We continue our series of looking at some of my favorite lessons from the archives here at Catechist’s Journey. Today, we re-visit one of my favorite lessons from my sixth-grade catechist days. Sixth grade typically teaches the Catholic faith through the lens of the Old Testament. As I prepared to teach Chapter 16 of Finding God Grade 6, “Prophets Challenge,” I tried to think of people in the lives of my sixth graders who challenge them and perhaps even “get in their faces.” Immediately, I thought of coaches! Young people today are involved in so many sports activities that they can most likely relate to a coach getting in their face or the faces of teammates. I also recognized how kids that age enjoy imitating their teachers and coaches, so I invited them to imitate some of the coaches they had in the past. That made for great fun!
One other year that I taught this lesson, I found some videos on YouTube that show coaches getting in players’ faces. Here’s one such example from the world of college basketball.
The truth of the matter is that one of the main jobs of the prophets was to “get in the faces” of the people of Israel and remind them of how good God had been to them and how unfaithful they had been in response. We continue to need prophets today. Unfortunately, we also live in a time when, more than ever, people seem to feel that they cannot be told by anyone else how to think or act. Still, we are called to be prophetic by having the courage to challenge people to face up to injustices and to right wrongs.
So, without further adieu, enjoy the lesson: Prophets “Get in the Face” of the People of Israel.
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