STEWARDSHIP

Stewardship, Creation and Original Sin

This lesson plan explores the nature of stewardship, and the two stories of Creation , defines Original Sin and makes reference to Jurassic Park/the Lost World etc.

Begin with the prayer reflection - students view video "voce" which has pictures of the environment and the video also contains sounds of the human voice. ( Please put volume low)
As they watch and listen, selected students who read well stand up and read from The Psalms praising God for Creation ( PSALM 8, 19, 23 ). There should be a pause between each psalm. 10 minutes
After this is over, the point is made that the environment can help us get in touch with God, the Creator of the world, and each of us.
Recap what students have learnt so far about nature and the environment
nature is powerful
God created the world
People are special in God's eyes
The world is beautiful
Playing God can bring disaster - Jurassic Park
People can harm nature and the environment (which includes humans) - pollution

5 minutes (15 minutes )

Through your reactions to the environment and your treatment of people so far you can see that people are basically good. " God saw all that he had made and said it was good."
Students give examples of goodness in the world
Remind them that this is what STEWARDSHIP MEANS - serving, helping sustain creation
In three's, students to ACT OUT how people are stewards of creation. Students will be picked at random to perform before the class and lollies are given for all those who perform. The skit should have two scenes and show
someone who is not a steward
someone else comes along and corrects the problem

15 minutes ( 30 minutes )

students now consider that while there is goodness we have also seen a lack of goodness. The question is Why?

" We have not seen WHY people still harm themselves, the environment and others through war, famine etc. This is what we are asking ourselves today: why people do not always respond to the environment and others in a healthy and good way. But what we are going to read, to give us the answer is written in a mythical way and we are going to try and work out exactly what each object in the story refers to." - symbols.

Explain myth again. Ask them to copy it into their FILES

Myth : A story which uses figurative language to illustrate a truth. (The truth in the story is that God created men and women in His image, with an immortal soul; that our first parents sinned in a very serious way and that God had to send His Son Jesus to save us from the power of evil which entered the world as a result of the sin - which - is basically the sin of pride and rejection of God). 3 minutes ( 33)

please distribute Creation stories from Genesis with an outline of the symbols used in the stories
read scripture passage with the students
students complete sheet - try to work out the meaning of the symbols

( The Catechism of the Catholic Church is useful here. It speaks of the figurative language used to "affirm a primeval event, ..a deed which took place at the beginning of the history of man" (390)

Therefore, it is , educationally speaking, very enjoyable for students to try to work out the meaning of the symbols used in the two creation stories. I have allowed some flexibility here as long as the truth of the stories is maintained as I have said in my own words above and as The Catechism of the Catholic Church outlines in paragraphs 369 - 412.

10 minutes (43)

give them answers if they have difficulties with it
this can all be called ORIGINAL SIN

( The Catechism of the Catholic Church in articles 416 - 417 states

416: By his Adam, as the first man, lost the original holiness and justice he had received from God, not only for himself but for all human beings.

417: Adam and Eve transmitted to their descendants human nature wounded by their own first sin and hence deprived of original holiness and justice; this deprivation is called " original sin"

discuss this and what it means
so, if we compare the plot line of Jurassic Park and 'God's park', we find …
read final section together - this introduces the fact that Jesus came to save us and open Heaven for us and give us the strength to fight sin and become stewards of God's creation so that we can live forever in Heaven 10 minutes (53)
JOURNAL ACTIVITY - complete the following stems:

-Today I have learnt ……. (5 lines)

-The Bible is ……. (3 lines)

Perhaps a song to complete the lesson.

Would you like to know the truth about the Evoution Theory??