1. Chapter 6: Following His Way Section 1: A World Without Signs 1. The commandments of God are like road signs and directions. In the process of discernment, they help us find our way, especially when we experience moral dilemmas. 2. Spiritually speaking, some messages that come from modern-day advertising can point us in the wrong direction, away from happiness. Sometimes, we can be affected by whether or not we have enough ‘stuff.’ Jesus spoke about detachment from material possessions so we can have our priorities in order!

2. Chapter 6: Following His Way Section 1: A World Without Signs 3. God’s Law consists of two main parts: the Mosaic Law given to the Chosen People and the law of the New Testament revealed by Jesus himself! 4. The New Commandment is to love one each other as Jesus loved us The Great Commandment is to love God with all your heart, mind, and soul.

3. Chapter 6: Following His Way Section 2: Jesus Proclaims the Law of Love 1. To understand what it meant to love as Jesus did, we must look at what he taught in the Sermon on the Mount found in Chapters 5 to 7 of the Book of Matthew. 2. The Beatitudes are Jesus’ teachings from the Sermon on the Mount that address how to respond to the desire for happiness that God has given each of us. They are at the heart of His preaching. They deal with how to achieve true happiness, how to treat ourselves and others, and how to gain entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven.

4. Chapter 6: Following His Way Section 2: Jesus Proclaims the Law of Love 2. (continued)…..The Beatitudes can be considered “revolutionary” for Jesus’ time since he was embracing the poor in spirit, a group that not everyone had tremendous respect for…. 3. Jesus always counseled his followers to have detachment from material possessions to avoid disappointment and to avoid being distracted from our true calling of obedience to God and the needs of others.

5. Chapter 6: Following His Way Section 2: Jesus Proclaims the Law of Love 3. (continued)…Jesus also taught of the dangers of seeking revenge. 4. Service in the Kingdom of God requires that we pursue the “common good” meaning that we must look out for the well-being of others and our communities. 5. Humility refers to being humble, kind, and never boastful. We should not brag about our good deeds! We should do good deeds simply because it is the ‘right’ thing to do! Remember- our true character by what we do when no one is watching!

6. Chapter 6: Following His Way Section 2: Jesus Proclaims the Law of Love 6. Matthew 7: 3-5 Jesus uses a metaphor here to explain that we should judge ourselves and not others. He spoke out often against the evils of hypocrisy and acting very ‘righteous’ or arrogant about our good deeds. 7. Matthew 7: 21-23 Those who are true disciples enter the Kingdom of Heaven! Doing so-called good deeds is not enough!

7. Chapter 6: Following His Way Section 3: How to Enter the Kingdom 2. The parable of the pearl and the parable of the man who finds a treasure demonstrate that the Kingdom of God (eternal life with God in Heaven) is worth more than anything. The kingdom of God is like the perfect pearl and the field of treasure- invaluable. Notice the great lengths the merchant sells everything to buy the perfect pearl. Notice the man sells all he has to buy this field with the treasure. Each man wants (metaphorically) to gain access to the kingdom of Heaven!

8. Chapter 6: Following His Way Section 3: How to Enter the Kingdom 3. “Discipleship comes with a cost.” It is not easy to be a true follower of Jesus and always do the right thing, but God calls us- and welcomes us- to do this! 4. Both the Christian and Muslim faith are based on this foundation: love of the One God and love of the neighbor.

9. Chapter 6: Following His Way Section 4: The Good Shepherd 1. Many people are familiar with the 23 rd Psalm: “The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want.” Think of God as a metaphorical shepherd always watching out for us. Even though His flock is large, He cares for us just as if we are His only follower 2. Spiritual joy or true happiness comes when we serve someone or something greater than ourselves: the Kingdom of God!

10. Chapter 6: Following His Way Section 4: The Good Shepherd 3. There is also a spiritual myth that if we serve the Kingdom of God, all will be good. Our problems will vanish. Life will be easy. The Law of the Gospel never makes that guarantee. The truth is that we still we experience suffering even is we always do the right thing. That is the nature of life and of having faith. Still, we can rely on the love of God to support us at any given moment.

11. Chapter 6: Following His Way Be sure to study the key terms listed on the front of your packet!