This Issue

• Easter Joy
• For Principals and School Boards
• For Educators
• For Parents
• Forming Adult Faith
• Compendium Corner

Easter Joy

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?
He is not here, but has risen.”
—Luke 24: 5-6

638. “We bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this day he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus.” The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ, a faith believed and lived as the central truth by the first Christian community; handed on as fundamental by Tradition, established by the documents of the New Testament; and preached as an essential part of the Paschal mystery along with the cross:
Christ is risen from the dead!
Dying, he conquered death;
To the dead, he has given life.

642. Everything that happened during those Paschal days involves each of the apostles—and Peter in particular—in the building of the new era begun on Easter morning. As witnesses of the Risen One, they remain the foundation stones of his Church. The faith of the first community of believers is based on the witness of concrete men known to the Christians and for the most part still living among them. Peter and the Twelve are the primary “witnesses to his Resurrection,” but they are not the only ones.
—Catechism of the Catholic Church

At the conclusion of the Jubilee Year 2000, Pope John Paul II reflected on his meetings with young people throughout that year:
     Sometimes when we look at the young, with the problems and weaknesses that characterize them in contemporary society, we tend to be pessimistic. The Jubilee of Young People however changed that, telling us that young people, whatever their possible ambiguities, have a profound longing for those genuine values which find their fullness in Christ. Is not Christ the secret of true freedom and profound joy of heart? Is not Christ the supreme friend and the teacher of all genuine friendship? If Christ is presented to young people as he really is, they experience him as an answer that is convincing and they can accept his message, even when it is demanding and bears the mark of the Cross. For this reason, in response to their enthusiasm, I did not hesitate to ask them to make a radical choice of faith and life and present them with a stupendous task:  to become “morning watchmen” (cf. Is 21:11-12) at the dawn of the new millennium.
—United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, p. 445-446

Two thousand years ago, at the empty tomb where the stone had been rolled back, Mary Magdalene, the other holy women present with her, and the apostles of Jesus experienced the fulfillment of his promise to them.  As our Catholic Tradition teaches us, the apostles were the foundation stones of the Church.  They were the beginning of a new era that Easter morning long, long ago.  Here in the year of Our Lord, 2010, we continue in their footsteps – we are the new messengers, called to share the Good News and be the face and hands and voice of Jesus in the world today.  And through our efforts, we are called to enable and empower the young Church to be the same messengers.   We are called to help them identify and celebrate their potential, their giftedness and their spirit.  We are called to share their happiness and joy – traits that Pope John Paul II always saw in the young Church. 

In this issue of To Teach, we provide responses to the questions: Are we truly Easter people? How can we be the people of happiness and joy that Jesus calls us to be in the world today?

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For Principals and School Boards

• Determine appropriate ways to honor young people in your school.  Identify outstanding young people and highlight their achievements and accomplishments on an annual basis.  Develop a “Wall of Gifts” with pictures and charisms of current and former students. 
• As you plan ahead for your end-of-year honors or awards ceremony, give students a copy of the Essentials for Christian Living or one of Pope Benedict XVI’s books from the Spiritual Thoughts Series to continue to inspire them to goodness and greatness.
• Invite former students to return to your school and present awards, etc. to current students.  Invite them to share with current students what their Catholic education means to them today.
• Provide copies of the prayer card Prayer for Families and Benedición de las familias and give to each student in your school.  Invite each school board member to visit a class and give the prayer cards to students.

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For Educators

• Finalize your Lenten journal during Holy Week. Facilitate a prayer service with other teachers prior to class the Monday of Holy Week that includes a blessing of the journals.
• Take pictures of students turning in their Rice Bowls that includes a picture of their family at home putting money in the Rice Bowl. Publish in the school newsletter.
• Invite school board members and your principal to speak to students about their gifts and talents and the importance of sharing their gifts with others.
• Invite one of the RCIA candidates and Catechumens to speak to your classes about their journey in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. 
• Order copies of A Litany of the Way and share copies with teachers and students.

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For Parents

• As a family, attend the Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil services in your parish.  Make special cards of blessing from your family to the RCIA Candidates and Catechumens and their families.
• As a family, help prepare something for the parish reception, following the Easter Vigil service.
• During a family meal, discuss as a family the gifts and talents that you see in each family member.  Discuss ways to use those gifts in your neighborhood, parish and community.
• Take a family picture on Easter Sunday morning – and begin a tradition of framing the picture and hanging it in your home.
• Order a copy of Follow The Way of Love and Sigan el camino del amor and read an discuss the document as a family.

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Forming Adult Faith

"Forming Adult Faith" is a new feature of To Teach. It includes suggestions from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults (USCCA) on how to promote ongoing faith formation among the adults in your school community.

These chapters from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults unpack the beliefs of the Church, especially the themes of redemption and Resurrection that we celebrate during Easter.

• Chapter 7. The Good News: God Has Sent His Son
• Chapter 8. The Saving Death and Resurrection of Christ
• Chapter 10. The Church: Reflecting the Light of Christ
• Chapter 13. Our Eternal Destiny

Both individuals and groups—a full staff or a grade level gathering—can use the following suggestions. Most suggestions can be completed in 10-15 minutes.

• In a journal, write the three discussion questions on a separate page. During the week, read one section of one chapter each day, then reread and respond to the discussion questions each day, noting any new insights or reflections. At the end of the week, review your overall reflection. Share your insights with a colleague, your spouse, or a close friend.
• Begin your reflection with the prayer. After reading one section of chapter, reflect on and jot down any new insights you have gained regarding the prayer and the paschal mystery of Jesus' death and Resurrection.

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Compendium Corner

"Compendium Corner" provides a list of questions and answers in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church that are related to this month’s topic. (The number before the question is the question number in the Compendium.)

• Review the questions and answers in preparation for your class.
• Consider how to use appropriate questions and answers as part of your lesson plan.
• Develop learning activities that help youths and young adults learn this information by heart (memorization).
  

109. In the Kingdom, what authority did Jesus bestow upon his Apostles?
110. What is the meaning of the Transfiguration?
112. What is the importance of the Paschal Mystery of Jesus?
126. What place does the Resurrection of Christ Occupy in Our Faith?
127. What are the signs that bear witness to the Resurrection of Jesus?
128. Why is the Resurrection at the same time a transcendent occurrence?
130. How is the Resurrection the work of the Most Holy Trinity?
131. What is the saving meaning of the Resurrection?

To obtain a copy of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, visit www.usccbpublishing.org or call 800-235-8722.

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