Maddie Cronin

CAT 301 Content and Curriculum

October 29, 2019
Context
My curriculum will be presented to a high school youth group. This youth group is located at St.
Joan of Arc parish in Toledo, Ohio. This unit on creation will be presented to freshman through seniors in
high school.
This youth group is composed mostly of students from Catholic high schools and some public-
school students. There are many Catholic schools in the area but sadly, there are teens and even parents
that are not as engaged in the fact that their school is Catholic. St. Joan of Arc is located in a suburb of
Toledo and is pretty large parish of around 1,000-2,000 families registered with the parish. The youth
group has around 30+ students coming weekly to the Sunday night gatherings.
This unit on Creation contains 3 lessons, done within 3 weeks. The group meets on Sunday nights
in the community room. This room is a place of encounter, where they can feel at home and foster
community. It has an open atmosphere and of course food to eat together. This unit could be done at the
beginning of the new year in January. This is a fitting time because they have just gone deep into learning
about each of the three persons of the Trinity, especially in relationship with Jesus. Through teaching and
encounter, the teens have come to realize the need for God’s presence. They have learned about who God
is and now they will learn even more about what He has done for us.
For the teens that are older and more mature in their faith, they will be paired up with a core team
member to receive further formation and growth in leadership. The teens in the youth group are now at a
place to start taking more action in their faith life and this is why a curriculum on creation is so important.
Creation will bring about faith to know that God exists, he created everything, and he loves us. This will
also be a great set up to inspire them as we take a trip to Washington D.C. for the March for Life at the
end of the month.
This unit will also address the struggles that the teens are facing in their life. They need to be
reminded that they are made in God’s image because many of the teens struggle with self-worth and
confidence. Another important thing they need to know is the dignity and beauty of the human person,
just as God made them. Another reason why creation should be taught is because there are many teens
who need to learn to stand up and defend their faith as there are unbelievers in their schools who
challenge their beliefs.
The teens at this youth group include some who are going deep and still some who need to
encounter Jesus in their life. This curriculum will set up for an encounter by convicting them of the need
for Jesus in every moment of life. This will happen because in creation we learn that everything was made
the way it was for us to be in union with God, and when sin came it means that we need a Savior, Jesus.
Goals
Understanding: understanding of God, the Creator who made everything. They will be able to stand firm
in the fact that God created the heavens and the earth. They will come to this understanding through
scriptural reasoning and also scientific reasoning that show the perfection of the universe that God
created. They will understand how God created out of love and in his image and likeness. They will
understand the covenant that was made with humanity and was fulfilled in Jesus. They will learn about
life in Christ so they can choose to live in this way.
Change: They will be changed to have a greater appreciation of creation, the heavens and the earth. They
will be inspired to go to confession because of the reality of sin that they now have a greater knowledge
of. They will be changed to have more confidence in themselves from knowledge of image and likeness.
There will be healing and change from sexual sin because they will be convicted of the dignity of man
and woman. Through learning about Christ conquering death in the new covenant, the teens will want to
participate in this new life. They will partake in the life of Christ through attending Sunday mass in a
more intentional way, and maybe daily mass. Teens will be convicted to stand up for the beauty that God
has created in everything. Relationship with Mary, the new Eve, will be fostered and will create a desire
to pray the rosary.
 Unit Sketch: Let There be LIFE
Lesson 1: God Created and Made it Good: Boom. Created. Good stuff
 What is creation? CCC Glossary- “the eternal God gave a beginning to all that exists…” CCC
290. Three things were affirmed in God’s creation:
o 1.) that he gave a beginning to all that is outside of himself. 2.) He alone is creator 3.) the
totality of what exists depends on the one who gives it being.
 God created out of nothing. John 1:1-3 “All things were made through him.”
 God did not have to create, but he did because he loves us.
o CCC 293 God, the Creator shows forth and communicates the glory of God out of love
and goodness.
 Creation is made by one God.
o The Creator is attributed to the Father but overall is a work of the Trinity-- this is a truth
of the faith
 Hierarchy of Being: Genesis 1-- the days of creation has a certain order, all with man as the
crown of creation

Lesson 2: Made in God’s Image and Likeness: It’s Like You’re My Mirror, Woah
 He calls us very good. Genesis 1:31.
o Creation shares in God’s goodness because it is a gift addressed to man, an inheritance
destined for and entrusted to him. CCC 299
 Creation is made for us to find God.
o 2 Maccabees 7:28 “Look at the heaven and the earth and see …recognize that God did
not make them out of the things that existed.”
o He holds us in existence
 Seeing ourselves and others as made in God’s image and likeness . CCC 358. We are made to love
God and to serve God. Eph. 1:3-5 “be holy and blameless before him.”
 Male and Female He Created. In the same dignity and image—communion of persons. CCC 369
 Sin messes us up—Original sin and the Fall in Genesis 3. CCC 385
o CCC 386. Sin is an evil reality and it is a rejection of God that weighs on us
 Social Justice: this is only attained in respect for the transcendent dignity of the person. CCC1929
o We need others and are meant for kind, generous and uplifting community. CCC 1937

Lesson 3: The Covenant with Humanity: Signed, Sealed, Delivered. I’m Yours!
 God never gave up on us, even when we sin. CCC 410- we are not abandoned
 What is covenant? CCC Glossary- agreement with God and man.
o The New Covenant—Jesus’ saving action of death and resurrection
 The New Adam and Eve – Jesus and Mary
o 1 Cor. 15:21-22 “in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”
 God’s plan of salvation
o God made a covenant from the beginning and the New Covenant was revealed
throughout salvation history. Phl 2:6-11 “Obedient unto death, even death on a cross.”
 The Seventh Day- we renew the covenant that God made with us and celebrate new life in Christ
 God the Father keeps his promise – Deuteronomy 32:6 “Is not he your father, who created you”
 Jesus’ Passion and Resurrection is the fulfillment of the Promise: we are made for heaven and in
his victory over death, this is possible for us.
o Titus 2:13-14 “awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God”
 Life in Christ – CCC 1701 it is in Christ that we have been restored to original beauty that was
once disfigured.
 Lesson 2 Outline: Made in God’s Image and Likeness: It’s Like You’re My Mirror, Woah
1. Short personal testimony- A time in my life when I didn’t know my true worth. I did not know
my identity of how God made me very good. Then through encountering God, he showed me
how he made me for a purpose, and he wants to give me good gifts to use for his Kingdom. I am
a crown of creation.
2. God calls us very good in Genesis 1:31 – “behold, it was very good.”
a. Creation shares in God’s goodness because it is a gift addressed to man, an inheritance
destined for and entrusted to him. CCC 299
i. The Father loves us, his children, and he entrusts us with creation.
b. He made us different as a person not just a creature, because we have the ability to decide
with our free will to love God or turn away from him.
3. Creation is made for us to find God.
a. 2 Maccabees 7:28 “Look at the heaven and the earth and see …recognize that God did
not make them out of the things that existed.”
b. God the Father is like an artist. It is him who created the masterpiece because his unique
and beautiful creation leads us to want to know the artist. We ask ourselves, how did all
of this come to be?
i. Through each person of the Trinity we discover the artist. The Father is creator,
the Son is the heart and shows us the theme of the masterpiece, truth, goodness
and beauty. The Holy Spirit gives life and holds everything together.
c. He holds us in existence- Going further into the analogy, God holds up the canvas
masterpiece on the wall, it does not hang there on its own. Although we cannot see the
hook on the other side, we can find it and see that he is holding us.
4. Seeing ourselves and others as made in God’s image and likeness.
a. CCC 1702-1703 The divine image is present in every man and we are the only creatures
with a spiritual and immortal soul. Jesus is the divine image- his incarnation.
b. We are made in God’s image, so we are made to love God and to serve God. CCC 358.
i. The Father has given us so many gifts in creation, so we should be faithful to him
in loving and serving. Like our own parents, they do so much for us and love
endlessly, so they deserve love and service in return. If your parents gave you a
special gift you would want to cherish it and give in return.
c. Eph. 1:3-5 “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be
holy and blameless before him.” Because we are made in God’s image and likeness, he
has showed us how to be holy like he is.
5. Male and Female He Created. In the same dignity and image—communion of persons.
a. CCC 369 Male and female are made in the same dignity and image in different creative
aspects of God’s perfection.
b. God is not male or female, he shows himself to be Fatherly and motherly in his love
c. Example of marriage- the one flesh union- we can see the characteristics of God and new
life comes forth from that.
6. Sin messes us up— the Fall led to Original Sin in Genesis 3. CCC 385 Illustrate the Fall
a. CCC 386. Sin is an evil reality and it is a rejection of God that weighs on us
b. Original Sin is an essential truth for us to know because “where sin increased, grace
abounded all the more.” Romans 5:20
c. Sins are forgiven in reconciliation and through Baptism, Original sin is washed away.
7. Social Justice: because each person is made in God’s image and likeness, we need to follow the
common good for all of humanity through treating every person with great dignity
a. this is only attained in respect for the transcendent dignity of the person. CCC 1929
b. We need others, and are meant for kind, generous and uplifting community. CCC 1937
c. Give examples of social justice and how it leads to grace, virtue and morality.
 d. Always look to Jesus- he is human and divine, the perfect example of how we should live
Lesson 3 Outline: The Covenant with Humanity: Signed, Sealed, Delivered. I’m Yours!
1. Show clip from the movie, Tangled. In this, Rapunzel was taken from her parents and lived in a
tower. Every year on her birthday, her parents would send out lanterns so she would come home.
Rapunzel’s parents never stopped in trying to bring her back home. They knew she belonged back
home. This is how God the Father pursues us even when we isolate ourselves by sinning against
him. He will never throw in the towel and abandon us.
2. God never gave up on us, even when we sin. CCC 410- we are not abandoned
a. God called out to Adam and Eve right after the sin. Gen. 3:9 “Where are you?”
b. In the Fall, man chose himself instead of God. We do this all the time. In these moments
when we sin, God is searching for us and calling us back home. CCC 398
3. What is covenant? CCC Glossary- agreement with God and man. It is like a family relationship
between God and man, you cannot break it.
a. The Old Covenant- God chose people throughout the Old Testament to make covenants
with. These people would listen to the voice of God and prepare for the coming of the
Messiah. God made a covenant first with Adam.
b. The New Covenant—This fulfills the Old Covenant. In the new covenant, Jesus comes
and fulfills the old through his death and resurrection that set us all free, so we can have
eternal life.
4. The New Adam and Eve – Jesus and Mary
a. 1 Cor. 15:21-22 “in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”
b. Jesus fulfills the roles of Adam as a son, priest, prophet, king, and the bridegroom
c. Mary is the new Eve because she crushes the head of the serpent and is without sin.
i. Emphasize the importance and power of praying to Mary for help against evil
5. God’s plan of salvation
a. God’s plan of salvation began in creation.
b. God made a covenant from the beginning and the New Covenant was revealed
throughout salvation history.
c. Phil 2:6-11 “He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a
cross.”
i. St. Paul is saying that the goal of creation is for us to come before Christ and give
him all the glory.
6. The Seventh Day
a. We renew the covenant that God made with us and celebrate new life in Christ
b. The number 7 we can see throughout the bible is a number that signifies a promise or
oath
c. The sabbath is the day of rest, when we worship and give adoration to God- CCC 345
7. God the Father keeps his promise – Deuteronomy 32:6 “Is not he your father, who created you”
he has a plan for us and all of humanity.
8. The Eighth Day: Jesus’ Resurrection is the fulfillment of the Promise: we are made for heaven
and in his victory over death, this is possible for us.
a. The eighth day completes the first creation and begins the new creation- because we are
made a new creation in Christ. CCC 349
b. Titus 2:13-14 “awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God”
9. Life in Christ – CCC 1701 it is in Christ that we have been restored to original beauty that was
once disfigured.
a. Through the resurrection, the Lord invites us into new life. He does this through the
sacrament of reconciliation.
b. In reconciliation we are restored to friendship with God, it is like a spiritual resurrection
and restoration of the dignity and blessings of being a child of God, as we are made in his
image and likeness. CCC 1468