This coming Monday, we will be showing a 45-minute segment of Jesus of Nazareth, the film by Franco Zeffirelli. The segment begins with Jesus carrying his cross and goes to the end of the film. Here is the viewing/discussion guide I’ve put together (the red text is teacher talking points – the students will have a version with the questions only). We will pause the film at these various scenes to discuss. As always, feel free to use this!

Jesus of Nazareth Video – Viewing/Discussion Guide

1.       Who is the man pacing about the Temple?

·         This is a fictional Jewish temple official – Zerah – who wants to put an end to Jesus and his followers

 

2.       Why is Jesus carrying his cross this way?

·         Historians/bible scholars believe that criminals carried their crossbar on their shoulders on their way to crucifixion as opposed to carrying the entire cross

 

3.       Who is this man who catches the eye of Jesus?

·         Nicodemus is a Pharisee who met Jesus earlier and asked him how a man can be born again

·         Nicodemus is the man who provided a tomb for Jesus to be buried in

 

4.       What is the name of the woman who wipes the face of Jesus?

·         Her name is Veronica, a name that means “true image”

·         Veronica  showed great courage to break through the crowds to show compassion to Jesus

·         Tradition says that an impression of Jesus’ face was left on the cloth

·         This scene is depicted in the Stations of the Cross

 

5.       Why are the letters INRI inscribed above Jesus’ head on the Cross?

·         Pontius Pilate ordered that the title Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews be posted above Jesus’ head

·         The letters INRI represent the first letter of each word in Latin

·         Meant to be a form of mockery, it speaks the truth about Jesus

 

6.       Who are the thieves crucified on each side of Jesus?

·         The “good”  thief is traditionally known as Dismas and the “bad” thief is traditionally known as Gestas

·         Gestas taunts Jesus, Dismas defends Jesus and asks him, “Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom”

·         It is from this exchange that we get the beautiful hymn: Jesus, Remember Me

 

7.       Who is at the foot of the cross?

·         Mary, the Mother of Jesus stands at the foot of the cross

·         Traditional song, Stabat Mater – “At the cross her station keeping, stood the mournful mother weeping”

·         Mary is joined by some other women including Mary Magdalene and by John the Apostle – this little group is referred to as the Little Company of Mary (sound familiar?) <Little Company of Mary Hospital is several blocks from the parish!>

 

8.       What does Jesus says to John?

·         Jesus says, “Behold, your mother.”

·         From this scene, we come to see Mary as the mother of the Church

·         John is the only apostle at the cross…all the others fled

 

9.       What is it that Jesus cries out from the cross?

·         The Hebrew words, “Eli, Eli, lama sabacthani!”

·         Jesus is praying Psalm 51

·         My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

 

10.   What is Nicodemus saying as he looks upon Jesus on the cross?

·         He is quoting Isaiah 53, a prayer about the suffering servant of God

·         Nicodemus comes to understand that to be born again, one has to die to their old self

 

11.   Who is it that is weeping so bitterly and why would he be weeping?

·         Peter had promised Jesus he would follow him to the end

·         Instead, Peter ended up denying 3 times that he even knew Jesus

 

12.   When Jesus is taken down from the cross, to whom is he given?

·         Jesus is placed in the arms of his mother, Mary

·         This scene was depicted by Michelangelo in his famous sculpture The Pieta

·         Pieta means pity

·         Displayed at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome (the Vatican)

 

13.   Why is Zerah so interested in having the tomb of Jesus guarded?

·         Jewish officials feared that followers of Jesus would steal the body and claim Jesus had been raised from the dead

·         Roman and Jewish guards were placed at the tomb

 

14.   Who came to the tomb on Sunday morning? Why?

·         Mary Magdalene along with 2 other women

·         It was Jewish custom to anoint the body with oils

·         They encounter a gardener who asks, “why do you seek the living among the dead?”

 

15.   Where are the Apostles hiding and why are they hiding?

·         They are in the upper room, the same room where the Last Supper had been held

·         The apostles were afraid of being arrested as followers of Jesus

·         Mary Magdalene brings them the news of the Resurrection

·         They doubt (Thomas in particular – “doubting Thomas”)

 

 

 

 

I’m preparing for a presentation I will give at the Chicago Catechetical Conference this Friday morning – my topic is “5 Steps to Increase Your Students’ Bible IQ Dramatically.” Lo and behold, I find that the bishops at the Synod focusing on Scripture have something to say about the “secret” (I hate when they use that word!) for getting young people to read the Bible. Rather than the “secret,” I think what they are talking about is the “key” and it comes down to the person of the catechist. Surprise! No surprise here. Time and again, we hear that it is the authentic living faith of the catechist that serves as the foundation for any effective catechesis. Here’s what the bishops are saying (from Zenit):

A Secret for Making Youth Read the Bible

Cardinal Bertone Tells How to Spark Interest in Scripture

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 14, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI believes the Bible can be a compass for young people, but his secretary of state says they need to be taught how to appreciate it.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone spoke about sparking youthful interest in the Bible when he addressed today the world Synod of Bishops, meeting in Rome through Oct. 26.

The cardinal referred to three statements from the Holy Father that indicate his outlook on Scripture: “If the holy Book is consulted with due attention, young believers will find an indispensable guide or compass, and the meeting with the Bible will also become a meeting with Christ.”

But, Cardinal Bertone acknowledged, according to the summary of his statement released by the Vatican, the Bible often does not “rouse particular interest and affection in the young, especially adolescents.”

“Compared to the living testimony of a believer, faith transmitted through the holy Scriptures largely provokes only indifference, indifference which is accompanied by a large dose of ignorance and above all by a great difficulty in perceiving its vital value,” he said. The cardinal cited a 1995 study that showed those who most frequently fail to come into contact with the Bible are between the ages of 14 and 19.

Nevertheless, Cardinal Bertone noted, “many of these young people show a surprising interest in the Bible” when adults who are credible witnesses of Christ present Scripture with their patience and testimony: “In other words, people who, when they say the Word of God, demonstrate it with their own life.”

“If the adult as teacher-friend manages to persuade the youth to open their hearts, then the Scripture will be seen as a gift which brings with it all the qualities of the Word of God according to Biblical codification, with special concern for the youth’s soul,” he added. “In this way young people will grow and appreciate the role played by the young in the Bible, especially in the Gospels [...] they will also appreciate the many sporting images in the Bible with their original applications for the virtuous life.”

The cardinal noted the Holy Father’s own summary regarding a pedagogical approach to Scripture: “I think that we should learn to do three things: to read it in a personal colloquium with the Lord; to read it with the guidance of teachers who have the experience of faith, who have penetrated sacred Scripture; and to read it in the great company of the Church, in whose liturgy these events never cease to become present anew and in which the Lord speaks with us today.”

 

In honor of Columbus Day, we have no religious education classes tonight, so I thought I would just mention a few odds ‘n ends.

Over the past few days, I’ve received emails from catechists in Indonesia, the Philippines, and a number of states all over the U.S. It’s always amazing to realize just how much we catechists from all over the world share in common.

Yesterday, my wife and I went to Mass at the parish where I served as a DRE from 1990-1997: St. Mary of the Assumption, on the very far southeast side of Chicago. Much has changed in 11 years but one thing has remained the same – the welcoming spirit of the good folks of that parish. The very second we opened the door to the church, we were greeted by a long-time friend. Within seconds, 5 or 6 people with whom I had the pleasure of working with (including several of my former catechists) were gathered as hugs and kisses were exchanged. The parish has continued to shrink in size…only about 60 people were at Mass. There was no organist. There was, however, a vibrant religious education presence – about 20 children with perhaps 5 catechists came in to the church from their classes. They stood up and sang a couple of songs (This Little Light of Mine, etc) and sat together as a group for Mass, until being sent forth for the children’s liturgy of the Word. In all, the experience was poignant. The parish is struggling mightily and that was sad to see. And yet, faith is very much alive at St. Mary’s.  God bless all the good folks there.

I’m preparing 2 talks for this weekend: one at the Chicago Catechetical Conference for Friday and another for the catechetical conference in Austin, Texas, on Saturday! I look forward to meeting lots of good folks both north and south!

At this past week’s session, I focused on the question of “Who Is Jesus?” – a theme we will carry throughout the unit we are on. I played a recording of the song Superstar from the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar in which the very confused Judas asks the question: “Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, who are you what have you sacrificed? Jesus Christ, Superstar, do you think you’re what they say you are?” I talked about how the character Judas in this musical is clearly confused over Jesus’ identity and that this is what led him to betray Jesus – not recognizing him as the messiah, the Son of God.

I held up a picture of Jesus and told the young people to imagine that my aide and I were non-Christians who wanted to know “who is this man?” I asked them each to stand up and one by one tell me something about the man in the picture. They did a nice job of saying things like:

• he is Jesus
• he is the Son of God
• he cured blind people
• he died on the Cross
• he rose from the dead
• he’s the messiah

and so on. If they gave an acceptable answer they could sit down. This came in handy for the couple of wise guys who thought answers like “he had a beard” were going to be acceptable! Anyway, it would have been interesting, if we had time, to continue going around the group, attempting to exhaust what they know about Jesus! Perhaps we could have gone on all night!

I told them that, in Mark’s Gospel, people keep asking the question, “Who is this man?” and that eventually, Jesus puts the question to his apostles, “Who do people say that I am?” and “Who do you say that I am?” When I told them that Peter answered, “you are the messiah!” the girl who had given that answer during our little exercise above was very proud! I explained that Jesus is putting this question to us and that we need to reflect on our answer – is Jesus just a heroic figure, a great teacher, a “swell” guy – or is he our Lord and Savior, the Son of the Living God?

All of this served as a prelude to the Powerpoint meditation on images of Jesus that I posted about last week. It was a very prayerful 10 minutes that took us up to the end of class. When we gather next, we are going to watch the segment of Jesus of Nazareth that depicts the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus – the events that reveal Jesus’ true identity (”Lord, by your cross and resurrection…”)

       

We’re off this coming Monday for Columbus day. Have a great weekend!

P.S. A great big happy shout out to the good folks in Waterloo, Iowa who hosted me on October 8 for a couple of Catechist Toolbox presentations for the Catholic schoolteachers and catechists of the Waterloo diocore (a regional grouping of parishes). I had a wonderful time and I appreciate your hospitality!