LIFE NIGHT OUTLINE Goal for the Life Night The goal for this night is to have the teens understand the structure of hierarchy in the Church and the teaching authority given by Christ. The night will also help teens understand the virtue of obedience to those in authority. Life Night at a Glance Why do most teens have a hard time following authority? This Life Night helps teens understand the structure of hierarchy in the Church and how the structure gives us freedom. The night begins with a game of no-rules freeze tag, which will inevitably end in complete chaos. The teaching will help the teens understand how the hierarchy and teaching authority of the Church is set up and why we must practice the virtue of obedience to their authority. The main point is to help the teens see the freedom we gain through obedience. The Break will answer the teens questions on the teachings of the Church in a large group setting. The night will end with a brief discussion and prayer for true freedom. The night ends with a second round of freeze tag with all the rules in place. Environment The environment for this night depicts symbols of authority in teens lives. On the walls hang silhouettes of authority figures such as police officers, judges, bosses, coaches, parents, teachers, priests and the youth minister. Check at a local teacher supply store for full color pictures of these different people. Or cut out silhouettes and then paste the head of your priest, youth minister, etc. to the silhouette. You can also use symbols that these authority figures would use such as sheriff stars, gavels and rulers. Have the Core dress up as figures of authority (cops, moms, teachers, etc.). At the beginning of the night, the Core should go around telling the teens what to do and make sure they are following the rules. For example, if a Core member is dressed as a teacher have him/her telling the teens do to their homework or walk in a single file line. He/ She can also make sure that the teens are raising their hands and waiting to be called on to speak. As teens enter the meeting space have the Core dressed up as authority figures ask the teens to write down one or two questions about the teachings/doctrines of the Church and put them in a box. These questions should be about anything the teens have wondered, why does the Church teach that? These will be used in the Break of the night. GATHER 15 Minutes Welcome and Introduce New Teens (5 min) The youth minister gathers the group together and welcomes everyone to the Life Night. He/she introduces any teens at Life Night for the first time. No-Rules Freeze Tag (10 min) The idea of this game is to create as much chaos as possible. The youth minister should tell the teens that we are going to play freeze tag and the winner will win a HUGE prize. No further instruction should be given no rules or explanation. Start the game and just let the teens try and figure it out. Some of the more competitive teens will get into it immediately, while some of the teens might just stand on the sidelines. It is the role of the Core to get everyone involved. As the game is played have Core members making up their own rules and confusing things even more. For example, if someone tags them they do not have to freeze, or have a few Core members tagging teens and going around telling people for no reason that they have to freeze. Play for about 10 minutes or until a large number of teens complain that it is not fair. PROCLAIM 10 minutes Freedom in Obedience Teaching (10 min) The person giving the teaching should stop the game and bring the group together. Ask a couple of teens to share about their experience of playing no-rules freeze tag. Use their frustration as a starting place for teaching. This talk will explain the need for rules and authority. The Church is not here to make sure we never have fun, she instructs and teaches so that we might experience real freedom in Christ. The teaching for this night can be found on page 31. N CURRICULUM 28 GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE
CATECHISM REFERENCES: # 85-86 # 888-891 # 2663 # 2032-2036 # 874 SCRIPTURES: Exodus 23: 21 Micah 3:6 Daniel 6:4 Matthew 16:18-19 John 20:22 Acts of the Apostles15:7 Romans 13:1-10 BREAK 30 minutes Large Group Q&A (30 min) Have a Core member read through all the questions collected at the beginning of the night during the Gather and Proclaim. Select the questions that can be answered during this time. Have a panel of the youth minister, a priest or deacon, and a Core member ready to answer the questions. After the teaching the Core member that read through the questions will lead the large group discussion. He/She will move into the Q&A time by explaining that many of us have questions about why the Church believes and teaches what she does and why we have to follow so many rules. He/She will read the questions off one at a time and allow the panel to answer them. If teens have follow-up questions, they can ask those to the panel as well. Time will probably not allow for every question to be answered so be sure to follow up with those teens whose questions are not answered. It is important that the panel is prepared to answer difficult questions about Church teachings. Have a catechism handy so the teens can see where/how to look up answers on their own. Encourage teens to ask the hard questions. It is in asking that our faith and knowledge will grow. Here are some topics that might be asked about during this time: SEND 20 Minutes Freedom (10 min) Recap the teaching of the night and conclude with the concept of freedom: Many of us think that freedom means doing whatever we want, whenever we want. We do not understand why the Church has given us all these rules we have to follow and be obedient to. It seems that the Church gives us the opposite of freedom. But Christ came to set us free and established the Church so that we could experience true freedom. Freedom is not about doing whatever you want it is the ability to choose the good. The Church s authority is there to help us choose the good. The authority and structure of the Church gives us a clear knowledge of right and wrong. From this authority given by Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we come to know truth. It is from this truth that we can live freely. Call the group to a time of prayer. Ask the teens to think about the areas of their life where they are not free (i.e. addiction, sin, anger, etc.). Have the music minister play the song, Freedom Reigns by Jason Upton. As the song is played invite the teens to pray for the freedom of Christ to reign over that area of their life. Close the time of prayer with the Hail Mary and Ave Maria. Church s teaching on sex, contraception, etc. Why do we have to go to Mass every week? Church s teaching on war, death penalty Church s teaching on stem-cell research and other life issues Why do we have to confess to a priest? Why can t women be priests? Church s teaching on other religions LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM 29
LIFE NIGHT OUTLINE Freeze Tag (10 min) Finish the night with a second round of freeze tag. Make sure you have a prize for the winner(s). This time explain all the rules clearly. Example of freeze tag rules: If there are more questions than you have time to answer, it might be a good idea to have a follow-up night to answer the rest of the questions. This night can happen during the week or on another Sunday. Have a few Core members and a few teens be it and trying to tag the teens. Once someone gets tagged he/she must freeze in place. To be unfrozen someone must crawl through the frozen person s legs (for girls with skirts on someone must crawl around them). Point out the boundary lines of the game The winner is the person who can go the longest without being frozen. During this time have plenty of drinks and snacks. A great snack for this night would be popsicles, snow cones, or ice cream sandwiches anything frozen. Community Connection Instead of having the Core dress up as figures of authority, invite some of the parents and local teachers to come and greet the teens at the beginning of the night. Invite other members of the parish staff or parish community to be part of the question and answer panel. Invite your priest well in advance to be part of this Life Night Ask local businesses (i.e. movie passes, ipod, restaurant gift certificate, etc.) to donate prizes for freeze tag. MAKING IT WORK If there is a gym on the parish grounds, the two rounds of freeze tag can take place there. Create a small card that can be handed out at the end of the Life Night. On one side of the card, list two or three Scriptures regarding freedom (i.e. 2 Corinthians 3:17, Galatians 5:1). On the other side, give the teens suggestions of where they can get answers to their questions about the Church (i.e. Catechism, lifeteen.com, etc.) N CURRICULUM 30 GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE
TEACHING The American Revolution. A time of change. A time to throw off the shackles of the monarchy for the glory of democracy! Why would we ever then embrace a monarchial system in the Church? A system that oppresses people, run by men? In trying to dispel some of the incorrect ideas regarding the Church and the hierarchy, be sure that when you are doing the teaching you and your Core team understand the difference between the world s view of authority and the Catholic view of authority. Make a prayer for obedience a key part of your preparations for this night. Well, if you misunderstand the hierarchy of the Church, then that might be some of the things you are thinking about how the Church is run. We tend to think of kings and princes and abuses of power when we think of a world government. Tonight we are going to look at the hierarchy of the Church and how it is set up by God to serve all of the members of the Body of Christ in a way that is unlike any secular government. Founded by Christ The hierarchy of the Church is the sign of our union with God and also the instrument of that union of the Church with God. Jesus started the Church with the divine purpose and mission to go and baptize all nations in the name of the Trinity. It is Jesus, not the people in the Church, who has given the hierarchy the authority, power and responsibility to serve the Church as representatives of God. CCC #874-877, 935 John 17:21-23 Romans 1:1, 10:14-17 Philippians 2:7 1 Corinthians 9:19 Ad Gentes #5 Throughout history we can see how the Church has played a vital role in history, building up Western Civilization. At the same time, the Church is outside of human history in a way that no other organization has been, because it is not a human organization. How does the Church serve? It serves by continuing the salvation of Christ, preserving and handing on the teachings of Jesus. It does this in a unique way by reading the signs of the times interpreting these signs in light of the Gospel, to help the Church to more fully understand the Revelation of God. Lumen Gentium #18 How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization Thomas E. Woods, 2005 LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM 31
TEACHING It would be kind of odd if Jesus left the Church here on Earth with no structure, especially with no authority in place. Because Jesus knew that people would disagree about religious practices and sometimes use the Church for their own personal gain, He left us what is now known as the College of Bishops. Bishops, popes, priests and families The College of Bishops is the entire group of bishops from around the world, the successors of the apostles with the head of the bishops being the Bishop of Rome, the successor of Peter, the Pope. The pope and the Roman Curia is known as the Holy See, and has the authority to teach the Church what Christ intended concerning faith and morals. This teaching authority is known as the Magisterium. Each bishop is in charge of a group of parishes in his particular diocese. This can be a large or small group of parishes that the bishop is responsible for guiding and for leading in the faith. Each parish is guided by a pastor, a priest who is an extension of the bishop in the local Church and is more intimately involved with the details of each parish.. Each family takes on a role of the domestic Church. In each of our homes our daily actions become a prayer of sacrifice and service for one another as we grow in our faith. The pope and the bishops have a special role in interpreting the Word of God and guiding us in the traditions of the Church. They are the authentic interpreter of God s Word in Scripture and in Tradition. By guiding us in the model of those that have come before them, they do not take on the role of creating doctrine or new truth. In our media-driven world that loves constant change the Church seems slow and boring. CCC #871-873, 877, 897-913, 934, 940, 942 1 Peter 2:5 Philippians 2:8-9 Ephesians 4:7 Lumen Gentium #10, 31-36 Evangelii Nuntiandi #73 Apostolicam Actuositatem #2, 6 Ad Gentes #15 Christifideles Laici #9 Summa Theologica III:7:4 To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and every believer. Instead, the pope and the bishops are merely protecting and passing on what they heard from the apostles who are passing on what they heard of Christ. This assures that we as a Church remain true to the faith and morals taught by Christ to the original disciples. N CURRICULUM 32 GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE
TEACHING This structure also ensures that the Church remains focused on her mission of evangelization, and not pausing to think that she has done it all and can take a break. That I Word Let s talk about two words: indefectibility and infallibility. Many times these words are misunderstood and clearing them up should help us as we move forward. Indefectibility is the concept that the Church will always teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ without error even in spite of the defects of the individual members of the Church, both the lay faithful and the ordained priests and ministers. Infallibility is the gift of the Holy Spirit that allows the Church to teach faith and morals without error. There are two conditions where infallibility exists and neither of them has to do with picking football games! CCC #888-892, 939 Mark 16:15 Presbyterorum Ordinis #4 Lumen Gentium #12, 25 Dei Verbum #10 The pope and bishops can exercise this infallibility when gathered in Ecumenical Council, or the Pope can exercise infallibility when teaching alone. This teaching must be about faith and morals, held in common by all the bishops of the world and made from the Chair of St. Peter or ex cathedra. Respect My Authority! There are different levels at which the Church teaches. There are matters of faith and morals with are always consistent and never change. However the law of the Church, which is the pastoral norms for living the faith and moral life, are laws and disciplines that can be adjusted for new circumstances. When we hear the media reporting about how the Church needs to change certain things, we need to keep this in mind: Is the Church going to change what they have taught for the last 2,000 years or are we merely changing a law or discipline for new circumstances that have occurred? This is where authority can be an amazing help for us as Christians. Vatican I, Ecumenical XX, Session IV, Chapter 4 (This may be more difficult to look up on your own so we have included the pertinent paragraph here) - And so We, adhering faithfully to the tradition received from the beginning of the Christian faith, to the glory of God, our Savior, the elevation of the Catholic religion and the salvation of Christian peoples, with the approbation of the sacred Council, teach and explain that the dogma has been divinely revealed: that the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, that is, when carrying out the duty of the pastor and teacher of all Christians by virtue of his supreme apostolic authority he defines a doctrine of faith or morals to be held by the universal Church, through the divine assistance promised him in blessed Peter, operates with that infallibility with which the divine Redeemer wished that His church be instructed in defining doctrine on faith and morals; and so such definitions of the Roman Pontiff from himself, but not from the consensus of the Church, are unalterable. LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM 33
teaching It is important to understand that as Catholics there is a different way of looking at authority. For many people today, authority is a bad word, but for Catholics it is something that unifies us and guides us toward our ultimate destination. In that case, authority can be a great benefit and help to us in our faith lives. Lumen Gentium #25 (This is so important to this part of the teaching we have included the paragraph here for easy reading) - Among the principal duties of bishops the preaching of the Gospel occupies an eminent place. For bishops are preachers of the faith, who lead new disciples to Christ, and they are authentic teachers, that is, teachers endowed with the authority of Christ, who preach to the people committed to them the faith they must believe and put into practice, and by the light of the Holy Spirit illustrate that faith. They bring forth from the treasury of Revelation new things and old, making it bear fruit and vigilantly warding off any errors that threaten their flock. Bishops, teaching in communion with the Roman Pontiff, are to be respected by all as witnesses to divine and Catholic truth. In matters of faith and morals, the bishops speak in the name of Christ and the faithful are to accept their teaching and adhere to it with a religious assent. This religious submission of mind and will must be shown in a special way to the authentic magisterium of the Roman Pontiff, even when he is not speaking ex cathedra; that is, it must be shown in such a way that his supreme magisterium is acknowledged with reverence, the judgments made by him are sincerely adhered to, according to his manifest mind and will. His mind and will in the matter may be known either from the character of the documents, from his frequent repetition of the same doctrine, or from his manner of speaking. Although the individual bishops do not enjoy the prerogative of infallibility, they nevertheless proclaim Christ s doctrine infallibly whenever, even though dispersed through the world, but still maintaining the bond of communion among themselves and with the successor of Peter, and authentically teaching matters of faith and morals, they are in agreement on one position as definitively to be held. This is even more clearly verified when, gathered together in an ecumenical council, they are teachers and judges of faith and morals for the universal Church, whose definitions must be adhered to with the submission of faith. And this infallibility with which the Divine Redeemer willed His Church to be endowed in defining doctrine of faith and morals, extends as far as the deposit of Revelation extends, which must be religiously guarded and faithfully expounded. And this is the infallibility which the Roman Pontiff, the head of the college of bishops, enjoys in virtue of his office, when, as the supreme shepherd and teacher of all the faithful, who confirms his brethren in their faith, by a definitive act he proclaims a doctrine of faith or morals. And therefore his definitions, of themselves, and not from the consent of the Church, are justly styled irreformable, since they are pronounced with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, promised to him in blessed Peter, and therefore they need no approval of others, nor do they allow an appeal to any other judgment. For then the Roman Pontiff is not pronouncing judgment as a private person, but as the supreme teacher of the universal Church, in whom the charism of infallibility of the Church itself is individually present, he is expounding or defending a doctrine of Catholic faith. The infallibility promised to the Church resides also in the body of Bishops, when that body exercises the supreme magisterium with the successor of Peter. To these definitions the assent of the Church can never be wanting, on account of the activity of that same Holy Spirit, by which the whole flock of Christ is preserved and progresses in unity of faith. But when either the Roman Pontiff or the Body of Bishops together with him defines a judgment, they pronounce it in accordance with Revelation itself, which all are obliged to abide by and be in conformity with, that is, the Revelation which as written or orally handed down is transmitted in its entirety through the legitimate succession of bishops and especially in care of the Roman Pontiff himself, and which under the guiding light of the Spirit of truth is religiously preserved and faithfully expounded in the Church. The Roman Pontiff and the bishops, in view of their office and the importance of the matter, by fitting means diligently strive to inquire properly into that revelation and to give apt expression to its contents; but a new public revelation they do not accept as pertaining to the divine deposit of faith. N CURRICULUM 34 GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE
CHECKLIST Core Planning Team: Date of Life Night: One month prior to the Night: Give copies of the Life Night to each of the members of the planning team. Each person should read the Scripture and Catechism references as well as review the planning guide before the brainstorming meeting. Get the planning team together for a brainstorming meeting (this should last no longer than 1 hour). The team prays and discusses where the teens are in their faith journey in relation to this topic. Then using this planning guide as a starting point, the team adapts the Life Night to meet the needs of the teens and the parish. Create a detailed outline with any changes and/or adjustments. Assign the person responsible for each part of the Life Night: Environment Introductions No-Rules Freeze Tag (Gather) Large Group Q&A (Break) Two Weeks Prior to Life Night: Turn in a detailed outline of the Life Night to the youth minister. Allow youth minister to give feedback and make any necessary changes. Create a list of needed supplies and materials. Assign a person to be responsible for collecting and/or purchasing the materials needed. Decide the people that will be doing the following things. Make sure they have a copy of the script and/or teaching outline. Inform them of any practices and/or deadlines. Teaching Large Group Panel Week of the Life Night: Written outline of the teaching is given to the youth minister and practiced Run a dress rehearsal of the Life Night. Create environment and collect needed supplies E-mail entire Core team an overview of the night. Day of the Life Night: Set up the environment. Make sure the room is clean and presentable. Set up audio needs. Walk the entire Core team through the Life Night. Make sure all transitions are ready and everyone knows their roles. Freedom (Send) Freeze Tag Pray! Pray for the teens attending the Night. Pray for God s will to be done through the night. Pray over those involved. LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM 35