Chapter 18: The Decalogue and the Beatitudes INTRODUCTION TO CATHOLICISM

1. The Ten Commandments and Christ (pp. 406-409) ANTICIPATORY SET Demonstrate the continuity and progress of law from the Old Testament to the New.

1. The Ten Commandments and Christ (pp. 406-409) BASIC QUESTION What is the relationship between Old Testament and New Testament Law?   KEY IDEA The New Covenant Law of Christ elevates and perfects the Law of the Old Covenant, which is a preparation and prerequisite for Christian living.

1. The Ten Commandments and Christ (pp. 406-409) FOCUS QUESTIONS What do most people say they want in life? Most people say they want happiness in life. What is the problem with happiness during this life? Like earthly life itself, earthly happiness is impermanent. What is the permanent happiness that Christ promises? Christ promises the eternal happiness of Heaven, where the blessed will share in the divine life of the Blessed Trinity.

1. The Ten Commandments and Christ (pp. 406-409) GUIDED EXERCISE   Think/Pair/Share using the following question: What does it mean to say that the Commandments are the starting point of eternal happiness?

1. The Ten Commandments and Christ (pp. 406-409) FOCUS QUESTIONS What were the Mosaic Law and the Decalogue for the Jewish people? For the Jewish people, the Mosaic Law and the Decalogue were the basic moral guidelines governing every aspect of human conduct that set them apart from every other people. What was Christ’s attitude toward the Old Law? He said he came not to abolish the Old Law, but to fulfill it.

1. The Ten Commandments and Christ (pp. 406-409) FOCUS QUESTIONS How does the Mosaic Law relate to the New Covenant? The New Covenant introduced by Christ not only includes the Mosaic Law but also fulfills and perfects it. Where are the teachings of the New Covenant found? The teachings of the New Covenant are found throughout the Gospels but especially in the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount.

1. The Ten Commandments and Christ (pp. 406-409) FOCUS QUESTIONS Are Christians required to obey the Ten Commandments? Yes; keeping the Commandments is a preparation and prerequisite to live out the baptismal vocation, which is the universal call to holiness. How do the Beatitudes relate to sanctity and happiness? Those who seek the highest levels of sanctity are truly blessed and are also the happiest people in this life.

1. The Ten Commandments and Christ (pp. 406-409) FOCUS QUESTIONS According to St. Irenæus of Lyons, what was the purpose of the Decalogue? “With the Decalogue, God was preparing man to be his friend and to have the same heart for his friend” (Against Heresies, IV, 15, 1). According to St. Irenæus, what is the status of the Decalogue for Christians? “Far from being abolished, they have received an amplification and development in the Incarnation of the Lord” (Against Heresies, IV, 15, 1). Why did Christ give his people the New Law? Christ gave the “Law of Love,” in order to reform the very heart of each person through the grace of the Holy Spirit received in the Sacraments.

1. The Ten Commandments and Christ (pp. 406-409) GUIDED EXERCISE   Free write, exploring the meaning of the following statement: Keeping the Commandments is a preparation and prerequisite for living out the baptismal vocation, which is the universal call to holiness.

1. The Ten Commandments and Christ (pp. 406-409) GUIDED EXERCISE Complete the following table to show how the Old Testament Law is elevated and perfected in the New Covenant.

1. The Ten Commandments and Christ (pp. 406-409)

1. The Ten Commandments and Christ (pp. 406-409) HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT   Study Questions 1-4 (p. 423) Practical Exercises 1-2 (p. 424) Workbook Questions 1-4 Read “The Perfection of the Moral Law” through the sidebar “What the Moral Law is Not” (pp. 410-412)

1. The Ten Commandments and Christ (pp. 406-409) CLOSURE The Key Idea of this lesson is that the New Covenant Law of Christ elevates and perfects the Law of the Old Covenant, which is a preparation and prerequisite for Christian living. Write a paragraph summarizing this lesson using the Key Idea as a topic sentence.

1. The Ten Commandments and Christ (pp. 406-409) ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT Go back to the readings used in the Opening Prayer of this lesson and free write for a few minutes about how the New Law is both a continuation and the fulfillment of the Old Law.

2. The Beatitudes as the Perfection of the Moral Law (pp. 410-412) ANTICIPATORY SET Free write for five minutes about how you have experienced one or more of the Beatitudes.

2. The Beatitudes as the Perfection of the Moral Law (pp. 410-412) BASIC QUESTIONS How do the Beatitudes relate to happiness? How are the Beatitudes countercultural? How do the Beatitudes perfect the moral law?   KEY IDEAS The Beatitudes show the true way to happiness in this life and in the next by love, service, and self-giving. The values of the Beatitudes are countercultural because they are in contradiction to the ideas of pleasure, wealth, and power as ultimate goods. The Beatitudes perfect the moral law by guiding Christians to have meek, pure, and humble hearts like Christ’s.

2. The Beatitudes as the Perfection of the Moral Law (pp. 410-412) FOCUS QUESTIONS How is true happiness possible on earth? True happiness on earth is only possible through love, service, and self-giving to others. How do the Beatitudes relate to the way to true happiness on earth? The Beatitudes articulate this spirit of love and self-giving. What is the etymology of “beatitude”? The word “beatitude” comes from the Latin word beatus, meaning “blessed” or “blissfully happy.”

2. The Beatitudes as the Perfection of the Moral Law (pp. 410-412) FOCUS QUESTIONS What blessing or happiness do the Beatitudes promise? The Beatitudes promise the happiness of the love of God, anticipated here on earth and perfected in Heaven. What blessing was Abraham promised? God promised Abraham fruitful lands and innumerable descendants.

2. The Beatitudes as the Perfection of the Moral Law (pp. 410-412) FOCUS QUESTIONS How do the Beatitudes relate to the promises made to Abraham? The material blessings promised to Abraham prefigure the infinitely greater spiritual blessings promised by Christ to his disciples in the Beatitudes. Why are the Beatitudes countercultural? The pursuit of happiness through denial of self, self-sacrifice, and seeking Christ is counter to happiness sought through love of self, wealth, celebrity, sensual pleasure, and power.

2. The Beatitudes as the Perfection of the Moral Law (pp. 410-412) FOCUS QUESTIONS What is the clue that seeking pleasure is not the way to true happiness? Ultimately, such pleasures leave one empty in this life and are left behind in death. What riches can be taken to the next life? A person can only take the fruits of his or her relationship with Christ with him or her to the next life. Extension: The “fruits of a relationship” refers to whatever good he or she has done or suffering endured.

2. The Beatitudes as the Perfection of the Moral Law (pp. 410-412) FOCUS QUESTIONS In light of the Gospel, what does living the Ten Commandments do for a Christian? Living the Ten Commandments provides an indispensable level of freedom from falsehood, dishonesty, anger, deceit, resentment, and other sinful dispositions so he or she is enabled to follow Jesus Christ in an even higher way. According to Pope Benedict XVI, what is the result of living and seeing life according to God’s standards? The result is joy even in the midst of affliction.

2. The Beatitudes as the Perfection of the Moral Law (pp. 410-412) FOCUS QUESTIONS How are the Beatitudes related to the heart? The Beatitudes help a person have a heart that is conformed to the heart of Christ, capable of loving as God loves. What qualities does Christ’s heart have? Christ’s heart has the qualities of meekness, purity, and humbleness. From what does each person’s heart need to be detached? It needs to be detached from an unhealthy attachment to material things.

2. The Beatitudes as the Perfection of the Moral Law (pp. 410-412) GUIDED EXERCISE Work with a partner to “unpack” CCC 1717 (p. 411) by articulating in bullet points its various ideas.

2. The Beatitudes as the Perfection of the Moral Law (pp. 410-412) GUIDED EXERCISE   Complete the following table to summarize what Christian morality is and is not.

2. The Beatitudes as the Perfection of the Moral Law (pp. 410-412)

2. The Beatitudes as the Perfection of the Moral Law (pp. 410-412) HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT   Study Questions 5-6 (p. 423) Practical Exercises 3-6 (p. 424) Workbook Questions 5-14 Read “Practicing the Beatitudes” through “Conclusion” (pp. 412-420)

2. The Beatitudes as the Perfection of the Moral Law (pp. 410-412) CLOSURE Write a paragraph summarizing how the Beatitudes fulfill the moral law.

2. The Beatitudes as the Perfection of the Moral Law (pp. 410-412) ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT   Create a graphic organizer based on the ideas you articulate from the Catechism, no. 1717 (p. 411). Select three of these ideas and apply each to one of the Beatitudes.

2. The Beatitudes as the Perfection of the Moral Law (pp. 410-412)

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) ANTICIPATORY SET   Discuss “natural life” and the Beatitudes using the following questions: Does the analysis of the three stages of life seem true? How could the Beatitudes serve as an antidote to the deification of pleasure, wealth, and power?

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) BASIC QUESTION What do the Beatitudes call Christians to practice?   KEY IDEA The Beatitudes call Christians to reflect the heart of Christ by being poor in spirit, comforting to those who mourn, meek, zealous for holiness, merciful, pure of heart, peacemakers, and willing to suffer persecution.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) FOCUS QUESTIONS What does it take to live the Beatitudes? Living the Beatitudes requires the powerful assistance of the Holy Spirit together with a genuine struggle to respond to their demands. What are the Beatitudes essentially? The Beatitudes are essentially a description of the call to holiness—being a light of the world through the love of Christ. What does it mean to be poor in spirit? Being poor in spirit means being detached from worldly goods.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) FOCUS QUESTIONS Why is it good to be detached from worldly goods? While there is nothing wrong with goods in themselves—after all, they are goods—they can be obstacles to holiness and eternal life if one values them over and above spiritual goods. What is a healthy attitude toward material goods? A healthy attitude toward material goods involves working to possess those things needed, using them well, using them to provide for families and others in need, not being enslaved to them, and viewing them as gifts received from God.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) FOCUS QUESTION What are some kinds of mourning a Christian will experience? A Christian will mourn for deceased loved ones as well as for those who have not received the Gospel. A Christian will also experience sorrow when facing rejection and scorn for living the Gospel, one’s own death, and the sins and failings of him- or herself and others.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) FOCUS QUESTION What blessing comes from suffering? The union of a person’s suffering with the Passion and sufferings of Christ is of benefit to those for whom it is offered. He or she can accept suffering as a mortification for his or her own sins and reparation for the sins of others. What consolation does Christ give in human suffering? Christ understands human suffering and comes closer to a person in greater suffering.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) FOCUS QUESTIONS What is meekness? Meekness is gentleness. How does a Christian’s meekness benefit others? A Christian’s meekness draws others to Christ.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) FOCUS QUESTIONS How does meekness relate to the desire to be successful? It is good to use talents well, but a person should not glorify him- or herself because everything he or she has comes from God. How does suffering make a meek person humble? The meek person recognizes that suffering is part of God’s plan, so he or she accepts the difficulties God allows.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) FOCUS QUESTIONS Why does a humble person have a true sense of his or her worth? Yes; a humble person acknowledges his or her talents yet acknowledges they are gifts from God. How can a person judge if he or she is humble or proud? He or she can do so by examining how he or she responds to the offenses inevitably suffered each day.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) FOCUS QUESTIONS When should a person respond to others’ offenses against him- or herself? He or she should seek to rectify serious injustices but should learn to suffer injustices in a spirit of humility for the sake of the Kingdom of God. To what does “inherit the earth” refer? It refers to Christ’s assurance of the ultimate victory of the Kingdom of God.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) FOCUS QUESTIONS To what hunger and thirst does this Beatitude refer? This hunger and thirst refers to the zeal of the Christian to see all people enjoy the peace, happiness, justice, and healing promised by Christ. What satisfaction does this Beatitude promise? This Beatitude promises the satisfaction of becoming great in the eyes of God by going beyond mere justice to and instead demanding charity toward every neighbor, even if he or she acts like an enemy.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) FOCUS QUESTION How does the idea of the just man change from the Old Testament to the New? In both covenants, a person is called to be just to his or her neighbor as a duty before God. In the Old Testament, it meant being zealous in giving him or her what is owed; in the New Testament, every person is one’s neighbor, and being just means giving sacrificing oneself for him or her.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) FOCUS QUESTIONS What double blessing does the merciful person obtain? The merciful person receives both mercy from God and love from human beings. How do human acts of mercy reveal Christ’s love? Christ saved all people from sin by his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. This is the supreme, infinite, and eternal act of mercy. What does the Parable of the Unjust Steward reveal? This parable reveals that Christ will be merciful to those who show mercy and judge harshly those who have judged harshly.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) FOCUS QUESTIONS What is purity of heart? It is attuning the intellect and will to the demand of God’s holiness. Extension: “Heart” does not refer to the physical organ but is a metaphor for the soul, which has the powers of intellect and will. In this context, “purity” refers to the soul’s conformity to God’s will. What vision of God do the pure of heart enjoy now? They enjoy a vision of Christ in prayer, in suffering, and in the lives of others.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) FOCUS QUESTIONS How does purity of heart relate to chastity? Chastity helps to see others as God sees them rather than objects of lust. How does purity of heart relate to truth? Purity of heart requires love of the truth about Christ and his Church. To what sight of God does this Beatitude ultimately refer? This Beatitude points toward the Beatific Vision.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) FOCUS QUESTIONS Why is a peacemaker a son of God? Christ, the Son of God, is the ultimate peacemaker, and those, therefore, who imitate him in peacemaking are also sons (and daughters) of God. What special graces do young people receive to witness to Christ? Young people receive special graces to witness to Christ through the Holy Spirit in Confirmation.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) FOCUS QUESTIONS What is the meaning of the final Beatitude? Those who encounter suffering on account of their Christian witness will be blessed with the ultimate glory of everlasting life. What is a “dry martyr”? He or she suffers for the faith but not to the point of shedding blood. How can young people practice dry martyrdom? They can refuse to give in to peers who pressure them to do something wrong and then attack them for resisting.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) GUIDED EXERCISE Work with a partner to articulate ways that a young person can be a peacemaker today.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) GUIDED EXERCISE Work with a partner to complete Practical Exercises 7-9, identifying which Beatitude most applies and how it could be lived out in each situation.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT   Study Questions 7-11 (p. 423) Practical Exercises 7-9 (p. 424) Workbook Questions 15-43

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) CLOSURE Write a paragraph summarizing what the Beatitudes call people to practice.

3. The Beatitudes in Practice (pp. 412-420) ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT Extended closing prayer using the examination of conscience based on the Beatitudes (pp. 418-419)

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