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Catholic Youth Ministry

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Battle Plan (Parent Night)

Living as Disciples Daily

About this Parent Night

This is the final session for the Parent Night Series: The Battle. The session begins with a large group sharing, and then transitions into a time of teaching, journaling, and discussion. The session closes with parents taking time to pray with each other, as they seek to lead their families closer to Christ.

Goal of This Night

The goal of this session is to provide parents with practical steps that they can take that will help them continue to grow as disciples. Parents are challenged to also make a “battle plan” that will help spiritually nourish and protect their families, as well.

Catechism

Scripture

Key Concepts

  • Our world is a battlefield. Our hearts are conflicted between good and evil, between following Christ and committing sin.
  • We must know our areas of weakness and fortify those areas. We must learn how to guard our hearts from spiritual attack by being aware of when spiritual attack is likely to come.
  • By forming a “battle plan,” we attain a routine of prayer and a route of action when we find ourselves in times of spiritual conflict; we must do this not only for ourselves but also for our families.

Spiritual Armor (Parent Night)

Reconciliation and the Eucharist

About this Parent Night

This session offers parents an opportunity to encounter Christ in the Eucharist and Christ’s mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Be sure to invite your parish priest to be present at this session several weeks in advance. If you have a larger group, you may need to invite several additional priests to join you to hear confessions. The session begins with a discussion among parents about challenges facing their families. The teaching explains that the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist are spiritual armor for us, and are necessary in our walk of faith. After the teaching, parents have an opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation during a time of Eucharistic Adoration. The session closes with a challenge to make these sacraments cornerstones of their family life.

Goal of This Night

This session teaches parents that the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist are powerful and necessary parts of our spiritual life. They help remove our sins and protect us from future sin. Parents are challenged to make these cornerstones of their families’ faith.

Catechism

Scripture

Key Concepts

  • Christ entrusted the Church with seven sacraments which help us grow in holiness and sustain us on our journey toward heaven.
  • Two of the sacraments – the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist – are vitally important in our spiritual battle against sin.
  • God’s mercy is waiting for us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation; it protects us against future sin and absolves any sins we have committed.

Angels and Demons (Parent Night)

Spiritual Warfare

About this Parent Night

This session begins with a time of discussion about angels and spiritual beings. The Proclaim includes a video and a teaching; the video focuses on the reality of spiritual warfare. The teaching helps parents understand two of the forces that are at war for our souls; demonic and angelic beings. This leads into a time of discussion that allows parents to process the video and the teaching. The session closes with the group praying the St. Michael prayer together.

Goal of This Night

This session explains the spiritual reality of angelic beings, both heavenly and fallen. Parents are challenged to recognize the existence of demonic entities and the tactics these entities use to tempt us into sin.

Catechism

Scripture

Key Concepts

  • Our world includes both visible and invisible realities. God created spiritual beings called “angels” whose purpose is to serve and worship God.
  • Some angels rejected their relationship with God and were cast out of heaven. Led by Lucifer, or Satan, these fallen angels seek to destroy our relationship with God.
  • There are also angels that guard and protect us. We can call upon these angels for protection in times of difficulty or temptation.

The End and Beginning (Parent Night)

Christ's Victory

About this Parent Night

Catholics sometimes take the victory of Christ for granted. It is necessary to begin with a re-proclamation of the Gospel as parents dive into this series on spiritual warfare. They must understand that Christ has already won the battle and the reason why Christ came into the world. This session begins with social time and transitions into a icebreaker that allows parents to get to know each other while sharing “good news.” The teaching breaks open the scriptural account of the fall of humanity, and the good news that God saved us through Christ. Parents divide into small groups for a time of discussion, and close the session praying a modified lectio divina.

Goal of This Night

This session presents parents with the Gospel – we have sinned and are separated from God but Jesus Christ saves and reconciles us to God – and challenges them live the incredible reality of this victory.

Catechism

Scripture

Key Concepts

  • Sacred Scripture begins with a story about God’s relationship with humanity. We were created to be in a relationship with God, but through sin, we broke that relationship.
  • The wages of sin is death; because of our disobedience we separate ourselves from God. This separation is eternal, but at the moment of our sin God began a plan to reconcile humanity to Himself.
  • Jesus Christ wins the victory over sin and death and reconciles us to God. This victory is certain and definitive; it is at the heart of the Gospel.

Distorted Direction

An Issue Night on Pornography

About this Life Night

This Life Night begins with a Gather game that will get the teens moving and teach them that it is easier to simply follow the directions. For the Proclaim, the teens are separated into gender specific groups. Each group goes to a different room to discuss God’s plan for human sexuality and how pornography is a distortion of that plan. The Break and Send are combined. The teens are led into the Church for a time of prayer and reflection. They also have the opportunity to go to Confession. Prayer Cards and an Examination of Conscience will be available. The Life Night closes with a prayer and the Core Members pass out Resource Handouts.

Goal of This Night

The goal of this Life Night is for teens to learn about the harmful effects of pornography. This evening will explain what God intended for human sexuality and how pornography is a distortion of that plan.

Catechism

YouCat

# 368
# 409

Scripture

Key Concepts

  • Directions are meant to be followed. We can save ourselves a good deal of pain and suffering if we simply follow the directions. God wrote the directions for human sexuality on our bodies.
  • The Holy Trinity is a communion of persons bonded by love. The gift of self between spouses flows from and mirrors the union and communion of the Trinity.
  • Sex is a gift to us from God. Pornography is one of many grave misuses of sex and is extremely harmful to the good of the person.

Illuminate

Glow Game Kick-off Life Night

About this Life Night

In advance, prepare the teens to come to the Life Night dressed in black and in clothes they are comfortable with getting paint on. The night begins with the opportunity for the teens to apply warrior-like glow in the dark body paint to their faces and arms. Then, the teens go outside and rotate through glow in the dark games. The night ends with a glow in the dark dance party and an opportunity for teenagers to get to socialize.

Goal of This Night

The goal of this Life Night is to kick-off a new semester while having fun playing glow in the dark games. This Life Night will give the teens an opportunity to get to know each other and build community.

Love Wins

Evangelization, Ultimate Victory

About this Life Night

The focus of this Life Night is evangelization as it flows from our understanding of the victory of Christ over death and our hope in eternal life. The Life Night begins with a game that provides imagery to reinforce this concept. This is explained more thoroughly during the Proclaim, as teenagers are challenged to see evangelization as an obligation that flows from our joy in Christ. Teens discuss this idea during their small groups and commit to living as evangelists during the Send of the Life Night. They are challenged to share their faith and the Gospel of Christ with someone they know in the coming months.

Goal of This Night

The goal of this Life Night is to challenge teenagers to proclaim joyfully the Gospel and victory of Christ in their words and actions.

Catechism

Scripture

Key Concepts

  • When we fully understand the victory that was won for us in Christ and the reality of the spiritual battle that we live within, we also desire to share this knowledge with others.
  • We have a responsibility to share the Gospel with others; this is called evangelization.
  • When we live our faith joyfully, live authentically, and invite others to follow Christ we do the most effective evangelization.

Social Media

#TheBattleLT

The Battlefield

Forming a Battle Plan for Spiritual Warfare

About this Life Night

This Life Night begins with teenagers checking in with their small groups for a time of discussion. This discussion sets up themes that will be presented in the Proclaim for the Life Night. Teenagers are challenged to form a “battle plan” to help them against spiritual attack in their lives and allow them to strive toward sanctity. During the Break, teenagers reflect and write their “battle plan,” and share it with a partner during the Send. Teenagers are challenged to enact their plan immediately and strive toward sainthood following the Life Night.

Goal of This Night

This Life Night provides practical insight for teenagers facing spiritual battle. They will be challenged to recognize the areas of weakness in their lives that the devil may attack and fortify those areas.

Catechism

YouCat

# 494
# 505

Scripture

Key Concepts

  • Our world is a battlefield. Our hearts are conflicted between good and evil, between following Christ and committing sin.
  • We must know our areas of weakness and fortify those areas. We must learn how to guard our hearts from spiritual attack by being aware of when spiritual attack is likely to come.
  • By forming a “battle plan,” we attain a routine of prayer and a route of action when we find ourselves in times of spiritual conflict.

Social Media

#TheBattleLT
#LTBattlefields

Armor and Angels

Sacraments, Angels, Saint Michael

About this Life Night

The Life Night begins with active “Warrior Games,” that get the teenagers moving and socializing. The Proclaim of the Life Night begins with a video that features the St. Michael prayer, and a teaching about sacraments, angels, and prayer as our armor and protection against evil. The Break of the Life Night presents teenagers with three breakout choices for different prayers. Teens are challenged to incorporate that prayer form for the next week. The Life Night closes with a renewal of baptismal promises and a visual representation of the Light of Christ that exists within each teen by virtue of their baptism.

Goal of This Night

This Life Night helps teenagers understand that the sacraments, especially the Sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation are our armor against the attacks of the devil. Teens are also challenged to begin a routine of prayer, and three different devotions are presented for them to learn about and practice in the following week.

Catechism

YouCat

# 54 - 55

Scripture

Key Concepts

  • The sacraments are our spiritual armor in spiritual battle. Three sacraments are very important in protecting us from sin and saving us from sin; the Sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Reconciliation.
  • God created spiritual beings called angels. Though some angels fell through disobedience, many remained faithful to God. These angels worship God continually and protect humanity.
  • Prayer and fasting are effective spiritual disciplines for fighting against temptation.

Social Media

#TheBattleLT
#ArmorAndAngels

The Fallen Ones: Part 2

Satan and Demons

About this Life Night

Satan is a real entity that desires our destruction. Jesus Christ definitively defeated Satan on the cross, but the devil will try to deceive and pull as many of us away from Christ as he can before the end of history. This Life Night focuses on the tactics the devil uses to make this happen. Be sure to cover this Life Night in prayer; there is a high potential for spiritual attack during planning. The Life Night begins by gathering teenagers into a warm, cramped space and showing a video that presents the intent and reality of the devil. Teenagers hear a teaching about the reality of Satan and the tactics he uses to lead us away from Christ. Teenagers process this teaching in small groups, and then hear another teaching about the ways Christ helps us combat the temptations of the devil. During the Break, teenagers participate in a large group discussion. The Send is a time of Eucharistic Adoration.

Goal of This Night

NOTE: This Life Night is part of the overall Life Night “The Fallen Ones” This Life Night, along with “The Fallen Ones: Part 1”, should be used together to facilitate “The Fallen Ones” Life Night.

This Life Night presents teenagers with the reality of Satan and demonic beings as spiritual entities rather than concepts or outdated doctrine. They will be challenged to make a firm stand against these entities and recognize that they are protected and powerful in Christ.

Catechism

YouCat

# 54

Scripture

Key Concepts

  • God created all things visible and invisible. Invisible creation includes angelic beings. Some of these beings rejected God’s authority and fell from heaven. They are called demons.
  • Satan actively desires your destruction and death. He works to steal you away from Christ by causing you to sin.
  • Jesus not only provides us with eternal life and saves us from sin, but also reveals to us the ways that we can avoid and refute temptation.

Social Media

#TheBattleLT
#FallenOnesLT

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