Parent Formation Resources

Luke 2:1-20 – The Birth of Jesus

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

 

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

 

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

 

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

 

As December goes on and Christmas gets closer, we’re urged to be joyful and to “let our hearts be light.” While Christmas should bring us joy, it should also give us serious pause. Christmas reminds us of God’s love, but that love didn’t come by way of good feelings and light-hearted greetings. It came at a deep, excruciating cost. 

The entire Christmas story is a story of vulnerability and risk. It begins with an unplanned pregnancy, a mother whose very life was at stake for saying “yes” to what God asked of her. It brings us to an adoptive father who chooses to believe the unbelievable and risk his own reputation and integrity in doing so. When the time comes for the child to be born, there’s no safe or suitable option, so He’s born in a stable and laid in a manger. Later, His family is forced to flee their country to escape a murderous dictator. The child grows up to be a man who is hated, spurned, rejected, and betrayed. Ultimately, He dies a brutal death, and the mother who once held Him in her arms as a baby holds His lifeless body as He is taken down from the Cross. 

There is nothing “light” about the Christmas story. And yet, it’s through all of this that comes true peace and intense joy. Why? The Gospel of John, Chapter 3, verse 16 says it best: “For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish, but might have eternal life.” For God so loved the world. Maybe you’ve heard it before. 

We’ve been told that God loves us, yet we can struggle to accept it. Through our own suffering, grief, brokenness, and sin, we can feel ourselves separated from God. Deep inside we long for something more, something real, something that will satisfy us, but we often look for it in something other than God. We construct our own idols in His place. And we settle for counterfeit versions of His love. And yet, it’s here that God wants to meet us. He wants to heal our grief, draw us away from sin, and most importantly, reveal a love that satisfies us more than anything this world has to offer. He wants to transform our life into something new. But first, we have to make the courageous decision to allow Him in. Now, this choice isn’t easy. Just like the first Christmas, it comes with vulnerability and risk. But it’s worth it. So how do we do this? How do we let God encounter us and RESCUE US in a way that transforms our lives?

What do we believe as Catholics?

1. We are created by God and our life has a unique purpose 
2. Sin separates us from God
3. We are saved by Jesus’ death and Resurrection
4. We are called to CONVERSION and a life lived towards God
5. Sacraments and the church bring life and the real presence of God to us 
   1. Attending Mass EVERY SUNDAY and receiving the EUCHARIST is the best way we can engage our faith

 

The Eucharist is God

1 Since Jesus is God, we must believe his words from the Bible:

• “This is my body…this is my blood”
• “Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you shall not have eternal life.”

2 Eucharistic Miracles are gifts given to us to help us believe and know that the Eucharist is truly Jesus.

3 Because the Eucharist is Jesus, the Mass is the only place where we can receive God

 

John 6:53-69

53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”

 

66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

 

67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

 

68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

 

Messages from John 6

1. Jesus doubles down on this confusing message
2. If he was being symbolic, he would have cleared that up for them
   1. He is symbolic many times but no one runs away. (“I am the vine” “I am the Good Shepherd”)
3. He knew he would be giving us the Eucharist at the Last Supper
4. He does NOT run after those who walk away from him because of this teaching
5. How can we be like Peter and trust Jesus even if some teachings of the Church are hard?

 

The Last Supper

1. The Sacrifice of the Lamb
2. “Do this in memory of me” – this is a command by Jesus (God)
   1. Greek word used is “anamnesis”
      1. To make a past event present now
      2. We literally enter into the passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus
3. We must take God’s commands seriously

 

Eucharistic Miracles

100+ Accounts of Eucharistic hosts bleeding and becoming human tissue. What are the conclusions made by the scientists who studied the flesh?

1. It is human heart tissue
2. The white blood cells tell us the cells are still living
3. The heart of the person suffered greatly
4. AB Blood Type (“universal recipient”) – same as Shroud of Turin

 

Practicals: Parents and Children

TELL THEM

1. Find time to consistently say to your child 

“JESUS DIED AND THEN ROSE FROM THE DEAD” 

“JESUS IS GOD” 

“JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS FOR US” 

“WE CAN GO TO HEAVEN BECAUSE JESUS CONQUERED DEATH”

“GOING TO MASS IS KEY TO BUILDING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. RECEIVING THE EUCHARIST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE CAN DO.”

1. Tell your child about how important faith is to you. And how important it is to someone they love (grandparents, cousins, etc.)

SHOW THEM

1. Pray together as a family. Say the Hail Mary or Our Father together. Say grace before meals. Even if you don’t know all the prayers, learn together as a family. 
2. Go to Mass on the weekend
   1. Prepare for Mass by looking at the readings beforehand

 

REMIND THEM

1. Being consistent and disciplined in telling them and showing them faith is the most important thing. Have a routine of prayer and talking about God and the faith. Have a discussion on going to Mass and make it a weekly priority.

Truth Exists

1. The conforming of one’s mind to reality
2. The correct correlation between one’s thoughts and how things actually are
3. Something is true despite what we want, like, or know
   1. Example: It is raining outside. “I don’t want it to be raining. I don’t like the rain. I didn’t know it was raining” It doesn’t matter, it is raining. That is the truth.
   2. Example: God is real. That is either true or false. There is no in between. 

God is Real

1. Science cannot prove or disprove God
2. Therefore, both belief in God (theism) and no belief in God (atheism) are both leaps of faith with no 100% scientific proof
3. The mathematical probability (odds) that God exists is far greater than the probability that God does not exist.

Evidence for God

1. Love – love cannot be proved with science but it is the realest most fundamental part of being human. God is love and the love we experience is an experience of God.
2. Right and wrong – morality cannot be proved with science but it is something we share as humans and that we know in our hearts.
3. The universe could not have just appeared from nothingness – that goes against science – there must have been something outside the universe that created it (God)

 

If we choose to live our lives completely according to our own desires and without God, we are taking a huge risk. If we cannot disprove God and there is a good chance of his existence, why would we risk our eternal soul (and our children’s souls) by not doing all that we can in this life to have a relationship with God? God exists and a relationship with him is the most joyful and important thing we can have in this life.

 

The Resurrection of Jesus

 

Catechism: The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ, a faith believed and lived as the central truth by the first Christian community; handed on as fundamental by Tradition; established by the documents of the New Testament; and preached as an essential part of the Paschal mystery (passion, death, and Resurrection) along with the cross: Christ is risen from the dead! Dying, he conquered death; To the dead, he has given life.

 

Look at the historical facts about Jesus that are not disputed by historians:

 

1. Jesus was a man who lived in Palestine who claimed to be God.
2. As he went about with his message the people that were with him said they saw him do amazing miracles and he had a large following.
3. He convinced the people that were closest to him that he was God.
4. After he was tortured and killed on a cross by the Roman Empire, hundreds of people confessed and attested to seeing Jesus risen from the dead.
5. The people who saw the risen Jesus after he was killed led to them spending the rest of their lives telling everyone about Jesus and they went to their deaths refusing to deny the resurrected Jesus

 

Evidence of Jesus’ Resurrection – The only thing that needs to be proven is the Resurrection. If Jesus truly died and then rose from the dead three days later, he is God and everything he said is true.

 

1. Historical figure – multiple primary sources – Jesus was a real, historical person. There is no debating if Jesus actually lived. Jesus was killed by the Roman Empire by crucifixion and laid in a tomb. Roman Guards (ancient form of Navy Seals) guarded the tomb. 
2. Witness of the apostles*** – Apostles were ordinary, sinful men. They were fishermen who were no better than anyone else. Peter denied Jesus three times during Jesus’ most critical night on earth. Each apostle had their faults. After Jesus was killed they were hiding! At times, they were cowardly, average men. However, once they saw that Jesus rose from the dead, it changed them completely. Each one of these “cowardly” men would dedicate their lives to spreading the message of Jesus. And each one of them (all 12 except for John) would be killed, in horrible, painful ways, because they refused to say that Jesus was not God. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, if he was not God, why would all of these men go to their torturous deaths for a lie??? They wouldn’t. They were willing to die for Jesus because they knew it was the truth that he rose from the dead. That they may die in this life but they knew of the joy that heaven would bring. The odds of regular, sinful, fearful men becoming revolutionaries for a lie is basically impossible. The witness of the apostles may be the most convincing evidence we have for the proof that Jesus rose from the dead and that Jesus truly is God.
3. 500 eyewitnesses of Resurrected Jesus – 1 Corinthians 15:3-6 
   1. St. Paul wrote this letter to Corinth only 15 years after the Resurrection. He is telling the people of Corinth that over 500 eyewitnesses saw Jesus and met with him after he was crucified. 
   2. St. Paul is telling the people of Corinth, if you don’t believe me, go ask the eyewitnesses yourself. This is a primary source of history. Paul would never encourage people to seek out witnesses if it was not true. 

 

Liar, Lunatic, Lord

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic  or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” – C.S. Lewis

 

Evidence for New Testament on Jesus and the Resurrection

1. Early testimony – written prior to 70 AD
2. Eyewitness testimony – details specific
3. Embarrassing details – bad things written about the author and founders of the faith
   1. Disciples run away on Good Friday
   2. Peter and Paul’s failings
4. Excruciating witness of the apostles
   1. Witness of the apostles – they went to their deaths for telling people about the Resurrection
5. Expected prophecies
   1. Prophecies
   2. Over 300 prophecies that predict the coming of the Messiah
      1. Jesus fulfills every one of them
6. Extra-biblical sources
   1. 10 sources within 100 years of Jesus’ life that are written about the early church and Jesus

The Culture and Why Faith Matters

The Nones – those who are unaffiliated and do not subscribe to any religious beliefs.

• 3% of population in 1970
• 7% of population in 1990
• 2019 – Fastest growing religion – nones (no religion)
  • 23% of Americans
• The younger you are, the more likely you are to be a “none”
• 74% of people who left faith – average age is 13

 

Other Statistics

• Over 50% of kids in college study said below average in mental health
• Suicide rates
  • The second leading cause of death among people aged 10-34
  • Girls 10-14 – since 2010 is up 189%
  • Girls 15-19 – since 2010 is up 62%
• Overdose rates are skyrocketing
• 44% of American teens report to being sad or hopeless

 

Main Points from the Stats

• Each generation is becoming less and less religious or God-centered
• Each generation is becoming more depressed, more anxious, more mentally unstable, more likely to commit suicide 

 

The Conclusion

• No God = Loss of purpose
• If our kids continue to grow up with no God in their life, they will continue to suffer and become statistics

 

Counter Cultural

• • We need to create kids who are counter cultural because this culture and way of life is not serving our children
  • God, Jesus, and the church have something to offer than no other place can
  • It must start in our homes and with us

• The principles/teachings/rules of our faith are there so we can live our life to the full

scan below for digital copy of handout

 

WHAT MATTERS MOST?

Questions

1. What do you want most for your kids?
2. How do you currently practice the faith in your family?
3. How can you get better at practicing the faith, personally?
4. How can you get better at leading your family in faith?
5. What are the difficulties in practicing the faith individually or as a family?

 

Christian Smith – Sociologist – Notre Dame

“The good news is that, among all possible influences, parents exert far and away the greatest influence on their children’s religious outcomes. Stated differently, the bad news is that nearly all human responsibility for the religious trajectories of children’s lives falls on their parents’ shoulders. The empirical evidence is clear. In almost every case, no other institution or program comes close to shaping youth religiously as their parents do—not religious congregations, youth groups, faith-based schools, missions and service trips, summer camps, Sunday school, youth ministers, or anything else. Those ­influences can reinforce the influence of parents, but almost never do they surpass or override it. What makes every other influence pale into virtual insignificance is the importance (or not) of the religious beliefs and practices of American parents in their ordinary lives—not only on holy days but every day, throughout weeks and years.”

Full Article – https://www.firstthings.com/article/2021/05/keeping-the-faith 

 

What is the goal of Religious Education and our faith? 

• TO HAVE A LIVED, PRACTICED RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD 
• FOR OUR CHILDREN TO BECOME SAINTS

 

Practical Ways to Achieve the Goal

1. Attending Mass every Sunday
2. Prayer before dinner and bed with child
3. Your family knows the Hail Mary, Our Father, Glory Be
4. Engage in regular, unscripted, relaxed conversation about the faith with family/friends
5. Know the main parts of our faith
6. Be able to defend the core principles of the faith

 

Questions to ask ourselves as adults

1. What is my faith life like? How can I grow in my relationship with God?
2. How often do I pray? How can I grow in my prayer life?
3. How do I talk to my kids about God, Jesus, the Church?

Resources

• What’s in a name? Video – https://youtu.be/uwfBkUX-x5k?si=143lYAyXePjTcBJW 
• Practicals
  • Pray before meals each night
  • Mass every Sunday no matter what
  • Genuflect at church
• Christian Smith Full Article – https://www.firstthings.com/article/2021/05/keeping-the-faith  
• Curriculum Packet

Summary of the Faith

• God is real and created the world and you with a purpose

1. 1. 1. Evidence for God 
         1. Love / Beauty / Truth / Morality / Justice / Freedom
            1. If there is no God, these don’t exist. They are just created by our molecular brains and society and have no real meaning.
         2. Science – Something cannot come from nothing
         3. Odds of universe being created on accident is much less than the odds of it being created by God

• Sin separates us from God

1. 1. 1. Mankind chooses,throughout history and every day, to decide for ourselves what is right and wrong and what is best for us
      2. Sin is freely choosing our own will rather than God’s will

• Jesus saves us from sin through his death and Resurrection

1. 1. 1. Evidence for Resurrection
         1. More historical evidence for Jesus being a person than many other historical figures
         2. The apostles go to their torturous deaths because they saw Jesus risen
         3. Over 500 eyewitnesses see Jesus at once

• Conversion – we are called to reorient our lives towards God 

1. 1. 1. We now have a choice – A life where God is most important or something else is

• Church – the church and the sacraments allow us to enter into a real, deep relationship with God

1. 1. The most intimate way we can participate in our relationship is by going to Mass and receiving the Eucharist

SURVEY

 

What most young people believe?

Moralistic therapeutic deism

• God or a higher power is real but not very involved in my life 
• Life is about being a good person – be kind to all
• Happiness is of the utmost importance – “do whatever you’d like as long as it makes you happy and it doesn’t hurt anyone else”
• Individualism – I decide, and people decide for themselves what makes them happy – that is the highest truth 
• All good people go to heaven 
• Social justice for all
• I am not in the position to tell anyone how they should live their lives
• Right wrong almost always depends on the situation 

The Truth

• If we believe people should be treated fairly, justly, and with respect, we believe in God
• If there is no God, morality doesn’t exist. It’s man made and has no meaning. 
• Every teaching is based on God’s truth and God’s love. If we don’t think that is true, we are not understanding the teaching. 

Counter Cultural

• We need to raise our kids to live in the real world but live counter culturally. 
• We must INTENTIONALLY instill values in our kids 
  1. Truth, God, Love, Morality, Courage
• Having an active prayer life and life in the church on a weekly basis greatly helps instill those values 
• Engage in regular, unscripted, relaxed conversation about the faith with our kids 

 

HOW WE KNOW GOD EXISTS