1 SEARCH RETREAT 1 RETREAT
SEARCH A RETREAT ON LIFE’S BIG QUESTIONS
CONTENT
INTRODUCTORY MATERIALS IMPORTANT DETAILS ABOUT THIS RETREAT (Pg. 4)
SESSION ONE: FINDING LOVE GOD IS LOVE (Pg. 12)
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture passages have been taken from the Revised SESSION TWO: FINDING HAPPINESS Standard Version, Catholic edition. Copyright ©1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division SIN AS DISTORTED HAPPINESS AND JESUS AS REDEEMER of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the (Pg. 26) USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Quotes are taken from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America (indicated as CCC), 2nd ed. Copyright SESSION THREE: FINDING PURPOSE ©1997 by United States Catholic Conference – Libreria Editrice Vaticana. KNOW, LOVE, AND SERVE GOD (Pg. 38) Author: Lily Hannan, Jessica McMillan
Design: Casey Olson SESSION FOUR: FINDING COMMUNITY Copy Edit: Elizabeth Bayardi THE BODY OF CHRIST ©2018 Life Teen, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book, including interior (Pg. 54) design, cover design, and/or icons, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher. SESSION FIVE: FINDING ME GOD’S PLAN The information contained herein is published and produced by Life Teen, Inc. The resources and practices are in full accordance with the Roman Catholic Church. (Pg. 66) The Life Teen® name and associated logos are trademarks registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Use of the Life Teen® trademarks without prior permission is forbidden. Permission may be requested by contacting Life Teen, Inc. at 480-820-7001.
2 SEARCH RETREAT 3 INTRODUCTORY MATERIALS As You Get Started. The outline provided in this resource is just a starting point. Add, subtract, and change things INTRODUCTION TO THE THEME according to the needs of the teens that will be attending Walker Percy, a Catholic American author, wrote, “To the retreat. become aware of the possibility of a search is to be onto something. Not to be onto something is to be in despair.” Priests. The Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Eucharist Most of us are aware that we are onto something because are important parts of this retreat. Make sure to invite your we have hope and find ourselves desiring and asking priests well in advance. If possible, have more than one questions about love, happiness, and purpose. But in priest available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and a culture that gives us conflicting answers, we may find a priest, deacon, or Eucharistic Minister to expose the ourselves lost. It is the Gospel message which personally Blessed Sacrament for Adoration. guides our search for truth. Music Ministry. If possible, have a band present to provide God created each of us intentionally, out of love, and for a music ministry for the whole weekend. Ask the band that purpose. Our hearts search for God and will not be content plays at your Life Teen Mass to be part of the retreat, or until united with Him. During this retreat, we will embark ask other local musicians. on the search for God together. It is easy to look to Google for answers, but only God reaches into our lives and gives Teen Involvement. As you plan, make sure to involve teens us a personal response. in games, videos, skits, witness talks, etc. In particular, target teens that might not come on the retreat if they are GOAL not involved. The goal of this retreat is to invite teens into a relationship with God by encouraging them to ask the big questions Advertisement and Invitation. You can plan the best about the purpose of life and answering them with the retreat ever, but if no teens come – what’s the point? Be Gospel message. sure to get the word out about the retreat early. Create and use flyers, bulletin announcements, e-mails, Twitter, BASIS and Instagram invitations to get teens excited about the • 1 Timothy 2:3-4 retreat. Make sure that everyone on the Core Team is • John 3:16 personally inviting teens to come on retreat – at Mass, at • Exodus 14:3 Life Night, at schools, wherever teens are! Create a retreat • CCC 1-2 promo video that can be shown at Mass and Life Nights, and then post it on YouTube. RETREAT PREPARATION As a planning team, give yourselves plenty of time to Pray. In the end, this is God’s retreat and not yours. As pray about and plan this retreat. The retreat will be most soon as teens start signing up, begin praying for the teens effective if the planning process begins at least two to by name and for the help and inspiration of the Holy Spirit three months in advance. As you plan, stay rooted in as you plan. prayer and open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Here are some specific things to keep in mind as you begin your planning:
4 SEARCH RETREAT 5 PRAYER PREPARATION If a priest is not available to join, ask him to be available to As you begin planning the retreat, gather a team of offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation before leaving for the intercessors. Ask this group to pray for the Core Team, retreat. teens, and everyone involved with the retreat. As teens sign up, provide the intercessory team with the names Notes: ______of the participants. If possible, have them come on the ______retreat to pray and intercede during the weekend. ______
SMALL GROUPS ______The teens will need to be broken into small groups of six to ______eight teens with one Core Member. It is the role of the small ______group facilitator to establish trust and honesty within the ______small group so that the teens will feel comfortable sharing. ______ENVIRONMENT ______Throughout the retreat, a giant Google search bar at the ______front of the room displays the driving question behind each ______session. The questions, “What is love?”, “What is happiness?”, ______“What is the purpose of life?”, “What is the point of Church?”, ______and “What do I do with my life?” focus the teens on the particular search addressed in each session. Popular answers ______to each question are displayed around the room. ______Create the giant search bar and the rotating questions by ______having an artistic Core Member draw or paint it on cardboard or poster board. Make it suitable to the size of your space. It ______should be a prominent centerpiece. Write the questions on ______separate poster boards so they can be added and removed ______for the different sessions. If your budget allows, consider ______purchasing a vinyl banner of the search bar and use velcro ______to switch out the questions. Check out vistaprint.com, signs.com/banners/, or local graphic design companies to ______purchase a customized banner. ______THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION ______The Sacrament of Reconciliation is introduced in the second ______session and is available throughout the retreat. Be sure to make a Reconciliation schedule and post it in several ______prominent locations for teens to reference. Also, consider ______having sign ups. ______
6 SEARCH RETREAT 7 SAMPLE WEEKEND RETREAT SCHEDULE SAMPLE DAY RETREAT SCHEDULE
FRIDAY SATURDAY 5:00 pm Registration 8:00 am Breakfast 5:30 pm Depart for Retreat Site 9:00 am SESSION I: Finding Love 7:30 pm Arrive at Retreat Site 10:30 am Free Time 8:00 pm SESSION I: Finding Love 11:00 am SESSION II: Finding Happiness 9:30 pm Free Time 12:30 pm Lunch and Free Time with Confession Available 11:00 pm Lights Out 1:30 pm SESSION III: Finding Purpose 3:00 pm Free Time with Confession Available SATURDAY 4:00 pm SESSION IV: Finding Community 8:00 am Breakfast 5:30 pm Free Time with Confession Available 9:00 am SESSION II: Finding Happiness 7:30 pm SESSION V: Finding Me 11:30 am Lunch and Free Time with Confession Available 9:00 pm Retreat Gift and Dismissal 2:00 pm SESSION III: Finding Purpose 3:30 pm Free Time with Confession Available *Adapt as necessary 4:30 pm Dinner and Free Time 7:00 pm SESSION IV: Finding Community 8:30 pm Free Time with Confession Available 11:00 pm Lights Out
SUNDAY 9:00 am Breakfast 10:00 am SESSION V: Finding Me 11:30 am Lunch 1:00 pm Clean Up and Pack 2:30 pm Depart Retreat Site 4:30 pm Arrive at Parish 5:30 pm Sunday Mass
*Adapt as necessary
8 SEARCH RETREAT 9 RETREAT PACKING LIST • Holy water • Mason jars and decorating supplies • Name tags for each teen and Core Member • Tea candles • First-Aid kit and medical/waiver forms for each teen • Audio/Visual needs • Environment Supplies - Sound system - Giant Google search bar - Projector and screen - Session questions to place in the search bar - Large cross or crucifix for main room • Handouts - Fake money - The Search - Google printouts for each session theme - Seek, Know, & Love - Small gift boxes - Cut and Fill Examination of Conscience - Wrapping paper - Renewal of Baptismal Promises - Large puzzles - Song Suggestions for Retreat Adoration • Retreat t-shirts and any other retreat gifts • Mass and Adoration Supplies - Lectionary, Missal Notes: ______- Hosts, wine ______- Altar cloth - Two candles, matches ______- Small crucifix ______- Paten, chalice(s) ______- Small container for water and wine ______- Purificators ______- Corporal - Small bowl to wash hands, finger towel ______- Monstrance ______- Candles ______- Lighter ______• Bibles • Spiritual reading material for Seek, Know, & Love Activity ______• Pens ______• Large white trash bags ______• Sharpies ______• Map of retreat facility ______• Shutter Shades • Poster board ______• Cool whip or canned cheese ______• Large bowl ______
10 SEARCH RETREAT 11 SESSION ONE OVERVIEW ABOUT THIS SESSION
The Gather starts the retreat off by having teens search FINDING LOVE to find their small group leader, luggage, and room. The GOD IS LOVE Proclaim discusses the desire to love and be loved, the many places we search for love, and ultimately, God’s infinite love for us. The Break is a small group discussion GOAL that dives into the universal search for the answers to life’s big questions and challenges the teens to enter into To introduce the idea that God’s love is the origin and the retreat intentionally. The Send creates a mobile of the destination of the desires of the human heart. teen’s hopes and fears when searching for God.
KEY CONCEPTS MEDIA SUGGESTIONS
• The desire for love is written on our hearts because we are “What is Love,” Haddaway (The Album, Artista Records, created by love, for love, and to love. 1993)
• Our culture defines love as a feeling, but real love is to “I Still Haven’t Found What I am Looking For,” U2 (The give of ourselves and will the good of others. Joshua Tree, Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, 1987)
• God created us freely out of love and gives us the same “Girls Chase Boys,” Ingrid Michaelson (Lights Out, Cabin freedom to choose Him. 24, 2014)
“We Found Love in a Hopeless Place,” Rihanna and Calvin Harris (Talk That Talk, Def Jam Records, 2011) KEY TERMS: SCRIPTURE: CATECHISM: God Genesis 1:26-28 1 ArthurVideoSong: “Just Dance 2017 - What is Love | Trinity Isaiah 43:1 27 Alternativa” (youtube.com) Free Will John 17:3 Love “Love Won’t Let Me Down,” Hillsong Young and Free (Love Won’t Let Me Down, Hillsong Music Publishing, 2017)
“The More I Seek You,” Kari Jobe (Healing Waters, Pure Worship, 2005)
12 SEARCH RETREAT 13 ENVIRONMENT AS YOU GET STARTED
Throughout the retreat, a giant Google search bar at the To make a game out of the environment, separate the front of the room displays the driving question behind definitions of love from their authors. As teens enter, give each session. Consider having an artistic volunteer draw them each a pen and paper and instruct them to write or paint the search bar on poster board or bulletin board down the different definitions of love, the authors, and paper. Make it suitable to the size of your space. It should then match them. be a prominent centerpiece. Write the questions on separate poster board so they can be taped and removed For a more personal Proclaim, compile a video of for the different sessions. If the budget allows, consider parishioners and teens answering the question, “What is purchasing a vinyl banner with the search bar and use love?” as well as people at the mall, grocery store, and velcro to switch out the questions. Check out vistaprint. other public places. Play it at the beginning of the Proclaim. com, signs.com/banners/, or local graphic design companies to purchase a customized banner. To introduce the Core Members in the Gather, consider having them learn the “What is Love?” dance and perform For this session, the question “What is love?” is placed it. See Media Suggestions. in the search bar. The following popular answers to this question (and their corresponding authors) are displayed If there is limited time in the Gather, make one search around the room. that leads the small groups to their small group leader, • Madness of the gods. (Ancient Greek Thought) luggage, and cabin assignment. • Craving for a specific person. (Google) • A feeling of strong and constant affection. (Merriam- Notes: ______Webster Dictionary) ______• To will the good of the beloved. (Saint John Paul II, ______Catholic Thought) • Nature’s way of tricking people into reproducing. ______(Urban Dictionary) ______Print and hang pictures of couples from popular romantic ______comedy movies. Create a “relationship goals” wall with ______quotes and pictures. Search “relationship goals” on Pinterest or Instagram for ideas. Have Haddaway’s song, ______“What Is Love,” playing in the background followed by ______U2’s, “I Still Haven’t Found What I am Looking For.” See ______Media Suggestions for more song recommendations. ______SOCIAL MEDIA HASHTAGS #LT_ FindingLove ______
14 SEARCH RETREAT 15 Once they find their room, they drop off their luggage SESSION ONE: FINDING LOVE and meet back in the main meeting space. For detailed instructions on how to prepare this dynamic, read the Search Dynamic Leader Guide, found on the GATHER January 2018 Life Teen USB and online at lifeteen.com under Life Support: January 2018. Welcome, Introductions, and Rules (15 min) Gather the teens into the main meeting space, welcome them to the retreat, and introduce the Core Members and PROCLAIM music ministry team. Review the rules for the weekend Talk: “Finding Love” Teaching (10 min) specific to the youth group and retreat facility. The Proclaim Details can be found on pages 20 to 23. Search (40 min) Inform the teens that their luggage was misplaced, and they are going to have to search for it and bring it to their BREAK assigned room. Explain that there are three steps to the Small Group Discussion (15 min) search: 1) search for their small group leader, 2) search Have the teens break into their small groups and search for for their luggage, 3) search for their assigned room. a small group meeting spot for the duration of the retreat. Once settled, the Core Member opens in prayer and leads The Core Members pass out the Word Search found on the small group discussion using the following questions: the January 2018 Life Teen USB and online at lifeteen. • To begin, please share your name, school, and favorite com under Life Support: January 2018. The name of the activity. teen and his or her small group leader are pre-filled on • Whip Around: What is your favorite social media app? (A the top of the handout. Instruct the teens to complete whip around question is a question that can be answered the Word Search and then find their small group leader. in one word or phrase and goes clockwise starting from the leader. The goal is to quickly whip around the circle Once all the teens are ready, the small group leaders then encouraging every teen to speak when it’s his or her turn.) share with their small group a riddle to find their luggage. • Would you rather search for a gift for your best friend’s For example, if the luggage is hidden under a tree by the birthday with ten highly opinionated friends or totally water say, “It is near something brown, under something alone? green, which is by something blue.” Make up a riddle • Have you ever searched for something that took a particular to the retreat site. Each small group’s luggage good amount of time and effort? A prom dress? The is hidden in a different location and has a different riddle. perfect phone case? What was it, and what was the The teens use the riddle to search for and find their experience like? If needed, share a personal story to get luggage. the discussion going. • What are non-physical concepts we search for everyday? Taped to their luggage is a map to their room assignment. • Do you think you focus more on loving or being loved? The Core Members instruct the teens to bring their Do you think it is easier to focus on one or the other? luggage to their room using the map. Why? Why not?
16 SEARCH RETREAT 17 • How have you searched for God? We all have hopes and fears on our search for God. I invite • How have you seen God search for you? you to let them go and entrust them to God and to your community. When you are ready, find a Core Member and tie Seek, Know, & Love (10 min) your heart to the mobile. The mobiles will then be hung as a While in small groups, Core Members pass out the Seek, reminder that we all have hopes and fears on our search for Know, & Love handout, found on the January 2018 Life God. Teen USB and online at lifeteen.com under Life Support: January 2018. Introduce the handout using the following: The music minister plays prayerful music during the activity and ends with a song when the teens finish. Wherever you stand right now in your relationship with God, with faith, with His Church, God wants to draw closer Notes: ______to you. He does not want to manipulate or bully you into ______a relationship with Him, but invites you into relationship ______with Him. Right now, take some time to quiet your heart and reflect on the different ways you have searched for ______God in your desire to get to know Him more deeply. The ______Core Members will be handing out a guide to assist you ______as you pray. ______SEND ______Hopes and Fears (15 min) ______Flowing out of the journal reflection, instruct the teens to ______write down on a cardstock cutout of a heart what fears ______they have encountered while searching for God’s love. On the other side of the heart, instruct the teens to write ______down what they hope to find in their search for God’s love. ______Instruct them that this is anonymous and to avoid writing ______their name on the heart. The hearts are premade with a ______small hole at the top of the heart and hemp string tied ______through the hole. ______Meanwhile, the Core Members spread throughout the main ______meeting space each holding two medium sized sticks that ______are tied together with hemp string. ______Instruct the teens to find any Core Member and tie their heart to one of the sticks creating a mobile. Use the ______following to explain the activity: ______
18 SEARCH RETREAT 19 PROCLAIM DETAILS deep down we are jealous of what they have. We may even get on dating apps and literally search for matches.
FINDING LOVE Look at the different images from “rom coms” around the room. They tell the same love story, over and over again — two people meet, confront a struggle that threatens to tear KEY TERMS them apart, and in the end, overcome all obstacles to be united again. God: The infinite divine being, one in being, yet three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Why do we tell this same story over and over? Because we are created by love, for love, and to love; this story is Trinity: The mystery of one God in three Persons: our story. In the beginning, God created man and woman, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. and humanity was united with God. Then, humanity made Free Will: The power of the will to choose for itself, a mistake, disobeyed God, and separated themselves and to act of itself, without compulsion from within from God. As with every love story, the hope is that there or coercion from without. will be a union again in the end. Love: An action, to will good of another. 1 John 4:8, CCC 27
TEACHING LOVE WAS MADE FOR YOU AND ME THE SEARCH Let’s take a moment to define love. Look around the room at We are all constantly searching. We search for our the different definitions or ideas of love. What do you see? classroom on the first day of school. We search for a group How do you think our culture searches for and defines love? of friends or a table to sit at during lunch. We search for a college to attend and a major to pursue. As we get older, Allow the teens time to answer. we search for a job, the person we will spend the rest of our life with, or maybe the religious order we will join. So often our definition of love is focused on the way we feel. The friendship or relationship has “good vibes.” We Share a story about a lengthy search of yours. enjoy each other’s company. We want to be around our significant other all the time. However, is that enough? One of the clearest driving forces behind our search is Does this satisfy us long term, or is it only temporary? love. Whether we recognize it or not, a lot of what we do comes from the desire to be loved. We may pretend Our faith tells us that God is love. Our God is a communion to like things other people like because we want to of Persons, a communion of love. He is three Persons in be accepted by them. We may diligently practice our one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As the Father gives sport because we think we will earn our place if we are and receives love from the Son, the Son gives and receives successful. We may dress provocatively or show off to love from the Father. The love shared is the Holy Spirit. try to get attention from the opposite gender. We may God is love. He loves us into being, and He invites us into say, “gross” to the couples we see on Instagram because
20 SEARCH RETREAT 21 communion with Him. This is the love for which we search, or see our parents’ marriage end in divorce. Have you ever and this is the love we are to give. had someone say, “Well, if you really love me you would...” 1 John 4:8, Genesis 1:27, CCC 264, 356 or “If you are really my friend, you would...”?
Jesus confirms this and tells us that there is no greater When we experience these things, it can taint our love than to give our life for a friend. Like God who gives understanding of love. The reality is that we have a God who Himself to His Son and His Son who gives Himself to God does not force us to love Him or manipulate us into loving and to all of humanity, love must be given. Love is the act Him. He loves us freely and wants us to love Him freely. of giving ourselves wholly and completely to others. Love requires selflessness as opposed to selfishness. The world His love is there for you to search for and choose, but He see’s love as selfishly receiving good feelings. God sees does not and will not force it upon you. love as a selfless and complete gift of self; Jesus does this perfectly on the cross. During this retreat, we are going to spend time asking the Galatians 1:4 big questions about life. What is love? What is happiness? What is the purpose of life and what specifically am I When we make the Sign of the Cross, we are reminded supposed to do with mine? And in all of that, what roles that God is love, a trinity of persons, a communion of love, do God and the Church play? We will look at what the who loves us and gives Himself completely for us. world teaches and what God teaches. I invite you to personally ask these questions and search for answers. Have the teens slowly make the Sign of the Cross with you. What is love? God is love and we were created to live in In moments when you question whether or not you are His love. Our desire for acceptance is a desire for God. Our loved, make the Sign of the Cross and remind yourself of desire for athletic success is a desire for God. Our desire the love you are created to be part of. Remind yourself for friendships, a relationship, is a desire for God. Be not that in your search, no other love satisfies. When you are afraid to search for Him and ask life’s big questions. He struggling to love someone, make the Sign of the Cross wants to meet you in your desire and your questions. Let and ask for strength and grace. You are called to love and the search begin. those around you are created to be loved. Notes: ______GOD DOESN’T BULLY ______In the same way that God created us freely out of love, He allows us to freely choose to love Him. He gives us ______free will: the ability to make our own decisions. Real love ______cannot be forced from someone or taken. ______Unfortunately, many of us have been hurt by others. People ______fail us. They make mistakes and let us down. They may use us for their own benefit. It makes it hard to trust when we ______experience our friends talking about us behind our backs ______
22 SEARCH RETREAT 23 CORE TEAM OVERVIEW Seek, Know, & Love: ______
SEND (15 MIN): FINDING LOVE: God Is Love Hopes and Fears: ______GOAL: To introduce the idea that God’s love is the origin and destination of the desires of the human heart. Notes: ______GATHER (55 MIN): ______Welcome, Introductions, and Rules: ______Search:______PROCLAIM (10 MIN): ______“Finding Love” Teaching:______BREAK (25 MIN): Small Group Discussion: ______• To begin, please share your name, school, and favorite ______activity. ______• Whip Around: What is your favorite social media app? (A ______whip around question is a question that can be answered ______in one word or phrase and goes clockwise starting from the leader. The goal is to quickly whip around the circle ______encouraging every teen to speak when it’s his or her ______turn.) ______• Would you rather search for a gift for your best friend’s ______birthday with ten highly opinionated friends or totally ______alone? • Have you ever searched for something that took a ______good amount of time and effort? A prom dress? The ______perfect phone case? What was it, and what was the ______experience like? If needed, share a personal story to get ______the discussion going. • What are non-physical concepts we search for everyday? ______• Do you think you focus more on loving or being loved? ______Do you think it is easier to focus on one or the other? ______Why? Why not? ______• How have you searched for God? ______• How have you seen God search for you? ______
24 SEARCH RETREAT 25 SESSION TWO OVERVIEW ABOUT THIS SESSION
The Gather is a competition that requires the completion FINDING HAPPINESS of a task with distorted vision. The Proclaim discusses SIN AS DISTORTED HAPPINESS our desire for happiness and sin as a distorted version of AND JESUS AS REDEEMER happiness. In the Break and Send, the teens are given the opportunity to examine their conscience and participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. GOAL MEDIA SUGGESTIONS To uncover the illusion of happiness that sin offers and explore the depth of happiness found in God’s love and “Happy,” Pharrell Williams (Happy, Columbia Records, 2013) redemption in Jesus. “Cheap Thrills,” Sia (This is Acting, RCA Records, 2016) KEY CONCEPTS Life Teen: “Heartbeat Dreams” (Edge Video Support: • Our experiences of happiness are meant to draw us to November 2016) God and give us glimpses of eternal happiness with Him in heaven. “Love Came Down,” Kari Jobe (Where I Find You, Sparrow Records, 2012) • When the search for happiness becomes our focus and a replacement for God, we can can fall into sin. Interdreamer: “3 HOURS Healing Gregorian Chant 432Hz I Benedictus” (youtube.com) • Through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God offers us the grace to ENVIRONMENT seek the true happiness for which our hearts long. Throughout the retreat, a giant Google search bar at the front of the room displays the driving question behind each session. The question “What is happiness?” is placed KEY TERMS: SCRIPTURE: CATECHISM: in the search bar. The following popular answers to this Sin Genesis 3:8-9 27 question (and their corresponding authors) are displayed Jesus Christ Matthew 13:22 29-30 around the room. Conversion John 15:10-11 • A state of well-being and contentment. (Merriam-Webster Happiness Romans 6:23 Dictionary) • The joy we feel when striving after our potential. (Ancient Greek Thought) • A small metal hinged box with pointy edges, wrapped with barbed-wire and hidden in a dark room full of electric eels, razorblades, piles of salt crystals with fans behind them and random pools of lemon juice. (Urban Dictionary)
26 SEARCH RETREAT 27 • The state of activity. (Aristotle) ______• Being satisfied from within. (Dr. Tsabary, Psychologist and ______Author) ______Print and hang images of fancy cars, the newest technology, ______the latest clothing trends, couples in love, friends enjoying ______time together, etc. Have Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” playing ______in the background followed by Sia’s “Cheap Thrills.” ______SOCIAL MEDIA HASHTAGS #LT_FindingHappiness ______AS YOU GET STARTED ______To make a game out of the Environment, separate the ______definitions of happiness from their authors. As teens enter, give them each a pen and paper and instruct them write ______down the different definitions of happiness, the authors, ______and then match them. ______For a more personal Proclaim, compile a video of parishioners and teens answering the question, “What is happiness?” as ______well as people at the mall, grocery store, and other public ______places. Play it at the beginning of the Proclaim. ______Notes: ______
28 SEARCH RETREAT 29 Once they have celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation, SESSION TWO: FINDING HAPPINESS instruct the teens to use the other side of the Cut and Fill Examination of Conscience handout to reflect on how they can cut out negative behaviors and fill up with positive behaviors. GATHER Have the music minister play instrumental music and then Distorted Vision (15 min) move into songs focused on mercy and freedom. Gather the teens in the main meeting space. Ask for four volunteers to come to the front of the main meeting Notes: ______space. Give each volunteer a pair of glasses that distorts their vision. Consider purchasing shutter shades from ______orientaltrading.com or amazon.com. Give each teen a ______poster board with “Seek the Lord” written lightly in pencil ______on it and a can of whipped cream. Explain that they will ______have one minute to trace the saying with whipped cream as neatly as possible and then sign their name. The teen ______that writes the clearest wins. ______Praise and Worship (10 min) ______The music minister invites the teens to stand and leads ______them in praise and worship. ______PROCLAIM ______“Finding Happiness” Teaching (15 min) ______The Proclaim Details can be found on pages 32 to 35. ______BREAK & SEND ______Cut and Fill (50 min) ______Have the Core Members distribute the Cut and Fill Examination of Conscience handout found on the January ______2018 Life Teen USB and online at lifeteen.com under Life ______Support: January 2018. Instruct the teens to spread out ______around the room and find a place separate from friends ______to quietly pray through the Examination of Conscience. ______Encourage them to take their time, and when they are ready, to go to the indicated area to participate in the Sacrament ______of Reconciliation. ______
30 SEARCH RETREAT 31 PROCLAIM DETAILS All of these things offer us moments of happiness and can put a smile on our face, but are they really enough? Can they keep our attention for an extended period of time? FINDING HAPPINESS How long after getting the new iPhone are we ready for the next one to come out?
KEY TERMS Our experiences of happiness, as fleeting as they are, serve a purpose: they are tastes of the eternal happiness Sin: An offense against God as well as a fault against we will have with God in heaven. When we make our reason, truth, and right conscience. parents proud, spend time with a good friend, achieve something we have worked extremely hard for, or Jesus Christ: The eternal Son of God, who was born even eat an amazing meal, we experience moments of of the Virgin Mary, suffered crucifixion and death, happiness. Once these moments pass, we must remind rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, and ourselves of our destiny, of heaven, where happiness is will come again in glory to judge the living and the no longer fleeting, but eternal. dead. Jesus’ name in Hebrew mean, “God saves.” Conversion: A radical reorientation of the whole life CCC 27, 358, 1718 away from sin and evil, and toward God. In the Psalms, we are invited to actually taste and see the Happiness: Joy and beatitude over receiving the goodness of the Lord. fulfillment of our vocation as creatures: a sharing in Psalm 34:8 the divine nature and the vision of God. Project and read Psalm 34:8. TEACHING Consider playing Heartbeat Dreams found in the Media THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS Suggestions.
What makes you happy? Seriously, take a moment to DISTORTED VISION consider the last thing that happened in your life that made you happy. Did you get a new iPhone? Were you Often times we want to cling to the pleasure or happiness hanging out with your friends? Were you telling people that something in our life gives us. It becomes our focus, our about a new relationship? Maybe you received a good god. Instead of focusing on God and the goodness He intends grade on a test, impressed your parents with the winning for us, we focus on the partying, drinking, hooking up, etc. touchdown, or were asked to prom by that cute crush Soon, the things that are meant to draw us closer to God, are you sit behind in class. If I search for a Pinterest board overindulged in, distorted, and become replacements for Him. titled “happiness” or pulled up #happiness on Instagram, what would I find? Delicious food, smiling faces, little Our vision can get distorted. Desiring a relationship, desiring kids playing, travels around the world, and perfectly to love and be loved, is a good desire; it comes from God. decorated homes? However, we can obsess over our significant other and even compromise our purity, thinking it is good because our vision of what is good has been twisted. Desiring friendships,
32 SEARCH RETREAT 33 acceptance, and community is a good desire; it comes from Turning away from sin, and the habits of vice we have God. However, when our life becomes centered around formed, takes time; it does not happen all at once. Every drinking and partying, our vision of good gets twisted. This day we choose to live as God’s son or daughter is a day desire no longer leads to God and His goodness, but to sin we journey closer to Him. and darkness. If a man has unhealthy habits, like eating tons of junk What we seek in sin is a twisted version of what our hearts food while sitting in front of the TV all day, he doesn’t are really searching for. From the beginning, Satan desired to just decide to become healthy and do so overnight. No, it separate humanity from God. He works actively to present takes time. At first, he cuts down on time spent watching many options that divert our attention and work against God’s TV and adds a walk. Then, he throws out all the sugary will for our lives. However, he cannot reign over or defeat God, foods and potato chips, and buys Lean Cuisine meals. and he cannot create. He can only take what God creates and Next, instead of Lean Cuisines, he buys groceries and deform it. When we party, we grasp at true fellowship and cooks a healthy balanced meal. Soon, he begins working community, but fall short. When we push the boundaries with out at a gym. Over time, he becomes healthier and our significant other, we grasp at true love, but fall short. healthier. CCC 394, 395, Genesis 2, 3:4-6 We too must apply this same line of thinking to our journey The good news is that God does not abandon us when toward holiness. We must cut out sin and fill ourselves we are lost on our search; He always provides a way for with Jesus. We must cut out toxic relationships and add us to find what we are really looking for. He sends His a relationship with God. We may even cut 30 minutes Son, Jesus, to tell us to “repent and believe,” to turn back of social media before bed and fill that time with a daily to God. He convicts us of our sin, our actions that lead to Examination of Conscience. We can cut gossip and fill our distorted versions of happiness, and gives us a way out, conversations with affirmation. We can cut immodesty a new start. And that new start is life in Christ. Through and decide to receive our value and identity as sons the life, Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus, God and daughters of God. As we fill our lives with good and became man, died on the cross, and redeemed us. Through healthy habits, we find that the old, bad habits and sins the cross, we have a way to true and eternal happiness. become less attractive. Through these practices, we will Ephesians 1:7, CCC 55 know more clearly the true happiness we are searching for and become unwilling to settle for anything less. Have a Core Member or teen leader share a testimony about CCC 1803 turning away from sin and finding true happiness in Jesus. Notes: ______CUT AND FILL ______If we want to turn away from sin and reorient our lives to Jesus, we must be willing to stop clinging to the distorted ______pleasures of the world and instead, search for contentment ______in Jesus. We must cut out of our lives what is unhealthy, ______and in turn, fill ourselves with what is good and leads us ______back to Jesus. ______
34 SEARCH RETREAT 35 CORE TEAM OVERVIEW ______FINDING HAPPINESS: Sin as Distorted Happiness and ______Jesus as Redeemer ______GOAL: To uncover the illusion of happiness that sin offers ______and explore the depth of happiness found in God’s love and redemption in Jesus. ______GATHER (25 MIN): ______Distorted Vision: ______Praise and Worship: ______PROCLAIM (15 MIN): ______“Finding Happiness” Teaching:______BREAK & SEND (50 MIN): ______Cut and Fill:______Notes: ______
36 SEARCH RETREAT 37 SESSION THREE OVERVIEW ABOUT THIS SESSION
The Gather splits the teens into pairs and has them maintain FINDING PURPOSE a conversation using only questions. The Proclaim explores KNOW, LOVE, AND SERVE GOD our purpose in life as knowing, loving, and serving God, which is made possible through the grace of redemption offered in Baptism. The Break leads the teens in a small GOAL group discussion about living for Jesus, which leads into a renewal of baptismal promises in the Send. To give teens the opportunity to reflect on the purpose of life and point them to knowing, loving, and serving the MEDIA SUGGESTIONS Lord through the grace of Baptism. “What Do You Mean,” Justin Bieber (Purpose, Def Jam KEY CONCEPTS Records, 2015)
• Our purpose is to know, love, and serve God. itsKLife: “Toddler Asking Why?!” (youtube.com)
• Throughout the Old Testament, God draws His people “Great Are You Lord,” All Sons & Daughters (Live, Integrity out of darkness and into the light of His divine life and Music, 2013) mission. ENVIRONMENT • In Baptism, we receive the grace to live out the redemption offered to us by Jesus on the cross. Throughout the retreat, a giant Google search bar at the front of the room displays the driving question behind each session. The question, “What is the purpose of life?” is placed in the search bar. The following popular answers KEY TERMS: SCRIPTURE: CATECHISM: to this question (and their corresponding authors) are Divine Life John 3:16 68 displayed around the room. Baptism Ephesians 1:11-12 161 • To be happy. (The Dalai Lama) 1 Timothy 2:5-6 1257 • To attain the highest form of knowledge. (Plato) • Freedom from suffering through harmony with the universe. (Stoicism) • There is no meaning or purpose of life. (Nihilism, Nietzche) • Know God, love God, serve God. (Christianity) • Be mindful of what causes well-being and ill-being. Work to end ill-being. (Buddhism)
SOCIAL MEDIA HASHTAGS #LT_ FindingPurpose
38 SEARCH RETREAT 39 AS YOU GET STARTED ______To make a game of the Environment, separate the answers ______to “What is the purpose of life?” from their authors. As teens enter, give them each a pen and paper and instruct ______them to write down the different purposes of life, the ______authors, and then match them. ______For an upfront Gather, have one volunteer from each small ______group come forward and compete tournament style until one teen is declared the winner. ______For a more personal Proclaim, compile a video of ______parishioners and teens answering the question, “What is ______the purpose of life?” as well as people at the mall, grocery ______store, and other public places. Play it at the beginning of the Proclaim. ______For a Send with a larger group, consider having the Core ______Members fill the small bowls with holy water at the base ______of the cross at the beginning of the Send. Core Members spread out in the front of the room and teens form ______multiple lines to bless themselves with the holy water ______after the renewal of baptismal promises. ______Notes: ______
40 SEARCH RETREAT 41 • Whip Around: What is one subject or skill you have to SESSION THREE: FINDING PURPOSE learn in school that you don’t know the purpose of? • Do you know when you were baptized? Were you a baby or a little bit older? What stories have you heard about your baptism? GATHER • What is one of the most important things in your life right now? Do other people know it is important to you? How? 20 Million Questions (15 min) • Is it challenging to be a Catholic Christian? When have you Gather the teens into the main meeting space. Ask teens felt it is most challenging? to pair off and face each other. Instruct them to maintain a • In what ways do you live differently as a baptized Christian? dialogue as long as possible only using questions. The first In what ways would you like to start living differently? teen asks a question and the second teen responds with a • Do you think about the purpose behind what you do? In question. If a teen hesitates or uses a statement, he or she what ways? loses and must sit down. Have the winners from each round find each other and keep competing until there is only one Light (20 min) winner left, or as long as time allows. While in small groups, give each teen a small mason jar and tea light candle or electric tea light candle. Instruct Praise and Worship (10 min) the teens to decorate the mason jar in a way that reminds The music minister invites the teens to stand and leads them of their purpose as a follower of Jesus. Provide them in praise and worship. basic materials such as glue, river pebbles, hemp string, lace, faux leaves, etc. Search “DIY jar candle holders” PROCLAIM on Pinterest for examples. Once they are finished, close using the following: “Finding Purpose” Teaching (15 min) The Proclaim Details can be found on pages 46 to 50. Light is a powerful symbol in our faith. At your baptism, you received a candle which was lit as a sign of the BREAK light that enters into our lives through the Sacrament of Baptism. Jesus not only shines light into the darkness Small Group Discussion (15 min) of our lives, but also calls us to bring that light into the Have the teens meet their small groups at their meeting world, into the darkness that others may be facing. The spot established at the beginning of the retreat. The candle you are given now can serve as a reminder of your Core Member opens in prayer and leads the small group purpose to know, love, and serve God and to lead others discussion using the following questions: in their own search for meaning and purpose. • Whip Around: What is your favorite Instagram or Encourage the teens to take the candle home and put it SnapChat filter? (A whip around question is a question in a place where they often pray or where they would like that can be answered in one word or phrase and goes to pray. Use it to create a sacred space and light it during clockwise starting from a leader. The goal is to quickly times of prayer. whip around the circle encouraging every teen to speak when it’s his or her turn.)
42 SEARCH RETREAT 43 SEND ______Renewal of Baptismal Promises (15 min) ______Gather the teens into the main meeting space. Have the music minister transition into a time of prayer with soft ______instrumental music. Instruct the teens using the following: ______Every year during the Easter Vigil Mass, (the evening before ______Easter Sunday) we renew our baptismal promises. For ______most of us, these promises were initially made for us by our parents. The life of a baptized Christian is an incredible one, ______but it comes with challenges that can make us lose sight of ______our purpose. Right now, we are going to renew the promises ______made at our baptism and then, you are invited to come ______forward to bless yourself with the holy water at the base of the cross. Allow this time of prayer to be a time to refocus ______on your purpose in life: to know, love, and serve God, who ______knows all the desires of your heart and longs to fulfill them. ______Using the Renewal of Baptismal Promises handout found ______on the January 2018 Life Teen USB and online at lifeteen. com under Life Support January 2018, the youth minister or ______priest guides the teens through the prayer and then blesses ______himself or herself with holy water. Core Members follow suit. ______Allow enough time for all teens to do the same. Conclude ______with the Glory Be or Our Father. Challenge the teens to find ______out the date of their baptism and renew their baptismal promises every year on that date. ______Notes: ______
44 SEARCH RETREAT 45 PROCLAIM DETAILS On the other hand, when people find purpose in life, they recognize a unique peace and joy in the way they live. They have hope and confidence, and make decisions that FINDING PURPOSE are intentional. They have a reason to persevere when things get tough, and no SnapChat or Instagram filter can do justice to the vibrancy of the world around them. TEACHING The world tells us conflicting messages about the purpose Baptism: The first and chief sacrament, which offers of life. Some say it’s to do whatever makes you happy or forgiveness of sins because it unites us with Christ, whatever you feel like doing. Some say serve others. Some who died for our sins and rose for our justification. say there is no purpose. We also see people who think it means dominating everything around them or gaining as Divine Friendship: The state of grace by which a much wealth and power as possible. Many people think we person is loved by God, becomes an heir of heaven, just need to strive to be a “good” person. God’s message and loves God by sincerely doing His divine will. about the purpose of life, though, is much greater than any of these — He desires for us to enter into His divine friendship, TEACHING an intimate relationship filled with life and love. WHY, WHY, WHY? FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT Consider playing the first 45 seconds of “Toddlers Asking Throughout the Old Testament, we hear story after story Why?!” found in the Media Suggestions. of God’s people searching for purpose and intimacy with Him. From the moment Adam and Eve lose sight of God Little kids are notorious for asking, “Why?” Hopefully we, and sin, He immediately goes to work in order to reveal, as teens and adults, still ask this question. Sometimes we again, the purpose of life. He slowly reveals Himself again, stop asking because we don’t want to be seen as “stupid” acclimating the people to His presence, and teaching them or be embarrassed. But, the question, “Why?” can make what it means to be His people. a big impact on what we consider important and worth our time. Why do we need to know how to do that math Hebrews 1:1 problem? Why do we need to do that science project? God establishes covenants with Noah and Abraham. He Some of us are content with the reason being to receive begins to form His people as a nation. He reveals His name an “A,” but others want a deeper reason or application. and law through Moses. He gives them a king, and through They want to know, “What’s the point?” or “What’s the the prophets, prepares their hearts for the ultimate King. purpose?” Over the years, as Israel searches for purpose, God does all He can to show them the way to know Him and live for Sometimes, we may even find ourselves asking, “What’s Him. There is a lot of confusion, frustration, wandering, and the purpose of life?” or, “What am I living for?” feeling lost in between, but God’s people always continue the search. If you’ve ever encountered someone who feels like life has no purpose, they can be a real mood killer and have Genesis 9:9-10, 15:5, Exodus 3:14, 20, 1 Samuel 8:22 no motivation to do anything.
46 SEARCH RETREAT 47 Some of you may be wondering, “Why would God have give it very little thought; it is just a habit. Although a to acclimate us to His presence?” Let’s set the scene. You great habit, it is meant to serve as so much more than are in your living room with your family. The most recent just a motion we go through. It is meant to remind us of Amazon Prime release is playing, and all the lights are off. our identity and purpose. Through the waters of baptism, As the credits roll, someone gets up and suddenly flips on we are sons and daughters of God, who have a reason for the lights. What’s your typical response? the way we interact with the world around us. Every time your hand hits that water, you should remind yourself Allow the teens time to respond by shielding their eyes, that your life has purpose and living that purpose will be burying their heads, or shouting in pain. the greatest adventure you can ask for.
In Scripture, we hear that God “dwells in unapproachable AN ETERNAL PURPOSE light.” When our eyes have been in darkness and not had time to adjust, light is painful. The brighter the light, the So often, we search for purpose in life based on what we less likely we are to even try to look at it. God wants us in can see around us, like fame, money, and the maximum fun His presence. He wants us to know love, happiness, and possible. When we choose a purpose strictly based on what purpose. So, He reveals Himself slowly and in stages until, we can achieve in the world, we severely limit ourselves. The through Jesus, He is fully revealed. As we search for Him, goals of the world end with death, but God’s ultimate purpose He acclimates the eyes of our soul. God calls us “out of for us is eternal life. He wants us to live a life with Him and that darkness and into His marvelous light.” life with Him does not begin once we die, it begins now. 1 Timothy 6:16, CCC 52, Peter 2:9 As a child of God, we make specific choices. Everything we BAPTISM choose either leads us closer to a life with God or further away. Scripture tells us that we cannot serve two masters. The We all have moments of darkness, and at times, lack purpose friendships we foster, the media we consume, the things we in our lives. Sometimes, we feel lost and aimless. Like Israel, consider important, all of these not only reflect the purpose we are all searching for purpose and light in the darkness of for which we live, but for whom we choose to live. What we daily struggles. We want purpose for our life, purpose that choose to live for now is what we will live for in eternity. Who gets us up out of bed in the morning, purpose that makes we serve now is who we will serve in eternity. life a wild adventure. In Baptism, we are given that purpose. Ephesians 5:8-9, Matthew 6:24 We are given sanctifying grace, which makes us adopted sons and daughters of God. In Baptism, we experience the Sometimes it’s difficult to be aware of what we believe is the security of being loved and learn the joy of loving. We know purpose of life. Sometimes we might think it’s God, but it’s not. who we are, whose we are, and where we are going. What goes through your mind when you make a decision? Is it, “Will this be fun? Will this make me happy? Is this worth CCC 1129, 1265, Romans 8:28 my time?” Or is it, “Does God want me to do this? Would this A symbol we use in Baptism is water. One of the first make God happy? Would this build God’s Kingdom?” Often, and last things we do when we walk into a church is we find that it’s the former not the latter. Try to include these bless ourselves with holy water. Holy water serves as a questions seeking God’s will in your decision making and then reminder of our baptism. Many of us, though, have been be aware of what living in the abundance of God is really like. doing it since we were old enough to reach the font and John 10:10
48 SEARCH RETREAT 49 Invite a Core Member to share briefly about the purpose they ______have found in knowing, loving, and serving God, and how it is ______an abundant life. ______All of us are called to live life intentionally. We are called to ______make a choice. We were once lost in the darkness of sin, but ______God makes us His children and offers us hope and purpose. ______Will you embrace your identity and purpose as a son and ______daughter of God? Or will you continue to search aimlessly for ______purpose and fulfillment in things that are fleeting and never fully satisfy? Which master will you choose to serve? ______CCC 1691 ______Notes: ______
50 SEARCH RETREAT 51 CORE TEAM OVERVIEW SEND (15 MIN): Renewal of Baptismal Promises:______FINDING PURPOSE: Know, Love, and Serve God Notes: ______GOAL: To give teens the opportunity to reflect on the ______purpose of life and point them to knowing, loving, and ______serving the Lord through the grace of Baptism. ______GATHER (25 MIN): ______20 Million Questions: ______Praise and Worship: ______PROCLAIM (15 MIN): ______“Finding Purpose” Teaching:______BREAK (35 MIN): ______Small Group Discussion:______• Whip Around: What is your favorite Instagram or ______SnapChat filter? (A whip around question is a question that can be answered in one word or phrase and goes ______clockwise starting from a leader. The goal is to quickly ______whip around the circle encouraging every teen to speak ______when it’s his or her turn.) ______• Whip Around: What is one subject or skill you have to ______learn in school that you don’t know the purpose of? • Do you know when you were baptized? Were you a baby ______or a little bit older? What stories have you heard about ______your baptism? ______• What is one of the most important things in your life right ______now? Do other people know it is important to you? How? • Is it challenging to be a Catholic Christian? When have you ______felt it is most challenging? ______• In what ways do you live differently as a baptized Christian? ______In what ways would you like to start living differently? ______• Do you think about the purpose behind what you do? In ______what ways? ______Light:______
52 SEARCH RETREAT 53 SESSION FOUR OVERVIEW ABOUT THIS SESSION
The Gather is a unique form of tag that’s goal is to FINDING COMMUNITY incorporate everyone into one, big blob. The Proclaim THE BODY OF CHRIST explores our need for the Church and the community we have in the body of Christ, which leads into Eucharistic Adoration for the Break and Send. GOAL MEDIA SUGGESTIONS To explain the necessity of the Church, which is established by Christ as His body to sustain our faith and draw us “We Are Family,” Sister Sledge (We Are Family, Cotillion together in Him. Records, 1979)
KEY CONCEPTS “Love Will Hold Us Together,” Matt Maher (Alive Again, Essential Records, 2009) • Jesus established the Church in obedience to the Father’s plan for our salvation. “See You In The Eucharist,” Danielle Rose (Pursue Me, World Library Publications, 2009) • The Church provides the environment for our faith to be sustained. For song suggestions during Adoration, see the Adoration Song Suggestion handout found on the January 2018 Life • In the Eucharist, we are united to Christ, which unites us Teen USB and online at lifeteen.com under Life Support: to one another, the Body of Christ. January 2018.
ENVIRONMENT
KEY TERMS: SCRIPTURE: CATECHISM: Throughout the retreat, a giant Google search bar at the front Body of Christ Matthew 16:17-19 760 of the room displays the driving question behind each session. Church Matthew 28:20 789 The question “Why do I need the Church?” is placed in the John 17:21 1267 search bar. Popular answers like, “I don’t” or “I’m spiritual, but not religious” and various definitions of “church” are posted around the room. • A building for public and especially Christian worship. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) • From the Greek word “ekklesia,” meaning an assembly. (Ancient Greek Thought) • The Body of Christ. (Catholic Thought)
54 SEARCH RETREAT 55 Print and hang images of church buildings, congregations, Notes: ______and the Eucharist. Have Sister Sledge’s, “We Are Family,” ______playing in the background. ______Set up your main meeting space for Eucharistic Adoration. ______Have a projector with slides ready. The slides have the song ______lyrics, the Scripture verses referenced in the Proclaim, and ______the words of the Divine Praises and Benediction, which will ______be prayed to conclude Eucharistic Adoration. Use the slide ______template found on the January 2018 Life Teen USB and online at lifeteen.com under Life Support: January 2018. ______Have the following supplies for the altar readily available. ______• Altar or table ______• Altar Cloth • Corporal ______• 4 to 6 Candles ______• Incense and thurible ______• Monstrance ______• Lighter ______SOCIAL MEDIA HASHTAGS ______#LT_ FindingCommunity ______AS YOU GET STARTED ______To make a game out of the Environment, separate the answers to “Why do I need the Church?” or “What is a ______church?” from their authors. As teens enter, give them ______each a pen and paper and instruct them to write down ______the different definitions of church, the authors, and then ______match them. ______For a more personal Proclaim, compile a video of ______parishioners and teens answering the question, “Why do ______I need the Church?” as well as people at the mall, grocery ______store, and other public places. Play it at the beginning of ______the Proclaim. ______
56 SEARCH RETREAT 57 For song suggestions, see the Song Suggestion handout found SESSION FOUR: FINDING COMMUNITY on the January 2018 Life Teen USB and online at lifeteen.com under Life Support: January 2018.
For instructions on how to lead praise and worship, the Temple GATHER Model for Praise and Worship Leader Guide can be found on the January 2018 Life Teen USB and online at lifeteen.com Blob Tag (10 min) under Life Support: January 2018. Gather teens in the main meeting space or outside in an open area. Pick two to five teens to begin as “the blob.”
These teens link arms and race as one joined unit to tag SEND other teens. Once a teen is tagged, that teen links arms Concluding Remarks (5 min) and becomes part of “the blob.” The last “untagged” teen is the winner. The youth minister returns to the front of the room, shares highlights from the session, and thanks God for all He has Praise and Worship (10 min) done and will continue to do. He or she then challenges the The music minister gathers the teens into the main teens to not let their experience of Adoration stop here. meeting space with an upbeat song or two. Then, he or Explain that the Eucharistic Jesus, the Body of Christ, is she transitions into slow songs that lead into the Proclaim. present at every Catholic Church in the Tabernacle and encourage the teens to make frequent visits. PROCLAIM Notes: ______“Finding Community” Teaching (15 min) The Proclaim Details can be found on pages 60 to 64. ______BREAK ______Eucharistic Adoration with Praise and Worship (50 min) After the Proclaim, the speaker transitions into a time of ______praise and worship and Eucharistic Adoration by handing the ______session over to the worship leader. ______Have your Core Members who are trained as Extraordinary ______Ministers of Holy Communion discreetly and reverently set up the altar. ______Have a Core Member working the slides with the song lyrics ______throughout praise and worship. ______
58 SEARCH RETREAT 59 PROCLAIM DETAILS The Church is more than a building. Yes, we go to Mass in a church and we go to the church for various activities, but the Church is not the building. The Church is the FINDING COMMUNITY people of God, the Body of Christ. It’s you and I and our fellow believers. People make up the Church. It is through people that the sacraments are conferred and grace TEACHING flows. It is through people that the Gospel is shared and the faithful are consoled. Body of Christ: The Church is called the Body of Christ because of the intimate communion which It is very common today to find someone who will say, Jesus shares with His disciples. “I’m spiritual, but not religious. I don’t need an institution to give me a relationship with God.” People look at the Church: The people that God gathers in the whole Church throughout the years and elevate the greatest world; the particular or local church (diocese); and mistakes of the people within it. They see it as a structure the liturgical (above all, Eucharistic) assembly. with a bunch of man-made rules that are impossible to follow and extremely outdated. The list of complaints TEACHING goes on and on. A VESSEL HOME Jesus established the Church in obedience to the Father’s plan for our salvation. Remember the slow stages in which Did any of you ever want to be an astronaut when you God revealed Himself to His people in order to acclimate were little? You look up at the moon one night and the eyes of their souls? The Church is part of that plan to decide, “I am going to go there.” You redecorate your continue to draw us to God. Even when there are bumps room with glow in the dark stars and a cool set of planet along the way, people in the Church make mistakes, or sheets for your bed. Your parents throw you a space the world seems to drown out Her voice, God promises themed birthday party. As you get older, you attend us that the Church will remain “until the Kingdom is fully space camp during the summers and visit every NASA achieved.” The Church is an invincible shuttle. museum possible. College approaches and you enroll in an undergraduate program majoring in engineering with CCC 763, 765, Matthew 16:17-19
a minor in biological science. Most of your life is geared THE BODY OF CHRIST toward this one destination. Sin separates us from God and others. We are separated As much as you prepare to go to the moon, you cannot from others when we disagree, when we sin against others make it there without the proper environment to survive; through gossip, slander, stealing, when we get angry at you need a space shuttle with air, temperature control, others, and when we experience break-ups and heartache. and pressurization. Our faith is the same way. As we On a larger scale, we are separated as people when whole orient our lives toward eternity with God, we need an populations suffer from discrimination, when churches environment that can get us there, and it is the Church disagree and split, when countries cannot see eye-to-eye that creates the environment which sustains faith. If we and wars are fought. Ultimately, we are separated from want to choose God’s plan, if He is our destination, the one another in death. However, God wants to overcome Church offers us the means to stay on the course.
60 SEARCH RETREAT 61 all of these divisions. Jesus prays that we will be one in also don’t want to forget our teachers who direct and Him as He is one with the Father. He makes us one in Him correct our work to make it better. through the Church, which is the Body of Christ. Ephesians 1:10, John 17:21 Obviously, following Jesus is a millions times better than writing an English paper. Within the Church, we are The Eucharist is also known as the Body of Christ and it is the accompanied by those who have lived this life before us Sacrament that strengthens the Church’s unity. When each and completed the journey. The saints are examples for us and every member of the Church receives the Eucharist, to follow; they cheer us on and give us aid. Our family and we are all united with Jesus and therefore with each other. friends guide and challenge us. Jesus walks with us and This is why, before we receive the Eucharist, we have the the Holy Spirit strengthens us. Rite of Peace, where the congregation wishes peace to Hebrews 12:1 each other. In this exchange of peace, disagreements are settled, forgiveness is bestowed, and we prepare to THE DIVINE PHYSICIAN become one in Christ. Then, we receive Jesus and become one with each other in the Eucharist. Even when a loved One of the titles of Jesus is the Divine Physician. In the one has passed, we are no longer separated from them Gospels, there are accounts of Jesus healing lepers, in death, but united with them in the mystical Body of paralytics, the women with the hemorrhage, two blind Christ. In the Eucharist, we have the ultimate community, men, the blind Bartimaeus, a man with a withered hand, one that not even death can separate. and more. Matthew 8:1-4, 9:1-8, 9:20-22, 9:27-31, 20:29-34, 12:9-3 CCC 1370, 1396, John 6:56 Luke 17:11-19 As we hear the words, “the Body of Christ” or the “the blood of Christ,” we respond, “Amen.” In that “amen,” we There are also accounts of Him healing by offering are saying, “Yes! I believe!” or “I agree!” Think about the forgiveness. He heals the paralytic by saying, “Child, your chants and phrases a team yells together in a huddle before sins are forgiven.” He heals the sinful woman who bathed a game. These chants pump the players up and unify them His feet by saying, “Your sins are forgiven.” in their goal as a team. When we each go before our Lord Mark 2:5, Luke 7:48 and join our “amens” together, as we receive Jesus, we are united in our faith, purpose, and call to search for God. Jesus teaches us to forgive those who have sinned against us, not just once, but “seventy-seven times,” a number NEVER ALONE which symbolically means “never-ending.” Forgiveness is so important because it leads to healing — healing within We are never meant to go on the expedition of life alone. ourselves and in our relationships with others. Through When we are assigned a paper to write for English class, forgiveness, we experience greater unity and increase our it may seem like a solitary activity. However, many people ability to live as one Body in Christ. are actually involved. There are the people in the past Matthew 6:14, 18:22, John 17:21 who have given us the laws of grammar and examples of excellent writing styles, the people who write our current textbooks that we are learning from, and our friends and Project and read John 17:21. family who encourage us and take pride in our work. We
62 SEARCH RETREAT 63 In just a moment, we are going to enter into a time of CORE TEAM OVERVIEW Eucharistic Adoration. We will be in the presence of the One who unites all. What divisions in your life are you suffering from right now? Do you want a better relationship FINDING COMMUNITY: The Body of Christ with your parents? Do you want healing in a friendship? Do you feel alone and need people in your life who will GOAL: To explain the necessity of the Church, which is support you in following Jesus? Do you need grace to ask established by Christ as His body to sustain our faith and for forgiveness for a division you have caused? Share this draw us together in Him. with Jesus in the Eucharist. Allow Him to respond to you. GATHER (20 MIN): Healings happen in the presence of the Eucharist because Blob Tag: ______Jesus is the Divine Physician. Open your heart to Jesus Praise and Worship: ______and allow Him to work. PROCLAIM (15 MIN): Notes: ______“Finding Community” Teaching:______BREAK (50 MIN): ______Eucharistic Adoration with Praise and Worship :______SEND (5 MIN): Concluding Remarks:______Notes: ______
64 SEARCH RETREAT 65 SESSION FIVE OVERVIEW ABOUT THIS SESSION
The Gather is a small group relay that emphasizes the FINDING ME importance of individual gifts in the mission of the Church. GOD’S PLAN The Proclaim encourages the teens to discover their unique gifts and use them for the glory of God and the service of others. The Break is an opportunity to discuss the way others GOAL have influenced and strengthened their faith, along with a time to pray over one another. The Send is celebration of the To encourage the teens to recognize their gifts and talents Mass, which sends us out to live the mission of the Church. as part of their purpose and mission to follow Jesus. MEDIA SUGGESTIONS KEY CONCEPTS “Roar,” Katy Perry (Prism, Capital Records, 2013) • God has a unique and perfect plan for every person that utilizes the special gifts given to them. “Brave,” Sara Bareilles (The Blessed Unrest, Epic Records, 2013) • Through the Holy Spirit, we discern our gifts, which are for the growth of unity in the Church and are given to be “Don’t Let Me Down,” The Chainsmokers (Collage, at the service of others. Disruptor Records/Columbia, 2016)
• We are all sent out in the mission of Jesus to use our ENVIRONMENT gifts in order to help others on their own search. Throughout the retreat, a giant Google search bar at the front of the room displays the driving question behind each session. The question, “What is my purpose?” is KEY TERMS: SCRIPTURE: CATECHISM: placed in the search bar. As teens enter, Core Members Holy Spirit Jeremiah 29:11-14 873 ask them “What is your purpose?”, write their answer Mission 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 898 with a Sharpie on a large piece of colorful paper, and then hang it on the wall as part of the environment.
Place the wrapped gifts, used in the Gather, and a table, with incomplete puzzles, in the front of the main meeting space. Have The Chainsmokers, “Don’t Let Me Down,” playing in the background.
AS YOU GET STARTED
For a more personal Proclaim, compile a video of parishioners and teens answering the question, “What is
66 SEARCH RETREAT 67 my purpose?” as well as people at the mall, grocery store, and other public places. Play it at the beginning of the SESSION FIVE: FINDING ME Proclaim.
For a deeper Send, consider asking your priest to pray a GATHER special blessing over all of the teens at the end of Mass. Gift Relay (15 min) Notes: ______Prior to the game, wrap enough single puzzle pieces in ______gift boxes so that each teen has one to unwrap. Put the ______remainder of the puzzles together on a table at the front ______of the room. It will be most beneficial to have multiple ______children’s puzzles with larger pieces. ______Instruct the teens to get into their small groups. As the ______timer starts, one teen from each small group races to ______grab a gift, unwraps it, and tries to find its place in one ______of the puzzles. Once the teen fits the puzzle piece in its proper place, he or she runs back to tag someone else ______in the small group. The small groups repeat this process ______until every teen has gone. The first small group to have ______every person find the proper place for their piece wins. ______Praise and Worship (10 min) The music minister invites the teens to stand and leads ______them in praise and worship. ______PROCLAIM ______“Finding Me” Teaching (15 min) The Proclaim Details can be found on pages 72 to 76. ______BREAK ______Teen Testimony (10 min) Ask an upperclassman to prepare a witness of his or her ______experience using specific talents to serve the parish, ______surrounding community, friends, or family. Be sure to ______have the teen practice his or her witness with the youth ______minister beforehand. The testimony should include:
68 SEARCH RETREAT 69 • What talent does the teen use to serve others? at your parish. If your parish does not have a regularly • When did the teen discover this talent? scheduled Mass at this time, ask your parish priest to • What prompted the teen to use it at the service of celebrate Mass for the youth and their families when the others? Did someone invite him or her to use it in a group arrives home. Send a letter to the parents before certain way? Did he or she see the need? the retreat inviting them to join the teens for the Mass. • How has using this talent caused the teen to grow in Emphasize that the retreat is not over until the final hymn his or her relationship with God and the Church? of Mass is sung. • How has using this talent helped others to grow? • How can he or she encourage and challenge others to Retreat Gift: Search Sunglasses (10 min) use their particular gifts? Order custom printed sunglasses from sunglassville.com or 4allpromos.com. Have the word SEARCH printed on Small Group Discussion & Prayer (20 min) one side and your parish name on the other. Have your Have the teens meet their small groups in their meeting Core Members pass them out to the teens after Mass spot established at the beginning of the retreat. The using the following: Core Member opens in prayer and leads the small group discussion using the following questions: Thank you for joining us on Search. Stay strong, steady, • Whip Around: What is one talent that you enjoy using? and on course. Don’t let the world distract or blind you. (A whip around question is a question that can be Here are some sunglasses to protect you as you continue answered in one word or phrase and goes clockwise your search. starting from the leader. The goal is to quickly whip around the circle encouraging every teen to speak Notes: ______when it’s his or her turn.) ______• Does the way people around you use their talents ______affect you? How? • When is a time that you benefited from someone else ______using their talents? ______• How can you use your gifts to benefit others? Does ______that make you nervous or excited? Why? ______• Take time to ask for prayer intentions and pray over ______each teen. Have the teen being prayed over sit in the center of the small group, ask everyone to extend their ______hands over the teen, and read Jeremiah 29:11-13. Ask ______the Lord to reveal the gifts He has given this teen and ______show them the opportunities to use them. ______SEND ______Mass (60 min) ______Conclude the retreat with Mass. If your group traveled to a retreat center, be sure to return for a Sunday evening Mass
70 SEARCH RETREAT 71 PROCLAIM DETAILS The middle is a good place to be — to know our unique gifts and talents, to have an idea of a life plan, and to trust God enough to let Him guide our life plan. It’s when we expect God FINDING ME to do all the work, or we don’t let God do any of the work that we get in trouble.
TEACHING No matter where we are, God promises that when we search for His plan for our lives, it only results in the absolute best. Holy Spirit: The third divine Person of the Blessed Trinity; the personal love of Father and Son for each other. Read Jeremiah 29:11-14. Pause and re-read verses 13 and 14 until “...says the Lord.” Mission: The Church is missionary by its very nature, continuing the mission or work of Christ through the Let’s stop for a moment and hear that again. God created you Holy Spirit, according to the plan of God. out of love. He has a plan for you that will satisfy the smallest and deepest desires of your heart. TEACHING Jeremiah 29:11 HIP BEFORE HIPSTER FOR OTHERS Why did the hipster burn his tongue? He drank his coffee A large part of the unique plan God has for us has to do with before it was cool. the gifts and talents He gives us. Our gifts and talents can be a great many things; technology, sports, theatre, art, hospitality, If a tree falls in the woods, and nobody’s around to hear it, will conversation, carpentry. What are you good at? What do you a hipster still buy the soundtrack? enjoy doing? What do other people seek your help with? These are your gifts and talents. Who was the first hipster? You’ve probably never heard of him. Although our gifts give us deep joy, they are really given to us so that we can use them to serve others. This may seem There is a running trend in our culture to want to be the first counterintuitive. Our gifts are given to us, so we can use them to find something. We want to be unique and not mainstream. how we want, right? But, we don’t want to be too different. We still want to fit in and own the newest pair of high-waisted jeans or Nike’s. Just like we discovered in the Gather activity, our particular piece completes the puzzle. Likewise, our gifts complete Each and everyone of us is unique. We each have our own and serve the Body of Christ. Have you ever been on a team style, passions, gifts, and talents. God created us this way, and where you had to carry most of the work? First of all, it usually God has a unique purpose and plan for each of us. doesn’t work out well. If it does, it can only be sustained for a short period of time before you burn out or injure yourself. By Now some of us may be thinking, “Yeah, God’s got a plan for playing our roles well, we support those around us, and the me. I am down with that. I can trust in His plan.” Others may whole team succeeds without injuring an individual member. be concerned, “What if God’s plan for me is different than my plan?” Or maybe, we are somewhere in the middle. 1 Corinthians 12:17-18
72 SEARCH RETREAT 73 God intentionally gives us all different abilities so we can work something in common: they are saints because they embraced together and have great unity. We complement one another. who they were and used their authenticity to bring people to That doesn’t mean we don’t have things in common, but we Jesus. are able to balance one another out. If we have two puzzle pieces that are exactly the same, they won’t fit together. But if USE IT WISELY we have two different pieces that belong to the same puzzle, they interlock and make something cohesive and beautiful. Read the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-29. Consider CCC 873 dividing up the reading by narrator, servant 1, 2, and 3, and the master. Some of us may be thinking, “Well, I don’t really have any gifts to offer.” We may not be musically talented and we may be In the parable of the talents, the master generously entrusts athletically challenged. But, so many gifts go beyond music the servants with his property. A talent in this context refers and sports. Some of us are extremely hospitable and have the to a form of money. However, we can also view “talents” in ability to make everyone feel welcome. Some of us are very terms of the gifts or skills we are given. artistic and can draw, paint, or make graphic designs. Others can listen really well and recognize when someone is having The first thing to note is that the master gives the talents before a hard time. Baking, organizing, and creative thinking are also he leaves for a trip. He is not watching their every move or amazing gifts. The list goes on and on. hovering over them. He does not even give them instructions with what to do with their gifts. In the same way, God is not a God’s glory is revealed in football and computer programming, micromanager; He trusts us. After the master leaves, the first musical talents, and mad cooking skills. He works through a two servants boldly invest what the master gives by using love for geology and astronomy. Nothing limits God except it the best way they know how. The third servant, however, our unwillingness to let Him work through us. And because is driven by fear and refuses to use his talents at all. When all gifts have the capacity to reveal His glory to the world, we the master comes home and sees the situation, he praises have a responsibility to use them in that way. God gives us the first two servants, gives them greater responsibilities, and each a particular mission that uses our gifts. invites them to share in his joy. The last servant has his talent taken away, and it is given to the first servant. We are called We can see this lived out through the example of so many to follow the example of the first two servants. If we bury our saints. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati was a young saint in gifts, we will lose them. However, if we use them to please Italy who had a strong devotion to the Eucharist and serving God and serve others, they will multiply. the poor. He went to a university in Turin to study mining engineering, and his favorite sport was mountain climbing. LETTING YOUR YES MEAN YES He used his passions to lead others to Jesus by taking people on hikes and sharing in meaningful conversations. He also It may seem like a challenge to figure out where our gifts are was incredibly generous and gave his possessions to people most needed. However, the Holy Spirit is here to guide us. in need; jackets, food, and allowance for transportation. He The Spirit is the giver of all gifts and helps us search for the wasn’t a great intercessor who prayed for people’s conversion. proper place to use them. As we allow the Spirit to work in He didn’t die a martyr’s death. He enjoyed the outdoors and us, we discover ourselves and our gifts while helping others generously invited others into this with him, and ended up in their search too. We do this, first, by praying and asking bringing them to Jesus. In every example of a saint, we find for guidance and opportunities to serve. Then, we have to
74 SEARCH RETREAT 75 take a step toward doing something. It is okay to spend time CORE TEAM OVERVIEW searching and looking into different ministries at our parish, or trying out different ways of serving others at home or at school. When God is asking you to say, “yes” to something in FINDING ME: God’s Plan particular, it will fit in your schedule. He will open the doors to make it happen. It may take courage and practice, but He GOAL: To encourage the teens to recognize their gifts and provides all we need. talents as part of their purpose and mission to follow Jesus. CCC 2003, Matthew 28:20 GATHER (25 MIN): Make a plug for ways the teens can serve in particular ministries Gift Relay: ______in your parish, at Mass, in the surrounding community, etc. Worship: ______
Stepping out and using your gifts can be difficult, but God PROCLAIM (15 MIN): is challenging each of us to do just that on this retreat. Is He “Finding Me” Teaching:______asking you to take a step out of a place of fear or selfishness? Is He asking some of you to say, “yes” with your life and gifts? BREAK (30 MIN): For others, He may be asking you to take a deep breath and focus. Do you typically say, “yes” to everything and stretch Teen Testimony:______yourself too thin? In this room, there are most likely people Small Group Discussion & Prayer:______on all parts of this spectrum. Sometimes we struggle to say, • Whip Around: What is one talent that you enjoy using? (A “yes.” Sometimes, however, we can’t seem to ever say, “no.” whip around question is a question that can be answered Although we want to be open to using our time and talents to in one word or phrase and goes clockwise starting from serve our community and parish, there may be times we have the leader. The goal is to quickly whip around the circle to be willing to say, “no” to some good things in order to say, encouraging every teen to speak when it’s his or her turn.) “yes” to something better. • Does the way people around you use their talents affect you? How? Share about a time you were hesitant to say, “yes” to something • When is a time that you benefited from someone else God was asking you to do, but ended up allowing you to using their talents? unexpectedly share His love and joy. Contrast it with a time • How can you use your gifts to benefit others? Does that you had to say, “no” to something that seemed really good, make you nervous or excited? Why? but would have taken time from something else He was asking • Take time to ask for prayer intentions and pray over each you to do. teen. Have the teen being prayed over sit in the center of the small group, ask everyone to extend their hands As you think about all that you are given, know that God is over the teen, and read Jeremiah 29:11-13. Ask the Lord to invested in you. Don’t be afraid to search for the way God reveal the gifts He has given this teen and show them the wants you to use your talents. He has given them to you and opportunities to use them. He trusts you, but how you choose to use them is up to you. Will you bury what you’ve been given? Or will you invest? SEND (70 MIN): Mass:______Retreat Gift: Search Sunglasses:______
76 SEARCH RETREAT 77 Notes: ______Notes: ______
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