Tuesday              Wed.

Nativity Hall       Nativity Hall

1/17                    1/18         1.  Amazed & Afraid: The Revelation of God Become Man

1/24                    1/25          2.  Happy Are We—The Teachings of Jesus

1/31                    2/8            3.The Ineffable Mystery of God

  2/7                    2/15          4.  Mary, the Mother of God

2/14                    2/29         5.  Peter, Paul and the Missionary Adventure

2/21                    3/14         6.  Church:  Body Both Suffering and Glorious;   Christ and the Church

2/28                    3/21         7.  Word Made Flesh: The Mystery of the Church’s Sacraments and Worship

  3/6                     3/28         8. A Vast Company of Witnesses: The Communion of Saints

3/20                    4/11         9. The Fire of His Love: Prayer and the Life of the Spirit

3/27                    4/18      10. World Without End: The Last Things 

In the outline CCC stands for the Catechism of the Catholic Church. If you do not have a copy of this world Catholic Catechism, you can find the CCC on the Bishop’s web site http://old.usccb.org/catechism/text/entiretoc1.shtml

Catholicism Series: Adults  are invited to take part in Fr. Robert Barron’s Catholicism series.  This is a thematic presentation of what Catholics believe and why, to help all to come to a deeper understanding of our Catholic Faith. This engaging formational program uses art, architecture, literature, music and all treasures of our Catholic tradition to illuminate the timeless teachings of the Church. Join Father Barron as addresses some of the most controversial

questions about the life and identity of Jesus Christ and travels through the mysterious and sacred places of

the Holy Land of Israel and the eternal city of Rome.

In session one Father Robert Barron illuminates and explains the conviction of the Catholic Faith that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah and the revelation of God become man. He shows how Jesus fulfills tasks of the Messiah, and how the living legacy of Christ, God and Messiah, is proclaimed by the Church. For more information go to http://www.catholicismseries.com/watch.

  Current sessions at Sacred Heart include Tuesday mornings 9:10-11:00 am or Wed. evenings from 6:30-8:00 pm.to partake in the series. Other adults can gather and begin more study groups.

CATHOLICISM   Lesson Summary

1. AMAZED AND AFRAID THE REVELATION OF GOD BECOME MAN

The strange and dangerous words of Jesus of Nazareth set up a drama that will culminate in a surprising

battle between two kings and in the wake of this conflict an empire will be defeated and the world will be

changed.

Father Robert Barron illuminates and explains the conviction of the Catholic Faith that Jesus of Nazareth is

the promised Messiah and the revelation of God become man. He shows how Jesus fulfills the four tasks of

the Messiah, according to the Old and New Testaments, and how the living legacy of Christ, God and

Messiah, is proclaimed by the Church. Join Father Barron as addresses some of the most controversial

questions about the life and identity of Jesus Christ and travels through the mysterious and sacred places of

the Holy Land of Israel and the eternal city of Rome.

2. HAPPY ARE WE THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS

The revelation of Jesus as God is accompanied by a stunning invitation to a unique new way of life,

explained in the teachings of Jesus. To every generation, the words of Jesus have proven fascinating,

disorienting, sometimes confounding, deeply transformative, and always unforgettable.

Father Barron highlights the Beatitudes, the path of non-violence and lessons of forgiveness, care for the

poor and our relationship with God as presented in the parables. Jesus teachings are illuminated during Fr.

Barron s pilgrimages to Poland, Germany, Spain and New York City.

Commentaries at these sites also show how the Catholic Church is a living culture, which gives witness to

the inviolable dignity of the human person.

3. THE INEFFABLE MYSTERY OF GOD - THAT THAN WHICH NOTHING GREATER CAN BE THOUGHT

Father Barron considers St. Anselm s description of God as that than which nothing greater can be

thought, and goes on to explain St. Thomas Aquinas arguments which support the claim that God truly

exists. He also speaks from the Catholic tradition about the nature of God and the challenging question of

evil and the existence of God.

To provide a vision of the ineffable majesty and mystery of God,

Father Barron invites us to the heights of the Sinai desert and makes his way to mysterious Istanbul, walks

the glittering streets of Paris and then captivates the viewer with the glories of the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

4. OUR TAINTED NATURE S SOLITARY BOAST - MARY, THE MOTHER OF GOD

In this episode, Father Barron masterfully correlates the Catholic Faith s testimony to the revelation of God

in Christ with the vivid practices of reverence offered to his Mother. Mary is explained as

an on-going presence, an actor in the life of the Church.

Father Barron journeys to the humble remains of Mary s house in Nazareth, to the ruins of the ancient city

of Ephesus and to the great Marian shrines of Lourdes and Guadalupe to explain the Church s teachings

about Mary as the Mother of God, the Immaculate Conception and the dogma of the Assumption.

5. THE INDISPENSABLE MEN PETER, PAUL AND THE MISSIONARY ADVENTURE

Father Barron calls Peter and Paul two indispensible men, the ones without whom the church never would

have emerged and survived. In telling each man s story, Father Barron shows how the Holy Spirit

worked through all the apostles and disciples to build the Church.

Following the trail of these apostles as they took the Gospel to the ends of the earth, Father Barron presents

the foundations of the apostolic faith, particularly the revelation of Christ s resurrection from the dead.

6. A BODY BOTH SUFFERING AND GLORIOUS THE MYSTICAL UNION OF CHRIST AND THE CHURCH

Clearly answering the question, What is the Church? Father Barron presents the reality of the Church as

one, holy, catholic and apostolic. The Body of Christ can be seen on earth from the Church s center in

Rome to the cities of New York, Sao Paolo, Manila, Namugongo and Uganda, while still escaping total

understanding as the mystical union between Christ and his Church.

Father Barron also explores the Catholic conviction that the life and presence of Christ continues to

embrace humanity in all its joys and sorrows through the presence of the Church.

7. WORD MADE FLESH, TRUE BREAD OF HEAVEN THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH SACRAMENT AND WORSHIP

Father Barron explores the ancient practices of the Church s worship that endure to this very day, and the

notion that all value is summed up in the liturgy, the supreme act by which we commune with God.

Considered by the Catholic Faith to be the source and summit of its identity and mission, the Eucharist is

the central practice of the Church s culture. Father Barron describes all the parts of the Mass, and shows

how the Sacred Liturgy embodies the whole of the Faith in such diverse places as Jerusalem, Rome,

Chicago, Orvieto and Mexico City.

8. A VAST COMPANY OF WITNESSES THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS

The story of the Church is told in the examples of those men and women who dedicated their lives to

knowing and serving Jesus Christ. The Catholic Faith is made visible in real human lives.

Father Barron gives consideration to some of the Church s greatest heroes, and demonstrates how their

extraordinary examples display both the passion and creative potential of the Catholic Church.

Highlighting Katharine Drexel, Therese of Lisieux, Edith Stein, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Father

Barron tells the story of the Church as a vast company of witness who are called by Christ to be a

Communion of Saints.

9. THE FIRE OF HIS LOVE PRAYER AND THE LIFE OF THE SPIRIT

In this lesson, Father Barron explores Catholic spirituality, which is centered on prayer. As the Catechism

of the Catholic Church states: Prayer is the lifting up of the mind and the heart to God.

On pilgrimage to the places where the great saints and spiritual masters lived, Father Barron explores the

different types of prayer: contemplation; adoration; petition; and intercession. In telling the stories of

Catholics like Thomas Merton, St. Theresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, Fr. Barron demonstrates how

the human person can be transformed through prayer that manifests a deep, spiritual commitment centered

in Christ.

10. WORLD WITHOUT END - THE LAST THINGS

Explore the Church s conviction that life here and now is preparation for an extraordinary world that is yet

to come a supernatural destiny. Father Barron presents the Catholic vision of death, judgment, heaven,

hell and purgatory as he journeys to Florence, Ireland and Rome.

The vision of the Church sees beyond this world and invites us to consider a world without end. Father

Barron shows how this vision is supported by the mystery and truth of the Resurrection of Jesus                                

 Each study guide lesson provides an extensive commentary on the theological content of each episode, plus “Questions for Understanding” and “Questions for Application.”  The “Questions for Understanding” incorporate references from Scripture and from the Catechism of the Catholic Church to build on topics featured in the series. “Questions for Application” help you reflect on how Father Barron’s message is relevant to your own life and experiences.