At-Home Lesson#9

You Shall Love the Lord Your God

Topic 5: Give Your All [1]

Behind YOUCAT

In Star Wars, when Yoda trained Luke Skywalker to be a Jedi, he said, “There is no try; do, or do not.” Likewise, God does not command us to try to love him, to give it our best shot. NO. The Old Testament says, and Jesus himself repeats, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deut 6:5; see Mk 12:30). Yoda wanted Luke to give his whole being to the task at hand, and then only would it be done; God wants us to give our all, and then we cannot fail to love. It is not simply a “force” at work within us. It is God himself that loves through us. When we take this first step to love, it follows naturally that we will strive to obey all of God’s laws of love.

Read YOUCAT

Read the content under YOUCAT# 348, 349, 352, 353, 355, 359, 360, 364, and 365 (numbers in yellow circle) from YOUCAT p.192~p.201. [2]

What Does YOUCAT Say?

1. What does Jesus say we must do to have eternal life and to remain in him (YOUCAT #348)?

2. What are the Ten Commandments (YOUCAT #349 and the margins of YOUCAT pp.191-192)?

3. What must be the absolute priority in our life if we are to fulfill the destiny for which we are made: possessing truth and happiness (YOUCAT #352 and #353)?

4. What is forbidden by the First Commandment (YOUCAT #355)?

5. What is protected by the Second Commandment (YOUCAT# 359)?

6. Why do Christians make the Sign of the Cross (YOUCAT #360)?

7. How and why do Christians make Sunday “the Lord’s day” (YOUCAT #364 and #365)?

Answer the above questions [Click Here]

YOU Reflect

Jesus says to us, “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (Jn 15:14). And St. John reminds us that the commandments are not burdensome. All things are easy to those who love. You will have to ask yourself: Am I willing to pay the price of selflessness for the sake of love? Can I put my ego, my wants, and even my needs aside for the greater good of those God calls me to love? Am I willing to give my all—heart, soul, mind, strength—for the sake of love?

1. What are some simple things you can do this week to express your love for God?

2. What are some things you should avoid doing this week because you love God?

Answer the above questions [Click Here]

What Does the Bible Say?

1. Read Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21.  These texts are the basis of what?

2. Read 1 John 4:16-21.   What powerful motivation do St. John and the Holy Spirit give us in 1 John 4:16-21 for keeping the commandments of God?

3. Read Psalm 113.   How does Psalm 113 inspire us to keep the Second Commandment?

        Answer the above questions [Click Here]

YOU Chat

1. If reason can know the obligations listed in the Ten Commandments, why did God bother to reveal them to us?

2. Aren’t the Ten Commandments outmoded? They are at least four thousand years old; what have they to do with us?

3. What happens to the person who wholeheartedly worships God? Is he changed in some way? How?

Answer the above questions [Click Here]

YOU Challenge

Memorize:

Learn the Ten Commandments by heart (YOUCAT #349).

Love:

Make one sacrifice today out of love for your mom or dad.

Visit:

Pay a visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Spend at least ten minutes in adoration in obedience to the First Commandment. After all, he is God; there is no other.

References / Citations

[1] Brumley, Mark, Kersting, Jack, and George, Paul . YOUCAT Study Guide. San Francisco, Calif: Ignatius Press, 2013, pp. 57-58.

[2] Miller, Michael J, and Benedict. Youcat English: Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church. San Francisco, Calif: Ignatius Press, 2011.

[3] BibleGateway (online bible). https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/Good-News-Translation-GNT-Bible/