LIFE NIGHT OVERVIEW ABOUT THIS LIFE NIGHT

This Life Night begins with a fun competition that HELL-BOUND demonstrates an ancient allegory about heaven and hell. A LIFE NIGHT ON HEAVEN AND HELL The Proclaim encourages teens to consider the realities of heaven, hell, and free will. The Break provides time GOAL for an examination of conscience in which teens choose virtuous actions to replace sinful ones, and the Send is an The goal of Hell-bound is to clarify common misconceptions introduction to the Fatima prayer. about heaven and hell and inspire the teens to make choices based on love of God. ENVIRONMENT

KEY CONCEPTS The environment for this Life Night embraces the cheesy clichés of heaven and hell. If possible, have Core Members • Man and woman are created with free will so that they wear Halloween costume horns and all black to greet the can choose to be in a relationship with God or not, a choice teens at the door to encourage them not to go to to the main which God respects. meeting space. Be sure that these costumes are cartoon-like and not scary. Any food served at the Life Night is provided • Heaven is the “ultimate end and fulfillment of the outside and should be difficult to serve or have something deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive missing. For example, provide gallons of water, but no cups; happiness.” (CCC 1024) offer Oreos, but scrape out the filling; serve hamburgers without toppings. Play a song on repeat such as “I Love You” • Hell is the finality of our decision to choose ourselves by Barney or “Friday” by Rebecca Black. over God. At the door of the main meeting space, have a Core Member dressed as St. Peter. He signs teens in, turning some away for silly things, such as, “You didn’t take out the trash,” You KEY TERMS: SCRIPTURE: CATECHISM: rolled your eyes at your younger sibling,” etc. He allows Free Will 1 Corinthians 2:9 1024 others in one at a time for equally silly things such as, “You Heaven 2 Peter 3:9 1033 did your homework,” “You cleaned up your dog’s poop,” etc. Hell 1 John 3:14-15 In the main meeting space, have Core Members wearing Sin white with halos and wings. Make the room bright and white. Hang clouds and have a harp soundtrack playing in the background. Place a picture of Jesus in the front of the room. As teens enter, have them sit and stare at it.

26 LIFE NIGHT SERIES: DEAD; 27 MEDIA SUGGESTIONS with the teens the week before the Life Night. Hispanic/ Latino parents might walk up to the doors, see those outfits, Life Teen: “Locked From the Inside” (Life Support: May and decide they will not let their teen stay for the Life Night. 2018) Additionally, have a few people who speak Spanish greeting parents and teens to allay any concerns parents may have. Life Teen: “Choices” (Life Support: January 2018) Cultural Insights Valérie Milot: B. “Smetana: Vltava (Moldau) - Valérie Milot, Hispanic/Latino kids often grow up hearing about “el Cucuy” harp/harpe” (youtube.com) as a demon-like figure who will escort them to hell for doing anything from talking back to their mom to stealing a piece SOCIAL MEDIA HASHTAGS: of candy from the grocery store. There is a lot of talk in #LT_Hellbound Hispanic/Latino homes about all the things they can do (big or small) to end up in hell but not much to balance that with AS YOU GET STARTED... actions they can take to spend in heaven. This often makes heaven seem unattainable and condemnation to hell For an alternate Gather, consider playing “heaven, hell, and certain, thus fueling greater fear and anxiety around these purgatory.” Designate a wall as heaven, the wall opposite to already intimidating topics. Keep this in mind as you pivot in it as hell, and the middle of the room as purgatory. Ask all the Proclaim from how certain actions reflect our choosing of the teens to begin on the wall designated as hell. Instruct heaven or hell, highlighting the reality that Jesus makes the teens to run to the designated place as you call it out. If heaven possible for each of us. a teen delays or touches the wall last, they have to sit down. Play until one teen wins. Notes: ______For a deeper Send, consider inviting local priests to hear confessions. Move to the church or Blessed Sacrament ______chapel to end the Life Night with a time of praise and worship ______while the teens celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. ______HISPANIC INCULTURATION ______By Stephanie Espinoza Contributors: Juan Aznaran, Angie Marino ______Important Notes for Pastoral Care ______The topic of hell is taken very seriously in Hispanic/Latino ______households, and the reality of hell and Satan is not something ______that is seen as able to be taken lightheartedly or handled jokingly. If your Core Team is going to dress up in the costumes with ______horns and all black at the doors of the meeting space, consider ______sending the corresponding Parent Letter (which explains the ______reasoning behind the costumes to parents in Spanish) ______

28 LIFE NIGHT SERIES: DEAD; 29 they never realize that they can eat if they feed one another. During this Life Night, we are going to explore the reality of hell, but most importantly we will talk about the beauty LIFE NIGHT: HELL-BOUND of heaven.

PROCLAIM GATHER “Hell-bound” Teaching (15 min) Welcome and Opening Prayer (5 min) The Proclaim Outline and Proclaim Details can be found on Gather teens in the main meeting space. Welcome them pages 34 to 42. to the Life Night, introduce any teens or Core Members attending for the first time, and begin in prayer. BREAK

Fork It Over (10 min) Small Group Discussion (25 min) Previous to the Life Night, create extremely long forks — Divide the teens into the small groups from the Gather long enough to be unable to feed yourself with it — by activity with one Core Member in each group. Begin the taping a plastic fork to the end of a wooden dowel. Have small group with a prayer, and then use the following one per teen. questions to facilitate discussion, beginning with a round of “would you rather” questions: Divide the teens into groups of six to eight and distribute the forks. Have the teens sit in a circle and place a bowl • Would you rather spend eternity with an exposed booger of marshmallows in the middle. As a team, each group in your nose while at school or spinach in between your competes to be the first to eat all of the marshmallows. front two teeth while with your crush? Explain the following rules only: They cannot move from • Would you rather spend eternity constantly hearing nails their spot or move the bowl, and they must hold the fork at on the chalkboard in the distance or hearing deafening the end of the stick. (Ideally, the teens are unable to feed microphone feedback for ten minutes every two hours? themselves and can only complete the task if they feed one • Would you rather spend eternity getting to pick the another.) radio station in the car or always having dibs on the remote control? Transition into the Proclaim using the following: • Would you rather spend eternity always having the desires of your heart fulfilled or never questioning your Sometimes, our perception of hell is somewhat comical. We self-worth? Spend time with this question if it sparks make light of it with little devil horns and images of fire. We conversation. Regardless, share that both of these are may joke saying, “My hell will be (insert the most annoying realities in heaven, so we don’t ultimately have to choose. or aggravating thing in your life).” All of these may express • What images, movies, or songs come to mind when you a particular, watered down aspect of hell, but the game think about heaven and hell? we just played can give us greater insight. An old allegory • How do these images influence our understanding conveys hell as many people sitting around a table with of heaven and hell? How do they conflict with Church long spoons. They are starving but cannot feed themselves. teaching? Because they are so turned in on themselves, for eternity,

30 LIFE NIGHT SERIES: DEAD; 31 • What questions come to mind when you think about Project and pray the Fatima prayer together: heaven and hell? Spend time addressing these questions. For a Core Member who is uncomfortable or unable to O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of answer certain questions, write them down and give hell and lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are them to the youth minister. in most need of thy mercy. Amen. • Describe what it looks like to have a healthy fear of hell. How does a healthy fear of hell push us toward heaven? Notes: ______Be sure to emphasize that healthy fear is not paralyzing. ______It’s recognizing that hell exists, and we can actually spend eternity without the love and joy offered by God. ______• How can knowledge of heaven and hell make you more ______attentive to the choices you make throughout each day? ______SEND ______Cut & Fill Examination of Conscience (15 min) ______Gather the teens into the main meeting space. Pass out the ______Cut & Fill Examination of Conscience handout and a pen ______to each teen. Handouts can be found on the May 2018 Life ______Teen USB and online at lifeteen.com under Life Support: ______May 2018. Challenge them to spend time examining the choices they have made thus far and make an appointment ______to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Be sure to ______provide them with times for weekly confession or any ______upcoming penance services. ______Fatima Prayer (5 min) Use the following to transition into prayer: ______In 1917, Our Lady began appearing to three shepherd ______children in Fatima, Portugal. During these apparitions, ______urged the children to pray and for the conversion of sinners and peace in the world. She asked them to pray ______the rosary daily and gave them a prayer to include with ______each decade. It is a simple prayer that we can memorize ______and pray with the rosary or on its own throughout our day. ______

32 LIFE NIGHT SERIES: DEAD; 33 PROCLAIM OUTLINE • At the moment of death, our decision to cooperate with grace, or not, becomes a permanent choice with eternal consequences. HELL-BOUND I CHOOSE MYSELF KEY TERMS • The Church teaches that hell exists and is not contrary to our image of a loving God. He unceasingly offers us Free Will: The power of the will to determine itself grace to live according to His will. God doesn’t send us and to act of itself, without compulsion from within or to hell. We choose our sin over Him, and He respects coercion from without. our choice. Heaven: Eternal life with God; communion of life and • Once in hell, a person permanently excludes himself love with the Trinity and the communion of saints. or herself from communion with God and those who Hell: The state of definitive self-exclusion from love Him. communion with God and the saints, reserved • Consider playing the video “Locked From the Inside” for those who refuse, by their own free choice, to found in the Media Suggestions. believe and be converted from sin, even to the end of their lives. BEYOND IMAGINATION Sin: An offense against God as well as a fault against reason, truth, and right conscience. • While we seldom acknowledge the existence of hell, many also fail to reflect on the glory of heaven. We TEACHING POINTS hear the words “eternal rest” or “eternal worship” and imagine eternal boredom. BECAUSE I DESERVE IT • Ask teens to share different images of heaven. • We often have the perception that getting to heaven or • We have many of images of heaven, and although they going to hell is based on a formula. If I am good, God may represent part of what heaven is, they fall short lets me into heaven. If I am bad, God sends me to hell. If — they may even dilute the beautiful reality of heaven. we stick with the formula, we always deserve hell. • Heaven is “the ultimate end and fulfillment of the • Read Genesis 2:16-17. deepest human longings, the state of supreme • Adam and Eve make a decision with a clear consequence. definitive happiness.” (CCC 1024) In choosing to sin, man sentences himself. • Most of the time, we aren’t even aware of our deepest • It is not about what we deserve but about how closely longings, and happiness seems so fleeting. We always we are conformed to Christ. Heaven and hell hinge on a long for more — more affirmation, more love, more relationship, not a formula. purpose. • The greatest reality of heaven is God’s complete presence THE CHOICE IS YOURS and our total union with Him. Not only will we not have • God created man to be in a loving relationship with Him, to suffer, be embarrassed, or experience loss, we will which necessitates free will. We make choices, and every desire nothing because God will be enough for us. choice is one to love God or not.

34 LIFE NIGHT SERIES: DEAD; 35 A NEW EQUATION ______• We can’t earn heaven. God gives us the ability to enter ______into eternal life through Jesus’ Passion, death, and ______Resurrection. We enter into and can partake of that new ______life through the grace of Baptism. He changes up the ______equation: Sinful humanity plus grace equals the ability to be before Him. ______• Grace is a gift that we have to unwrap and use. It requires ______cooperation on our part. It requires a choice. ______• Our choices lead us closer to the joy of heaven or further ______from it. Furthermore, the choices we make bring aspects ______of heaven or hell into our lives now. What reality will you ______choose to live? ______Notes: ______

36 LIFE NIGHT SERIES: DEAD; 37 PROCLAIM DETAILS THE CHOICE IS YOURS

God created man to be in a relationship with Him. He created HELL-BOUND us to love Him and be loved by Him. A loving relationship necessitates free will, or the ability to choose. Just like Adam and Eve, we are given the gift of free will. We make choices, TEACHING and every choice is one to love God or not.

BECAUSE I DESERVE IT A person who chooses to love God seeks His grace to live a life that continually grows in faith, hope, and charity. He or If you receive allowance for doing chores, but don’t do the she makes choices that are geared toward the will of God and chores, do you deserve the allowance? If someone rarely good of others. Sin is the choice we make to love ourselves shows up for practice, do they deserve to start on gameday? over God. We turn away from Him or completely reject Him. In sinning, we offend God and wound ourselves and others. At Consider including other examples relevant to your the moment of death, our decision to cooperate with grace, or particular teens. not, becomes a permanent choice with eternal consequences.

We often have the perception that getting to heaven or I CHOOSE MYSELF going to hell is based on a formula; “A” plus “B” equals “C.” In a sense, our formula is based on what we deserve. If I Ask the teens if they have ever heard from someone, or am good, God will let me into heaven. However, if I am bad, thought themselves, that hell does not exist. Follow up the God will send me to hell. Here’s the hard truth: if we stick question by asking about objections to the existence of hell. with the formula, we always deserve hell. Humanity plus sin always equals the inability of man to be in the presence of There are plenty of arguments against the existence of God, which is hell. hell. Some say it is merely a punishment our parents or the Church threaten to keep us out of trouble or an antiquated In Genesis, we read about Adam and Eve making a decision idea that people don’t bother speaking about anymore. The that had a clear consequence: “You may freely eat of every more significant struggle is reconciling the idea of a good tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and merciful God with the image of eternal fire and suffering. and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it Does He really send or allow people to go there? you shall die.” Because of their decision, and every decision we make in choosing to sin, man sentences himself. Consider playing the video “Locked From the Inside” found in the Media Suggestions. Genesis 2:16-17 In His deep love for us, God alters the equation by making The Church teaches very clearly that hell exists and that death something that can unite us with Him for all eternity. its existence is not contrary to our image of a God who is It is no longer about what we deserve, but how closely love. God is unceasingly offering us the grace needed to live we are conformed to Christ. Heaven and hell hinge on a according to His will, and the decisions we make allow us to relationship, not a formula. be more or less receptive to grace. Sin is always a selfish act and a rejection of grace. We turn in on ourselves and cannot see the needs of other people or God’s own desire for our life.

38 LIFE NIGHT SERIES: DEAD; 39 Consequently, we isolate ourselves from others and presence and our total union with Him. In heaven, nothing God. We think we can satisfy our own needs. We also keeps us from knowing and experiencing His love and convince ourselves we are not wrong, so we never ask for returning it fully. Not only will we not have to suffer, be forgiveness. Because of our free will, God cannot and will embarrassed, or experience loss, we will long for nothing not force us to desire Him or to ask for His mercy. God because God will be enough for us. doesn’t send us to hell, we choose our sin over Him, and CCC 1024 He respects our choice. Once in hell, a person permanently excludes himself or herself from communion with God and A NEW EQUATION those who love Him. John 3:19 Although the Church states that someone is in heaven (the process of declaring someone a saint) the Church will BEYOND IMAGINATION never declare that someone is in hell. We believe and trust in the mercy of God. “Indeed, God did not send the Son While we seldom acknowledge the existence of hell, most into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the of us also fail to reflect on the glory of heaven. We hear world might be saved through Him. Those who believe in heaven referred to as “eternal rest” or “eternal worship” Him are not condemned; but those who do not believe and we may imagine eternal boredom. We just sit and stare are condemned already, because they have not believed at God or have an eternal praise and worship session. It in the name of the only Son of God.” lacks excitement and drama and eventually gets old. 1 John 4:8, CCC 1033

Ask teens to share different images of heaven. Follow up by While there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn heaven, asking them if they have ever had an experience of immense God gives us the ability to enter into eternal life with Him beauty. Allow time for them to share. because of Jesus’ Passion, death, and Resurrection. We enter into and can partake of that new life through the We have many different images of heaven, and although grace of Baptism. Jesus changes the equation: Sinful they may represent part of what heaven is, they fall short humanity plus grace equals the ability to be before Him. — they may even dilute the beautiful reality of heaven. All By establishing the Church, grace is freely offered as a gift of the beauty and joy we encounter on Earth, whether in from God. We don’t earn it, but we still have to unwrap nature or our relationships, is just a reflection of what we it and use it which requires cooperation on our part. It will encounter in heaven. requires a choice. 1 Corinthians 2:9, 13:12 Daily we make choices that lead us closer to the joy of Heaven is “the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest heaven or further from it. When we enter into heaven or human longings, the state of supreme definitive happiness.” hell, it will be familiar to us because of the life we live on Most of the time, we aren’t even aware of our deepest Earth. The choices we make bring aspects of heaven or longings, and happiness seems so fleeting. We always long hell into our lives now. What reality will you choose to live? for more — more affirmation, more love, more purpose. Even our relationship with God requires for us to constantly seek greater depth. We strive to love and trust Him more, have better times of prayer, and recognize His presence in our life. The greatest reality of heaven is God’s complete

40 LIFE NIGHT SERIES: DEAD; 41 Notes: ______CORE TEAM OVERVIEW ______HELL-BOUND: Heaven and Hell ______GOAL: The goal of Hell-bound is to clarify common misconceptions about heaven and hell and inspire the teens ______to make choices based on love of God. ______GATHER (15 MIN): ______Welcome and Opening Prayer: ______Fork It Over: ______PROCLAIM (15 MIN): ______“Hell-bound” Teaching: ______BREAK (25 MIN): ______Small Group Discussion: ______• Begin with a round of “would you rather” questions found on page 31. ______• What images, movies, or songs come to mind when you ______think about heaven and hell? ______• How do these images influence our understanding of heaven ______and hell? How do they conflict with Church teaching? ______• What questions come to mind when you think about heaven and hell? Spend time addressing these questions. ______For a Core Member who is uncomfortable or unable to ______answer certain questions, write them down and give them ______to the youth minister. ______• Describe what it looks like to have a healthy fear of hell. ______How does a healthy fear of hell push us toward heaven? Be sure to emphasize that healthy fear is not paralyzing. ______It’s recognizing that hell exists, and we can actually spend ______eternity without the love and joy offered by God. ______• How can knowledge of heaven and hell make you more ______attentive to the choices you make throughout each day? ______SEND (20 MIN): ______Cut & Fill Examination of Conscience: ______Fatima Prayer: ______

42 LIFE NIGHT SERIES: DEAD; 43