FIRE GROUND PLAN

Audience: Third Year High School Co-Ed Students belonging to the middle class, mostly Roman Catholics, they have difficulty managing their
priorities in life and in letting go of their “attachments” yet they are searching for ways to achieve their full potential as persons.
Topic: Authentic Freedom (Am I Truly Free?) Level: III
Problem: There are interior and exterior obstacles to Kind of Material: Lesson Plan
freedom that they need to overcome in order for them Number of Sessions/Length of Time:
to become authentically free- to be the person God calls them to be. One Session, 1 hr.

CHRISTIAN MESSAGE SOURCES/MEANS OBJECTIVES

MORALS: Becoming a true disciple of Christ SOURCES The lesson is ordered to enable students to:
means exercising one’s freedom to become
more like Him. We become authentically free SACRED SCRIPTURE: MORALS:
when we free ourselves from certain attitudes
and conditions that hinder our being loving The Story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) enumerate ways of overcoming threats to
persons. freedom as a way of following Christ.
CHURCH TEACHINGS:
DOCTRINE:
In the Gospels, Jesus has shown us what it “Authentic freedom involves freedom from DOCTRINE:
means to be free and has set us free from everything that opposes our true self-becoming
certain conditions and obstacles that hinder our with others in community. But this freedom from explain the purpose and goal of authentic
loving. By becoming our perfect example and is directed towards a second freedom, the more freedom.
interior source of loving others, we realize that important, “freedom for.” Beyond being liberated
to grow in freedom means to grow in the from all obstacles to authentic freedom is the identify the inner and exterior obstacles to
likeness of Christ. freedom for growing as full persons and children freedom that hinder them to become truly
of God, sharing in the life of Christ, our liberator, loving.
WORSHIP: Prayer brings us in communion through His Spirit. It is the freedom found in
with God. With His abiding grace and authentic love.” (CFC 696-697) WORSHIP:
enlightenment, God empowers us to see the
many obstacles that hinder us from loving Him RESOURCES: ask God for the grace to help them be more
and others and inspires us to love as He has Called to Follow Christ in True Freedom by Noel like His son, Jesus whose choices are directed
loved us. P. Miranda and Philip S. Javier III towards love.

Maturing in Jesus Christ by Ma. Leodevina C.

Batugal, M.A. and Erlyn R. Calingo

www.my.salvos.org.au/freedom-through-jesus
http://bible.org/seriespage/jesus-house-
zacchaeus-luke-191-10

www.jesusvideo.com
 MEANS:
 Watching video clip:
The Story of Zacchaeus (Lk. 19:1-10)
 Think-Pair-Share
 Class Discussion
 PPT Presentation
 Passing the Ball – insight on freedom
 Search for “Pop Icon” for Authentic
Freedom
HUMAN EXPERIENCE (Before) HUMAN EXPERIENCE (During) HUMAN EXPERIENCE (After)
 The previous discussion has addressed Motivation: “The Adventurer”. Synthesis
and corrected the notion that “Freedom
is a license to do whatever one wants,  If you travel to an unknown destination, Passing the Ball: Come up with one statement
even if it is evil. Thus, laws are seen as what ONE tangible thing will you bring? that captures the most important insight you
restrictions to students’ freedom.” In the Why? want to bring home after today’s discussion on
light of the Exodus event, they were authentic freedom.
made to see the relevance and value of  If this is taken away from you, what do
the Decalogue as a ground in you think will happen? What will you do? If we look back at our day, no one among
exercising their freedom responsibly. us is proud for having backstabbed or hurt
The concept of freedom as doing what  Can you let go? Why? Why not? someone nor feels blessed after having
is good has already been established. ignored other people’s needs. What makes
Link: There are things that we are attached to life rewarding and meaningful at the end of
 Students struggle to choose and do the because they matter to us. Thus, we find it the day is how much love we have given
good because of certain attitudes and difficult to let go of these attachments. Our and shared, for this makes us a better
external conditions that hinder them lesson today will help shed light on what we person- A person created in God’s image
from becoming truly loving. need in our life to free ourselves from so we can and likeness.
become the kind of person God calls us to be.
Closing Prayer: Let us ask God for the grace
Think-Pair-Share: Think of a specific moment in to help us be more like His son, Jesus whose
your life when you felt most unfree. choices are directed towards love.

O Lord, our God, we thank you for the gift of

(Students’ answers will be written on the board)
freedom. We beg for the grace of conversion
 Why do these things/conditions hinder so that like Jesus, we may exercise this gift
your freedom? according to Your love. Direct our minds and
hearts always, so that we may choose freely to
 Based on your answers on the board, pursue the good through which we become the
what conclusion can you draw? authentic persons You created us to be. Amen.

 How do you categorize these

hindrances?
These hindrances can come from within us and  The concept of freedom is deepened
they can also come from our environment. from freedom as doing what is good to
freedom to become the kind of person
Instructional/Learning Activity: God envisions them to become- more
loving and other-centered.
 These obstacles that reside within are
called interior threats to freedom. Can
you cite an example of an interior threat
to freedom?

These are our prejudices, negative habits and

attitudes, fears and doubts that hinder us from
doing what is good in specific instances.
For example, when we are so hooked in playing
computer games or using any social network like
Facebook, we may begin to neglect our studies.

 Because these obstacles to freedom

reside within us, what do you think can
be done so we can overcome them?

We need to become aware of these interior

vices, habits, tendencies and weaknesses. We
can grow in our self-awareness through self-
reflection or asking the help of others in
overcoming negative attitudes and most
importantly, we need to nourish ourselves
through prayer and the celebration of the
sacraments.

Other obstacles to our freedom arise from our

environment. These are called exterior threats to
freedom. These are forces or realities in our
community that influence us to act in a self-
centered way. Can you cite an example of an
exterior threat to freedom? Other examples of
these are peer pressure, media, violence. Peer
pressure, for instance, may lead you to resort to
smoking, drinking and illegal drugs.
How do you think can we overcome these
threats?

As Christ’s disciples, we are called to strive to

free ourselves from these external threats by
discerning and choosing what is truly good
amidst temptations to self-centered behavior
and by asking God for the grace to overcome
our weaknesses.

The most perfect sign of God’s call for us to

become truly free is Jesus Christ. Through His
public life, teachings and Paschal sacrifice,
Jesus has shown us that only in truly loving God
and others can we become truly free.
Throughout His life, Jesus lived this mission in
His loving service of others. By healing the sick,
forgiving sinners and preaching the Good News,
Christ invited all persons to true freedom-
freedom from conditions, attitudes and acts that
hinder us from following Him, as well as freedom
for growing in His likeness.

 Why do you think Jesus frees us from

these interior and exterior threats to
freedom? What is freedom for?

Jesus frees us from these threats so we

can be authentically free-We can grow
as full persons who have a genuine
concern and a sincere desire for the
good of others (CFC 697). True freedom
is always directed towards authentic love
for others and God so we can become
like Jesus-To be the image of God who
is love.

There is a story in the New Testament that

speaks about a person who never allowed the
“pressures of his time” to get in his way of
seeing his “pop icon” and eventually was
transformed by His love. Who is this person?
Video-Viewing: The Story of Zacchaeus
(Luke 19:1-10)

What do you think did he give up to be

authentically free?

Freedom From Freedom For

Material Attachment Joyful Detachment
(Fleeting Happiness) (Authentic Joy)
Greediness and Selflessness
selfishness/Self-
centeredness
Power (Misuse/abuse Empowering
of) others
Honor Servant-
leadership

The story of Zacchaeus speaks of our capacity

to commit ourselves to Christ so we can become
authentically free-to be the kind of person God
envisions us to become---loving, other-centered.

Jesus is the model par excellence in our search

and journey towards freedom. He liberated the
poor and the marginalized from injustices and
other forms of oppression. He has the freedom
to just ran away when he was arrested yet He
courageously face death despite his fears.

Prepared by:

Haidee A. Estrada

Jose Roldan G. Caberio

Sr. Theresa A. Mallillin, SPC