Setting the Stage for Jesus

For tonight’s class, my plan is to continue walking the young people through the story of salvation history in the Bible, setting the stage for the unit on Jesus that we are beginning.

You may recall that two weeks ago (we were off last week for Columbus Day), I began walking them through the story of salvation history in the Bible and, because of a few interruptions (fire drill, etc.) only got as far as the Exodus event.

Tonight, we’ll begin with the giving of the Ten Commandments and move forward using the Bible in a Nutshell outline that I created. I can tell that the young people are not particularly thrilled with reading all of these Bible passages but they have been pretty well-behaved and I know that as we go through the unit on Jesus, we will find ourselves referring back to many of the things that we read in the Old Testament. It’s important for them to see the “whole story.”

We will also, this evening, be distributing their confirmation packets which contain all of the information they need to prepare for the sacrament (service, confirmation name, sponsor, etc.) I plan to give this to them at the door as they enter so that they immediately realize that they’ve got some work to do!

Finally, I absolutely must leave time for sacred space tonight (reflective prayer). Last time I had to go without it and they were disappointed, one of them saying, “But that’s my favorite part!”

I hope you all have a good week of classes. I’ll fill you in on how tonight’s class goes and I’ll also give some details about the Jesus unit we are beginning and how we will be using a segment of the film Jesus of Nazareth.

About Joe Paprocki 2742 Articles
Joe Paprocki, DMin, is National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press, where, in addition to his traveling/speaking responsibilities, he works on the development team for faith formation curriculum resources including Finding God: Our Response to God’s Gifts and God’s Gift: Reconciliation and Eucharist. Joe has more than 35 years of experience in ministry and has presented keynotes, presentations, and workshops in more than 100 dioceses in North America. Joe is a frequent presenter at national conferences including the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, the Mid-Atlantic Congress, and the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership. He is the author of numerous books, including the best seller The Catechist’s Toolbox, A Church on the Move, Under the Influence of Jesus, and Called to Be Catholic—a bilingual, foundational supplemental program that helps young people know their faith and grow in their relationship with God. Joe is also the series editor for the Effective Catechetical Leader and blogs about his experiences in faith formation at www.catechistsjourney.com.

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