First Day of Classes 2017-2018

Had a W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L first class with the Corpus Christi Catholic Church 7-8 grade Religious Education class.

Kids found it funny I made them memorize all the students names and then quizzed them about it.
That broke the ice.

Short survey was taken to make sure I know what the status of all kids as far as sacraments.

We then moved on to an introduction to what the school year will be about.

We will focus on the 4-pillars (Creed, Sacraments, Moral life and Prayer) and sections of St. John Paul II "Theology of the Body" for Middle-Schoolers.

We reviewed what the 4-pillars were about.

We then had an introductory class on the Theology of the Body.

I always find it interesting to remind the kids that Jesus was not always that adult we see represented in art. He was a kid. Just like them. A 12 y/o boy. And just like them at age 12 he decided he was "ready for the world".

When he was 12, without his family realizing it, he stayed in back in Jerusalem.

Upon realizing he was not with the family his mother went on looking for him. While Jesus was happy teaching the grownups in the temple his mother was desperately trying to find him.

And when he was in the temple, so sure of his vocation, he was teaching the other people there and the other people were astonished at what he had to said. ... at that moment his mom shows up!

I tell the kids ... imagine if in the middle of you doing something that you thought was so great ... your mom shows up and tells you ... you have to back home with them...

Jesus was 12 just like these kids. What did he respond? Its on The Bible... paraphrasing... he said "I'm doing my father's job".

Doesn't that sound like a teenager talking?

It is important to be able to say things kids can relate to.

==this is going to be a good year==

Met with my new kids on a special program to teach them Faith Principles so that they can be baptized and do their first communion.

Bright young men ... I learn so much from these kids.

Social Teaching of the Church

Based on Mark 14:7

"Surely you're not saying we have the resources to save the poor from their lot? There will be poor always, pathetically struggling, look at the good things you've got! Think while you still have me, move while you still need me. You'll be lost and you'll be sorry when I'm gone!"
--Jesus Christ Super Star

Is not about capitalism , is not about socialism. Let your government be what you want it to be. However the moral standing of a society can measured by how their poor are treated.

The Poor. Catholic teaching vs Political teaching

Jesus says "care for the poor".
Politicians convince people they can eliminate poverty.

We covered with the kids the story of the master and the steward.
Not an easy thing to explain to the kids.
Class went pretty good on Sept 18

Getting ready for Sept 25 class which continues the presentation of the social-role of The Church.

First Day

We started our religious education for middle schoolers today.
Most of the students showed up with some notable absences. I will have to talk with the parents of a kid that I totally thought they were going to join us this year.
We have a new teacher joining us this year. Paul is scary-smart about Catholism. I'm definitely intimidated by his knowledge. It meant a lot that he told me he was impressed the way the class went.
On the class we opened by reminding the kids about another Catholic kid: Mattie Stepanek. This catholic kid touched millions with his poetry and sadly it passed away due to the incurable disease that affected him.
I played a bit of an Oprah special about him so that the kids would have a sense of who he was.
I then went on saying that we wrote a very sad poem about 9/11.
We pivoted into talking about 9/11 and after reminding them how to properly pray and why we're going to pray and who we were going to pray for, we had a prayer for all the victims of 9/11, the victims the emergency responders and, yes, we did prayed for the terrorists. We also prayed for wisdom to understand when terrible things happen.
I tried to get the kids attention by pointing out that many kids died that day as well.
We pivoted into talking about "what does a Catholic believes?".
We brought up the apostles prayer in the book and analyzed it sentence by sentence. Used the oportunity to remind the kids how much they had in common with people from other religions.
And also reminded them what makes us different from other Christians.
After finishing with the study we made sure the subject stuck by asking each one to name one thing that Catholics believed in.
At the end of the class Paul told the kids he was impressed with them and told me that it is amazing how it all fit together at the end. He admitted he didn't understand were I was going in the beginning! Phew!
Regarding Mattie I have to admit I didn't know he was Catholic until I read more about him after the class. I talked about him because I thought it was instructive to bring up a person that was considered good by so many and then point out how dark was his writing about 9/11. I remeber what he wrote about 9/11 because I read it online soon after the events.
I was surprised that a ver different poem was being advertised today as something he wrote in 9/11.
I believe that one was a blog entry made on the day of the events and the other a more profound poem written later (maybe later that day)