At-Home Lesson#1

Part 1. God's Master Plan: LOVE

Topic 1: God Is Love [1]

Read the DOCAT Foreword [2] from Pope Francis (p.11~p.13)

Behind DOCAT

Who is God, and how are we supposed to relate to him? If we don’t get this fundamental question right, we won’t get anything else right either. In order to understand our role in this world and know how to relate to others in truth and love, we must first understand who God is and what that says about our own identity and purpose.

Read DOCAT

Read the content under DOCAT# 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (numbers in blue circle) from DOCAT p.16~p.19. [2]

What Does DOCAT Say?

1. What is the “red thread running through God’s creation,” according to DOCAT#1? What does this tell us about God’s plan of creation?

2. According to DOCAT#3, how can we recognize what good actions are?

3. Why did God create us?

Answer the above questions [Click Here]

What Does the Bible Say?

1. Read 1 John 4:7-12. How does 1 John 4:7-12 explain the relationship between loving God and loving others?

2. Read Matthew 5:43-48. By what standard are we supposed to measure our lives? What are the criteria?

Answer the above questions [Click Here]

DO Reflect

God created this world because of his great love. He is the origin, cause, and goal of all things that exist. This means that God cares about everything—nothing is too small for his notice. So every moment of our lives, every decision that we make, every thought that we have matters to God. Not because he is some control-freak who just won’t leave us alone but because he loves us! And God wants us to love him in return because he created us to love him, and so, he knows that loving him is what is going to make us truly happy. Yes, God really does want us to be happy. And the path to true happiness is love.

1. Do you believe that God cares about every detail of your life? What difference does it make whether he does or doesn’t?

2. Do you believe God created everything because of love? If not, why else would God create the world and all that is in it?

3. What do you think the purpose of all of creation is? What do you think your purpose in life is?

Answer the above reflection questions [Click Here]

DO Chat

1. What are some things that make it difficult to follow God’s plan for us to “think, speak, and act in love” (DOCAT#1)?

2. How does God’s love for you affect how you treat others?

   1. Answer the above questions [Click Here]

DO Challenge

Remember:

Remind yourself each day this week that all of creation comes from and is destined to return to God’s love.

Thank and Ask:

Spend time in prayer thanking God for his great love, and ask him how you can better show that love to the people around you.

References / Citations

[1] DOCAT Study Guide. San Francisco, Calif: Ignatius Press, 2016.

[2] DOCAT: What to do? The Social Teaching of the Catholic Church. San Francisco, Calif: Ignatius Press, 2016.

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