 Going Deeper sessions are an essential component of our Faith Formation program. Adults, Middle School & High School students meet at 6:30 PM at the baptismal font and then break into age-specific groups. |
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| Date | Middle/High School | Adults |
| October 21, 2009 | "On the Path" Jesus is our great moral teacher and model. In Jesus’ teachings, he begins with the message of God’s love for us. The Beatitudes are part of Jesus’ teachings in his Sermon on the Mount. Discipleship is a decision to look at our relationships and the world in a new way, and valuing people and things differently than our present culture. Our attitudes, behaviors, and choices need to reflect the manner of living held up in the Beatitudes, and to speak up and act out as a Church and as individuals against injustice in the world. In these ways we bear witness to the power of God’s love. | "What is Morality?" If morality is who we are and how we live- our choices, values and actions- where do we get our values? How do we make our choices: What guides our actions? How do I know I am doing the right thing? What does it mean to be made in the image of God? |
| November 18, 2009 | "True Freedom" Created in God’s image and possessing unique dignity, humans are able to reason and free to choose and act. Because of free will, humans are responsible for their voluntary actions; because of free will, we are free to love God or turn away from God. Our God-given conscience, along with the Holy Spirit, guides us to choose what is good and right, to choose life, to choose God. We use our conscience before an act, during an act, and after an act. Discipleship involves prayerfully and honestly examining our moral actions, and forming and informing our conscience based on the Good News of Christ and Church teachings. | "What is Truth?" How do we know we are making the ‘right’ decisions? Is there an objective truth in creation or reality and how can we know it? Or is all morality subjective with right and wrong as relative, i.e. what is wrong for one person may be right for another. Do we have blind spots about what is good or bad? Do we make decisions only by ourselves? Who or what else, including the Church, might play a role? What is an informed conscience? |
| December 16, 2009 | "Reality Check" By his death and Resurrection, Jesus frees us from sin. Through the action of the Holy Spirit, we can live life and love others in imitation of Jesus. Being a disciple requires a change of heart, attitudes, and behaviors to align with Jesus’ teachings of forgiveness and a commitment to being forgiving to others. | "What's In It for Us?" There is a perceptible discomfort in our culture with the notion of sin as an evil for which we must give an account to God, our Creator, Redeemer, and Judge. Do we really acknowledge sin as a reality in all of our lives? What is sin? What is God’s response to that? How does the Church help us? |
| February 24, 2010 | "Top Priority" Fr. Tom Loomis will join in conversation with the Middle and High School youth to discuss the Church’s teaching on current moral issues and the challenges they present in the world today. | "Can We Live This Way?" Why are there Commandments? What action of God preceded the Commandments and why did God give them? How are the Beatitudes related to the Ten Commandments? Do the Commandments apply only to certain peoples or religions? How are the Beatitudes related to true happiness? |
| March 17, 2010 | "No Greater Love" The Ten Commandments are the fundamental moral laws given by God to his people to help them live by the covenant. By his life and teachings, Jesus shows that his disciples are not merely to live by the letter of the Ten Commandments,but by the Spirit of the Law as well. The first three commandments are about putting God first in our lives—placing our hope, trust, and belief in him, honoring his name, and worshiping him in a special way on the Lord’s Day. In the fourth through tenth Commandments, we are given concrete examples of what love looks like. These laws of moral conduct and action guide us in being faithful in our relationships, in respecting others, in protecting life and promoting peace, and in our attitudes towards possessions and life itself. | "Current Ethical Challenges" Fr. Tom will answer questions about the challenges to living a moral today. |
Church of the Resurrection, 1600 11th Avenue SE, Rochester, MN 55904, 507-288-5528