Junior High, Liturgy & Morality

Unit One: Worship

1. All Praise the Lord's Name. Worship; signs and symbols; sacred images; icons; singing and music; the liturgy of the Church; rites; the Roman rite; local customs; popular devotions; celebrating with people who are deaf; living the virtues of reverence and respect.
2. Dedication of the Temple (1 Kings 8:1-21): A Scripture Story.
3. Let Us Give Thanks to the Lord Our God. Worship of the Father, with the Son, through the power of the Holy Spirit; the presence and the work of Christ during liturgy; the work of the Holy Spirit during liturgy; sharing in the Paschal mystery; the seven sacraments of the Church; grace; the liturgical year; the vernacular; Sunday, the Day of the Lord; sacramentals; the blessing of newly professed religious; recognizing God's presence with us.
4. Reborn of the Spirit (John 3:1-6, 11-13, 16-18, 21): A Scripture Story.

5. Baptism and Confirmation. Christian initiation; the Sacraments of Initiation; the rite of Baptism; the seal of initiation; baptism of infants; baptism and salvation; the minister of baptism; effects of Baptism; the rite and the effects of Confirmation; age for Confirmation; the seal of Confirmation; National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC); developing the virtue of hospitality.
6. Jesus Feeds Five Thousand (Mark 6:34-44): A Scripture Story.
7. Eucharist. The Eucharist as sacrament, sacrifice, memorial, and thanksgiving meal; the real presence of Christ; the Blessed Sacrament; the celebration of the Eucharist: Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist, rite of communion; the celebrant; communion with Christ and one another; spiritual food; forgiveness; commitment to the poor; pledge of future glory; strategies and programs of Bread for the World; living a life of gratitude.
8. Anointing of the Sick and Reconciliation. The healing work of Christ; the cure of the crippled beggar; the Sacraments of Healing; Christian hospitals; Anointing of the Sick: rites and effects; conversion; concupiscence; Reconciliation: rites and effects; confessionals; ministering with the sick; connecting forgiveness and healing.
9. Holy Orders and Matrimony. Christian call to service; Jesus washing the feet of the disciples at the Last Supper; Sacraments at the Service of Communion; the one priesthood of Christ; common priesthood of the baptized; the sacrament of Holy Orders; the ordained ministry of the Church: bishops, priests, deacons; the rite of ordination; the sacrament of Matrimony; essential qualities of a true marriage; divorce and remarriage; annulment; the Christian family, the domestic church; families, a civilization of love; living the works of mercy and justice at home.

10. Human Dignity and Happiness. Sharing in the life and love of God; sanctifying grace; baptized into the life of Christ; seeking and finding true happiness; human soul; free will and intellect; holiness and happiness; actual grace; Holy Spirit as Guide and Helper; the Beatitudes; preparing for the kingdom of God; respecting every human life, born and not-yet-born.
11. One Person's Decision (Mark 10:18-31): A Scripture Story.
12. The Decision to Live Our Life in Christ. Christian morality; the gift of freedom of choice; responsibility for choices; the natural law; sources of morality; mortal sin and venial sin; forming and following our conscience; the Magisterium; retreats and retreat houses; developing a well-formed conscience.
13. Hymn of Love (1 Corinthians 13: 1-13): A Scripture Story.
14. The Exercise of Virtue. Virtue; the theological and moral, or cardinal, virtues; the fruits of the Holy Spirit; the social nature of human beings; the common good; civic, or social, authority; building a just society; the Church's principles on social justice; the principle of subsidiarity; the virtue of solidarity; social sin; Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin; John Courtney Murray, S.J.; living the moral virtues.
15. The Grace of the Holy Spirit. Grace; the parable of the Sower; responding to God's grace; sanctifying grace; justification; sanctification; merit; the parish community, a gifted community; treating others with dignity and respect.
    of the United States of America; living our values.

16. The First, Second, and Third Commandments. The Decalogue, the law of the human heart; Jesus and the Law; the First Commandment--put God first; atheism, idolatry, sacrilege, superstition, divination, magic, simony; the Second Commandment--reverence and honor of God and of the name of God, Jesus, Mary, and the saints; blasphemy and perjury; the Third Commandment--honoring God and our relationship with God on the Sabbath; eucharistic obligation; holy days of obligation. precepts of the Church; fasting and abstaining from food; false gods.
17. Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42): A Scripture Story.
18. The Fourth and Fifth Commandments. The Fourth Commandment--family life and values; honor and obedience; civic responsibilities; the Fifth Commandment--sacredness of all human life; violence; murder, direct abortion, suicide, euthanasia; choosing peace; self-defense; capital punishment; war; Cardinal Joseph Bernardin and The Challenge of Peace; peaceful problem solving.
19. Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth Commandments. The Sixth and Ninth Commandments--human sexuality; principles for living a chaste life; temperance and modesty; acts contrary to the Sixth and Ninth Commandments; the Seventh Commandment--stewardship; stealing and reparation; work and the workplace; discrimination in employment; slavery; Saint Francis of Assisi; discerning media messages.
20. Eighth and Tenth Commandments. The Eighth Commandment--living honest and truthful lives; society's right to truthful information; bearing false witness: lying, perjury, harming someone's reputation, rash judgment, detraction, gossip, and boasting; keeping a confidence; the Tenth Commandment--living a humble and detached life; coveting someone else's possessions: avarice, greed, and envy; the Lord's Prayer, a guide for living the Gospel; Saint Peter Claver; Blessed Josephine Bakhita; dealing constructively with peer pressure.

21. The Church as Community and Institution. Jesus' command to make disciples of all nations; the first communities of believers in Jesus; Paul the Apostle's mission to the Gentiles; martyrs; the Council of Jerusalem and early leaders of the Church; presbyters; the deposit of faith; the apologists, heresies; Gnosticism; roots of Christian worship; religious communities within the Church; apostolic and contemplative life; living as an active member of the Church community.
22. The Church as Herald and Servant. Emperor Constantine and the Edict of Milan; Saint Ambrose, bishop of Milan; Pope Saint Leo the Great; decline of the Roman Empire and rise of the papacy; monasticism, Saint Benedict of Nursia and Saint Scholastica; mendicants, Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Clare of Assisi, Saint Dominic de Guzman; Albigensians; the Fathers of the Church; Saint Thomas Aquinas and the Scholastics; the Doctors of the Church; the Great Schism; the Church and the media: Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, the web, World Communications Day; developing skills to live as a herald and servant.
23. The Church as Pilgrim. The Protestant Reformation; Martin Luther and the reformers; the Catholic-Counter Reformation; the Council of Trent and the resurgence of faith; Saint Francis Xavier; Saint Ignatius of Loyola and the Society of Jesus; Vatican Council I; the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches; living as a pilgrim in this world.
24. The Church as Sacrament and Sign. Aggiornamento and the Second Vatican Council; ecumenism and the movement for Christian unity; Constitution on the Church; Constitution on Divine Revelation and the resurgence in the study of Scripture; the synod of bishops; Pope John Paul II and the Catechism of the Catholic Church; Charles de Foucald and the Little Brothers of Jesus and the Little Sisters of Jesus; the Jubilee Year; developing a profile of Christian living in the modern world.

Scripture Chapters

Unit 1, Chapter 2
Dedication of the Temple (1 Kings 8:1-21). The Exodus and the Ark of the Covenant; the Temple of Solomon; the history of the Temple in Jerusalem; the account of the dedication of the Temple of Solomon; the meaning of the Temple in Jewish life; the new Temple: the Body of Christ; the Church, the Temple of the Holy Spirit; Church environment: altar, ambo, baptistry; setting time aside to be alone with self and God.

Unit 1, Chapter 4
Reborn of the Spirit (John 3:1-6, 11-13, 16-18, 21). Nicodemus; the Sanhedrin; the Pharisees; the Torah; the account of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus; Jesus' monologue; the symbolism of darkness and light; Jesus, Rabbi and Teacher; the promise of eternal life; the re-membering ministry of the Church; spiritual companions; dealing constructively with our fears.

Unit 2, Chapter 6
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand (Mark 6:34-44). The meanings of bread in the Old Testament and in the Gospel; manna; the account of Jesus feeding five thousand with five loaves and two fish; God's caring presence; the Exodus story; Eucharist; eternal life; the H.U.G.S. truck, a parish cares for neighbors in need; sharing our blessings.

Unit 3, Chapter 11
One Person's Decision (Mark 10:18-31). The evangelists; the formation of the inspired written accounts of the Gospel; the Gospel according to Mark; the story of the wealthy young man; the costs and the rewards of Christian discipleship; the Twelve; the successful life; Saint Elizabeth of Hungary; Saint Martin de Porres; living a simple life.

Unit 3, Chapter 13
Hymn of Love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13). The early Church at Corinth; evangelize; the New Testament letters attributed to Paul the Apostle; Paul's great hymn of love; Jesus' new commandment of love; L'Arche Communities; discovering the true meaning of Christian love.

Unit 4, Chapter 17
Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42). The friends and disciples of Jesus; the village of Bethany; women disciples of Jesus; qualities of Christian discipleship; Jesus visits the home of Martha and Mary; living the Great Commandment; listening to Jesus and serving others; the Liturgy of the Hours; developing a life of prayer.