RERC Mentors Meeting 24January 2012

Purpose/s To reflect on the planning that we have already completed : to think about the lessons we have learned from our experiences To evaluate the learning and teaching activities and discuss any changes To examine the way ahead and to look particularly at the planning for Lent/Easter

What have we learned/understood? Importance of the Liturgical Calendar Link to events at a human level Variety of approaches The importance and place of Scripture: - To understand the person of Jesus Historical and Divine - As a literary form - As prayer

Fidelity to God and Fidelity to the human person Cornerstone of what we teach Move from concrete to the abstract Deepening of faith and spirituality beyond school Three questions: What human experience can we relate to? How can find God in this experience? What does this tell me about my role/life as a Christian?

Fidelity to God In showing fidelity to God, religious education places stress on the following aspects of Catholic Christian faith: the mystery of the Trinity ‐ God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit the person of Jesus, the Son of God and the true human being whom Christians aim to follow the revelation of God as expressed in Sacred Scripture and Tradition the mystery of the risen Christ’s dynamic presence in the Church as the pilgrim people of God

Fidelity to God the Church’s liturgy and sacraments celebrating the continuing activity of Christ in our world the necessity of prayer in sustaining a growing personal relationship with God the moral life as the expression and consequence of our relationship with God the witness to Christian values given by the saints and by holy members of the people of God the universality of God’s loving presence in creation and in all people “whoseek him with a pure heart”.

Fidelity to the human person In showing fidelity to the person, religious education of young people takes cognisance of: their religious and spiritual situations their stage of development in searching for meaning in their lives the pace, development and direction possible for them in their spiritual and religious journey the respect due to their own developing consciences and convictions their individual characters and personalities their own language, symbols, experiences and subcultures the questions and issues that arise in their everyday lives.

Links to the Strands of Faith Each Strand of Faith contains three elements: WE BELIEVE provides relevant extracts from the Creed ‐ the core statement of faith professed by the Catholic community. WE LEARN FROM THE CHURCH provides some relevant sources from Scripture and Tradition (Church documents, particularly the Catechism of the Catholic Church ‐ CCC) WE UNDERSTAND offers a summary of the relevant teachings of the Catholic Church.

Strands of Faith Mystery of God WE BELIEVE We believe in one God, Maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. Even before revealing himself to man in the words of truth, God reveals himself to him through the universal language of creation, the work of his Word, of his wisdom; the order and the harmony of the cosmos – which both the child and the scientist discover. (CCC 2500) WE UNDERSTAND The wonders of the natural world, in particular the order and harmony of the universe, are signs of God the Father, Son and Spirit: the loving source of creation.

Strands of Faith In the image of God WE BELIEVE Through him all things were made. For us men, and for our salvation, He came down from heaven. In reality it is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of humanity truly becomes clear. Christ the new Adam, in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and of his love, fully reveals humanity to itself and brings to light its very high calling. (Gaudium et Spes,26 22) The fulfilment of human existence, made possible by our redemption, is union with God both now and forever: herein lies the dignity, vocation and purpose of human life.

Strands of Faith Revealed truth of God WE BELIEVE We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. He has spoken through the prophets. The invisible God, from the fullness of his love, addresses men and women as friends and lives among them, in order to invite them into his own company. (Dei Verbum28, 2) God’s revelation in Christ is complete and definitive. As such, “no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet even if revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit. It remains for Christian faith ‘gradually to grasp’ the full significance of revelation over the course of centuries.”31 The Holy Spirit assists the Church ‘in all her members’32 so that, faithful in guarding the ‘deposit of faith’33, she may ‘bear witness to God who is the truth and who wills the truth.’34

Strands of Faith Son of God WE BELIEVE I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God Begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father. Through him all things were made. By the Holy Spirit (he) was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. And (he) rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. For, by his incarnation, he, the Son of God, has in a certain way united himself with each individual. He worked with human hands, he thought with a human mind. He acted with a human will, and with a human heart he loved. (Gaudium et Spes, 22) In his incarnation he united himself to every human person and became the mediator between God and humanity, revealing God in a human way, while through his death and resurrection he established a new covenant.

Strands of Faith Signs of God WE BELIEVE I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, With the Father and Son he is worshipped and glorified. And (I confess) one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. The Church receives and at the same time expresses what she herself is in the seven sacraments, thanks to which God’s grace concretely influences the life of the faithful, so that their whole existence, redeemed by Christ, can become an act of worship pleasing to God. (Sacramentum Caritatis,39 16) In the sacraments, the Church encounters the risen Christ; it is Christ himself who is at work.43 Therefore, sacraments are not only symbolic but, given power by God’s Word, they also accomplish what they signify.

Strands of Faith Word of God WE BELIEVE I believe in the Holy Spirit who has spoken through the prophets And one holy catholic and apostolic Church. It is clear, therefore, that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred tradition, sacred scripture and the magisterium of the church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the other. Working together, each one in its own way under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls. (Dei Verbum, 10) Through the Word of God members of the Church find nourishment and strength. Through encounter with the Word of God, we deepen our awareness of the mystery of God. By reflecting upon and praying with the Scriptures, the Church encourages its members to embody the mission, image and message of Jesus presented through the Word of God.

Strands of Faith Hours of God WE BELIEVE I believe in the Holy Spirit who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified ‘So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.... how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’ (Luke 11: 9, 13) As a community of faith we are nourished by prayer. This is central to our Christian life and identity. The Tradition of the Church proposes certain rhythms of praying intended to cultivate continual prayer (e.g. the liturgical seasons and the daily rhythm of the Divine Office) as well as other practices which help to form habits of prayer (e.g. the regular reading of scripture, meditation and devotion to the saints, etc.).

Strands of Faith Reign of God WE BELIEVE (Christ’s) kingdom will have no end. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment…For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God... His conscience is man’s most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths. (CCC 1776) This vocation of love is addressed to each individual personally, but also to the Church as a whole.51 In responding to their individual vocation with faithfulness, Christians make the reign of God known in the world and the ordinary is transformed.

Lent / Easter The historical facts The Divine meaning What does it mean in our lives – BECOMES Son of God – Familiarity, Understanding Hours of God – Link to Sunday Eucharist, importance of prayer Reign of God – Link to human experience Revealed truth of God – a growing awareness and understanding of the truth