By Sister Kieran Sawyer, SSND

Baptism: Reject Satan,

Choose Jesus

By Sister Kieran Sawyer, SSND

Purpose

This session helps young people to understand that Baptism is a fundamental choice to reject evil and to accept the life of grace offered to them by Jesus through the Church. The session explains the meaning of the renewal of the baptismal promises as used during the Easter season, and invites the participants, consciously and freely, to accept for themselves the faith that was given to them at Baptism.

Component: Catechesis

Correlation to the U.S. Bishops’ Adaptation: Course 5: Sacraments as Privileged Encounters with Christ, C-1 (Catechism of the Catholic Church #985; 1250-1282)

1277 “Baptism is birth into the new life in Christ. In accordance with the Lord's will, it is necessary for salvation, as is the Church herself, which we enter by Baptism.

1282 “Since the earliest times, Baptism has been administered to children, for it is a grace and a gift of God that does not presuppose any human merit; children are baptized in the faith of the Church. Entry into Christian life gives access to true freedom.”

1254 “For all the baptized, children or adults, faith must grow after Baptism. For this reason the Church celebrates each year at the Easter Vigil the renewal of baptismal promises. ... Baptism is the source of that new life in Christ from which the entire Christian life springs forth. “

Session at a Glance

7:00 p.m. Introduction: The Choice

7:15 p.m. The Big Picture (in a Little Book)

7:45 p.m. Baptismal Promises

Extend the Session 1: Share Little Books with primary-grade children (add 30 minutes)

Extend the Session 2: Baptism in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (add 20 minutes)

8:10 p.m. Reflection Exercise and Prayer: I Do Believe

8:25 p.m. Announcements and Refreshments

8:30 p.m. Good Night!

Materials Needed

·  Newsprint and markers

·  Pens or pencils, one per participant

·  Crayons or colored markers, one set of basic colors for each participant

·  Lap boards (something stiff to write on when the participants move to reflection space), one per participant, optional

·  Several packets of 3” x 5” colored sticky notes

·  Fine line markers

·  Children’s books, one for each participant (see #2 in Prepare in Advance)

·  Handout 1, I Do, I Do, one for each participant (this handout is two pages, copy double-sided)

·  Handout 2, Baptism in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, one for each participant (this handout is two pages, copy double-sided)

·  Handout 3, A Little Book about Baptism, one for each participant (see #3 in Prepare in Advance)

Note to Leader: This session is correlated to the U.S. Bishops’ Adaptation of the Curriculum Framework, published in January 2010 by the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis at the USCCB. Download the Adaptation from this website: http://old.usccb.org/evangelization/Adaptation-of-HS-Curriculum-Framework-Preamble2.pdf.

Prepare in Advance

1.  A core component of the session is the creation of A Little Book about Baptism. The Little Book is written in the style of children’s literature, which uses simple words and illustrations to teach profound, life-enhancing lessons. The participants work through the Little Book together, coloring the illustrations and filling in the activities. They are then encouraged to read and explain the book to a primary grade child either at home or as an Extend the Session activity. One purpose of the activity is to give the young people a big-picture overview of the central role baptism plays in salvation history. A second purpose is to help the teens experience how teaching a faith concept is a way to deepen the faith of the teacher as well as the learner.

2.  Obtain several children’s books, one book for each of your students. Select books that teach a lesson of faith or a lesson of life in simple language, e.g., the Dr. Seuss books, The Little Prince, The Velveteen Rabbit. (Consider also copies of the Little People’s paperbacks by Gerard Pottebaum, published by Pflaum in the 1960’s and 1970’s. These may well be hidden away in the parish or school library. They are also available on Amazon.)

3.  Create A Little Book about Baptism, one copy for each student and a few extra copies.

·  Duplicate the book covers on colored card stock paper. Cut in half.

·  Duplicate the pages on white paper, 20# or heavier. (The masters on p. 17ff have two pages on each sheet.)

·  Cut the pages apart and assemble them.

·  Staple the book at one spot in the upper left hand corner. (Using two staples on the side will make it difficult to color the pages.)

4.  Prepare the five sheets of newsprint with the following headings:

“Do you reject Satan?”

“And all his works?”

“and all his empty promises?”

“Do you believe in God?”

These will be used to teach the section on the baptismal promises.

5.  Write one “empty promise” on sticky notes using the list below. Select from and add to the list to fit your students. Prepare one sticky note for each participant.

·  Lying to your parents will get you out of trouble.

·  You can go to a drinking party and not get drunk.

·  Everyone is doing it so it must not be that bad.

·  Getting good grades by cheating is better than getting bad grades.

·  Money will make you happy, no matter how you acquire it.

·  It is always the other person’s fault.

·  Safe sex is safe.

·  Sex will give you love.

·  You can decide for yourself what is right and what is wrong.

·  You don’t get anything out of Mass, so just stay home.

·  You really need the latest… (phone, game, shoes, devise, jeans).

·  Sex outside of marriage will make you happy.

·  Thin is beautiful.

·  The devil made you do it.

·  Putting others down will make you popular.

·  I’m not addicted to… (alcohol, drugs, Facebook, pornography); I can stop anytime I want to.

·  Chastity is only for the nerds.

6.  Set up the meeting space with tables and chairs for the activity on creating children’s books.

7.  Create a prayer space by covering a small table with a cloth. Place the Bible and a pillar candle on the table. Have matches or a lightstick nearby. Also have a candle (or candles) in a glass container for the candle pass activity.

Extend the Session: Sharing the Book with Children

8.  Make arrangements with a primary teacher to invite the little children to your room (or another suitable space) for your students to read to the children the Little Books they have created in class.

Session Outline

Introduction: The Choice (15 minutes)

As the young people arrive, welcome them and encourage them to spend some time looking at the children’s books. After a few minutes, begin by asking each one to respond to one of the questions below. Call each person by name and speak directly to him/her. Expect them to be hesitant and somewhat confused. They will catch on as the activity continues. If necessary, use some questions twice. Accept their answers without comment. Do not get into a discussion on the questions at this time.

·  [Name], do you reject Satan?

·  [Name], do you reject evil?

·  [Name], do you reject lying?

·  [Name], do you reject lying to your parents as a way of getting out of trouble?

·  [Name], do you believe in God?

·  [Name], do you believe that God created the beautiful world you live in?

·  [Name], do you reject littering and vandalism?

·  [Name], do you believe that God created you?

·  [Name], do you reject drunkenness?

·  [Name], do you reject parties where almost everyone drinks too much?

·  [Name], do you believe in Jesus?

·  [Name], do you accept Jesus’ teachings as a guide for your life?

·  [Name], do you renounce selfishness and greed?

·  [Name], do you reject the idea that everyone needs the latest technological devise?

·  [Name], do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for you?

·  [Name], do you renounce cheating on tests?

·  [Name], do you believe that the Holy Spirit lives in the people who love God?

·  [Name], do you believe that the Holy Spirit acts through you?

·  [Name], do you reject bullying?

·  [Name], do you renounce sending or forwarding mean text messages?

·  [Name], do you believe that God forgives our sins?

·  [Name], do you believe that we should forgive those who hurt or injure us?

·  [Name], do you renounce Satan?

·  [Name], do you believe in Jesus?

Ask the participants if they can tell you where you got these questions. Then post a blank sheet of newsprint and explain: (Write the highlighted words/phrases on the newsprint as you speak.)

Tonight, we’re going to talk about baptism. Every year during the Easter season the Church invites us to renew our baptismal promises. The priest asks us the “churchy” questions that I was asking you, and we respond “I do.” But do we really? The other questions I asked were meant to help you to see what the formal questions really mean. Baptism is not just one of the seven sacraments. Baptism is a fundamental choice.

What is it a choice between?

Call on several participants to explain the choice represented by the questions, then add to the newsprint sheet: between GOOD and EVIL, between JESUS and SATAN.

Our session tonight invites us to think deeply about how we are responding to that fundamental choice in our everyday lives. How firmly does my life say “I do” to the basic questions: Do you renounce Satan? Do you choose to follow Jesus? What does my response—“I do”—mean?

Use some of the answers the youth gave at this point.

Does it mean: I guess so, maybe, well if everyone else does it, you gotta be kidding, no way, sorta, let me think about it. Or, does it mean yes, absolutely, that’s me, you can count on me, with my whole heart, I’m trying my best.

The Big Picture (in a Little Book) (30 minutes)

Take up one of the children’s books, and say:

Now let’s talk about the children’s books we have here. Writing a child’s book requires a very special talent. The author of a good child’s book knows how to capture some very profound truths in simple language and pictures. Such books often carry a meaning that is just as important (or more important!) for the grown-up who reads the books to the children as it is for the children who hear them read.

One author who has written many such adult-meaning children’s books is Dr. Seuss. Raise your hand if you remember reading Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hears a Who, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, The Lorax.

Ask if anyone can tell you the adult message contained in one of the children’s books they remember.

Another author, not nearly as famous as Dr. Seuss, is Gerard A. Pottebaum, who wrote a series called Little People’s Paperbacks way back in the 1960’s and 1970’s. His books did a marvelous job of explaining the Scripture stories in language and artwork that would make sense to little children—and even more sense to the parents or teachers who read the books to the children.

For our next activity we are going to create our own Little Book. Our little book will try to explain to primary school children the meaning of baptism as a fundamental choice between good and evil. Later, we will have an opportunity to share our little books with children. [Or: When you finish your book, I want you to take it home and find a little child to share it with.] When you do that you will see that one very good way to learn a profound truth is to try to explain it to someone else.

Distribute the copies of A Little Book about Baptism and a set of crayons or water-based colored markers for each participant.

Work through the pages one at a time, teaching the concepts presented on the page, and guiding the students in following the directives below. Ask them to always WAIT to turn to the next page until you invite them to do so.

·  Read page 1 to the group. Ask them to color the three intermingled flames -- one in red, one in orange, and one in yellow, and to explain what the symbol of the flames means.

·  Read the top of page 2. Invite the youth to color the earth. When most have finished, read the question at the bottom, then turn the page.

·  Read all of page 3. Tell the youth to draw a little flame in the heart of the three figures to represent the life God has breathed into them.

·  Read the top of page 4. Invite the students to decorate the two gift boxes with ribbons and bows. Ask them to write intellect under one box and free will under the other. Then invite a participant to read aloud the bottom of the page.

·  Read the top of page 5. Ask the youth to print the words of the Covenant in the scroll. When most have finished, call on someone to read the meaning of the covenant. Then invite them to sign the covenant with God’s signature and their own.

·  Read the top of page 6. Guide the youth in writing Roman numerals on the two stone tablets, I, II, III on one; IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, and X on the other. Explain that the first stone tablet is about loving God and see if anyone can tell you what each commandment is about and how it is a way of loving God. Do the same for the second tablet (IV: respect for parents, V: respect for life, VI: respect for sex, VII: respect for property, VIII: respect for truth, IX: respect for sex, and X: respect for property). Invite them to print a key word for each commandment as a help they might need when they do the book with a child.