WOMB TO TOMB Discover that life is sacred from conception to natural death. Participants will walk away with tangible, practical ways to live out this teaching daily. Review the entire lesson plan in advance so you are prepared to lead and discuss comfortably. Adjust the suggested time allotments as necessary. Time Section Session 10 minutes CONNECT Introduce the topic of sacredness of human life, and then open in prayer. 65 minutes DISCUSS Play a game to learn Church teaching and practice sharing pastoral responses in situations regarding the sanctity of life. 10 minutes COMMIT Challenge participants to speak up when life issues come up in conversation this week. Close in prayer. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (a copy for you, plus 2 more) Bibles 2 game buzzers or whoopee cushions Timer Precious Feet lapel pins Hat or bowl Slips of paper Participant Sheets Pens or pencils Media device to play a YouTube video (optional; see Commit section) (one per person; see Leader Tips) 1
Order two self-expanding whoopee cushions online, if you cannot find them locally. Two buzzers from a board game can be used instead, but whoopee cushions are definitely more fun if you can get ahold of them! Purchase the Precious Feet lapel pins, one per person. These can usually be found on pro-life websites, such as all.org. Write each of these human-life topics on slips of paper (with Catechism paragraph numbers, unless you want the game to be more challenging) and put them in a bowl or hat for the game. Have a few blank slips handy in case your group comes up with more ideas. Abortion (CCC 2270-2275) Adoption (CCC 2379) Contraception (CCC 2370) Death Penalty (CCC 2266-2267) Euthanasia (CCC 2276-2278, 2234) Regulation of Births (CCC 2368) Suicide (CCC 2325, 2280-2283) Death (CCC 1005, 1010-1014) Artificial Insemination (CCC 2376) Infertility (CCC 2374-2377) Killing, murder (CCC 2268) Killing, in war (CCC 2309) Killing, legitimate defense (CCC 2263-2267) Killing, unintentional (CCC 2269) Having children, being open to life (CCC 1652, 2249) Marriage (CCC 2378) Sterilization (CCC 2297, 2398) Familiarize yourself with the issues and paragraphs in the Catechism, and bookmark them for easy reference during the activity. 2
Discipleship is about more than discussing the faith and participating in a small group. Discipleship requires learning from the example of a rabbi in this case, participants learn from your daily example. It is healthy for your group members to do regular, everyday activities together because they will learn from your example and the example of their peers. As they grow in fellowship and deeper friendship through these activities, they will grow as disciples. ACTIVITY Ask participants to close their eyes. SAY: I want each of you to take a few moments and think about different issues related to the sacredness of human life. Pause. Maybe some of the things you re thinking of include abortion, death, adoption, euthanasia, suicide, the death penalty, mercy killing, or having children. Let s see what the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us about human life. Ask for a volunteer to read CCC 2270 from the Participant Sheet. Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life. CCC 2270 SAY: So, in other words, life is sacred and holy, from the moment of conception until the moment of natural death from the womb to the tomb. That s what the Catholic Church believes, and as a part of God s plan, it s what the Church calls each of us to believe also. Human life is sacred, and by our actions and words we must strive to protect its rights from being violated, at all times and at all stages. 3
This teaching can be found throughout Scripture as well. One place it is very apparent is in the story of the Visitation, when Mary (while pregnant with Jesus) goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. Ask a group member to read Luke 1:41-2 from the Participant Sheet or a Bible. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! Luke 1:41-2 Remember to model starting and ending all prayers with the sign of the cross. PRAY: Father, even in the womb, the baby John recognized what was going on and leapt with excitement and joy. Lord, help us to recognize You in every area of our lives. Send Your Spirit upon us that we too may react and leap with joy in Your presence. Heavenly Father, send Your Holy Spirit down upon us this evening. Guide our conversation and open our hearts, that we may receive Your love and all that You desire to speak to us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. SAY: Every day we are faced with hundreds of choices. What should I wear? How should I treat my parents and siblings? What should I eat? Should I do my homework? How much effort should I put in at practice? We make many of these choices without even thinking about it. Should I brush my teeth? Should I take a shower? Yes, especially if you want to keep your friends. Sometimes we find ourselves having conversations about various issues regarding the sacredness of human life. I want you to take a few moments and think of times you ve been faced with any of these topics whether through a choice you had to make, a conversation you were having with someone, or even a topic you talked about at school. 4
As I read this list of issues, I would ask you to simply keep count of how many of these issues you have encountered. Slowly read the list of life issue topics; pause between each one. 1. Abortion 2. Adoption 3. Contraception 4. The death penalty 5. Euthanasia 6. Birth control sterilization 7. Suicide 8. In vitro fertilization (artificial insemination) 9. Infertility 10. Killing (murder, war, or self-defense) 11. Having children, being open to the sacredness of human life 12. Marriage Now I would like you to share what number you came up with. How many of these topics have you encountered? Make a mental note about issues that your group members appear unfamiliar with; you may need to give a few basic explanations of some of these topics. Let s read paragraph 2270 from the Catechism again. Ask for another volunteer to read CCC 2270. Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life. CCC 2270 SAY: Keeping this in mind, we re going to play a game that will help us practice talking about life issues and sharing our beliefs about human life as Catholics and as people of reason. 5
What is a Pastoral Response? It is addressing or responding to a situation in a loving, Christ-like manner and expressing the Church s teachings. Telling someone she s going to hell for thinking about having an abortion is not a very pastoral response. Have the group form two teams. Give each team a bell or buzzer and a Catechism of the Catholic Church. Here are the rules for how the game is played: SCORING: Have each team pick someone to go first (each team member must take a turn; form pairs if you have a large group). The leader will draw a topic (life issue) from the bowl and read it aloud. Both players will look up the topic in the Catechism and quickly read it for understanding. The player that buzzes in first has the choice to 1) Give an explanation of the Church s Teaching on that topic, or 2) Give an example of a Pastoral Response to the situation. The player that did not buzz in will have to give the other explanation (Church s teaching or pastoral response). If the team that buzzes in first answers correctly, they get 100 points. If the second team answers correctly, they get 50 points. 7
If the team member that buzzes in first is taking too long to begin, then the opposing team may begin counting down from 10 and go for the steal. If the team steals, then they have the choice of Pastoral Response or Church s teaching, and the other team will have to answer the choice they did not select. If neither team member has an answer, then teammates may help in giving the answers, but this reduces the points by half. Play until everyone has had a turn or you run out of time. If you are looking to generate more discussion, give the other team a possibility to steal points by giving a more complete answer. The idea is to make sure that everyone is having fun and thinking critically during this time. Shake things up as needed to keep the game close. For example, make the last topic worth double or triple points. They can t argue with you you re the Game Master! The purpose of the game is not to fly through it and finish. This is a great way to bring about further discussion on these issues, such as whether group members have encountered a given situation and what they did or wish they would ve done. Be prepared with some examples of good pastoral responses they could give in these situations. For some, this could be the first time they ve ever had to articulate the Church s stance on these topics. Also be prepared for some debate some participants may not yet fully understand or agree with the Church s teachings on these issues. Encourage their questions, while at the same time direct them to the answers the Church gives (without ever simply saying because the Church says so even if true, this is not a sufficient answer!). Are there topics that participants brought up about life issues not listed in this outline? Invite them to write those additional topics down and add them to the bowl. 8
SAY: Close your eyes. I want you to take a few moments and think about what life issues you may encounter on a weekly basis. Maybe a friend or relative has asked your opinion about having an abortion or using contraception. Many times we come across life issues in simple, everyday conversations. Sometimes we re debating issues in a classroom or discussing a movie or a news story. Whatever the case, we have to be prepared to take a stand. Now open your eyes. As Catholics, we are called to live out our Faith, not stand idly by. So this week I want to issue you a challenge. When you come across a situation involving a life issue (most likely it will be in a conversation), lovingly speak with that person about that topic whether it s abortion, the death penalty, adoption, etc. Stand firm in your Faith and have the confidence and courage that Christ gives you to speak His Truth. Take action in that moment and pray for the Holy Spirit to fill you and speak God s truths. Then, after the conversation, pray for the person or people who are struggling with these issues. Maybe you already know a friend or have someone on your heart that God is calling you to speak with. Have faith and enter into that conversation. Here s a reminder I want you to wear. Give everyone a Precious Feet pin. This pin is a reminder of the value of all human life and a great way to share your faith. If you want to share with others about the Church and the value of human life, wear this on your shirt or pin it on your backpack it will definitely strike up some conversations with people asking where you got it, why you wear it, or what it represents. Let it be a reminder for you that as Christians, we value life at all stages. The Precious Feet pin also reminds us that Jesus Himself was once a baby of this size (the smallest and weakest among us) and without Him we would not be able to reach eternal life. Remind your group to check out all of the ideas on their Participant Sheets for the upcoming week: Start a Group: Join with others your age to meet and speak out on the value of life. To get started, go to teensforlife.com to discover how to start a group and get information about local events, resources, and meetings in your area. 9
Watch a Flick: Gather others from your small group and rent the DVD October Baby, a film about a young college girl who discovers she s actually adopted after a failed abortion attempt. Through her journey, this young woman discovers that life can be so much more than she had ever planned. Then check out this website: everylifeisbeautiful.com for a list of resources as well as video stories about embracing life. Be a Friend: Connect with someone whose life is quite different from your own maybe someone who doesn t feel his/her life is valued because of abilities or age or circumstances. Become part of a buddy program that meets with people each week so you can learn and discover more about their lives and gain the knowledge that each life, no matter what stage, is valuable. Optional: Conclude with a powerful pro-life YouTube video such as: Flipsyde, Happy Birthday youtube.com/watch?v=2bqg8v8ktgs Nick Cannon, Can I Live? youtube.com/watch?v=vdocwd9ette SAY: Life is worth celebrating, each and every day! May each of you be more aware of how precious life is after our session today. Let s close with a word of prayer: Begin and end with the sign of the cross. PRAY: God, You have known us since the beginning of time. You created each of us and formed us in the womb. God, You know us so well that You know the number of hairs on our head and the number of years we have to walk this earth. Heavenly Father, guide us in our thoughts and especially in our speech when we are confronted with situations involving topics on the sacredness of life. Send Your Holy Spirit upon us, that we may be drawn closer to You and speak Your words, not our own. Be our strength in times of conflict, and give us the courage to stand firm in our faith. Mother Mary, we ask that you wrap us with your mantle of protection and continually intercede for us all the days of our lives, so that after our death, we may join you and your Son in eternal Paradise. Let us pray together, Hail Mary 10
WOMB TO TOMB PARTICIPANT SHEET And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! Luke 1:41-42 Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life. CCC 2270 Nothing we do to defend the human person, no matter how small, is ever unfruitful or forgotten. Our actions touch other lives and move other hearts in ways we can never fully understand in this world. Archbishop Charles Chaput Every day we encounter issues regarding life among our family and friends, at school and/or work, and in the news from around the globe. Life is precious and should be celebrated and respected at every stage. The gift of life is important to God and therefore should be important to us. Take time in the upcoming week to pray for life and make it a habit to keep this gift close to your heart each day. Here are a couple of prayers to use during your quiet time: Prayer for Life (jpiilifecenter.org/pray.html) O God, our Creator, all life is in Your hands from conception until death. Help us to cherish our children and to reverence the awesome privilege of our share in creation. May all people live and die in dignity and love. Bless all those who defend the rights of the unborn, the handicapped, and the aged. Enlighten and be merciful toward those who fail to love, and give them peace. Let freedom be tempered by responsibility, integrity, and morality. In the Name of Christ, our Lord, Amen. 1
PRAYER FOR REVERENCE OF LIFE (rcav.org/prayer-for-reverence-for-life/) Almighty God, giver of all that is good, we thank you for the precious gift of human life: For life in the womb, coming from your creative power; For the life of children, making us glad with their freshness and promise; For the life of young people, hoping for a better world; For the life of the handicapped and disabled, teaching us that every life has value; For the life of the elderly, witnessing the ageless values of patience and wisdom. Like Blessed Mary, may we always say yes to Your gift. May we defend it and promote it from conception to its natural end. And bring us at last, O Father, to the fullness of eternal life in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Precious Feet Pin: This pin is a reminder of the value of all human life and a great way to share your faith. If you want to share with others about the Church and the value of human life, wear this on your shirt or pin it on your backpack it will definitely strike up some conversations with people asking where you got it, why you wear it, or what it represents. Let it be a reminder for you that as Christians, we value life at all stages. The Precious Feet pin also reminds us that Jesus Himself was once a baby of this size (the smallest and weakest among us) and without Him we would not be able to reach eternal life. 2
You can be an example and supporter every day through the way you live. Here are some ideas to get you started in the upcoming week: Start a Group: Join with others your age to meet and speak out on the value of life. Go to teensforlife.com to discover how to start a group and get information about local events, resources, and meetings in your area. Watch a Flick: Gather others from your small group and rent the DVD October Baby, a film about a young college girl who discovers she s actually adopted after a failed abortion attempt. Through her journey, this young woman discovers that life can be so much more than she had ever planned. Then check out everylifeisbeautiful.com for a list of resources as well as video stories about embracing life. Be a Friend: Connect with someone whose life is quite different from your own maybe someone who doesn t feel his/her life is valued because of abilities or age or circumstances. Become part of a buddy program that meets with people each week so you can learn and discover more about their lives and gain the knowledge that each life, no matter what stage, is valuable. 3
WOMB TO TOMB PARENT SHEET Every YDisciple session has three parts: CONNECT, DISCUSS, and COMMIT. The CONNECT section is designed to build trust, transparency, and community in the group. The DISCUSS section introduces topics of the faith, engages critical thinking, and facilitates valuable conversation. And the COMMIT section helps students take ownership of their faith and put it into practice. Use this Parent Sheet to take a glimpse at our most recent session so you can have a follow-up conversation with your teenager about his/her experience in the small group and encourage spiritual growth. Every day, we make hundreds of choices from what to eat or wear, to whether or not to take a job, perhaps purchase a home, or continue a significant relationship. Some decisions expose our values and our deepest beliefs; these are the choices and issues that both teens and adults grapple with throughout life. During this session, we learned about and discussed the sacredness of human life, with the Catechism of the Catholic Church as our guide. Teens grappled with life topics such as abortion, birth control, euthanasia, suicide, and artificial insemination. Together we tackled some tough issues, and teens discovered that because God values human life from conception to natural death it should be valuable to us as well. The teens learned how to give a pastoral response to hypothetical situations in which they would discuss life issues. What is a pastoral response? It is addressing or responding to a situation in a loving, Christ-like manner and expressing the Church s teachings. As Catholics, we are called to live out our faith, not stand idly by. So this week the teens were issued a challenge: When they come across a situation involving a life issue (most likely it will be in a conversation), they are encouraged to lovingly speak with the person about the topic, whether it s abortion, the death penalty, adoption, etc. They are encouraged to stand firm in their faith and have the confidence and courage that Christ gives them to speak His Truth in charity. They were challenged to take action in that moment and pray for the Holy Spirit to fill them to speak God s truths. Then, after the conversation, they should pray for that person. 1
Here are some conversation starters for this week. Remember to share your perspectives as well. When have you had to make choices or speak out about issues regarding the sacredness of life? Describe what was easy and what was difficult about those choices. Why do you think God places such a high value on human life? As a family, how can you support human life and share your values with others? Start a Group: Join with other teens to meet and speak out on the value of life. To get started, go to teensforlife.com to discover how to start a group and get information about local events, resources, and meetings in your area. Watch a Flick: Gather some teens from your small group and rent the DVD October Baby, a film about a young college girl who discovers she s actually adopted after a failed abortion attempt. Through her journey, this young woman discovers that life can be so much more than she had ever planned. Then check out this website: everylifeisbeautiful.com for a list of resources as well as video footage of stories that embrace life. Be a Friend: Connect with someone whose life is quite different from your own, and may be an individual who doesn t feel their life is valued, such as someone with disabilities or who is elderly. Become part of a buddy program that meets with people each week so you can learn and discover more about their lives and gain the knowledge that each life, no matter at what stage, is valuable. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! Luke 1:41-42 Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life. CCC 2270 2
Next time a life issue such as a pregnancy, marriage, or death of a loved one comes up within your family or circle of friends, take the opportunity to engage your teen in conversation. Ask his/her opinion (and the opinion of his/her peers) on these topics. Also ask how this particular situation could allow your teen to witness to the goodness of human life. 3