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The Narrow Door: A Guided Meditation

This guided meditation communicates the Gospel message of simple living in a way that engages the imagination and inspires young people to actively simplify their lives. This activity is an excerpt from the book Justice and Service Ideas for Ministry …

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"The Fingerprints of God" Reflection Questions

A set of reflection questions on the song, “The Fingerprints of God” by Steven Curtis Chapman.

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A Call to Love

A set of reflection questions, based on the four objects of love.

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The Pastoral and Catholic Epistles

A group assignment on the Pastoral and Catholic Epistles.

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Paul's Response to the Early Christian Communities

A group assignment on Paul’s response to the early Christian communities.

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The Apostles Peter and Paul

A series of questions on the Apostles Peter and Paul, to be answered in a small group.

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Old Testament Themes and Images in John's Prologue

A worksheet on the Old Testament themes and images in the prologue of the Gospel of John.

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Exploring John's Christology

A worksheet where the critical questioning method is used to explore John’s Christology.

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Comparing and Contrasting the Passion and Resurrection Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke

A group worksheet on comparing and contrasting the Passion and Resurrection narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

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Comparing and Contrasting Infancy Narratives

A group worksheet on comparing and contrasting infancy narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

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The Reign of God in the Gospel of Luke and Today

A group worksheet on how the Reign of God is presented in the Gospel of Luke and in today’s culture.

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The Reign of God in the Gospel of Luke

A group worksheet on how the Reign of God is presented in the Gospel of Luke.

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Jesus, the Teacher

A group worksheet on Jesus, the teacher.

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Jesus and the Law of Moses

A group worksheet that compares different scriptural texts.

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Sunday Lectionary Readings: God’s Ongoing Story of Love for Humanity

A group assignment on several sets of Sunday Lectionary readings.

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Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum, 1965)

A worksheet that examines several chapters of "Dei Verbum" using group discussion.

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The Disciples on the Road to Emmaus Part II

Discussion questions based on The Disciples on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).

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Justice Conversation Starters

A list of several conversation starters or self-reflection questions on the topic of justice.

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Reading Notes and Questions for Student Book Articles 9-12

This reading guide is part of the Living in Christ Series. Students can use it while reading other articles from the LIC Series to take important notes and answer significant questions.

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Paul: A Profound Conversion

[Saul] heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts of the Apostles 9:4) It was on his way to Damascus that Paul was struck down by God and blinded. A brilliant light from heaven …

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Paul: Persecutor of Christians

Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women . . . To prison. (Acts of the Apostles 8:3) Convinced that following the teachings of Jesus was wrong, Paul pursued the early Christians …

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Paul: Religious Zeal

I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. (Galatians 1:14) A tent maker by trade, Paul's Jewish name was Saul. But because Paul …

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Program aims to get youth excited about Bible

Young people in the diocese are getting excited about Scripture and it's all part of a national effort called "Yes! Youth Engaging Scripture." YES is a Catholic teen-to-teen Bible sharing concept and to date, some 1,800 young people have been …

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The First Address from Pope Benedict XVI

"Grace and peace in abundance to all of you! In my soul there are two contrasting sentiments in these hours. On the one hand, a sense of inadequacy and human turmoil for the responsibility entrusted to me yesterday as the …

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National Bible Week: Daily Reading - A Gift to Me

A Gift to Me He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34) Throughout this Gospel, Mark shows …

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Prayer: How Will You Know?

Reader 1: When do you decide how you will live? What goes into the thoughts that shape your dreams? Reader 2: For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, Reader 1: Do you know, at …

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Resources for Parents Who Want to View The Passion of the Christ with Their Teenage Children

Things to Remember Film is an art form, and many genres and subgenres exist within film. Comedy is a genre. Within that genre one could name romantic comedies, slapstick comedies, and dark comedies as subgenres. Before reading a piece of …

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Who Does the Movie Say Killed Jesus?

Much of the controversy about The Passion of the Christ centers around one question: Who killed Jesus? The Anti-Defamation League feels the movie lays the blame at the feet of the Jews. Mel Gibson, the movie's director, producer and cowriter, …

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Frequently Asked Questions About the Pope

What is the pope? The pope is the bishop of the Church of Rome, Italy. Because of the importance of Rome, Tradition recognizes the pope as the supreme pastor of all Christians. Why is the Church of Rome so important? …

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Be At Peace Among Yourselves

"Be at peace among yourselves." (1 Thessalonians 5:13) "None of us is alone in this world; each of us is a vital piece of the great mosaic of humanity as a whole." (Pope John Paul II, Israel-Palestine) Think About That …

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Wrestling with Diversity

How do we welcome non-Christians into our schools and our religion classrooms, and at the same time give witness to our own Christ-centered faith? How do we invite students to learn from and respect other faith traditions without sending the …

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Hunchback of Notre Dame: A Movie Activity

Disney's 1996 movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame can serve as a great starting point for discussions on the following topics: Moral Development. One can find examples of Quasi relying on childlike, adolescent and adult morality--which makes sense for an …

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Patch Adams - Movie Reflection

Patch Adams is a great movie to use with students! It is the fact-based story of Hunter "Patch" Adams, the founder of the Gesundheit Clinic. Robin Williams plays the lead character with grace and skill. Synopsis: After spending some time …

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Sacraments Outside the Box

I'm sure that one of the first things you did when you returned to school in September was to check your faculty mailbox. Most schools have a bank of neatly labeled cubbyholes. Get an image in your mind's eye: some …

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Catholic Youth and the Bible: Moving from Biblical Literacy to Biblical Spirituality

Developing one's biblical literacy As a college student back in the mid-seventies, I was invited to be part of an ecumenical student Bible study. Born and raised Catholic, I don't think I had cracked open a Bible more than two …

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Six Ways to be Truly Catholic

I always thought that I would have made a great archbishop in Salzburg during the time of Mozart. But instead I'm the archbishop of Milwaukee in the time of rock 'n' roll. That's the way life turns out. We live …

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Using Literature in Theology Classes

Editor's note: The author of our feature article, Kathleen Hodapp, was one of the participants in last summer's workshop "The Catholic High School As Faith Community," held here in Winona, Minnesota, as well as on the East Coast and the …

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Service and Justice

We are standing on the brink, and our bishops are urging us to jump. Many of us don't know where we'll end up, and we aren't sure whether we'll land in one piece. Yet the sense of urgency is building, …

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A One-Day Retreat on Service in the Inner City

Our sophomore class day retreat focuses on finding spirituality in the inner city. It is a kind of "urban plunge" experience within a spiritual framework, and students go on this retreat during the same semester that they take a social …

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Helping Students Get the Most Out of Stories

For the past six years I have been researching the power of stories for communicating Catholic religious and moral values. At the same time, I have been experimenting with stories in my high school classroom (tenth- and twelfth-grade classes in …

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The Power of Parables

We all know that a good story will almost always act as an excellent springboard for reflection. Jesus' most effective teaching tool was the parable. He would gather his disciples and tell them a story with a message that moved …

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Once Upon A Time: Using Student-Generated Stories in Religion Classes

Religion classes should be interesting, if not compelling, and they can be if what is interesting is determined by the students. This, of course, is not a new approach. Learner-centered educational theories have been popular for decades. Using story as …

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Expect Much, Praise Much, Be Present to Them

Course materials, such as the high school religion textbooks and teacher's manuals published by Saint Mary's Press, are a significant ingredient in the education of our young people. But we all know that the most important factor in a student's …

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A New Look at the Sower and the Seeds

This is the text of a reflection given at the opening prayer service of the school year. The concept is interesting and could work well in a classroom or retreat setting. Scattered them wildly about (see Matt. 13:1-53; Mark 4:1-34; …

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