Chapter 7: The Call to Evangelization

1. Chapter 7: The Call to Evangelization THE MYSTERY OF REDEMPTION

2. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray ANTICIPATORY SET Incorporate the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats into the class’s opening prayer and then lead a discussion on its message.

3. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray BASIC QUESTIONS • What is prayer? • What is the Lord’s Prayer? KEY IDEAS • Prayer is a two-way dialogue between God and each man. • Taught by Christ to his Apostles, the Lord’s Prayer is a summary of the entire Gospel.

4. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray FOCUS QUESTIONS What is the Christian encapsulation of the entire moral law? Loving God and our neighbor in the way that Christ has loved us. What are the three ways we can grow in holiness, which this chapter will set forth? Prayer, the Sacraments, and service. What is a brief description of each of these means? Prayer is talking with God. The Sacraments are the channels of grace God gives us through his Church. Service is the aid we give to others who are in need.

5. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray FOCUS QUESTIONS What is prayer? Prayer is an inner communion or conversation with God. What can we pray about? Anything: our needs, hopes, joys, and failures. How is prayer a dialogue? It is two-directional: we speak to God, but we also listen to what he has to say to us. What is the role of prayer in the lives of the saints? All the saints were first and foremost men and women of prayer, which was the basis of their activity in the world.

6. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray FOCUS QUESTIONS Why is the “Our Father” called the Lord’s Prayer? Jesus Christ, the Lord, taught it to his disciples. Why is the Our Father a perfect prayer? It sums up the entire Gospel of Jesus Christ. Why should we pray the Lord’s Prayer before praying for our own particular needs, according to CCC 2761? The Lord’s Prayer contains the most universal petitions, which are common to all. After that come “petitions which are peculiar to [individual’s] circumstances.”

7. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray FOCUS QUESTIONS What was the startling way in which Jesus Christ referred to God the Father? He called him “Abba,” a term similar to the English word “daddy.” What is the difference between the way Jesus referred to God the Father and the way he taught his disciples to refer to the Father? Jesus referred to God is “my” Father, and he taught his disciples to refer to God as “our” Father. What is the significance of calling God “our” Father, rather than “my” Father? God is “our” Father by reason of “our” incorporation into Christ through the Church.

8. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray FOCUS QUESTIONS What is the extent of the “our” in “Our Father”? Those whose Father is God make up the Communion of Saints, which includes all the saints on earth, in Heaven, and in Purgatory. What does St. Augustine say this petition of the Lord’s Prayer means in his “Letter to Proba” (see page 269)? He means that God’s name, which is actually and unchangeably holy, should also be holy to men and not held in contempt.

9. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray GUIDED EXERCISE Conduct a think/pair/share on the following question: What do you think Pope Benedict means when he says, “being human is essentially about relation to God”?

10. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray GUIDED EXERCISE Have the students work with a partner to make a bullet-point list of Christ’s example of prayer.

11. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray GUIDED EXERCISE Have the students free write for a few minutes on what Reinhold Schneider might mean by his statement that the word “Father . . . contains the whole history of redemption.” Share responses and try to reach a consensus on the sense in which God’s fatherhood is what redemption is all about.

12. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray FOCUS QUESTIONS According to Matthew (6:33), what is the key to our getting everything we want in life? If we seek God’s kingdom and holiness, we will be given everything else as well. To what extent has God’s kingdom actually come? The kingdom was inaugurated with the Incarnation of Christ and is being established in the age of the Church, although its culmination will not occur until the end of time. What is the law of the Kingdom of God? Christ’s law of love.

13. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray FOCUS QUESTIONS What does Kingdom of God essentially mean? Christ himself and his reign in men’s hearts. How does earth become Heaven, according to Pope Benedict XVI? Earth becomes “Heaven” when and insofar as God’s will is done. What is the relationship between the law of love and God’s will? God’s will is essentially the law of love: to love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.

14. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray FOCUS QUESTIONS How do we concretely know God’s will in our lives? In prayer, we consider the circumstances of our lives in light of the teachings of Christ. The conclusions we draw, led by the Holy Spirit, is God’s will for us. We are then to act accordingly, aided by grace. What does the “forgive us” petition call us to do? To have mercy on others by forgiving them and to seek forgiveness from those we have wronged. What is the condition for us being forgiven our sins? We must forgive those who have offended us.

15. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray FOCUS QUESTIONS Ought we to pray for our material needs? Yes. The Lord’s Prayer directs us to pray for our daily bread. Should we worry about having enough material things? No. Christ said not to be anxious about what we will eat. What is included in the petition about our daily bread? Everything that is best for us and for others. What is the “hidden” meaning of “our daily bread”? The Eucharist, which is the “bread from Heaven.”

16. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray FOCUS QUESTIONS How do our temptations relate to Christ’s? Christ suffered temptations from the Devil, which he withstood to the point of dying on the Cross. This opens up for us the ability to also withstand temptation. What is our internal source of temptation? The inclination to sin called concupiscence. Can we be tempted to sin beyond our power to resist? No. God’s grace gives us the strength we need to overcome any temptation we face in our lives.

17. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray FOCUS QUESTIONS What is the positive thing about temptation? Every temptation presents us with a moral choice and, hence, an opportunity in which we can say “Yes” to God. What is the literal meaning of Amen? It is the Hebrew word meaning “so be it.” What does our use of Amen at the end of our prayers express? It expresses our faith in God and the belief that the things we prayed for will come to pass.

18. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray CLOSURE Have the students write a paragraph on how the Lord’s Prayer summarizes the Gospel.

19. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT Reading • Prayer Is a Dialogue with God through Scripture as a Source of Prayer(pp. 242–245) Study Questions • Questions 1–9. • Practical Exercise 1. Workbook • Questions 1–10.

20. 1. Lord, Teach Us To Pray ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT Many Christian writers have written commentaries on the Lord’s Prayer, for example, see On the Lord’s Prayer—A Letter to Proba, by St. Augustine in the Supplemental Readings at the end of this chapter. Have the students complete Practical Exercise 1(p. 273), free writing their own commentary on the Lord’s Prayer, with one or two sentences on each of the petitions, explaining it in their own words and relating it to their own lives.

21. 2. Prayer as Dialogue & Praying with the Sacred Scriptures ANTICIPATORY SET Choose a Scriptural passage and use it as the basis of the class’s opening prayer, leading your students through the four steps of the lectio divina.

22. 2. Prayer as Dialogue & Praying with the Sacred Scriptures BASIC QUESTIONS • What kind of dialogue is prayer? • How can we hear what God wants to tell us? • What is lectio divina? KEY IDEAS • Prayer is a dialogue with God that initiates the eternal communion to which the soul is called and for which it longs. • The Sacred Scriptures are the primary place we can hear what God wants to say to us. • The lectio divina is a traditional method of praying with the Scriptures involving listening, meditation, dialogue, and contemplation.

23. 2. Prayer as Dialogue & Praying with the Sacred Scriptures FOCUS QUESTIONS What does God’s secret name for each one of us indicate, according to Benedict XVI? It indicates God’s totally personal love for each individual related to each one’s mysterious uniqueness. Do we have an intrinsic desire for God? Yes. It is “written” in the human heart. According to CCC 27, what is the essence of man’s desire for God? It is the need for loving communion with his Creator. What is an indication that natural, earthly life is not enough for us? Nothing satisfies us, no matter how hard we try to find peace from restlessness.

24. 2. Prayer as Dialogue & Praying with the Sacred Scriptures GUIDED EXERCISE Have the students complete the following table to see more clearly the method of lectio divina.

25. 2. Prayer as Dialogue & Praying with the Sacred Scriptures GUIDED EXERCISE

26. 2. Prayer as Dialogue & Praying with the Sacred Scriptures FOCUS QUESTIONS How does prayer relate to our need for God? Prayer begins a communion with God in which we raise our mind and heart to him. What are some of the benefits of a life of constant prayer? Knowledge of God’s will; greater ease in doing God’s will; the sense of Jesus’ support for us when we are in difficulty; becoming more Christ-like; and drawing others to Christ. When should we pray, according to CCC 2697? We should pray at all times and also at specific times.

27. 2. Prayer as Dialogue & Praying with the Sacred Scriptures FOCUS QUESTIONS What are some specific forms of prayer in which we can or should engage? The Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, the Rosary, the Angelus, and grace before meals. What is the importance of the Christian family for prayer? The family is the “domestic church” where God’s children learn to pray. How is Heaven like prayer? Heaven is an eternal loving conversation or communion with the Trinity, which begins on earth in prayer.

28. 2. Prayer as Dialogue & Praying with the Sacred Scriptures GUIDED EXERCISE After having the students silently read the paragraph “A regular life of prayer . . .” (p. 243), lead a class discussion using the following questions: What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of prayer? What capacity is increased by consistent prayer?

29. 2. Prayer as Dialogue & Praying with the Sacred Scriptures FOCUS QUESTIONS What is the relationship between words and the heart in prayer? Prayer necessarily involves words, yet the fervor of one’s heart is what gives prayer its effectiveness. What is the primary way of listening to God? By reading God’s Word in Sacred Scripture. Why are the Mass and traditional Catholic piety rich sources for prayer? The Mass and Catholic piety are filled with the words of the Scriptures. What is lectio divina? It is a method of prayer based on a meditative reading of Sacred Scripture.

30. 2. Prayer as Dialogue & Praying with the Sacred Scriptures CLOSURE Have the students write a paragraph explaining why the Sacred Scriptures are important for having a dialogue with God.

31. 2. Prayer as Dialogue & Praying with the Sacred Scriptures HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT Reading • God Answers All Prayers through Difficulties in Prayer(pp. 245–249) Study Questions • Questions 10–14. Workbook • Questions 11–15.

32. 2. Prayer as Dialogue & Praying with the Sacred Scriptures ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT As a group, have the students pray one of the offices of the Liturgy of the Hours. Many people and parishes make available copies of the Liturgy of the Hours; several resources are also online.

33. 3. Forms of and Difficulties in Prayer ANTICIPATORY SET Incorporate into the class’s opening prayer each of the forms of prayer. You might begin with the Sign of the Cross followed by an act of the presence of God, and then ask each student to pray silently: first in thanksgiving (with a sufficient pause to pray), then in reparation (or contrition), then in adoration, and, finally, in petition. You might end with a doxology.

34. 3. Forms of and Difficulties in Prayer BASIC QUESTIONS • Does God always answer our prayers? • What are the major expressions and forms of prayer? • What are the major difficulties in prayer? KEY IDEAS • God always answers our prayers by giving us what is best for us. • The major expressions of prayer are vocal, meditative, and contemplative. Some of the forms of prayer include blessing, adoration, praise, petition, intercession, thanksgiving, and contrition. • Difficulties in prayer include lack of time, distractions, and spiritual dryness.

35. 3. Forms of and Difficulties in Prayer GUIDED EXERCISE Have the students work with a partner to develop an apologetical argument that explains the seeming discrepancy between Jesus’ promise that God will give us whatever we ask (cf. Jn 14:13–14) and the experience that often God does not seem to answer our prayers.

36. 3. Forms of and Difficulties in Prayer GUIDED EXERCISE Have the students complete the following table to easily view the various forms of prayer.

37. 3. Forms of and Difficulties in Prayer GUIDED EXERCISE

38. 3. Forms of and Difficulties in Prayer FOCUS QUESTIONS What are the three traditional expressions of prayer in the spiritual life? (1) Vocal prayer is simple conversation with God; (2) meditative prayer is prayer of understanding; and (3) contemplative prayer is a resting in God’s presence. What best categorizes vocal prayer? The use of words, spoken or unspoken, to talk with God. What are some examples of vocal prayer? The Rosary and the Mass are vocal prayers. We can also use our own words to express whatever we want to say to God.

39. 3. Forms of and Difficulties in Prayer FOCUS QUESTIONS What does Benedict XVI mean by saying in vocal prayer, word proceeds thought? Normally thought precedes word: thought tries to express itself in words. However, in praying a set prayer first we speak the words and then try to center our minds on it. What are some examples of Christ’s use of vocal prayer? The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus’ exultant blessing of the Father, and his prayers on the Cross. What is the aim of meditation? We attempt to gain a greater understanding of the life of Christ or of a particular mystery of the Faith and how these insights could be applied to our lives.

40. 3. Forms of and Difficulties in Prayer FOCUS QUESTIONS Why are texts useful in meditation? Texts help us sustain the attention required to meditate. What are some of the “texts” we can use for meditation? The Sacred Scriptures, particularly the Gospels, holy icons, liturgical texts of the day or season, writings of the spiritual fathers, works of spirituality, nature itself, and human history. Is meditation entirely intellectual? No. Meditation can engage thought, imagination, emotion, and desire.

41. 3. Forms of and Difficulties in Prayer FOCUS QUESTIONS What is contemplation? A prayer of simply being in God’s presence to share in his love. How is contemplation like the experience of a couple who love one another? A couple who love one another often do not need to speak words: they simply enjoy being together. In contemplation, we simply enjoy being with God, whom we love and who loves us.

42. 3. Forms of and Difficulties in Prayer GUIDED EXERCISE Have the students complete the following table to organize the material on “Difficulties in Prayer,” defining each and providing a possible remedy.

43. 3. Forms of and Difficulties in Prayer GUIDED EXERCISE

44. 3. Forms of and Difficulties in Prayer CLOSURE Have the students write a paragraph summary on the three major expressions of prayer and three of the particular forms of prayer.

45. 3. Forms of and Difficulties in Prayer HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT Reading • Part II: Sacraments as Sources of Grace through The Sacrament of the Eucharist (pp. 251–256) Study Questions • Questions 15–21. • Practical Exercises 2–3. Workbook • Questions 16–18.

46. 3. Forms of and Difficulties in Prayer ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT Have the students work with a partner to complete Practical Exercise 3, coming up with three examples of petitions that God might answer in a way different than what the petitioner hopes.

47. 4. The Sacraments of Initiation ANTICIPATORY SET Incorporate John 6 (the feeding of the multitude and the bread of life discourse) into the class’s opening prayer and have the students free write for a few minutes on what most surprised them about this lengthy passage. Share responses.

48. 4. The Sacraments of Initiation BASIC QUESTIONS • What are the Sacraments? • What is Baptism? • What is Confirmation? • What is the Eucharist? KEY IDEAS • The Sacraments are the seven effective signs established by Christ and entrusted to the Church to convey the graces of his redemption to man. • Baptism frees man from sin and incorporates him into the life of God and the Church. • Confirmation is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that brings one to Christian maturity. • The Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ, which gives us communion with him.

49. 4. The Sacraments of Initiation FOCUS QUESTIONS Why are the Sacraments of the highest importance to the Christian life? They are the primary vehicles of grace in the Christian life. How do the Sacraments make the Catholic Church important? The Catholic Church is the instrument through which we receive the graces of Christ’s redemption by means of her Sacraments. What is a Sacrament? It is an effective sign established by Christ to convey grace. What is the relationship between the Sacraments and the redemption? The Sacraments give us the graces won by Christ through his Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

50. 4. The Sacraments of Initiation FOCUS QUESTIONS What does it mean to say that the Sacraments convey grace ex opere operato? This Latin term, “from the work being done,” means that the Sacraments convey grace automatically if properly celebrated. What factors determines how much grace a person receives through a Sacrament? The person’s attitude and dispositions: his or her attention, devotion, and desire to improve. What two types of grace do the Sacraments impart? Sanctifying grace and sacramental grace.