Stage 3 Module
Module Focus
As Catholic disciples we seek to live like Jesus in the way we are and the things we do. Our actions and words reflect Jesus’ way of being in his life. It influences our choices and most importantly why we care for and serve others. It influences what we value, our commitments and the goals we strive towards.
There comes a time in our lives when we are able to reflect upon our impact on others and lead others to live in the way that Jesus would want. Jesus modelled servant leadership to us and this is the way that we are called to lead in our lives. In this module, senior students reflect upon how they can be leaders in the way that Jesus showed us. Students will explore how Jesus modelled leadership and taught about leading through love in his parables.
Outcomes
J S 3.2b: Identifies those for whom Jesus shows particular concern.GRHD S3.1a: Identifies and expresses ways in which God calls all to share in the work of creating and renewing the Kingdom of God
S S3.5b: Demonstrate how the message of Scripture can be applied to contemporary life
Learn About
/Learn To
J S 3.2b· The marginalised in Jesus’ time and today
· Jesus model of leadership for all, especially the marginalised
· How to lead like Jesus, in a servant model, reaching out to those on the margins.
GRHD S3.1a:
· The concept of ‘Kingdom of God’ and servant leadership
· The responsibility to promote justice and peace in the world
· The role of servant leadership carried out by the Catholic school
S S3.5b:
· The message of leadership in Gospel stories.
· The story of God’s people and how relationship between leaders and the marginalised is expressed.
· The connection between the messages in Scripture and the lifestyle of Christians / J S 3.2b
· Determine and define characteristics /profile of a marginalised person in Jesus’ time and today.
· Determine characteristics of Jesus’ model of servant leadership and how that is appropriate to reaching out to the marginalised.
· Demonstrate concern for others as leaders of the school.
GRHD S3.1a:
· Read and critically respond to a variety of Scripture passages which explore Jesus’ model of leadership.
· Identify ways the Holy Spirit inspires Christians to be peacemakers, bringing justice to the world
· Identify manifestations of the Kingdom of God
· Develop and communicate an understanding of ‘Kingdom of God’
· Identify and discuss ways the Kingdom of God is revealed through Jesus’ ministry
S S3.5b:
· Investigate the lives of prominent Christians who have lived out Jesus’ model of servant leadership.
· Identify opportunities for the application of messages from Scripture, particularly as school leaders.
DISCIPLESHIP CHALLENGE
· Students are challenged to reach out to others in love as Jesus did.· Students are challenged to act responsibly in response to God’s call
· Students are challenged to relate messages from the Sacred Scriptures to daily life
Catholic Discipleship
As Catholic disciples, we are called to demonstrate our love of Jesus by living like him, thereby showing love, compassion, hope, reconciliation, transformation, prayer, respect for life and a desire to bring about justice for all.
Disciples of Jesus are called to love one another, to take up our cross daily, to witness to the realisation of the Kingdom of God, to respond to Jesus in the midst of the world and its concerns. Our relationship with Jesus deepens as our life experience broadens and we come to know ourselves and Jesus better.
The disciple of Jesus does not merely mimic the words and actions of Jesus, but becomes one with him. The call to discipleship is marked by an authenticity and integrity grounded in the person of Jesus. Such response requires knowledge of Jesus, through the Scriptures and through the Church guided by the Holy Spirit.
The New Testament is full of examples of the way authentic disciples behave. Jesus himself tells us that we must love one another as he has loved us. In his actions and parables he gives examples of what that love looks like in action: reaching out to those in need; identifying with the marginalised; complete self-giving.
Jesus invites each of us individually and uniquely to respond to his call. Our response also brings us into communion with all who respond to his call. It brings us to the community of the disciples of Jesus, the Church. As leaders, we have the opportunity to show others our model of discipleship based on Jesus’ love and to reach out to them with care, concern and love. By acting with Jesus’ model of discipleship, we may invite others also to become disciples of Jesus.
(Adapted from p.11 Broken Bay RE Curriculum, Bishop David Walker).
Prayer Focus: Ignatian Examen
To be a disciple of Jesus, one should reflect on life… to embrace the joys, to acknowledge the wrongs, to say sorry and to look forward to another day, asking for grace to do so. Jesus prayed and demonstrated to his disciples that it was important to pray and to be reflective. As a faithful Jew, prayer and reflection on Scripture were essential elements of his life. When his disciples said, “Master, show us how to pray”, Jesus gave them the Lord ’s Prayer, which contained praise, sorrow, and intercession. He also prayed in different places, in the temple,in the wilderness and in the garden. The Ignatian Examen is a simple and reflective way to pray as a disciple of Jesus.
“The Daily Examen is a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God’s presence and discern his direction for us. The Examen is an ancient practice in the Church that can help us see God’s hand at work in our whole experience.
The method presented here is adapted from a technique described by Ignatius Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises. St. Ignatius thought that the Examen was a gift that came directly from God, and that God wanted it to be shared as widely as possible”. http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen/
There are several ways to adapt the Ignatian Examen, which lends itself beautifully to prayer for children.
Here is a simple way:
1. Recall the events of your day- how did your heart feel throughout this day?
2. What were the joyful and happy things which occurred today?
3. Say ‘thank you’ to God for these blessings.
4. Was there something today that upset me or hurt my heart? Do I need to say ‘sorry’ to God about what I did and know that I am forgiven.
5. What particular grace or blessing do I ask God for so I can go forward tomorrow?
Pray the “ Glory be to the Father”.
Scripture In Context: Serving as a Disciple ~ Ways of Being and Ways of Doing
The Broken Bay Diocesan Synod of 2012 produced deep statements about what it means to be disciples of Jesus in our ways of being and ways of doing. The Synod focussed on two areas, serving as a disciple and leading as a disciple. The exploration of leading as a disciple in this module is founded in the Synod statements (http://synod.dbb.org.au/synod/index.cfm).
.
Rather than students concentrating on one or two core scriptures in this module, they are invited to explore some of the scriptures identified during the Synod as being central to leading as a disciple. Students may explore the website and investigate the scriptures in groups, then leading by teaching the others about their insights.
Metaphorical ‘I am sayings’ ~
Jesus is at the Heart of the Lives of Disciples
In Jesus Christ, God’s mission of love is revealed. To live into this relationship IN CHRIST- FAITHFUL TO GOD’S MISSION is the heart of Christian discipleship and the source of Christian leadership. John’s Gospel is characterised by “I am” sayings, some of which are metaphorical. These sayings are used by the Gospel writer to create mental images of Jesus as the heart of our lives.
John 15:5
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who live in me and I in them bear much fruit because apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 6:35
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
John 8:12
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
John 14:6
“I am the way, the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus taught and Showed us How to Live and Lead as Disciples
Matthew 18:1-5
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
To lead as a disciple it is important to be humble. This includes being realistic about what can or cannot be achieved by human effort. It calls the leader to embrace others and when reaching out to the marginalised to walk hand in hand with them as brother and sister, not as an outsider who we have to help.
John 13:3-16
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every-one was clean.
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
Christian leaders empty themselves of whatever hinders them from serving God’s mission by enabling others to grow in fullness of life. Following Christ’s example leaders leave their place of comfort to be foot washers in the community.
Jesus’ love for God permeated his whole life, an unreserved, unconditional love interpreted as his direct response to God’s love. As Jesus’ approaches his passion he is acutely aware of the need to inspire and demonstrate to the disciples how they should continue to live.
The servant leader can be anyone whose life touches the lives of others and influences the character of the world. However, it is in Jesus of Nazareth that the image of the servant leader is best illustrated. It is indeed within the context of washing his disciple’s feet that Jesus, through his actions, issues the invitation to discipleship.
The discipleship challenge Jesus issued as he washed the disciple’s feet demonstrates how Christians are to carry out his love command; by being intimately connected to humility, by mutual and self-effacing service to the community. Jesus’ actions the night before he was crucified are remembered as a lesson in servant-hood no Christian should ever forget.
Parable: The Good Samaritan Lk 10:25-37
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”