I was very pleased with last evening’s class, for a variety of reasons. Here’s a summary of what transpired:

• A number of 8th grade students were in church rehearsing for the Living Stations of the Cross (next Monday). I was missing 4 of my students but picked up 4 from my colleague Jim’s class since he had taken the night off to do a college visit with his son. His other students went to another class.
• We had a guest with us: a 22 year-old seminarian from Germany named Benedict! He is a delightful young man and he apparently met a lot of the kids at their Confirmation retreat a week or so ago. I invited Benedict to introduce himself to the kids and they really enjoyed meeting someone from another country and someone who is preparing for the priesthood. Benedict stayed for the remainder of the class and participated like one of the students!
• Classes always seem to behave better when a guest is present and this was no exception…they listened silently as Benedict spoke. I was then able to “ride that wave” when he was done, enjoying better attention than I am accustomed to!
• We briefly reviewed the first 3 Commandments (love of God) and then segued into the next 7 (love of neighbor), focusing on Commandments 4, 5, and 6 on this evening.
• I began this segment by showing them a 7 or 8 minute clip from the powerful film Sophie’s Choice (Meryl Streep) – the scene in which “Sophie” flashes back to the horrible moment when she was faced with her “choice” (I won’t do a spoiler here!). This scene was very powerful and reinforced for us the notion that moral choices can be very complex and often do not have a clear satisfactory solution.
• I then arranged them into groups of 3 or 4 and had them spend 15 minutes completing a worksheet on the 4th, 5th, and 6th commandments that asks them to indicate which commandment the example pertains to and whether it is a virtuous or sinful example.
• The group work went very nicely with 2 of the groups working very diligently and one requiring a lot of attention, prodding, and discipline! Typical, eh?
• We then spent the last 25 minutes going over each of the items, pausing occasionally to comment on how the example pertains to a particular commandment. I was pleased with their behavior and the maturity they showed (overall), especially when dealing with examples that pertained to sex (6th Commandment).
• Probably our best moment came when talking about how high school prom night (just a few short years away) is an experience that often brings kids face to face with the issue of sex. They listened pretty intently as I talked very openly about the fact that reserving hotel rooms has become part of the “ritual” of that evening and how they do not have to cave in to that pressure. I love when kids who often are not paying close attention lock eyes with me as I’m talking about something important…it’s one of those moments when you feel like you’re getting through.
• Probably the other moment that impacted them was when I shared an example from my own past (they love the “real” stories) – an example of how I once failed to honor the 4th commandment. As a teenager, I was with a group of friends at one friend’s house when his grandmother came in. She was a nice lady although bordering on eccentric and senile. Some of us started to poke fun at her…not laughing with her but at her. My friend pulled me aside and told me he didn’t appreciate it. He said that he knew that his grandmother was a bit eccentric but he would not tolerate anyone making fun of her – she deserved respect. I felt bad and learned my lesson. Kids love hearing that you screwed up when you were their age! But it’s good to show how lessons are learned.

Next Monday is Living Stations of the Cross. One of my students will have the role of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, one will be Veronica, one will be Simon of Cyrene, and another is a part of the “crowd.” I look forward to this experience and I hope to share photos next week.

This is a follow-up to my March 19 post – For the Love of God - in which I shared a handout comprised of numerous examples of actions that either violate the first three commandments or represent virtuous acts done in the spirit of these commandments.

Here is the student worksheet that I am using tonight which covers the 4th, 5th, and 6th commandments. Likewise, here is the answer key.

One example that I feel particularly strong about is the issue of bullying. This is such a big problem in schools and it would seem to make great sense to consider it under the 5th Commandment because it is a form of violence and disrespect for human life. I think that if the Ten Commandments are going to have an impact on the kids, they have to speak to real life issues for them.

If you have any thoughts about the issue of bullying and the Ten Commandments, I’d love to hear from you!

Last night’s class was very gratifying. We are looking at morality and focusing on the Ten Commandments. Last night we focused on the first 3 Commandments that call us to love of God. As the evening went on, it was interesting to see their “little wheels” begin turning as they grappled with some moral dilemmas. Here’s a summary:

• I began with a “song of the week” – this time playing a song by Shakira called RULES. In the song, she basically lays out a set of “rules” for her boyfriend to ensure that he remains “hers.” I used this as a way to explain that people in love set rules for the relationship to guard and protect it and that the reason we have the Ten Commandments is to protect the loving relationship we have with God.
• I showed a 10 minute segment from the movie Scent of a Woman that shows young Chris O’Donnell as a high school student faced with a moral dilemma. He witnessed classmates pull off a prank on the headmaster. If he doesn’t reveal the truth, he will be expelled and miss a chance to go to Harvard. If he tells, he turns his back on his classmates who tell him that “here, we stick together.” It’s a good clip but be sure to preview it well…I had to press the mute button to eliminate an expletive!
• The young people worked in groups on the worksheet I put together, identifying which of the first 3 Commandments each statement referred to and whether the example was a virtuous or sinful act.
• We then spent the rest of the time going through the items and this is when their wheels started cranking.
• I always enjoy telling junior high students that messing around in religion class is a violation of the 2nd Commandment! We gather to honor God’s name (everything that God stands for) by learning about him and that to goof around is to show disrespect for God’s name. Love the looks on their faces when I explain that!
• When I explained about the 3 elements in determining the morality of an action (object, inention, circumstances) and pointed out the “gray area” between black and white, they got to proposing their own dilemmas.
• One asked if it was a sin for soldiers to kill. No doubt they have relatives serving in the armed forces. I told them that soldiers fight in defense of their country and that self-defense is justifiable. I went on to suggest that rather than a personal sin, the killing taking place in a war is a “corporate” sin – something that we all share responsibility for.
• I added that one of the issues that made the Iraq war so complicated was the principle of pre-emptive strike and contrasted it with Pearl Harbor in WWII. One of the girls said, “but we WERE attacked first…you know…9/11.” I told her that in a broad sense, she was correct – terrorists did attack us first – but that the terrorists involved in 9/11 were Saudi Arabians, not Iraqis. I said that this is what makes the issue so complex.
• One young man, who is often very giddy and hyper but also can show some depth, did just that. He asked, “what if you were freezing to death and the only thing available to burn to keep you warm was a Bible. Would it be a sin to burn it?” Great question! I asked his classmates what they think and one girl said, “God would want you to do what you need to survive so no it wouldn’t be a sin to burn the Bible in that situation.” I agreed but the young man went on to say, “I’d rather freeze to death. I would never want to burn a Bible.” WOW!

It was gratifying to see them grapple with these matters. Should get even better next week when we turn to the 4th, 5th, and 6th Commandments!

I realize that, in the midst of providing my 40 Lenten activities in 40 days, I’ve not updated you on my own Monday evening classes.

Actually, last night was the first time I saw my 8th graders in 3 weeks! Last week, I was doing a parish mission at another parish and needed a sub. The week before that was a day off (Pulaski Day in Illinois). So last night was an opportunity to get “re-acquainted.” My 8th graders were confirmed last weekend and all but one were back for class (and the one absence was a sickness). Kudos to our DRE, Arlene, for making it clear to the kids and their parents that Confirmation is NOT graduation!

Since I only have about 4 more classes left in which I actually teach them, I’m using this time to focus on the Ten Commandments and Catholic morality. I want them to have a good foundation for making choices in life and hoping I can provide a little bit of that in the time I have left with them.

Last night, we engaged in discussion on some moral dilemmas as an opportunity to just begin thinking about the many choices they will face in life. They handled discussion fairly well (they can be pretty tight-lipped when it comes to discussion!) and they were particularly interested in the stories I shared from my own adolescent experience (e.g. observing a “friend” shoplift, being asked to help a “friend” cheat on a test, finding myself at an underage drinking party, etc.) A helpful resource for engaging young people in moral dilemmas came to me from another catechist earlier this year…check out that post and the link to her script.

Finally, I led the young people in a guided reflection on the Ten Commandments (using a CD from the Finding God program). As usual, they love going to their “sacred space,” they take a while to calm down (and I have to be vigilant to put out “little fires” of misbehavior as the reflection unfolds), and in the end, they are quiet, resulting in a good experience overall (although never easy!).

Next week, I plan to delve into the Ten Commandments in earnest.