CHRISTIAN LIVING – GRADE 10

UNIT 1: THE CHURCH IN A CHANGING WORLD

LESSON 1: LIGHT AND SHADOWS OF THE CHURCH

VOCABULARIES:
Liturgical signs – visible signs that the Church uses to signify invisible divine things which have been chosen by
Christ or by the Church (SC 33).
Providence – God’s universal loving guidance
Gratuitious – not involving a return benefit, compensation, or consideration.
Shepherd – the image of the king in ancient Israel, emphasizing leadership and providence for his subjects.

SACRED SCRIPTURES: The Lord is my Shepherd (Psalm 23:1-6)

Psalm 23 is directing our hearts to see God in all things and put our trust in Him who is the Source of all that is
good.

CHURCH TEACHINGS: The Eternal Plan of the Father

The eternal Father, by a free and hidden plan of His own wisdom and goodness, created the whole world. His plan
was to raise men to a participation of the divine life. Fallen in Adam, God the Father did not leave men to
themselves, but ceaselessly offered helps to salvation, in view of Christ, the Redeemer “who is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.” All the elect, before time began, the Father “foreknew and pre-
destined to become conformed to image of His Son, that he should be the firstborn among many brethren.” He
planned to assemble in the holy Church all those who would believe in Christ. Already from the beginning of the
world the foreshadowing of the Church took place. It was prepared in a remarkable way throughout the history of
the people of Israel and by means of the Old Covenant. In the present era of time the Church was constituted and,
by the outpouring of the Spirit, was made manifest. At the end of timeit will gloriously achieve completion, when,
as it read in the Fathers, all the just, from Adam and “from Abel, the just one, to the last of the elect,” will be
gathered together with the Father in the universal Church.

BROADENING OF CONCEPT:
Our Church is a Church that is bruised and scarred. She is true, good, and beautiful not because of what she became
but because of what and who she is in God who is the source of her existence and the source of all that is true,
good, and beautiful in her. Our Catechism tells us that since God is truee, good, and beautiful, all of His creations
reflect those qualities.
As the Church journeys in this changing world, her goodness and beauty have been deeply wounded bby sin
(corruptions, scandals, pride, among others). There is so much brokenness in the Church. There is so much division
among us. There is division in terms of faith and daily life. We tend to separate our faith has nothing to do with
politics, economics, and other dimensions of our existence. We profess our faith in God, yet we close our eyes and
mouth to evils of the world. Everything seems permissible when the premise is for the common good.
From these realities we are called to seek God’s mercy and healing. We need to be tended to by Jesus the Good
shepherd (cf. Ps 23:1-4; John 10:11). God’s mercy is always available formall of us. Is is unlimited and
unconditional. The account from the Gospel of John where the adulteress (cf. Jn 8:3-11) was brought to Jesus to be
condemned is where the authentic law is revealed as the law of love.
The story shows, us how the misery of sin was covered with the love and mercy of Jesus. He forgave the woman
and at the same time told her not to sin again (cf. Jn 8:10-11). God’s love takes primacy over all else.
“Once clothed in mercy, even if the inclination to sin remains, it is overcome by the love that makes it possible for
her to look ahead and to live her life differently” (Missericordia Et Misera 1). This is the same mercy that we
receive as the Body of Christ. As we received God’s greatest mercy, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation,
we are also called to do the same. It is only through love and forgiveness that sin and evil can be conquered. It is
only through love and forgiveness that we can live hamoniously as a community.

As members of the Church suffer from all kinds of sinfulness, the Church focuses her gaze on the crucified Christ
who embraces all the sufferings that humanity experiences. The Church is called to embrace those who are in the
periphery.
Now is the time of our being a Church. Now is the time to truly seek renewal, to get out of our comfort zones. The
words of Pope Francis echo in each of us: “I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been
out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined anf from clinging to its own
security.” When the Church able to do this, her identity and mission will truly and faithfully be manifested. This
call of Pope Francis is passed on to the schools, particularly the Catholic schools. The Philippine Catholic School
Standards (PCSS) gave us one of the defining characteristics of a Catholic school, and this is its being shaped by
communion and community. This is aligned with the mind of the Church to establish a genuine community not
only in the Church but also in the school the main formator of students in building a culture of life and love.
CHRISTIAN LIVING – GRADE 10
UNIT 1: THE CHURCH IN A CHANGING WORLD
LESSON 2: THE PLACE OF THE YOUTH IN THE CHURCH

VOCABULARIES:
Accompaniment – a process of leading others ever closer to God
Evangelization – involves bringing the Good News into all strata of humanity, anf through its influence,
transforming humanity from within and making it new
Generation Z – the generation completely born with the primacy of technology in the age of war on terror, and the
time of multiculturalism; this generations is considered as the first true global culture because their characteristics
are more uniform across the globe as they become the most open-minded generation to date
Vineyard – this is used as a metaphor for the house of Israel or the Kingdom of God on earth; it sometimes refer to
the peoples of the world in general

SACRED SCRIPTURES: The workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-7)

The Church is the vineyard of God. Everybody is invited to work in it. The responses vary and the workers are
diverse.

CHURCH TEACHINGS: The Youth are Hope of the Church

The Acts and Decrees of the PCP II gives us the picture of the young of today. They are hungry for Christ and His
Word. They need to be evangelized. Christ must be proclaimed to them as theLOrd, the Savior, the Teacer, and the
goal and fulfillment of their lives. But the youth must become evangelizers themselves. Committed young people
are the best evangelizers of other young people. We should prepare and engage them in the apostolate. (cf. PCP II
650-651)
Saint John Paul II saw the youth as the “hope of the Church”. Our young people must be encouraged to participate
actively in the Church. They have so much to offer for the constant renewal of the Church and of the world.
“Their hearts are disposed to fellowship, frienship, and solidarity. They are greatly moved by cause that relate to the
quality of life and the conservation of nature. But they are troubled by anxiety, deceptions, anguish and the fears of
the world as well as by the temptations that come with their state. (Christifideles Laici, p.112)

BROADENING OF HORIZONS:
More than half of the population in the Church are young people like you who have not been totally reached by the
Church. You are even its most misunderstood members since you are generally labelled either as “millennials” or
the “Generation Z”. It is said that young people are drifiting away from the Church. You seek a church where you
can belong to, and where your thirst for God is answered and satisfied (cf. PCP II 650-651). Your sprirtually is
different from that of adults, who belong either to the “baby boomers” or the “Generation X”.
Positive
- Fewer runaways
- Less teen pregnancies
- Less likely to go to Church
- More cautious, less risk taking
- Less time spent in shopping malls
- Less likely to go out to watch movies
- More like to use Instagram than Facebook
- Less drinking and drug taking in high school
- Delaying having serious romantic relationships
- Delaying driving and fewer tee-driving accidents
- Much more tolerant of others – different cultures, sexual orientations, and races.
- More likely to think for themselves and not believe authority figures in Church or the government
Negative
- Feel lonelier and not needed
- Possibly has a higher suicide rate
- Less reading of books and newspapers
- Possibly more depressed than prior generations
- Less experience with teen jobs and earning money in high school
- Grew up more supervised; more protected than prior generations
- May stray up until 2:00 in the morning for using smartphones and social media
- Less “in person” and “face-to-face” contact with others due to more time connecting via smartphones
Spirituality
- Think that religion is too exclusive
- Describe themselves as spiritual but not religious
- In search of authentic spirituality ang greater meaning in life
- Believe that religion separates people, whereas spiritual connects

Having some important information on the Generation Z, The Church indeed has to meet the challgenge: to be
innovative and real in her approach to youth of today. “The Church has so much to talk about with the youth and
the youth have so much to share with Church.” This mutual dialogue, by taking place with great cordiality, clarity,
and courage, will provide a favorable setting for the meeting and exchange between geneartions, and will be a
source of richness and youthfulness for the Church and civil society (Christifideles Laici, pp. 112-113).
Catholic schools are the places where vast numbers of young people can be accompanied and led to the work of
evangelization among their peers. This is one of the defining characteristics of Catholic schools, which has to be
intensifies (cf. PCSS, p.9, “Participating in the Evangelizing Mission of the Church”).

In the preparatory document of the XV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on “Young People, the
Faith, and Vocational Discernment” in October of 2018, the Church continues its desire to jouney, accompany, and
care for the you amid cultural and economic diversities and technological advancement. The Church cannot, nor
does she wish to, abondam them to the isolation and exclusion to which the world exposes them. That young
people’s lives become a good experience; that they do not lose themselves in violence or death; and that
dissapointment does not imprison and alienate them – all of these shave to be of great concern to one who has
receive life, been baptized in the faith , and is aware that these are great gifts. For the young people to respond to
the call to work on God’s vineyard, they need to discover their vocation for them to make fundamental choice in
life. The preparatory document cite some pastoral activities, such as the following, that the Church can do to help
the young people accept their call to the joy of the Gospel, especially in these times of uncertainty, volatility and
insecurity:
- walking with young people
- giving them a place in the Church
- seeing the young as agents and guiding them in their journey
- allowing the young to show their giftedness through pastoral activities
- entrusting the young Mary who first and foremeost discerned and responded to God’s invitation with joy in heart
“In the task of accompanying the younger generation, the Church accepts her call to collaobrate in the joy aof
young people rather than be tempted to take control of their faith (cf. 2 Cor 1:24) Such service is ultimate founded
in prayer and in asking for the Spirit, who guides and enlightens each and everyone” (Synod of Bishops, XV
Ordinary General Annsembly).

CHRISTIAN LIVING – GRADE 10

UNIT 1: THE CHURCH IN A CHANGING WORLD
LESSON 3: THE YOUTH IN THE ‘MEH’ CULTURE OF RELATIVISM

VOCABULARIES:
‘Meh’ – refers to the attitude of indifference toward something (i.e., an event or issue)
Relativism – the idea that moral principles are based on one’s cultuure (i.e., country, birth year, education, age, and
level of wealth) and, therefore, subject to individual choice
Truth – the state of being in accord with fact or reality

SACRED SCRIPTURES: The Last Supper Discources (Jn 14:1-9, 15-17)

St. John, in his Gospel, pointing us to Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

CHURCH TEACHINGS: The CFC reminds us that in the midst of different ideologies or cultures, such as ‘Meh’
culture and moral relativism, we have to stand firm and let our faith and life be anchored on Jesus, who is the Way,
the Truth, and the Life.
Our Vocation as Catholic Filipinos: Called to lIve the Truth
We are called both personally, as individual believers, and especially , as memebers of the Church, to share Jesus
Christ with our Asian brethren by word and witness, through active commitment to truth, justice, freedom and
universal Christian love.

BROADENING OF CONCEPT:
The human person is given the gift of reason. Reason makes a peson capable of searching, analyzing, and
discerning about truth, beauty and goodness. The CCC tells us that with peoples openness to truth and beauty, their
sense of moral goodness, their freedom and their conscience, with their longing for the infinite and for happiness,
they themselves question God’s existence (CCC 33). In this search, people seek for answers about their existence
and purpose. This search for meaning in our post-modern time has been clouded by the emerging culture where
everything has become relative. For the first-world countries, this is very evident . For developing countries such as
ours, it is slowly creeping into our system. It is like a virus that will cripple us from choosing what is true and right,
and from truly loving our brothers and sisters.
As defined, moral relativism is the idea that moral principles are bases on one’s culture (i.e., country, birth
year, education, age, and level of wealth) and, therefore, subject to individual choice. From the definition, we can
then say that for a moral relativist, there are no absolute rules and norms that will govern one’s choice of what is
right or wrong, of what is good or evil.
According to Bishop Barron of Los Angeles, “Today, apathy is proliferating in our society, especially
among the young generation.” Our young people no longer embrace what is objectively true. If there is no objective
truth, no objective and highest value, what comes out is a culture of ‘Meh’, expressed in their language as
“Whatever.” These objective truths and values will send us to mission. Otherwise we become indifferent to many
social or moral issues such as abortion, harassment, same-sex marriage, divorce, euthanasia, suicide, corruption,
extra judicial killing, and gender equality.
 Embracing this ‘Meh’ culture will bring us to a lowering standards, to a lose of self-respect and respect for
others. Each one of us is called to stand withness to the truth and to care for what is happening in our society. We
cannot just live and care only for ourselves because that is not what our life means. We cannot be indifferent to how
God made us, and we cannot be indifferent to what we are called to do (Gn. 2:7-8).
It is good to check our standard with regard to our responses and choices, especially when we are
confronted with a culture where we can do what we want to do as long as we are happy. As long as we don not hurt
others, who cares what people say? Somehow, the basis of truth is one’s happiness and belief that when you think
you are right, then you are right. The truth is relative, that moality is relative, and that faith is relative.
In our search for meaning, joy, and contentment in life, Christ offers more. Indeed, He offers everything!
Only He, who is the Truth, can be the Way and, hence, also the Life. Thus the Way that the Apostles brought to the
ends of the Earh is the Life in Christ. This is the Life of the Church. St. John the evangelist reminds us who can
answer all our longings. It is only Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life who can fill the emptiness in our hearts.
He is our hearts’ quest (Jn. 14:6). As St. Augustine also said, “My heart is restless until it rests in Thee.”