FIRE GROUND PLAN

Audience: Third Year High School Co-Ed Students belonging to the middle class, mostly Roman Catholics, they have difficulty managing their
priorities in life and in letting go of their “attachments” yet they are searching for ways to achieve their full potential as persons.
Topic: Authentic Freedom (Am I Truly Free?) Level: III
Problem: There are interior and exterior obstacles to / Kind of Material: Lesson Plan
freedom that they need to overcome in order for them
to become authentically free- to be the person God calls them to be. / Number of Sessions/Length of Time:
One Session, 1 hr.
CHRISTIAN MESSAGE / SOURCES/MEANS / OBJECTIVES
MORALS: Becoming a true disciple of Christ means exercising one’s freedom to become more like Him. We become authentically free when we free ourselves from certain attitudes and conditions that hinder our being loving persons.
DOCTRINE:
In the Gospels, Jesus has shown us what it means to be free and has set us free from certain conditions and obstacles that hinder our loving. By becoming our perfect example and interior source of loving others, we realize that to grow in freedom means to grow in the likeness of Christ.
WORSHIP:Prayer brings us in communion with God. With His abiding grace and enlightenment, God empowers us to see the many obstacles that hinder us from loving Him and others and inspires us to love as He has loved us. / SOURCES
SACRED SCRIPTURE:
The Story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)
CHURCH TEACHINGS:
“Authentic freedom involves freedom from everything that opposes our true self-becoming with others in community. But this freedom from is directed towards a second freedom, the more important, “freedom for.” Beyond being liberated from all obstacles to authentic freedom is the freedom for growing as full persons and children of God, sharing in the life of Christ, our liberator, through His Spirit. It is the freedom found in authentic love.”(CFC 696-697)
RESOURCES:
Called to Follow Christ in True Freedom by Noel P. Miranda and Philip S. Javier III
Maturing in Jesus Christ by Ma. Leodevina C. Batugal, M.A. and Erlyn R. Calingo



MEANS:
  • Watching video clip:
The Story of Zacchaeus (Lk. 19:1-10)
  • Think-Pair-Share
  • Class Discussion
  • PPT Presentation
  • Passing the Ball – insight on freedom
  • Search for “Pop Icon” for Authentic Freedom
/ The lesson is ordered to enable students to:
MORALS:
enumerate ways of overcoming threats to freedom as a way of following Christ.
DOCTRINE:
explain the purpose and goal of authentic freedom.
identify the inner and exterior obstacles to freedom that hinder them to become truly loving.
WORSHIP:
ask God for the grace to help them be more like His son, Jesus whose choices are directed towards love.
HUMAN EXPERIENCE (Before) / HUMAN EXPERIENCE (During) / HUMAN EXPERIENCE (After)
  • The previous discussion has addressed and corrected the notion that “Freedom is a license to do whatever one wants, even if it is evil. Thus, laws are seen as restrictions tostudents’ freedom.” In the light of the Exodus event, they were made to see the relevance and value of the Decalogue as a ground in exercising their freedom responsibly. The concept of freedom as doing what is good has already been established.
  • Students struggle to choose and do the good because of certain attitudes and external conditions that hinder them from becoming truly loving.
/ Motivation: “The Adventurer”.
  • If you travel to an unknown destination, what ONE tangible thing will you bring? Why?
  • If this is taken away from you, what do you think will happen? What will you do?
  • Can you let go? Why? Why not?
Link: There are things that we are attached to because they matter to us. Thus, we find it difficult to let go of these attachments. Our lesson today will help shed light on what we need in our life to free ourselves from so we can become the kind of person God calls us to be.
Think-Pair-Share: Think of a specific moment in your life when you felt most unfree.
(Students’ answers will be written on the board)
  • Why do these things/conditions hinder your freedom?
  • Based on your answers on the board, what conclusion can you draw?
  • How do you categorize these hindrances?
These hindrances can come from within us and they can also come from our environment.
Instructional/Learning Activity:
  • These obstacles that reside within are called interior threats to freedom. Can you cite an example of an interior threat to freedom?
These are our prejudices, negative habits and attitudes, fears and doubts that hinder us from doing what is good in specific instances.
For example, when we are so hooked in playing computer games or using any social network like Facebook, we may begin to neglect our studies.
  • Because these obstacles to freedom reside within us, what do you think can be done so we can overcome them?
We need to become aware of these interior vices, habits, tendencies and weaknesses. We can grow in our self-awareness through self-reflection or asking the help of others in overcoming negative attitudes and most importantly, we need to nourish ourselves through prayer and the celebration of the sacraments.
Other obstacles to our freedom arise from our environment. These are called exterior threats to freedom. These are forces or realities in our community that influence us to act in a self-centered way. Can you cite an example of an exterior threat to freedom? Other examples of these are peer pressure, media, violence. Peer pressure, for instance, may lead you to resort to smoking, drinking and illegal drugs.
How do you think can we overcome these threats?
As Christ’s disciples, we are called to strive to free ourselves from these external threats by discerning and choosing what is truly good amidst temptations to self-centered behavior and by asking God for the grace to overcome our weaknesses.
The most perfect sign of God’s call for us to become truly free is Jesus Christ. Through His public life, teachings and Paschal sacrifice, Jesus has shown us that only in truly loving God and others can we become truly free. Throughout His life, Jesus lived this mission in His loving service of others. By healing the sick, forgiving sinners and preaching the Good News, Christ invited all persons to true freedom-freedom from conditions, attitudes and acts that hinder us from following Him, as well as freedom for growing in His likeness.
  • Why do you think Jesus frees us from these interior and exterior threats to freedom? What is freedom for?
Jesus frees us from these threats so we can be authentically free-We can grow as full persons who have a genuine concern and a sincere desire for the good of others (CFC 697). True freedom is always directed towards authentic love for others and God so we can become like Jesus-To be the image of God who is love.
There is a story in the New Testament that speaks about a person who never allowed the “pressures of his time” to get in his way of seeing his “pop icon” and eventually was transformed by His love. Who is this person? Video-Viewing: The Story of Zacchaeus
(Luke 19:1-10)
What do you think did he give up to be authentically free?
Freedom From / Freedom For
Material Attachment (Fleeting Happiness) / Joyful Detachment (Authentic Joy)
Greediness and selfishness/Self-centeredness / Selflessness
Power (Misuse/abuse of) / Empowering others
Honor / Servant-leadership
The story of Zacchaeus speaks of our capacity to commit ourselves to Christ so we can become authentically free-to be the kind of person God envisions us to become---loving, other-centered.
Jesus is the model par excellence in our search and journey towards freedom. He liberated the poor and the marginalized from injustices and other forms of oppression. He has the freedom to just ran away when he was arrested yet He courageously face death despite his fears.
Prepared by:
Haidee A. Estrada
Jose Roldan G. Caberio
Sr. Theresa A. Mallillin, SPC / Synthesis
Passing the Ball: Come up with one statement that captures the most important insight you want to bring home after today’s discussion on authentic freedom.
If we look back at our day, no one among us is proud for having backstabbed or hurt someone nor feels blessed after having ignored other people’s needs. What makes life rewarding and meaningful at the end of the day is how much love we have given and shared, for this makes us a better person- A person created in God’s image and likeness.
Closing Prayer: Let us ask God for the grace to help us be more like His son, Jesus whose choices are directed towards love.
O Lord, our God, we thank you for the gift of freedom. We beg for the grace of conversion so that like Jesus, we may exercise this gift according to Your love. Direct our minds and hearts always, so that we may choose freely to pursue the good through which we become the authentic persons You created us to be. Amen.
  • The concept of freedom is deepened from freedom as doing what is good to freedom to become the kind of person God envisions them to become- more loving and other-centered.