UNIT 1 What Is Sacred Scripture? Sessions in thisSAMPLE unit: ӹ Session 1: The Written Revelation of God ӹ Session 2: The Purposes of Sacred Scripture ӹ Session 3: The Use of Scripture at Holy Mass ӹ Session 4: Praying with Scripture: Lectio Divina ӹ Session 5: How to Use the Bible 1 Unit at a Glance Connections to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Session 1 Session 3 ӹ 51, 65, 77-78, 80-82, 85, ӹ 131-133, 1154, 1349, 88-90, 101-104 2589 Session 2 Session 4 ӹ 131-133 ӹ 1177, 2708, 2716-2717 Session 5 ӹ 110, 2653 Scriptures studied in this unit: ӹ Matthew 7:21 ӹ Luke 4:16-21 ӹ John 21:25 ӹ Matthew 22:37-40 ӹ John 1:1-5, 14 ӹ Acts 2:37-38 ӹ Matthew 28:19 ӹ John 3:18 ӹ 2 Timothy 3:14-17 ӹ Mark 1:15 ӹ John 6:51 SAMPLE 2 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS Catechist Introduction od reveals Himself to us in His Word, glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace Gwhich we encounter in Sacred Scripture and truth” (John 1:1, 14). In other words, the and Sacred Tradition. The Magisterium of the Divine Son, the Second Person of the Blessed Church authentically teaches and interprets the Trinity, the Word of God, was present with Word of God so that the faithful might be saved. God in the beginning and is God Himself. The We are called to encounter the Word of God in Word became flesh, and entered into human Scripture through prayer in our daily lives. history to reveal fully the glory of God, who is truth itself. In Jesus Christ, God has said all that needs to be said. He has spoken His one, Sacred Scripture perfect, unsurpassable Word and completely Sacred Scripture, the Bible, is the written revealed Himself. record of God’s revelation of Himself. God has chosen to make Himself known to us, His precious creation. From the very beginning Divine Revelation and the He revealed Himself and His loving plan for Magisterium us in words and deeds. He continued this Divine revelation has reached us today, whole self-revelation throughout salvation history, and intact, through the Sacred Tradition of culminating in the Incarnation, when God the Church. Sacred Tradition is the mode of became man in the Person of Jesus Christ. John transmission of the Word of God. The Word of the Evangelist tells us in the opening words of God was given to the Apostles by Jesus and the His Gospel, “In the Beginning was the Word, Holy Spirit. The Apostles in turn handed it on and the Word was with God, and the Word was to their successors, the bishops. With the help God … and the Word became flesh and made His of the Holy Spirit, the Church has kept the dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the Word of God whole and safe over the centuries SAMPLE Just as we spend time with loved ones in order to know them and be in relationship with them, so too must we spend time with the Lord and hear His voice in the Word. St. Jerome Writing, by Caravaggio. UNIT 1 OVERVIEW 3 so we can know and believe in the whole Faith The Power of the Word of God today. Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture Scripture possesses great power in our lives. make up a single deposit—or one gift—of the Not only do we meet our Lord through it, Word of God. We accept and honor Sacred but, as St. Paul reminds us, it is useful for Tradition equally with Sacred Scripture. The “teaching, for refutation, for correction, and Magisterium, or the teaching authority of the for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16) Church and those who wield that authority, and is capable of cutting directly to our deepest guard and protect this sacred Deposit of Faith selves, discerning the “reflections and thoughts to ensure that we the faithful have access to of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). In Scripture we all that we need to know for the sake of our find our guidebook for living the Christian salvation. The Magisterium, which comprises life, for teaching others about the Faith, and the Pope and all the world’s bishops in union for defending the Faith. Scripture also speaks with the Pope, has been given the authority directly to our souls and is capable of revealing to teach and interpret the sacred truths of our truest self. our faith by Jesus Himself. Thus, the Church venerates the Word of God as she venerates In order to achieve all of this, we must first read the Body of Christ. In both, which we receive Scripture and know how to read it properly. We from the same altar, we receive God Himself. must incorporate Scripture into our daily lives. In Sacred Scripture we encounter not dead The Church asks us at least to read in advance words on a page, but the living Word of each Sunday’s Gospel, to reflect on their God, Jesus Christ. St. Jerome famously said, meaning, and to bring those reflections to God “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” in prayer. Just as we spend time with loved ones Therefore, the Church has always implored in order to know them and be in relationship the faithful to know Scripture in order to know with them, so too must we spend time with the Christ. Lord and hear His voice in the Word. SAMPLE 4 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS SESSION 1 The Written Revelation of God What students will learn: What students will do: ӹ God reveals Himself to us through ӹ Play a “Who am I” game. Sacred Scripture and Tradition. ӹ Answer questions about Sacred ӹ Sacred ScriptureSAMPLE is the written Scripture. record of God’s revelation of ӹ Take “Divine Revelation” lecture Himself. notes. ӹ Sacred Tradition is the mode of ӹ Complete a Venn diagram transmission of the Word of God comparing Scripture and the Body as it was handed on by Jesus to the of Christ. Apostles and their successors, the bishops. ӹ The Magisterium is the teaching authority of the Church. 5 Session at a Glance Workbook pages your students will complete: ӹ God Reveals Himself in His Word (page 1) ӹ The Body of Christ Discussion Questions ӹ Divine Revelation Note-Taking Template (page 6) (page 3) ӹ Scripture and the Body of Christ (page 7) ӹ The Body of Christ (page 5) Other materials you will need: ӹ Note cards Vocabulary your students will learn: ӹ Revelation: An act of making known divine truth. From the beginning, God made Himself and His plan for us known gradually and in stages in words and in deeds. ӹ Sacred Scripture/The Bible: The written record of God’s revelation of Himself. ӹ Sacred Tradition: The mode of transmission of the Word of God given to the Apostles by Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The Apostles in turn handed it on to their successors, the bishops. ӹ Magisterium: The teaching authority of the Church and those who exercise that authority, the Pope and all of theSAMPLE world’s bishops in union with the Pope. Prayer for this session: Our Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Word of the Father. You became one with us to tell of the Father’s love. You are the light that shines in the darkness. You came down from Heaven to save us from fear and break the bonds of sin and death. You are the Word of eternal life. Have mercy on us and give us the gift of eternal life. Amen. 6 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS Session Plan Choose from a warm-up and activities. Warm-Up A. Begin with the prayer for this session. B. Before class, write on each of several note cards the name of a celebrity, a famous athlete, a cartoon character, or a character from a TV show or a movie (for example, Tom Cruise, Bugs Bunny, Iron Man, Taylor Swift, a Minion, and so forth). Distribute a note card to each student, and warn students not to let anyone else see their note cards. The name on the card will be each student’s identity for this game. C. Give students a few minutes to write on the back of their note cards five important clues or characteristics about the person or character on their card. D. Have students stand and find a partner. Without revealing any clues, have students guess who their partner is. Then have them take turns revealing their list of clues one at a time. After each clue is revealed, the student’s partner should guess who he or she is. If a guess is incorrect, the next clue should be revealed. If, after all five clues have been revealed, the identity has not been guessed, students may reveal who they are to their partners. E. After the activity, have students return to their desks and then ask the following questions: ӹ Did anyone guess who their partner was without any clues? ӹ What was it like trying to figure out who your partner was based on the clues? ӹ What was it like to give the clues but not have your identity guessed correctly? ӹ Why were some clues better than others? ӹ What ultimately gave away the identity of your partner? ӹ Do you think it was necessarySAMPLE to give clues to the identities? Why? ӹ How do you think this activity might relate to how we know God? SESSION 1: THE WRITTEN REVElation OF GOD 7 SESSION PLAN Activity 1 EXPLAIN to your students that there are different ways in which we can come to know that God exists, such as through nature or through the use of human reason.