Download God Is… - Saint Patrick Church

Teen Ministry Teen Make up Class for January 11, 2015
 Please answer all questions.
 Please be sure to have your name at the top of your paper and the date.
 Email, mail or drop off to Sr. Terry by first week of February
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Please read:
In the fall and before the holidays we looked at Who Jesus is with the question from him asking us “Who
do you say that I am?” In answering this question we remembered that, by our baptism, we are called to
be disciples of Jesus.
Both groups had a retreat and we were reminded that our life is all about our relationship with God and
others. No getting away with it, both come hand in hand.
What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? If you have a relationship with God it means you are also
made accountable for your relationship with others in your life.
Jesus came to show us how to live, showed us what loving others truly means, Love is not just a word, a
noun, it’s a verb, and it calls us to service, to reach out to others.
The way we live every day, every single choice we make, how we treat others, how we treat our
environment, how we reach out to those in need, all determine how in tune with God we are.
As we know, the Catholic Church often speaks of Pro Life. This is typically in regards to the stance
against abortion. Pope Francis reminds us that we should not view pro-life only through the anti-abortion
lens. As part of a wider pro-life emphasis, Pope Francis says we need to look at human life in all aspects of
our life.
Being a person who is pro life is not simply to outlaw abortion, euthanasia, and assisted suicide. It also
includes loving relationships within the family. The young treat the elderly with respect and integrity.
The elderly treat the young in tenderness and joy. Both regard the unborn with reverence, wonder, and
awe. The pope says, “We also have to embrace the wounds of the poor, the homeless, the dying, the
outcasts, the prisoners, and care for our planet.”
Caring for creation is also an important aspect of the church’s teaching of pro life. We are called to be
responsible guardians of the earth and to use the gifts we have been given to protect human life and
dignity, now and for the future
Caring for the planet means we address the environmental breakdown of our planet. To care for the
planet is to care for its people. To take care of people is to fulfill the second greatest commandment, to
love our neighbors as ourselves. In doing so we also obey the greatest commandment, to love God with all
our hearts.
Where do we see God? Each of us needs to answer this question. To do so, we need to stop, listen and
see where we find God. Scientists glimpse him as they explore the mysteries of the universe; physicians
see him in their privilege of healing and being present to the suffering; parents see him in their bringing
forth life, farmers in making things grow. Whatever our work and life, we can experience the presence of
God in our lives if we just take the time to notice and listen.
1. Teens, please note that during the session, we watched a video titled God Is but there is no
way to share it with you. There is another version on You Tube, see below for the link.
You do need to pray/read through the prayer below and answer the question following the
prayer.
http://youtu.be/9HgZ_pJ9bGc
Our prayer today is titled: God Is…
We often ask, Who is God? Where is God? This prayer and power point will give us opportunity to
answer these questions.
This video was prepared by high school teens in Florida. To be sure you understand the words of the
song in this video, the words are part of the prayer
Leader: Let us pause to remember that we are in God’s presence, In the name of the Father.
Leader: Pope Francis recently said that the theories of evolution and the Big Bang are real. He says,
“Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation.” God “created human beings and let
them develop according to the internal laws that he gave to each one so they would reach
their fulfillment. Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution
requires the creation of beings that evolve.” But, for today, we will read how the Bible describes the
beginning of time and creation.
Reader 1: A reading from Genesis, chapter 1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and the Spirit of God was hovering over the
waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he
separated the light from the darkness. And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one
place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered
waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation:
seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.”
And it was so. And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock,
the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.
And God saw that it was good.
Reader 2: “God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, in our likeness, and let them watch over the
fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that
move along the ground." So God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created
them; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. God saw all that he had made, and it was
very good. The word of God
Leader: The response to the readings is from the song God Is… by Danielle Rose
All: You want to know me? You want to see my face? I transcend the capacity of your eye, so who am I?
I do not age with time; I do not fit into a space
Reader 3: Jeremiah 18 Then the word of the LORD came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as
this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand.
Reader 3 Let us respond with the lyrics from God Is:
All: It is the question for all time It is the question of the moment; I am you, and you are mine; I am the
beginning and the end; I am the faith in your believing; I am the dreamer of your dreams;
Leader: Gen.9: 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and
every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come. Whenever I bring clouds over the
earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all
living creatures of every kind.
All: I am the color of truth; I am the falling in your love; I am the words of a prayer; I am the silence in the
music; I am your father; I am your mother;
Leader: LORD appeared to Abraham and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.
Reader 4: Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you
keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in
his love. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to
lay down one’s life for one’s friends. I no longer call you servants, I have called you friends, for everything
that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and
appointed you. This is my command: Love each other.
All: I am the music in the silence; I am the man who cannot cry; I am the orphan of war; I am the story in
your eyes; I am the leper begging on the corner; I am the black slave in chains; I’m the cross you carry
again; I am the Muslim bride who cannot show her face;
Leader: God has shown you what is good and what He requires of you: To act justly, to love tenderly and
to walk humbly with your God
All: I am the all that you have not been; I’m all you have forgotten;
I am in you – all of this is within you; I am in you, Amen.
Let the journey begin, Amen.
Leader: Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life”
2. Watch DVD God Is http://youtu.be/9HgZ_pJ9bGc
Closing Prayer
Leader: Father, source of light in every age, the virgin conceived and bore your Son who is called
Wonderful God, Prince of peace. May her prayer, the gift of a mother’s love, be your people’s joy though
all ages. May her response, born of a humble heart, draw your Spirit to rest on your people. Grant this
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
3. Please answer: As you read the prayer above, the ‘all’ are words from the song. In your
own words, write a least a paragraph of 6 sentences what the author is trying to say about
God.
4. Re read the passage below from Genesis and answer the questions below:
A reading from Genesis, chapter 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and the Spirit
of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that
the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. And God said, “Let the water under the
sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground
“land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the
land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it,
according to their various kinds.” And it was so. And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures
according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals,
each according to its kind.” And it was so. And God saw that it was good. “God said, "Let us make
humankind in our image, in our likeness, and let them watch over the fish of the sea and the birds of the
air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God
created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created
them. And God blessed them. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. The word of God
5. In your own words, what is God’s attitude toward the earth and its creatures?
6. In your own words, what is God’s attitude toward human beings?
7. What responsibilities do you think human beings have toward the earth and its creatures?
Toward other human beings?
8. In what ways can you meet these responsibilities?
9. Read the passage Faith and Deeds A reading from the book of St. James 2: What good is it, my
brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?
Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in
peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In
the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You
have faith; I have deeds.”Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my
deeds. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our
father Abraham considered righteous? His faith and his actions were working together, and his
faith was made complete by what he did and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is
considered virtuous by what they do and not by faith alone.
10. What does this passage tell you about the importance of service?
11. What modern problems does this passage bring to your mind?
12. See: Spirit January 18th 2015, part 2 of this make up class
SCRIPTURE BACKGROUND: “What do you seek?” Jesus asks Andrew and a friend when he notices them hanging
around him in Sunday’s gospel. Andrew answers with a question, “Where are you staying?” “Come and see,” Jesus
says simply. This dialog makes the way God calls us seem simple. Come, see, and stay. These familiar verbs outline
a whole process of becoming Jesus’ disciples.
One finds Jesus’ way by walking it every day. Andrew, Peter, Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, the man born
blind become Jesus’ disciples by staying with him through misunderstanding, bewilderment, his death—to the
relationship he promises in his farewell address. “I am in the Father, and the Father is in me. You are in me, and
you are in the Father.”
Andrew and Peter hear Jesus’ call in Sunday’s gospel through relationships. Andrew is a disciple of John the
Baptist. John the Baptist points out Jesus to Andrew and another disciple as the Lamb of God. Because Andrew has
a discipleship relationship with John, he meets Jesus. After Andrew spends time with Jesus and becomes convinced
he is the messiah, Andrew calls his brother Simon to meet Jesus, too. On account of his brother Andrew, Simon
meets Jesus.
“Come and see” are words that call. The call to discipleship and community run through the gospels of the six
Sundays in Ordinary Time. As with Andrew, Jesus speaks to young people today through their relationships with
others and through our experiences. The SPIRIT story takes teens to Overlook Farm, a Heifer International
Learning Center, and its Global Village, an experience that calls participants to come and see ways to help end
poverty and hunger.
12. Article: Read: Overlook Farm (pages 1-3)
The Heifer International Learning Center is introduced in the photos and read the cutlines.
If you do not know about the Heifer Foundation, search it on the Internet to give you some background.
Read pages 1 to 3 and answer questions below:
13. What does the Virginia youth group learn from coming and seeing life in the Global Village?
14. What appeals to you about the experience? What would you come seeking?
15. How is an aha moment a call to action?
REFLECTING ON THE GOSPEL Objective: The young people will recognize Jesus calls disciples through
their relationships.
16. Read Gospel: Come and See (page 3) and answer questions below:
17. Who calls Andrew? Who calls Peter?
18. What does Andrew gain from seeking Jesus out and staying with him for a day? What do you imagine
they talked about?
19. To what does Jesus call these three men?
20. Read LIVING OUR CATHOLIC FAITH Objective: The young people will explore how God calls people
Our Catholic Faith: How does God call us? (Page 4).
21. Faith in Action (page 4). In the box, titled Faith in Action, there are 3 choices, choose 1 and write
about it.