The Search: Finding the Meaning of Life
Reflection & Discussion Questions
Welcome to The Search. Below are the discussion questions for each Session. Before you begin, please consider this: Seek first to understand, then to be understood. In other words, practice active listening and really try to understand the point of view that you're hearing.
Session 7: Why A Church?
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD AND PRINT THE GROUP DISCUSSION HANDOUT HERE
Follow along below if you are doing this on your own/at home.
Opening Prayer:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
With the joy of this Easter Season, we bring our hopes and dreams to you, our risen Christ. We thank you for the gift of your sacrifice and the joy of our salvation. As we enter into this last reflection, help us to be ever-faithful to your word and your call to be a light to all. Amen.
WATCH THE SEVENTH EPISODE
You MUST have a Formed.org account to access and watch this video.
Sign up at signup.formed.org ON YOUR COMPUTER first (it will be easier), then follow the prompts to create your FREE account. You can download the app FOR ANDROID or APPLE devices and watch this and all videos once you have your account.
Below are some quotes from the video. Please share or write your honest reaction, whatever it may be.
1. I had the great opportunity to take some pretty spectacular journeys in my life...A harder journey to take is a journey of faith. It doesn't sound exciting like a space flight; but it is ultimately the most important journey we can take as human beings. - General Kevin Chilton
2. The Church is essentially a way for us to encounter the presence of God that we need to live life to the full. It's the place where we can look for authoritative teaching, interpreting all that he left us and helping us to apply it to our lives today. - Christ Stefanick
3. What the research shows is that people who went through their life connected to a community...ended up physically and emotionally in much better shape than their peers. As a Catholic, this research is no surprise to me, that we were made by relationship for relationship. - Jim Owens
4. The fact that God saves us as a family means...that we have an organized religion. Religion was never meant to be a private, personal thing. - Chris Stefanick
5. We have bodies; we exist in these bodies, and so the spiritual life of that person also has to include the body. The liturgical experience is part of that. - Jonathan Pageau
6. [In the sacraments,] we literally get God's life to begin the process of change and transformation to become, not just who we are, but who we were created to be - who we are destined to be. - Jim Beckman
7. Taking the Eucharist to orbit for me was a big deal. And receiving the Eucharist on Sunday for me is a big deal because I believe it is what Jesus says it is. - General Kevin Chilton
8. A lot of people say, "I don't want to follow some man-made religion." You know what, I don't either. Our religion was founded by Jesus Christ. - Chris Stefanick
WRAP UP: St. Augustine, in reference to Holy Communion, wrote: "Be what you can see, and receive what you are." Jesus didn't simply leave us a message of instructions to follow. He left us a living, dynamic Chrust where we could continue to encounter him and be transformed into his likeness.
CLOSING PRAYER
Heavenly Father, you have made us to be in communion with you and with one another. Thank you for the blessing of those who know, love and care of us. Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of the Church and the part it plays in your plan for humanity. Forgive us for the times we fail to be the people you desire us to be. Holy Spirit, thank you for dwelling within us and for the gifts you give us to build up the Church. Help us to produce the fruits of your love more abundantly in our lives.
Glory be to the Father, and to the son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginnin, is not, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thank you for joining us on The Search!
Follow along below if you are doing this on your own/at home.
Opening Prayer:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
With the joy of this Easter Season, we bring our hopes and dreams to you, our risen Christ. We thank you for the gift of your sacrifice and the joy of our salvation. As we enter into this last reflection, help us to be ever-faithful to your word and your call to be a light to all. Amen.
WATCH THE SEVENTH EPISODE
You MUST have a Formed.org account to access and watch this video.
Sign up at signup.formed.org ON YOUR COMPUTER first (it will be easier), then follow the prompts to create your FREE account. You can download the app FOR ANDROID or APPLE devices and watch this and all videos once you have your account.
Below are some quotes from the video. Please share or write your honest reaction, whatever it may be.
1. I had the great opportunity to take some pretty spectacular journeys in my life...A harder journey to take is a journey of faith. It doesn't sound exciting like a space flight; but it is ultimately the most important journey we can take as human beings. - General Kevin Chilton
2. The Church is essentially a way for us to encounter the presence of God that we need to live life to the full. It's the place where we can look for authoritative teaching, interpreting all that he left us and helping us to apply it to our lives today. - Christ Stefanick
3. What the research shows is that people who went through their life connected to a community...ended up physically and emotionally in much better shape than their peers. As a Catholic, this research is no surprise to me, that we were made by relationship for relationship. - Jim Owens
4. The fact that God saves us as a family means...that we have an organized religion. Religion was never meant to be a private, personal thing. - Chris Stefanick
5. We have bodies; we exist in these bodies, and so the spiritual life of that person also has to include the body. The liturgical experience is part of that. - Jonathan Pageau
6. [In the sacraments,] we literally get God's life to begin the process of change and transformation to become, not just who we are, but who we were created to be - who we are destined to be. - Jim Beckman
7. Taking the Eucharist to orbit for me was a big deal. And receiving the Eucharist on Sunday for me is a big deal because I believe it is what Jesus says it is. - General Kevin Chilton
8. A lot of people say, "I don't want to follow some man-made religion." You know what, I don't either. Our religion was founded by Jesus Christ. - Chris Stefanick
WRAP UP: St. Augustine, in reference to Holy Communion, wrote: "Be what you can see, and receive what you are." Jesus didn't simply leave us a message of instructions to follow. He left us a living, dynamic Chrust where we could continue to encounter him and be transformed into his likeness.
CLOSING PRAYER
Heavenly Father, you have made us to be in communion with you and with one another. Thank you for the blessing of those who know, love and care of us. Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of the Church and the part it plays in your plan for humanity. Forgive us for the times we fail to be the people you desire us to be. Holy Spirit, thank you for dwelling within us and for the gifts you give us to build up the Church. Help us to produce the fruits of your love more abundantly in our lives.
Glory be to the Father, and to the son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginnin, is not, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thank you for joining us on The Search!
Session 6: Am I Saved?
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD AND PRINT THE GROUP DISCUSSION HANDOUT HERE
Follow along below if you are doing this on your own/at home.
Opening Prayer:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
As we journey through Holy Week and the Triduum, help us to keep our eyes fixed on God's love on the Cross - on Jesus Christ and his love for us. Help us to realize how much we are loved and how much grace we have been given by this single act of God who came into our mess and into our humanity to redeem and save us. Amen.
WATCH THE SIXTH EPISODE
You MUST have a Formed.org account to access and watch this video.
Sign up at signup.formed.org ON YOUR COMPUTER first (it will be easier), then follow the prompts to create your FREE account. You can download the app FOR ANDROID or APPLE devices and watch this and all videos once you have your account.
Below are some quotes from the video. Please share or write your honest reaction, whatever it may be.
1. I think for a lot of people, salvation is just fire insurance...but the reality is that in the New Testament, salvation isn't just about what will happen to us after we die - it very much pertains to the here and now as well. In fact, what is it we need to be saved from: we are enslaved by sin. - Dr. Michael Barber
2. Sin is not just a violation of a rule; it's a violation of reality...Whenever we sin, we are acting not just against God...we are acting against our own best interests. - Dr. Sean Innerst
3. That's all the moral framework of the Church and Christianity is...God is not trying to make us miserable; he is actually trying to make us thrive. - Jim Beckman
4. Make no mistake about this. God is attracted to your poverty. He actually wants to come into that mess. - Jim Beckman
5. The triumph of our faith is not that there is no suffering. The triumph of our faith is that he defeated it. - Noelle Garcia
6. Grace enables us to return to the likeness of God which Adam and Eve lost in the very beginning. - Dr. Sean Innerst
7. Jesus did not just come to make bad people good. He came to make dead people alive. - Chris Stefanick
8. Have you said yes to God? Love doesn't force himself on you. Love waits for your yes. - Chris Stefanick
WRAP UP: A wealthy young man approached Jesus and asked: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10:17). Like the young man, who saw salvation as a future event, we often want to be assured that life after death will be good. We sometimes fall into the mentality that getting to Heaven is a matter of punching a particular ticket, or checking all the boxes on a list. Jesus' first instructions almost sound like that. "Follow the commandments," he replied (see Mark 10:19). However, just as the young man thinks he has a handle on his salvation, Jesus adds, "Sell everything, give it to the poor, and follow me" (see Mark 10:21). When the young man walked away, even the disciples were surprised. They asked Jesus: "Who then can be saved?" (Mark 10:26). Jesus replied, "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God" (Mark 10:27). Jesus redirects their focus from "what must I do" to "what only God can do."
Let’s wrap up our time with this last question:
What is one take-away for you from this session?
CLOSING PRAYER
Dear Jesus, it is said that you were no greater teacher than when you were hanging on the Cross, because it is there that we see a window into the very life of the Blessed Trinity - total selfless love. Thank you for making it possible for us to share in this blessed Trinitarian love. Jesus, we trust in you. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Follow along below if you are doing this on your own/at home.
Opening Prayer:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
As we journey through Holy Week and the Triduum, help us to keep our eyes fixed on God's love on the Cross - on Jesus Christ and his love for us. Help us to realize how much we are loved and how much grace we have been given by this single act of God who came into our mess and into our humanity to redeem and save us. Amen.
WATCH THE SIXTH EPISODE
You MUST have a Formed.org account to access and watch this video.
Sign up at signup.formed.org ON YOUR COMPUTER first (it will be easier), then follow the prompts to create your FREE account. You can download the app FOR ANDROID or APPLE devices and watch this and all videos once you have your account.
Below are some quotes from the video. Please share or write your honest reaction, whatever it may be.
1. I think for a lot of people, salvation is just fire insurance...but the reality is that in the New Testament, salvation isn't just about what will happen to us after we die - it very much pertains to the here and now as well. In fact, what is it we need to be saved from: we are enslaved by sin. - Dr. Michael Barber
2. Sin is not just a violation of a rule; it's a violation of reality...Whenever we sin, we are acting not just against God...we are acting against our own best interests. - Dr. Sean Innerst
3. That's all the moral framework of the Church and Christianity is...God is not trying to make us miserable; he is actually trying to make us thrive. - Jim Beckman
4. Make no mistake about this. God is attracted to your poverty. He actually wants to come into that mess. - Jim Beckman
5. The triumph of our faith is not that there is no suffering. The triumph of our faith is that he defeated it. - Noelle Garcia
6. Grace enables us to return to the likeness of God which Adam and Eve lost in the very beginning. - Dr. Sean Innerst
7. Jesus did not just come to make bad people good. He came to make dead people alive. - Chris Stefanick
8. Have you said yes to God? Love doesn't force himself on you. Love waits for your yes. - Chris Stefanick
WRAP UP: A wealthy young man approached Jesus and asked: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10:17). Like the young man, who saw salvation as a future event, we often want to be assured that life after death will be good. We sometimes fall into the mentality that getting to Heaven is a matter of punching a particular ticket, or checking all the boxes on a list. Jesus' first instructions almost sound like that. "Follow the commandments," he replied (see Mark 10:19). However, just as the young man thinks he has a handle on his salvation, Jesus adds, "Sell everything, give it to the poor, and follow me" (see Mark 10:21). When the young man walked away, even the disciples were surprised. They asked Jesus: "Who then can be saved?" (Mark 10:26). Jesus replied, "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God" (Mark 10:27). Jesus redirects their focus from "what must I do" to "what only God can do."
Let’s wrap up our time with this last question:
What is one take-away for you from this session?
CLOSING PRAYER
Dear Jesus, it is said that you were no greater teacher than when you were hanging on the Cross, because it is there that we see a window into the very life of the Blessed Trinity - total selfless love. Thank you for making it possible for us to share in this blessed Trinitarian love. Jesus, we trust in you. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Session 5: Who Is Jesus?
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD AND PRINT THE GROUP DISCUSSION HANDOUT HERE
Follow along below if you are doing this on your own/at home.
Opening Prayer:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In these last days of Lent, we call on the Spirit to help us remember the grace and forgiveness given by Jesus' sacrifice.
We are in this world and not of it. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on Heaven. Amen.
WATCH THE FIFTH EPISODE
You MUST have a Formed.org account to access and watch this video.
Sign up at signup.formed.org ON YOUR COMPUTER first (it will be easier), then follow the prompts to create your FREE account. You can download the app FOR ANDROID or APPLE devices and watch this and all videos once you have your account.
Below are some quotes from the video. Please share or write your honest reaction, whatever it may be.
1. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all of history. That makes no sense at all. A guy that had no money, no armies, no power - the most dominant figure in all of history? - Chris Stefanick
2. At the center of Christianity is the claim that God came looking for us. – Chris Stefanick
3. We have more historical evidence about Jesus of Nazareth than we have about most other ancient historical figures that people never call into question. - Dr. Brant Pitre
4. These are the three options: Jesus was either a liar, or a lunatic, or he was in fact the Lord.
And you have to make your choice. - Dr. Brant Pitre
5. There are prophecies in the Jewish Scriptures about Jesus being born in Bethlehem, his being raised in Nazareth, his going into Jerusalem riding on a donkey - prophecies even about his suffering and his death on Good Friday...God was preparing humanity to understand who this man was when he would show up on the scene. - Dr. Edward Sri
6. Jesus reflects a perfect humanity - not less human for being more perfect, but precisely more human for being the perfect expression of what God had willed for the human race from the beginning. - Dr. Sean Innerst
7. All the stuff we do as Christians is not about adding to-dos to our already overwhelming busy lives.
The stuff we do as Christians is about drawing near to the source of life itself. – Chris Stefanick
WRAP UP: It is without question that no person has changed the world like Jesus of Nazareth. Time is measured by his brith, churches were built to worship him in every corner of the world, cities were named after his followers, and his life has captured countless works of art and literature. Is he a legend, a liar, or a lunatic? Or is he who he claimed to be - God in the flesh? Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Who do you say that I am?" (Matthew 16:15). He asks the same question of us.
Let’s wrap up our time with this last question:
What is one take-away for you from this session?
CLOSING PRAYER
Dear Jesus, in your divinity you reveal to us who God is and in your humanity you reveal to us who we are.
May we have the confidence to respond like Peter to the question: Who do you say that I am?
"You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (see Matthew 16:16). Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Follow along below if you are doing this on your own/at home.
Opening Prayer:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In these last days of Lent, we call on the Spirit to help us remember the grace and forgiveness given by Jesus' sacrifice.
We are in this world and not of it. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on Heaven. Amen.
WATCH THE FIFTH EPISODE
You MUST have a Formed.org account to access and watch this video.
Sign up at signup.formed.org ON YOUR COMPUTER first (it will be easier), then follow the prompts to create your FREE account. You can download the app FOR ANDROID or APPLE devices and watch this and all videos once you have your account.
Below are some quotes from the video. Please share or write your honest reaction, whatever it may be.
1. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all of history. That makes no sense at all. A guy that had no money, no armies, no power - the most dominant figure in all of history? - Chris Stefanick
2. At the center of Christianity is the claim that God came looking for us. – Chris Stefanick
3. We have more historical evidence about Jesus of Nazareth than we have about most other ancient historical figures that people never call into question. - Dr. Brant Pitre
4. These are the three options: Jesus was either a liar, or a lunatic, or he was in fact the Lord.
And you have to make your choice. - Dr. Brant Pitre
5. There are prophecies in the Jewish Scriptures about Jesus being born in Bethlehem, his being raised in Nazareth, his going into Jerusalem riding on a donkey - prophecies even about his suffering and his death on Good Friday...God was preparing humanity to understand who this man was when he would show up on the scene. - Dr. Edward Sri
6. Jesus reflects a perfect humanity - not less human for being more perfect, but precisely more human for being the perfect expression of what God had willed for the human race from the beginning. - Dr. Sean Innerst
7. All the stuff we do as Christians is not about adding to-dos to our already overwhelming busy lives.
The stuff we do as Christians is about drawing near to the source of life itself. – Chris Stefanick
WRAP UP: It is without question that no person has changed the world like Jesus of Nazareth. Time is measured by his brith, churches were built to worship him in every corner of the world, cities were named after his followers, and his life has captured countless works of art and literature. Is he a legend, a liar, or a lunatic? Or is he who he claimed to be - God in the flesh? Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Who do you say that I am?" (Matthew 16:15). He asks the same question of us.
Let’s wrap up our time with this last question:
What is one take-away for you from this session?
CLOSING PRAYER
Dear Jesus, in your divinity you reveal to us who God is and in your humanity you reveal to us who we are.
May we have the confidence to respond like Peter to the question: Who do you say that I am?
"You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (see Matthew 16:16). Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Session 4: What's Our Story?
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD AND PRINT THE GROUP DISCUSSION HANDOUT HERE
Follow along below if you are doing this on your own/at home.
Opening Prayer:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
As we celebrate the half-way point of Lent, please help us to remember to celebrate your mercy. We thank you for your love and your grace. Even when we fall, we fall into your loving embrace. Help us to celebrate your forgiveness and the grace to forgive. Amen.
WATCH THE FOURTH EPISODE
You MUST have a Formed.org account to access and watch this video.
Sign up at signup.formed.org ON YOUR COMPUTER first (it will be easier), then follow the prompts to create your FREE account. You can download the app FOR ANDROID or APPLE devices and watch this and all videos once you have your account.
Below are some quotes from the video. Please share or write your honest reaction, whatever it may be.
1. At the heart of the Christian faith is the love of God that we see most clearly revealed to us in the Trinity…God is three Persons who from all eternity love one another. – Dr. Michael Barber
2. An act of love is what bring us from nothingness into existence. – Chris Stefanick
3. The biblical story describes the Garden as a paradise. That is a beautiful picture of what God originally intended for the human race – in communion with each other, and with nature, and with him.
– Dr. Sean Innerst
4. What happens with the Fall? …Because the most important and foundational relationship with God is broken, all these other relationships fall apart as well. The intellect becomes darkened; the will becomes weakened; the passions are disordered; the relationship between Adam and Eve is broken; …the relationship with creation is broken as well; …the world becomes broken. – Dr. Ben Akers
5. We don’t live in the world God made. We live in the world we have made of the world God made.
– Dr. Sean Innerst
6. The maker of space and time so loved you that he entered space and time to save you. – Chris Stefanick
7. Take the love story out of the Bible…and what you’re left with is a to-do list. – Chris Stefanick
8. For a Christian, joy isn’t what happens when life isn’t going perfectly; it’s what happens when you know you are loved perfectly, even when life is a mess. – Chris Stefanick
WRAP UP We all love a good story – from the characters, the twists and turns of a captivating plot, and the dynamics of a conflict, to the resolution at the end. Perhaps we love stories because they give us insight into ourselves, animating a deeper sense of meaning in our lives. The Bible is the story of God’s love for us. It begins with him creating us out of love, redeeming us by that love, and finally transforming us in his love. The divine author is love – an eternal exchange of love with the life of the Blessed Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. What a story!
Let’s wrap up our time with this last question:
What is one take-away for you from this session?
CLOSING PRAYER
Dear God, the story of salvation has been called the greatest story ever told. What makes this story great is that it impacts each of us personally in that it is our own story. Created out of love to be redeemed and transformed by love, may each of us say yes to a saving relationship with you. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Follow along below if you are doing this on your own/at home.
Opening Prayer:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
As we celebrate the half-way point of Lent, please help us to remember to celebrate your mercy. We thank you for your love and your grace. Even when we fall, we fall into your loving embrace. Help us to celebrate your forgiveness and the grace to forgive. Amen.
WATCH THE FOURTH EPISODE
You MUST have a Formed.org account to access and watch this video.
Sign up at signup.formed.org ON YOUR COMPUTER first (it will be easier), then follow the prompts to create your FREE account. You can download the app FOR ANDROID or APPLE devices and watch this and all videos once you have your account.
Below are some quotes from the video. Please share or write your honest reaction, whatever it may be.
1. At the heart of the Christian faith is the love of God that we see most clearly revealed to us in the Trinity…God is three Persons who from all eternity love one another. – Dr. Michael Barber
2. An act of love is what bring us from nothingness into existence. – Chris Stefanick
3. The biblical story describes the Garden as a paradise. That is a beautiful picture of what God originally intended for the human race – in communion with each other, and with nature, and with him.
– Dr. Sean Innerst
4. What happens with the Fall? …Because the most important and foundational relationship with God is broken, all these other relationships fall apart as well. The intellect becomes darkened; the will becomes weakened; the passions are disordered; the relationship between Adam and Eve is broken; …the relationship with creation is broken as well; …the world becomes broken. – Dr. Ben Akers
5. We don’t live in the world God made. We live in the world we have made of the world God made.
– Dr. Sean Innerst
6. The maker of space and time so loved you that he entered space and time to save you. – Chris Stefanick
7. Take the love story out of the Bible…and what you’re left with is a to-do list. – Chris Stefanick
8. For a Christian, joy isn’t what happens when life isn’t going perfectly; it’s what happens when you know you are loved perfectly, even when life is a mess. – Chris Stefanick
WRAP UP We all love a good story – from the characters, the twists and turns of a captivating plot, and the dynamics of a conflict, to the resolution at the end. Perhaps we love stories because they give us insight into ourselves, animating a deeper sense of meaning in our lives. The Bible is the story of God’s love for us. It begins with him creating us out of love, redeeming us by that love, and finally transforming us in his love. The divine author is love – an eternal exchange of love with the life of the Blessed Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. What a story!
Let’s wrap up our time with this last question:
What is one take-away for you from this session?
CLOSING PRAYER
Dear God, the story of salvation has been called the greatest story ever told. What makes this story great is that it impacts each of us personally in that it is our own story. Created out of love to be redeemed and transformed by love, may each of us say yes to a saving relationship with you. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Session 3: Why A God?
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD AND PRINT THE GROUP DISCUSSION HANDOUT HERE
Follow along below if you are doing this on your own/at home.
Opening Prayer:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thank you for the gift of life and the gift of faith. Please guide me along my journey of searching for you.
Guide my heart and my spirit to know you more. Amen.
WATCH THE THIRD EPISODE
You MUST have a Formed.org account to access and watch this video.
Sign up at signup.formed.org ON YOUR COMPUTER first (it will be easier), then follow the prompts to create your FREE account. You can download the app FOR ANDROID or APPLE devices and watch this and all videos once you have your account.
Below are some quotes from the video. Please share or write your honest reaction, whatever it may be.
1. We don'g think that God is some mythological creature flying around in space. We believe that God is existence itself. That space and time are flying around in him. - Chris Stefanick
2. Those who came long before Christianity such as the Greek philosophers came to an understanding, just through the use of reason along, that God must exist. - Joseph Pearce
3. I think we are the first era in history to have so many people say, "God, if you really are there, why don't you reveal yourself to us?" I think God is looking down from Heaven saying: "Did you not notice everything?" - Chris Stefanick
4. If you are doing science and you're doing it for real, then you are looking for the truth. And the Church is all about the truth. - Father Paul Mueller, SJ
5. Science can tell us the "how" of things, "how" the universe works. But it can't address certain questions about the "why" of the universe - why was it created; why are we here? - Dr. Jack Wetterer
6. Faith isn't antiscience. Faith gave birth to the sciences. - Chris Stefanick
7. When I read Genesis, I have modern cosmology in the back of my mind, and I see harmony. I think the way I read Genesis has become more beautiful the more I learn about our cosmology, our origins, and not less so. - Karin Oberg
8. Faith is a choice. It's a reasonable choice. But let me go a step further. If you want a meaningful life, if you want joy and peace and happiness and a sense of purpose, it is also a necessary choice. - Chris Stefanick
Wrap Up: Some people attempt to use science to discredit those who believe in God. They try to create a dichotomy between faith and science, as if the two are mutually exclusive. It may be surprising to hear that some of the leading scientists throughout history were not only people of faith, but priests. Theology has traditionally been considered a sacred science; it seeks the truth, just as science seeks verifiable facts. Ultimately, theology aims to answer questions science cannot like: Why is there something rather than nothing? Why is that something ordered and not chaotic? What caused that order? What is my place in the order of things?
Let us wrap up with this last question: What is ONE take-away for you from this session?
Closing Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the ability to observe, study, and marvel at the created universe. May we be drawn to understand more deeply not only creation, but the Creator. We ask for the gift of faith. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Follow along below if you are doing this on your own/at home.
Opening Prayer:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thank you for the gift of life and the gift of faith. Please guide me along my journey of searching for you.
Guide my heart and my spirit to know you more. Amen.
WATCH THE THIRD EPISODE
You MUST have a Formed.org account to access and watch this video.
Sign up at signup.formed.org ON YOUR COMPUTER first (it will be easier), then follow the prompts to create your FREE account. You can download the app FOR ANDROID or APPLE devices and watch this and all videos once you have your account.
Below are some quotes from the video. Please share or write your honest reaction, whatever it may be.
1. We don'g think that God is some mythological creature flying around in space. We believe that God is existence itself. That space and time are flying around in him. - Chris Stefanick
2. Those who came long before Christianity such as the Greek philosophers came to an understanding, just through the use of reason along, that God must exist. - Joseph Pearce
3. I think we are the first era in history to have so many people say, "God, if you really are there, why don't you reveal yourself to us?" I think God is looking down from Heaven saying: "Did you not notice everything?" - Chris Stefanick
4. If you are doing science and you're doing it for real, then you are looking for the truth. And the Church is all about the truth. - Father Paul Mueller, SJ
5. Science can tell us the "how" of things, "how" the universe works. But it can't address certain questions about the "why" of the universe - why was it created; why are we here? - Dr. Jack Wetterer
6. Faith isn't antiscience. Faith gave birth to the sciences. - Chris Stefanick
7. When I read Genesis, I have modern cosmology in the back of my mind, and I see harmony. I think the way I read Genesis has become more beautiful the more I learn about our cosmology, our origins, and not less so. - Karin Oberg
8. Faith is a choice. It's a reasonable choice. But let me go a step further. If you want a meaningful life, if you want joy and peace and happiness and a sense of purpose, it is also a necessary choice. - Chris Stefanick
Wrap Up: Some people attempt to use science to discredit those who believe in God. They try to create a dichotomy between faith and science, as if the two are mutually exclusive. It may be surprising to hear that some of the leading scientists throughout history were not only people of faith, but priests. Theology has traditionally been considered a sacred science; it seeks the truth, just as science seeks verifiable facts. Ultimately, theology aims to answer questions science cannot like: Why is there something rather than nothing? Why is that something ordered and not chaotic? What caused that order? What is my place in the order of things?
Let us wrap up with this last question: What is ONE take-away for you from this session?
Closing Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the ability to observe, study, and marvel at the created universe. May we be drawn to understand more deeply not only creation, but the Creator. We ask for the gift of faith. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Session 2: Who Are You?
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD AND PRINT THE GROUP DISCUSSION HANDOUT HERE
Follow along below if you are doing this on your own/at home.
Opening Prayer:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
As we continue our Lenten journey, help us, Holy Spirit, to continue to walk through the "awkwardness" of life. Help me to open my heart and my eyes to your plan for me. Help me to keep my final destination in mind: heaven. I leave all my cares and worries at the foot of your cross. Amen.
WATCH THE SECOND EPISODE
You MUST have a Formed.org account to access and watch this video.
Sign up at signup.formed.org ON YOUR COMPUTER first (it will be easier), then follow the prompts to create your FREE account. You can download the app FOR ANDROID or APPLE devices and watch this and all videos once you have your account.
Below are some quotes from the video. Please share or write your honest reaction, whatever it may be.
1. Sure, there are trillions of stars in our galaxies. There are tens of trillions of cells living in your body - each in its own way more spectacular than a lifeless star. - Chris Stefanick
2. You think of other things the brain can do, the higher cognitive functions, the thinking, the intellect, the will to do something, to go beyond yourself - it has to point to something greater. - Dr. Paul Camarata
3. Our experiences are simply inconsistent with the idea that you are just a lump of self-aware molecules that happen to emerge from primal sludge. - Chris Stefanick
4. The human person has always been trying to share this part of themselves that they don't even necessarily have the words to describe what it is. But they still had to make that sculpture; they still had to make that painting - there is something in them that was driving them to do this, to express this. - Elizabeth Zelasko
5. We are rational animals...That means we can think, that we can will freely, that we can love. So, the rational part of us which makes a particular kind of being, not just and animal, is precisely what we call the soul. - Dr. Sean Innerst
6. And one study gets even stranger. It shows that eighty percent of the people who were born blind, who have near-death experiences, come back with vivid descriptions of things they had seen. - Chris Stefanick
7. Some say, "I'm spiritual but not religious." As human beings we have a need to express these spiritualities bodily because we are not just spirits. - Chris Stefanick
8. One hundred sixty-plus years ago, probably the majority of voting citizens in the United States said, "I had zero rights, that I was property." The fact that they said that didn't change the eternal truth that I was made in the image of God and that I am deserving of human dignity and human freedom and all human and civil rights that come along with that. - Louis Brown
Wrap Up: The sheer scale of the universe is hard to imagine. Current scientific estimates indicate that the universe is 93 billion light-years in diameter, growing at an increasing rate, and has existed for about 13.7 billion years. The more you contemplate the vastness of the cosmos, the smaller you might start to feel. But it's important to not confuse small with insignificant. Scientists claim that the precise age, size, and rate of expansion in the universe if what allows life to exist on this "little" planet we call earth. One could agree that we humans are so significant that the universe is bending over backwards to sustain us!
Let us wrap up with this last question: What is ONE take-away for you from this session?
Closing Prayer: Dear God, it seems plausible that our existence is random. Thank you for the gift of life. Thank you for the ability to know and to love. May each of us come to a greater understanding of our dignity and the dignity of others. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Follow along below if you are doing this on your own/at home.
Opening Prayer:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
As we continue our Lenten journey, help us, Holy Spirit, to continue to walk through the "awkwardness" of life. Help me to open my heart and my eyes to your plan for me. Help me to keep my final destination in mind: heaven. I leave all my cares and worries at the foot of your cross. Amen.
WATCH THE SECOND EPISODE
You MUST have a Formed.org account to access and watch this video.
Sign up at signup.formed.org ON YOUR COMPUTER first (it will be easier), then follow the prompts to create your FREE account. You can download the app FOR ANDROID or APPLE devices and watch this and all videos once you have your account.
Below are some quotes from the video. Please share or write your honest reaction, whatever it may be.
1. Sure, there are trillions of stars in our galaxies. There are tens of trillions of cells living in your body - each in its own way more spectacular than a lifeless star. - Chris Stefanick
2. You think of other things the brain can do, the higher cognitive functions, the thinking, the intellect, the will to do something, to go beyond yourself - it has to point to something greater. - Dr. Paul Camarata
3. Our experiences are simply inconsistent with the idea that you are just a lump of self-aware molecules that happen to emerge from primal sludge. - Chris Stefanick
4. The human person has always been trying to share this part of themselves that they don't even necessarily have the words to describe what it is. But they still had to make that sculpture; they still had to make that painting - there is something in them that was driving them to do this, to express this. - Elizabeth Zelasko
5. We are rational animals...That means we can think, that we can will freely, that we can love. So, the rational part of us which makes a particular kind of being, not just and animal, is precisely what we call the soul. - Dr. Sean Innerst
6. And one study gets even stranger. It shows that eighty percent of the people who were born blind, who have near-death experiences, come back with vivid descriptions of things they had seen. - Chris Stefanick
7. Some say, "I'm spiritual but not religious." As human beings we have a need to express these spiritualities bodily because we are not just spirits. - Chris Stefanick
8. One hundred sixty-plus years ago, probably the majority of voting citizens in the United States said, "I had zero rights, that I was property." The fact that they said that didn't change the eternal truth that I was made in the image of God and that I am deserving of human dignity and human freedom and all human and civil rights that come along with that. - Louis Brown
Wrap Up: The sheer scale of the universe is hard to imagine. Current scientific estimates indicate that the universe is 93 billion light-years in diameter, growing at an increasing rate, and has existed for about 13.7 billion years. The more you contemplate the vastness of the cosmos, the smaller you might start to feel. But it's important to not confuse small with insignificant. Scientists claim that the precise age, size, and rate of expansion in the universe if what allows life to exist on this "little" planet we call earth. One could agree that we humans are so significant that the universe is bending over backwards to sustain us!
Let us wrap up with this last question: What is ONE take-away for you from this session?
Closing Prayer: Dear God, it seems plausible that our existence is random. Thank you for the gift of life. Thank you for the ability to know and to love. May each of us come to a greater understanding of our dignity and the dignity of others. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Session 1: What Do You Seek?
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD AND PRINT THE GROUP DISCUSSION HANDOUT HERE
Follow along below if you are doing this on your own/at home.
Opening Prayer:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Father, thank you for the gift of life and love that you bestow on us. Thank you for the gift and miracle of your Son, Jesus, and his example of sacrifice. Holy Spirit, come into my heart and let me be open to receiving your word and message. Help me to listen with my whole being and bring me to a deeper understanding of my faith. I ask this through the power of your Spirit. Amen
WATCH THE FIRST EPISODE
You MUST have a Formed.org account to access and watch this video.
Sign up at signup.formed.org ON YOUR COMPUTER first (it will be easier), then follow the prompts to create your FREE account. You can download the app FOR ANDROID or APPLE devices and watch this and all videos once you have your account.
Below are some quotes from the video. Please share or write your honest reaction, whatever it may be.
1. The part we often overlook is really the most important part of a tombstone; it's that little thing between those two dates - the dash. - Chris Stefanick
2. Happiness is "the cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it" and it "is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves." - Chris Stafanick, quoting Blaise Pascal
3. The findings in an eighty-year-long Harvard study suggest that happiness leads to better health and longer living, and a key predictor is found in belonging to a loving community.
4. According to counselor Jim Owens, many suffer from "destination addiction," the belief that happiness will not arrive until a particular circumstance changes in our lives.
5. Maybe the first mission in life as an adult is to find the meaning and purpose in your life, because you will not find happiness unless you know what the meaning and purpose of life is. - Jim Owens
6. What if we are throwing away religion because of what we think it is? - Chris Stefanick
7. What do you seek? - Jesus Christ, quoted in John 1:38
Wrap Up: It seems that we are restless creatures. We have an appetite in our hearts that is difficult to satisfy, though not for a lack of trying. Many have looked to satisfy this appetite with things like power, money, fitness adrenaline, pleasure, and honor. Unfulfilled, they keep searching to fill the longing. Is it possible that the longings of our hearts were not meant to be filled by anything in the world around us? Is there something more?
Let us wrap up with this last question: What is ONE take-away for you from this session?
Closing Prayer: Dear God, thank you for this time of reflection. Thank you for the opportunity to wrestle with the big questions in life. May I and all who are participating in this faith formation come to a sense of peace about who we are and what is the purpose of our lives. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Follow along below if you are doing this on your own/at home.
Opening Prayer:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Father, thank you for the gift of life and love that you bestow on us. Thank you for the gift and miracle of your Son, Jesus, and his example of sacrifice. Holy Spirit, come into my heart and let me be open to receiving your word and message. Help me to listen with my whole being and bring me to a deeper understanding of my faith. I ask this through the power of your Spirit. Amen
WATCH THE FIRST EPISODE
You MUST have a Formed.org account to access and watch this video.
Sign up at signup.formed.org ON YOUR COMPUTER first (it will be easier), then follow the prompts to create your FREE account. You can download the app FOR ANDROID or APPLE devices and watch this and all videos once you have your account.
Below are some quotes from the video. Please share or write your honest reaction, whatever it may be.
1. The part we often overlook is really the most important part of a tombstone; it's that little thing between those two dates - the dash. - Chris Stefanick
2. Happiness is "the cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it" and it "is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves." - Chris Stafanick, quoting Blaise Pascal
3. The findings in an eighty-year-long Harvard study suggest that happiness leads to better health and longer living, and a key predictor is found in belonging to a loving community.
4. According to counselor Jim Owens, many suffer from "destination addiction," the belief that happiness will not arrive until a particular circumstance changes in our lives.
5. Maybe the first mission in life as an adult is to find the meaning and purpose in your life, because you will not find happiness unless you know what the meaning and purpose of life is. - Jim Owens
6. What if we are throwing away religion because of what we think it is? - Chris Stefanick
7. What do you seek? - Jesus Christ, quoted in John 1:38
Wrap Up: It seems that we are restless creatures. We have an appetite in our hearts that is difficult to satisfy, though not for a lack of trying. Many have looked to satisfy this appetite with things like power, money, fitness adrenaline, pleasure, and honor. Unfulfilled, they keep searching to fill the longing. Is it possible that the longings of our hearts were not meant to be filled by anything in the world around us? Is there something more?
Let us wrap up with this last question: What is ONE take-away for you from this session?
Closing Prayer: Dear God, thank you for this time of reflection. Thank you for the opportunity to wrestle with the big questions in life. May I and all who are participating in this faith formation come to a sense of peace about who we are and what is the purpose of our lives. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
