FREEZE! Hierarchy and Teaching Authority of the Church LIFE NIGHT OUTLINE

Goal for the Life Night GATHER 15 Minutes The goal for this night is to have the teens understand the structure of hierarchy in the Church and the teaching Welcome and Introduce New Teens (5 min) authority given by Christ. The night will also help teens The youth minister gathers the group together and understand the virtue of obedience to those in authority. welcomes everyone to the Life Night. He/she introduces any teens at Life Night for the first time. Life Night at a Glance Why do most teens have a hard time following authority? No-Rules Freeze Tag (10 min) This Life Night helps teens understand the structure of The idea of this game is to create as much chaos as hierarchy in the Church and how the structure gives us possible. The youth minister should tell the teens that freedom. The night begins with a game of no-rules freeze we are going to play freeze tag and the winner will win a tag, which will inevitably end in complete chaos. The HUGE prize. No further instruction should be given—no teaching will help the teens understand how the hierarchy rules or explanation. Start the game and just let the teens and teaching authority of the Church is set up and why try and figure it out. Some of the more competitive teens we must practice the virtue of obedience to their authority. will get into it immediately, while some of the teens might The main point is to help the teens see the freedom we just stand on the sidelines. It is the role of the Core to gain through obedience. The Break will answer the teens’ get everyone involved. As the game is played have Core questions on the teachings of the Church in a large group members making up their own rules and confusing things setting. The night will end with a brief discussion and even more. For example, if someone tags them they do prayer for true freedom. The night ends with a second not have to freeze, or have a few Core members tagging round of freeze tag with all the rules in place. teens and going around telling people for no reason that they have to freeze. Play for about 10 minutes or until a Environment large number of teens complain that it is not “fair.” The environment for this night depicts symbols of authority in teens’ lives. On the walls hang silhouettes of authority figures such as police officers, judges, bosses, coaches, PROCLAIM 10 minutes parents, teachers, priests and the youth minister. Check at a local teacher supply store for full color pictures of these Freedom in Obedience Teaching (10 min) different people. Or cut out silhouettes and then paste the The person giving the teaching should stop the game and head of your priest, youth minister, etc. to the silhouette. bring the group together. Ask a couple of teens to share You can also use symbols that these authority figures about their experience of playing no-rules freeze tag. Use would use such as sheriff stars, gavels and rulers. Have their frustration as a starting place for teaching. This talk the Core dress up as figures of authority (cops, moms, will explain the need for rules and authority. The Church teachers, etc.). At the beginning of the night, the Core is not here to make sure we never have fun, she instructs should go around telling the teens what to do and make and teaches so that we might experience real freedom in sure they are following the rules. For example, if a Core Christ. member is dressed as a teacher have him/her telling the teens do to their homework or walk in a single file line. He/ The teaching for this night can be found on page 31. She can also make sure that the teens are raising their hands and waiting to be called on to speak. As teens enter the meeting space have the Core dressed up as authority figures ask the teens to write down one or two questions about the teachings/doctrines of the Church and put them in a box. These questions should be about FREEZE! anything the teens have wondered, “why does the Church teach that?” These will be used in the Break of the night.

LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM28 GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE LIFE TEEN CURRICULUM GUIDE CATECHISM REFERENCES: SCRIPTURES: # 85-86 # 888-891 Exodus 23: 21 Acts of the # 2663 Micah 3:6 Apostles15:7 # 2032-2036 Daniel 6:4 Romans 13:1-10 # 874 Matthew 16:18-19 John 20:22

BREAK 30 minutes SEND 20 Minutes

Large Group Q&A (30 min) Freedom (10 min) Have a Core member read through all the questions Recap the teaching of the night and conclude with the collected at the beginning of the night during the Gather concept of freedom: and Proclaim. Select the questions that can be answered during this time. Have a panel of the youth minister, a Many of us think that freedom means doing whatever we priest or deacon, and a Core member ready to answer the want, whenever we want. We do not understand why questions. After the teaching the Core member that read the Church has given us all these rules we have to follow through the questions will lead the large group discussion. and be obedient to. It seems that the Church gives us He/She will move into the Q&A time by explaining that the opposite of freedom. But Christ came to set us free many of us have questions about why the Church believes and established the Church so that we could experience and teaches what she does and why we have to follow true freedom. Freedom is not about doing whatever you so many rules. He/She will read the questions off one at want – it is the ability to choose the good. The Church’s a time and allow the panel to answer them. If teens have authority is there to help us choose the good. The follow-up questions, they can ask those to the panel as authority and structure of the Church gives us a clear well. Time will probably not allow for every question to be knowledge of right and wrong. From this authority given by answered so be sure to follow up with those teens whose Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we come to questions are not answered. know truth. It is from this truth that we can live freely.

It is important that the panel is prepared to answer difficult Call the group to a time of prayer. Ask the teens to think questions about Church teachings. Have a catechism about the areas of their life where they are not free (i.e. handy so the teens can see where/how to look up addiction, sin, anger, etc.). Have the music minister play answers on their own. Encourage teens to ask the hard the song, “Freedom Reigns” by Jason Upton. As the song questions. It is in asking that our faith and knowledge will is played invite the teens to pray for the freedom of Christ grow. to reign over that area of their life. Close the time of prayer with the and Ave Maria. Here are some topics that might be asked about during this time:

• Church’s teaching on sex, contraception, etc.

• Why do we have to go to every week?

• Church’s teaching on war, death penalty

• Church’s teaching on stem-cell research and other life issues

• Why do we have to confess to a priest?

• Why can’t women be priests?

• Church’s teaching on other religions FREEZE!

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Freeze Tag (10 min) • If there are more questions than you have time to Finish the night with a second round of freeze tag. Make answer, it might be a good idea to have a follow-up sure you have a prize for the winner(s). This time explain night to answer the rest of the questions. This night can all the rules clearly. Example of freeze tag rules: happen during the week or on another Sunday.

• Have a few Core members and a few teens be “it” and trying to tag the teens.

• Once someone gets tagged he/she must freeze in place.

• To be unfrozen someone must crawl through the frozen person’s legs (for girls with skirts on someone must crawl around them).

• Point out the boundary lines of the game

• The winner is the person who can go the longest without being frozen.

During this time have plenty of drinks and snacks. A great snack for this night would be popsicles, snow cones, or ice cream sandwiches—anything frozen.

Community Connection • Instead of having the Core dress up as figures of authority, invite some of the parents and local teachers to come and greet the teens at the beginning of the night.

• Invite other members of the staff or parish community to be part of the question and answer panel.

• Invite your priest well in advance to be part of this Life Night

• Ask local businesses (i.e. movie passes, iPod, restaurant gift certificate, etc.) to donate prizes for freeze tag.

MAKING IT WORK • If there is a gym on the parish grounds, the two rounds of freeze tag can take place there.

• Create a small card that can be handed out at the end of the Life Night. On one side of the card, list two or

FREEZE! three Scriptures regarding freedom (i.e. 2 Corinthians 3:17, Galatians 5:1). On the other side, give the teens suggestions of where they can get answers to their questions about the Church (i.e. Catechism, lifeteen.com, etc.)

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The American Revolution. A time of change. A time to In trying to dispel some of the incorrect ideas regarding throw off the shackles of the monarchy for the glory of the Church and the hierarchy, be sure that when democracy! you are doing the teaching you and your Core team understand the difference between the world’s view of Why would we ever then embrace a monarchial system authority and the Catholic view of authority. Make a in the Church? A system that oppresses people, run by prayer for obedience a key part of your preparations for men? this night.

Well, if you misunderstand the hierarchy of the Church, then that might be some of the things you are thinking about how the Church is run. We tend to think of kings and princes and abuses of power when we think of a world government.

Tonight we are going to look at the hierarchy of the Church and how it is set up by God to serve all of the members of the Body of Christ in a way that is unlike any secular government.

Founded by Christ CCC #874-877, 935 The hierarchy of the Church is the sign of our union with God and also the instrument of that union of the Church with God. John 17:21-23 Romans 1:1, 10:14-17 started the Church with the divine purpose and Philippians 2:7 mission to go and baptize all nations in the name of the 1 Corinthians 9:19 . It is Jesus, not the people in the Church, who has given the hierarchy the authority, power and responsibility to serve the Church as representatives of God. Ad Gentes #5

Throughout history we can see how the Church has played a vital role in history, building up Western Lumen Gentium #18 Civilization. At the same time, the Church is outside of human history in a way that no other organization has been, because it is not a human organization. “How the Built Western Civilization” – Thomas E. Woods, 2005 How does the Church serve? It serves by continuing the salvation of Christ, preserving and handing on the teachings of Jesus. It does this in a unique way by reading the signs of the times interpreting these signs in light of the Gospel, to help the Church to more fully understand the Revelation of God. FREEZE!

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It would be kind of odd if Jesus left the Church here on Earth with no structure, especially with no authority in place. Because Jesus knew that people would disagree about religious practices and sometimes use the Church for their own personal gain, He left us what is now known as the .

Bishops, , priests and families CCC #871-873, 877, 897-913, 934, 940, 942 The College of Bishops is the entire group of bishops from around the world, the successors of the apostles with the head of the bishops being the Bishop of Rome, the 1 Peter 2:5 successor of Peter, the . Philippians 2:8-9 Ephesians 4:7 The pope and the is known as the , and has the authority to teach the Church what Christ intended concerning faith and morals. This teaching Lumen Gentium #10, 31-36 authority is known as the .

Each bishop is in charge of a group of in his Evangelii Nuntiandi #73 particular diocese. This can be a large or small group of parishes that the bishop is responsible for guiding and for leading in the faith. Apostolicam Actuositatem #2, 6

Each parish is guided by a pastor, a priest who is an extension of the bishop in the local Church and is more Ad Gentes #15 intimately involved with the details of each parish..

Each family takes on a role of the “domestic Church.” In Christifideles Laici #9 each of our homes our daily actions become a prayer of sacrifice and service for one another as we grow in our faith. Summa Theologica III:7:4 – To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and every The pope and the bishops have a special role in believer. interpreting the Word of God and guiding us in the traditions of the Church. They are the authentic interpreter of God’s Word in Scripture and in Tradition. By guiding us in the model of those that have come before them, they do not take on the role of “creating doctrine” or new truth. In our media-driven world that loves constant change the Church seems slow and boring.

Instead, the pope and the bishops are merely protecting and passing on what they heard from the apostles who are passing on what they heard of Christ. This assures FREEZE! that we as a Church remain true to the faith and morals taught by Christ to the original disciples.

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This structure also ensures that the Church remains focused on her mission of evangelization, and not pausing to think that she has “done it all” and can take a break.

That “I” Word CCC #888-892, 939 Let’s talk about two words: indefectibility and infallibility. Many times these words are misunderstood and clearing Mark 16:15 them up should help us as we move forward.

Indefectibility is the concept that the Church will always Presbyterorum Ordinis #4 teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ without error even in spite of the defects of the individual members of the Lumen Gentium #12, 25 Church, both the lay faithful and the ordained priests and ministers. Dei Verbum #10 Infallibility is the gift of the Holy Spirit that allows the Church to teach faith and morals without error. There are two conditions where infallibility exists and neither of them has to do with picking football games!

The pope and bishops can exercise this infallibility when Vatican I, Ecumenical XX, Session IV, Chapter gathered in , or the Pope can exercise 4 (This may be more difficult to look up on your infallibility when teaching alone. This teaching must be own so we have included the pertinent paragraph about faith and morals, held in common by all the bishops here) - And so We, adhering faithfully to the tradition of the world and made from the “Chair of St. Peter” or “ex received from the beginning of the Christian faith, to the cathedra.” glory of God, our Savior, the elevation of the Catholic religion and the salvation of Christian peoples, with the Respect My Authority! approbation of the sacred Council, teach and explain that the dogma has been divinely revealed: that the There are different levels at which the Church teaches. Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, that is, There are matters of faith and morals with are always when carrying out the duty of the pastor and teacher consistent and never change. However the law of the of all Christians by virtue of his supreme apostolic Church, which is the pastoral norms for living the faith and authority he defines a doctrine of faith or morals to moral life, are laws and disciplines that can be adjusted for be held by the universal Church, through the divine new circumstances. assistance promised him in blessed Peter, operates with that infallibility with which the divine Redeemer When we hear the media reporting about how the Church wished that His church be instructed in defining needs to change certain things, we need to keep this doctrine on faith and morals; and so such definitions in mind: Is the Church going to change what they have of the Roman Pontiff from himself, but not from the taught for the last 2,000 years or are we merely changing consensus of the Church, are unalterable. a law or discipline for new circumstances that have occurred? This is where authority can be an amazing help for us as Christians. FREEZE!

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It is important to understand that as Catholics there is a different way of looking at authority. For many people today, authority is a bad word, but for Catholics it is something that unifies us and guides us toward our ultimate destination. In that case, authority can be a great benefit and help to us in our faith lives.

Lumen Gentium #25 (This is so important to this part of the teaching we have included the paragraph here for easy reading) - Among the principal duties of bishops the preaching of the Gospel occupies an eminent place. For bishops are preachers of the faith, who lead new disciples to Christ, and they are authentic teachers, that is, teachers endowed with the authority of Christ, who preach to the people committed to them the faith they must believe and put into practice, and by the light of the Holy Spirit illustrate that faith. They bring forth from the treasury of Revelation new things and old, making it bear fruit and vigilantly warding off any errors that threaten their flock. Bishops, teaching in communion with the Roman Pontiff, are to be respected by all as witnesses to divine and Catholic truth. In matters of faith and morals, the bishops speak in the name of Christ and the faithful are to accept their teaching and adhere to it with a religious assent. This religious submission of mind and will must be shown in a special way to the authentic magisterium of the Roman Pontiff, even when he is not speaking ex cathedra; that is, it must be shown in such a way that his supreme magisterium is acknowledged with reverence, the judgments made by him are sincerely adhered to, according to his manifest mind and will. His mind and will in the matter may be known either from the character of the documents, from his frequent repetition of the same doctrine, or from his manner of speaking.

Although the individual bishops do not enjoy the prerogative of infallibility, they nevertheless proclaim Christ’s doctrine infallibly whenever, even though dispersed through the world, but still maintaining the bond of communion among themselves and with the successor of Peter, and authentically teaching matters of faith and morals, they are in agreement on one position as definitively to be held. This is even more clearly verified when, gathered together in an ecumenical council, they are teachers and judges of faith and morals for the universal Church, whose definitions must be adhered to with the submission of faith.

And this infallibility with which the Divine Redeemer willed His Church to be endowed in defining doctrine of faith and morals, extends as far as the deposit of Revelation extends, which must be religiously guarded and faithfully expounded. And this is the infallibility which the Roman Pontiff, the head of the college of bishops, enjoys in virtue of his office, when, as the supreme shepherd and teacher of all the faithful, who confirms his brethren in their faith, by a definitive act he proclaims a doctrine of faith or morals. And therefore his definitions, of themselves, and not from the consent of the Church, are justly styled irreformable, since they are pronounced with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, promised to him in blessed Peter, and therefore they need no approval of others, nor do they allow an appeal to any other judgment. For then the Roman Pontiff is not pronouncing judgment as a private person, but as the supreme teacher of the universal Church, in whom the charism of infallibility of the Church itself is individually present, he is expounding or defending a doctrine of Catholic faith. The infallibility promised to the Church resides also in the body of Bishops, when that body exercises the supreme magisterium with the successor of Peter. To these definitions the assent of the Church can never be wanting, on account of the activity of that same Holy Spirit, by which the whole flock of Christ is preserved and progresses in unity of faith.

But when either the Roman Pontiff or the Body of Bishops together with him defines a judgment, they pronounce it in accordance with Revelation itself, which all are obliged to abide by and be in conformity with, that is, the Revelation which FREEZE! as written or orally handed down is transmitted in its entirety through the legitimate succession of bishops and especially in care of the Roman Pontiff himself, and which under the guiding light of the Spirit of truth is religiously preserved and faithfully expounded in the Church. The Roman Pontiff and the bishops, in view of their office and the importance of the matter, by fitting means diligently strive to inquire properly into that revelation and to give apt expression to its contents; but a new public revelation they do not accept as pertaining to the divine deposit of faith.

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Core Planning Team: Two Weeks Prior to Life Night:

______☐ Turn in a detailed outline of the Life Night to the youth minister. Allow youth minister to give feedback and make ______any necessary changes.

______☐ Create a list of needed supplies and materials. Assign a person to be responsible for collecting and/or purchasing ______the materials needed.

Date of Life Night: ☐ Decide the people that will be doing the following things. Make sure they have a copy of the script and/or teaching ______outline. Inform them of any practices and/or deadlines.

One month prior to the Night: Teaching ______

☐ Give copies of the Life Night to each of the members of Large Group Panel ______the planning team. Each person should read the Scripture and Catechism references as well as review the planning Week of the Life Night: guide before the brainstorming meeting. ☐ Written outline of the teaching is given to the youth ☐ Get the planning team together for a brainstorming minister and practiced meeting (this should last no longer than 1 hour). The team prays and discusses where the teens are in their faith ☐ Run a dress rehearsal of the Life Night. journey in relation to this topic. Then using this planning guide as a starting point, the team adapts the Life Night ☐ Create environment and collect needed supplies to meet the needs of the teens and the parish. Create a detailed outline with any changes and/or adjustments. ☐ E-mail entire Core team an overview of the night.

☐ Assign the person responsible for each part of the Life Day of the Life Night: Night: ☐ Set up the environment. Make sure the room is clean Environment ______and presentable.

Introductions ______☐ Set up audio needs.

No-Rules Freeze Tag (Gather) ______☐ Walk the entire Core team through the Life Night. Make sure all transitions are ready and everyone knows their Large Group Q&A (Break) ______roles.

Freedom (Send) ______☐ Pray! Pray for the teens attending the Night. Pray for God’s will to be done through the night. Pray over those Freeze Tag ______involved.

FREEZE!

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