportunities to receive a work of mercy. Both giving and receiving the works of mercy bring about the presence of God. (The teaching begins with a large group discussion on last week s challenge to do a work of mercy. Ask and discuss the following questions with the teens. Raise your hand if you did a work of mercy? Which work of mercy did you do? Tell me about it? Did you find it easy or difficult? Why? How were the people affected or impacted by the mercy they received?) RECEIVING MERCY When we do the works of mercy and fully understand what mercy is, our actions become much more than simple acts of service. They become opportunities to experience the presence of God. At this Life Night, we re going to focus on receiving the works of mercy instead of doing the works of mercy. When it comes to mercy, we often think about giving rather than receiving. How often do we stop to receive mercy? What would our lives look like if we worked to receive mercy like we do to be merciful? What if we worked as hard to receive mercy as we just worked to get those Q-tips? All of us have had moments when we ve found ourselves in need of mercy. Maybe we came up short on lunch money or forgot that we had a test in fifth period or didn t do our chores before we wanted to go out. In these moments, we desire mercy. 55 MERCIFUL SERIES 56
All of us have sinned. Maybe we gossiped about a friend or were disobedient to our parents. These too are situations in which we desire mercy. In Sacred Scripture, we see examples of mercy s ability to restore relationships between people and communities. When the Christian persecutor, Saul, was reduced to blindness from his encounter with Jesus, the disciple Ananias showed him mercy. Saul, now Paul, left that encounter with mercy to restore his relationship with Christians. Acts 9:17 After his brothers had sold him into slavery in Egypt, Joseph returned the unjust actions of his brothers with mercy. Famine fell on the land, the brothers and their families were starving. Joseph provided them with food and their relationship was restored. Genesis 45:9 In the Gospels, both Judas and Peter deny Jesus. Judas cannot accept God s mercy and ends up hanging himself. Peter seeks God s mercy, and his relationship with Jesus is restored. Matthew 27:3, John 21:15 IMPEDIMENTS TO RECEIVING MERCY While we desire mercy, it may not be easy to receive. We often reject mercy from God and from others because of various impediments. At times pride is an impediment. When we are prideful we rely on our own strength. It convinces us that we are not wrong or that we shouldn t be weak and that receiving help or mercy shows weakness. To combat pride, we must grow in humility. Humility is the acknowledgment of one s limitations or flaws in comparison with God s perfection. Humility is not the mindset that we are less worthy or less valuable. To be humble does not mean that we demean ourselves or focus solely on our flaws. Rather, humility reminds us to see ourselves from the perspective of God, and to see that we have dignity and worth in being His children. In humility, we recognize that all good things come from God and that we should rely on His strength and goodness. At other times, doubt is an impediment to mercy. We doubt that we can be forgiven. We think our failings are too great to overcome. We conquer doubt with faith. St. Paul encourages us to confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help. Hebrews 4:16 Another common impediment to receiving mercy is shame. Shame is a painful feeling of distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior. Shame can be good as it helps us to identify our sins, but it can also be dangerous if we let it rule us. Mercy is greater than shame and God teaches us to bring our sins to light and face our failures. But it must not stop there, receiving His mercy leads us to give Him our sins and let our shame go. When we are hungry and someone offers us food, we grow in humility. When someone else forgives our wrongs willingly, we experience forgiveness, healing, and peace. When someone else counsels us in our doubt, our faith grows. When we experience mercy from others, we experience the presence of God. A CHALLENGE Last week s Life Night included a challenge to do a work of mercy. This week, the challenge is to look for opportunities 57 MERCIFUL SERIES 58
to receive a work of mercy. Perhaps you rely on another to care for you when you are sick or serve you when you need help. Or maybe you ask you parents to honestly and lovingly admonish you. Or you ask others to pray for you. Ask God to help you notice moments when you could receive mercy. Ultimately, mercy is a cycle in our lives. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7 Both giving and receiving the works of mercy bring about the presence of God. When we show mercy to others, people are cared for, physically, and spiritually, and God s presence, love, and care is made known to them. When we receive mercy we are cared for and God s presence, love, and care is made known to us. Notes: 59 MERCIFUL SERIES 60
CORE TEAM OVERVIEW FILLED FIRST: A Life Night on Receiving Mercy. GOAL: The goal of Filled First is to learn how to receive the works of mercy in our own lives. GATHER (25 MINS): Welcome and Sign of Peace: Game: Q-tip Pick Up: PROCLAIM (15 MINS): Filled First Teaching: BREAK (15 MINS): Small Group Discussion: Whip Around: Name one thing that stood out to you from the talk? What was your experience of doing the works of mercy last week? How did you encounter the presence of God in what you did? Can you think of a time in your life when someone showed you mercy? What was that like? How did you respond? Did receiving mercy affect your life? Which do you think is more difficult, to show mercy to others, or to receive mercy in your own life? Why? In what areas of your life do you need mercy? What can you do to receive mercy in that area? SEND (20 MINS): Divine Mercy Image Journal Reflection: Notes: 61 MERCIFUL SERIES 62