SYMBOLON FOR DISCIPLESHIP GROUPS SESSION 2 Divine Revelation
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SESSION OVERVIEW Today, many people tend to think they can decide for themselves what is true and what is morally right or wrong and ultimately decide on their own what God wants for their lives. But in this week s lesson, we will see that God loves us too much to leave us to our own devices. Instead, He lovingly revealed Himself and showed us the truth and His plan for our lives by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, as the fullness of His divine disclosure. This divine Revelation has been passed down through the centuries by means of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Scripture and Tradition have been entrusted to the teaching authority (Magisterium) of the Catholic Church the Church established by Christ Himself. Think of God s Revelation, handed on by the Church, as a sort of sacred compass comprised of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. When we submit our lives to the compass of God s Revelation, we are led out of the confusing currents and fads of the modern world and liberated from our own selfish desires. As that happens, we are pointed to the true path for human happiness, for God s Revelation leads us into a relationship with the One who is our true North Star Jesus, the Christ. THIS SESSION WILL COVER: Divine Revelation: why and how God reveals himself to us Jesus as the fulfillment of God s revelation The transmission of Divine Revelation through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition The Magisterium as the authoritative interpreter of Scripture and Tradition SESSION SNAPSHOt Review the entire lesson plan in advance so you are prepared to lead and discuss comfortably. Gather necessary supplies and review video segments prior to your gathering. Use the time allotments in the session outline below as a guideline, as the length of time spent on each section will vary from group to group. 1
TIME SECTION SECTION OVERVIEW 20 minutes CONNECT Lead your group in an activity to get them thinking about our big world; then introduce the topic and open in prayer. 50 minutes DISCUSS Watch and discuss these video segments: Segment 1: Keys to the Kingdom Segment 2: Scripture and Tradition IF YOU HAVE TIME (Optional Segment): CALL TO CONVERSION: Life to the Full 20 minutes COMMIT Follow up with participants on how they are living the H.A.B.I.T.S. in their lives and go over their commitment to scan the Catechism and pick a topic to explore more deeply. Close in prayer. Supplies needed» Media device to show video segments» Bibles» Participant Sheets prepare in advance» Have snacks ready.» Create a welcoming environment. leader tips» We often include possible responses and material from the Catechism after the discussion questions to help you facilitate the conversation. It is best to let group members respond first and share the concepts in parentheses only as needed.» If you are limited on time pause the second video segment when you see the CALL TO CONVERSION title then have your group watch the final segment online as a personal reflection during the upcoming week.» Disciple comes from the word discipline. So to be a disciple is to develop the disciplines of your rabbi. An easy way to remember these disciplines is to call them H.A.B.I.T.S. the habits of the saints. H Holy hour: Start with 10 minutes of daily prayer and watch it grow over time to an hour. A Accountability: Be transparent with at least one friend who will hold you accountable to being a disciple. B Bible prayer and study: Let God s Word transform your mind and connect you to Jesus in prayer. 2
I Invest in your parish: Tithe and serve in the mission of the parish. T Tell: Boldly tell others about your faith and invite them to faith in Jesus. S Sacraments: Participate as frequently as you can. During the Commit section of each session, you ll ask participants: How are your spiritual H.A.B.I.T.S. coming along? This is a great opportunity to talk about any joys or struggles that individuals in the group may be experiencing as they grow in the habits of the saints. Activity AROUND THE WORLD CONNECT Let s start with a fun, simple game to get us thinking about our big world that God created. I ll begin by saying the name of something you find in an atlas. For example, it could be the name of a mountain, river, ocean, city, state, country, or continent. The next person has to come up with another name of something in an atlas, but it has to have its first letter be the same as the last letter of my word. So if I said Alaska, then the next person could say Arkansas and the next person could say Seattle, and so on. You only have 3 seconds to come up with a word. If you don t come up with a word in 3 seconds, you ll be eliminated. The last person playing is the winner. Have fun playing a few rounds of this game, then continue. introduction This week, we are going to talk about how God, the all-powerful Creator of the universe, loves us so much that He wants to make Himself and His will known to us. How astonishing it is that God is so in love with each of us that He not only sent His Son to redeem us, but He has promised that the teachings of Jesus will be preserved until the end of time! opening prayer Have your group begin in prayer. Ask someone to read the Bible verse and then ask everyone to read the prayer together. 3
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 Father in heaven, give us the power of Your grace that we might always walk in the way You have revealed through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Free us from the darkness of our own desires and bring us into the light of Your truth. Form our lives according to Your will, and mold our hearts by Your love. Grant that we might always be open and receptive to the guidance of Your Church. We ask this in the name of the One who has promised to be with us always, now and forever. Amen. DISCUSS 1 Watch the first video segment. The video will last about 11 minutes. At the end of the segment go through the following questions. There are an estimated 1.2 billion Catholics today, and they re found in nearly every part of the world. In this session we will discuss Jesus plan to guide His kingdom His family here on earth.» There are many people who say they believe in God and that God is love. However, they are hesitant to say that we can know with confidence who God is and what His will is for our lives. Why do you think this is so? (With so many religions in the world and so many variations of Christian churches, it would appear that nobody can really know with confidence who God is and what His will is for our lives. In the video, Dr. Sri shares common questions related to this uncertainty: Can t I just be spiritual? Can t I just interpret the Bible on my own? Do we really need an authority? This questioning demonstrates that people are uncomfortable talking about religion, and in many ways it has become taboo to talk about faith with others. There is just one problem with that for Christians: Jesus asked us to go and talk about Him with others.)» What is inconsistent with this line of reasoning: There is a God, God is love, but we can t know with confidence who God is and what His will is for us? (If you come to the conclusion that there is a God and that God is love, then you believe that God created you and loves you. If God created you, then there must be a purpose and plan for your life. If God loves you, then He wants you to know who He is and what His purpose and plan is for your life. It would not be very loving for God to have created you for a specific plan and purpose and then leave you guessing as to what that is.) 4
» Simply stated, Divine Revelation means God has spoken truth to us for our salvation, and the Church understands her mission to safeguard and communicate this revealed truth. How do the keys of the kingdom given from Jesus to Peter demonstrate this mission? (The entire mission of Jesus depended upon His Apostles faithfully preserving His teaching and handing it on to successors who would do the same. Jesus did not write anything down, and if the Apostles had failed in their responsibility, His message would have been lost. Jesus was intentionally using the language of keys to the kingdom and binding and loosing because He knew that His disciples would recognize it from Isaiah 22, where the king of Israel is investing a servant with his authority by giving him the keys of the kingdom. Jesus is giving Peter, and his successors, the authority needed to continue His mission.) Putting a veil on the bride goes way back to ancient Judaism. According to the Jews, that which is veiled is holy. The bride s femininity, her beauty, her virginity, her fertility, is holy. She is unveiled only in covenant love with her husband.» Why do you think the Church from earliest times chose to use the word revelation, or unveiling, to describe how God has communicated to us? (God, who is all holy, unveils Himself to us for one purpose: covenant love. He wants to enter into an eternal loving relationship with each one of us. So God allows us to see into the mystery of His inner life and communicates His will for our lives. In other words, He wants us to know Him and His expectations for a loving relationship with Him.) 2 Watch the second video segment. The video will last about 13 minutes. At the end of the segment, discuss. If you are short on time, pause the video at the CALL TO CONVERSION title and have your group watch it online during the week as personal reflection time. If your group does have time, continue with the CALL TO CONVERSION video segment and then discuss the last questions and final activity.» What does it mean that Jesus is the fullness of God s Revelation of Himself to us? (CCC 65 says: In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son. Christ, the Son of God made man, is the Father s one, perfect and unsurpassable Word. In him he has said everything; there will be no other word than this one. In other words, Jesus life and teachings tell us everything we need to know about God.)» Jesus was recognized as a great teacher. It has been said, Jesus was no greater teacher than when He was hanging on the cross. What do you think that means? (Jesus complete gift of Himself in love on the cross gave us a window into the inner life of the Trinity. This is the kind of love shared within the life of God. In addition, Jesus calls us to this kind of love and makes it possible by giving us grace that flows from His Paschal Mystery His life, death, and resurrection.)» Catholics believe there is a difference between Sacred Tradition and the tradition of men. What do you think is the difference? 5
(The first community of Christians began with no written gospels. This is why St. Paul says: So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter. [2 Thessalonians 2:15] Sacred Tradition preserves doctrines first taught by Jesus to the apostles and later passed down to us through the apostle s successors, the bishops. When Jesus condemns the tradition of men in Mark 7:8, He is speaking specifically about ritual cleansing of hands before eating. The Pharisees were criticizing Jesus disciples for not washing their hands before eating. Disciplines can be good, but should not be confused with doctrines. Jesus condemns the Pharisees many times about being concerned with outward appearance but not purity of their hearts. Sacred Tradition is never contrary to Sacred Scripture.) The Catechism teaches that the Bible alone is not enough for us to know the teaching of Christ for our lives: It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. [95]» What are some examples that demonstrate that the Bible alone is not enough? (Most Bible believing Christians have embraced contraception as a morally acceptable practice because they argue that the Bible does not explicitly condemn contraception. On the other hand, many sincere Bible believing Christians are opposed to abortion. Unfortunately, many sincere Christians have unknowingly had abortions by using abortifacient contraceptives where conception has occurred but the contraceptive prevents implantation of the new human life into the wall of the uterus. Another example is that most Bible believing Christians ignore the teaching that Jesus emphasized the most: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. [John 6:53] They believe Jesus was speaking figuratively when He emphasized five times in John 6 to eat His flesh and blood. Catholics interpret Jesus words literally and have the support of Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium to know this with certainty.) IF YOU HAVE TIME If your group has time, continue with the CALL TO CONVERSION segment and then discuss the last questions and final activity. If you are limited on time, continue with the questions but have your group watch the CALL TO CONVERSION segment online as a personal reflection during the upcoming week. 3 Watch the CALL TO CONVERSION video segment. At the end of the segment, discuss the following questions and activity. Jesus is calling you and inviting you to experience life to the full. 6
» What do you think that looks like? (Paul writes to the Galatians [5:22 23]: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Life to the full would be freedom!) Give everyone a chance to share, and then continue. TAKE-AWAY Activity COMMIT I d like each of us to share one take-away from tonight. In other words, share something that resonates in your heart as a truth to live by. Give everyone time to share and then continue. How are your spiritual H.A.B.I.T.S. coming along? Encourage your group to share how they have grown spiritually since your last meeting by practicing spiritual H.A.B.I.T.S. Ask them if there is any way you can help them in their commitment to developing spiritual H.A.B.I.T.S. After everyone has shared, follow up on last week s commitments before discussing the new commitment. The Catechism of the Catholic Church brings divine Revelation to our finger tips. This week s commitment is to pick up the Catechism (or read it online) and scan the subject index in the back. Find a topic that you would like to understand more deeply. Read about that topic in the Catechism and the Scripture references that are the foundation of that teaching. Be prepared to report back to the group what you have learned. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5 8 7
CLOSING PRAYER Let s close in prayer. Lord, we ask You to reveal who You are to us a little more each day so that we can continue to grow in our relationship with You by knowing more about You. We ask that as we know more about You, we would be courageous in living out the truth of the Gospel. Amen. 8
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