RETRO
A LIFE NIGHT ON
ORIGINAL HOLINESS AND
ORIGINAL SIN
23
QUICK GL ANCE
PREPARATION
ABOUT THIS LIFE NIGHT
This Life Night sets the stage for the entire semester on Paschal Mystery. Before we can see how salvation
was won, we must know why we need a savior. Teens journey way back in time to the Garden of Eden to
learn God’s original plan for humanity and the consequence of original sin.
SCRIPTURE
Genesis 1: 26-27 | Genesis 2-3 | John 1:1-3 | Colossians 1:16-17 | Romans 5:12, 19
CATECHISM
CCC 289-292 | 343 | 362-369 | 374 | 388 | 396-421
KEY TERMS
Original Holiness | Original Sin
RESOURCES
Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est #11
St. John Paull II, Evangelium Vitae #42-43
ENVIRONMENT
Dust off the old CDs, dig out the VHS tapes, and admit to the out-of-date clothing in your closet – because
we are going retro! Decorate the meeting space with recognizable items from past decades, with a heavy
emphasis on the 2000s, when most of these teens were born.
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GATHER
PREPARATION
Retro Quiz
This Life Night begins with a fun game that tests the teens’ knowledge of the origins of well-known
songs and movies. This game proposes that truly knowing something includes knowing its beginnings.
PROCL AIM
Talk: Original Holiness / Original Sin
The teaching uses demonstrations and relevant examples to explain God’s original plan for humanity
and the effects of original sin.
BREAK
Connect Groups
Teens have the opportunity in small discipleship groups to discuss God’s plan for humanity and how
original sin impacts their lives today.
SEND
Prayer for Hope and Trust
Teens pray together through a call-and-response litany of hope that underscores how sin and death do
not have the final word.
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GETTING READY
PREPARATION
LIFE NIGHT DATE : ________________________
ONE WEEK BEFORE
• Read through the entire Life Night and pray with it.
• Brainstorm environment ideas.
• Promote the Life Night to teens and their families.
• Determine which core member will lead the Retro Quiz and who will keep score.
• Prepare the media clips for the Retro Quiz.
• Collect decoration pieces and vintage outfits.
DAY OF THE LIFE NIGHT
• Decorate the meeting space.
• Appoint a core member to present the media clips for the Retro Quiz.
• Select core members to read the Prayer for Hope and Trust during the Send.
• Practice the Retro Quiz.
• Test audio-visual equipment.
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SUPPLIES
PREPARATION
Media clips
Four noisemakers (whistles, bells, buzzers, whoopee cushions, etc.)
Connect Small Group Discussion Starters
Two nature images for projection, one of them out-of-focus
ENVIRONMENT
Decorate the meeting space with old tech, movie posters, and vintage toys and games. Find treasures
at yard sales or from your closets. Search “retro” on Pinterest to get inspiration for designs and colors.
Expand the environment beyond decorations to include clothing and music! Dress in outfits inspired by
what you wore as teens. Play a retro or early-2000s playlist as all gather for the Life Night.
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GATHER
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS 5 min
Welcome everyone to the Life Night and introduce the topic. Open with a prayer. Then, invite the
teens at Life Night for the first time to briefly introduce themselves to the group.
RETRO QUIZ 15 min
The original is always the best – right? But how well do the teens know the original? This game is a fun way to
introduce the Life Night. One core member plays a game show host and leads the game.
Gather the teens by grade to create four teams. Core members can fill in to make the teams evenly divided.
Give each team a noisemaker to buzz in with the answer. Noisemakers can be whistles, bells, buzzers, etc.
Play a famous media clip. Teams buzz in when they can identify the original. If the team is correct, they earn
10 points. If they are incorrect, other teams will get a chance to answer for 5 points in the order they buzz in.
Play several rounds and announce the winner.
• Top Gun: Maverick (2022) = Top Gun (1986)
• I Will Always Love You (Whitney Houston) = I Will Always Love You (Dolly Parton)
• 10 Things I Hate About You (Julia Stiles) = Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare)
• Ice Ice Baby (Vanilla Ice) = Under Pressure (Queen and David Bowie)
• Clueless (Alicia Silverstone) = Emma (Jane Austen)
• Landslide (Dixie Chicks) = Landslide (Fleetwood Mac)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Johnny Depp, 2005) = Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Gene
Wilder, 1971)
• I Love Rock & Roll (Britney Spears) = I Love Rock & Roll (Joan Jett)
• West Side Story (2021) = West Side Story (1961)
• Jolene (White Stripes) = Jolene (Dolly Parton)
• Ocean’s Eleven (George Clooney, 2001) = Ocean’s Eleven (The Rat Pack, 1960)
• Tom’s Diner (AnnenMayKantereit) = Tom’s Diner (Suzanne Vega)
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PROCL AIM
GETTING STARTED
This Teaching Guide is not just an outline; it’s a tool to help you craft a powerful and personalized talk that
will leave a lasting impact. You hold the power to make this topic relevant and engaging for your youth
group, and this guide is here to assist you every step of the way.
But don’t just stop at the main points - unleash your creativity and incorporate media to captivate your
audience. Whether you use the suggested media or find your own, make sure it’s attention-grabbing and
thought-provoking.
And if your teens are ready to take it deeper, don’t hold back. The Going Deeper call-out box contains
valuable insights that can truly transform their lives. And if your youth group includes Hispanic/Latino
teens, the guide provides helpful suggestions to ensure everyone feels seen and heard.
But the most important thing is to be yourself and let the Holy Spirit guide you. Practice your talk, pour
your heart into it, and trust that you have the power to make a difference in the lives of these teens. This
guide is just the beginning - the rest is up to you!
MAIN POINTS
1. God has a plan for all of us.
2. We are created in the image of God.
3. God created humans to be holy and set apart in creation. Yet, original sin makes it difficult for us to
be naturally holy.
KEY TERMS
Original Holiness - The original state of humanity, a state of harmony that could only be surpassed in
heaven. Original holiness included closeness with God and no plan for suffering or death. (CCC 374-376)
Original Sin - The first temptation by the devil resulted in Adam and Eve’s distrust of God, leading them
to abuse their freedom by disobeying God’s command. The results of this first sin are passed to all
humanity. All subsequent sin is disobedience toward God and a lack of trust in his goodness. (CCC 397)
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TEACHING GUIDE 15 min
Capture the attention of the teens with a brief demonstration.
DEMONSTRATION
Gather a Bible and a Biology, Geology, or another science textbook for this fun introduction to the
Creation narratives in Genesis.
Lift the Bible and cue the teens to shout, “WHY.” Then, hold up the science book and prompt
them to shout, “HOW.”
Alternate books and see if they can yell “WHY” and “HOW” in unison when you hold up the
corresponding book. Increase the speed and order.
Make the point that Scripture is not meant to be a scientific account of Creation (how), but that it
does answer the question science cannot: “Why?”
• There are two unique questions to explore through this Life Night.
• Why do we have a soul and the ability to think about, know, and love God?
• What is original sin, and how does it affect us?
Main Point 1:
God has a plan for all of us.
• We often don’t understand the plan because looking at the big picture is difficult. In addition, we are
concerned with everyday things like school work, relationships, keeping commitments, etc.
• When we read the book of Genesis, we can see God’s revelation in a unique way.
• God created us for a distinct purpose. And He shares who He is in a way that we can attempt to
understand so our purpose can unfold.
• The human being is created with a soul that comes from God. Everyone has one. The soul is immortal,
the part of us that lives forever.
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• Therefore, we all have both a spiritual and physical part. Together, these physical and spiritual parts
form our human nature.
Illustrate the previous point with a demonstration using an Oreo cookie.
DEMONSTRATION
The two components of a human – spiritual and physical – can be likened to an Oreo cookie: The
chocolate cookies are the physical person, and the filling is the soul.
Chocolate cookies or cream filling alone do not make an Oreo. When you combine the two in a
certain way, only then do you have an actual Oreo.
Animals have bodies, and angels have spirits. Neither animals nor angels are [Link] a
human being is created with both. Only humans are the “complete Oreo!”
• Humans can reason, contemplate, empathize, and sacrifice because human beings have a soul.
• This soul gives the human person the ability to know and love God.
• The soul is the most intimate part of man.
Main Point 2:
We are created in the image of God.
• Some think people sin because we are born bad, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
SCRIPTURE
Read Genesis 1:25-31or ask a leadership teen to read it.
• When we read Genesis, we find that humans are created in the image of God – “very good” – and in a
state of friendship and harmony with God and the creation around him. (Going Deeper 1: “Creation”)
• Our body, soul, and innate goodness help us fulfill the purpose of sharing in God’s love and bringing
mercy and justice to the world.
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Main Point 3:
God created humans to be holy and set apart in creation.
• So what is our place in the plan of God? God intended for humans to be “holy,” which means to be
set apart. We are designated stewards and protectors of the world created by God.
• In God’s plan, there is order. When things are in their right order, it is known as “righteousness.”
• Righteousness is perfect original justice as intended by God.
• We know what injustice is. We sense it whenever we see something unfair, or someone is not getting
what they deserve.
• Perfect justice gives everyone what they need based on their place in the creation of God.
• When we put God first, holiness and justice follow. That is the original plan of God. (Going Deeper
2: “Righteousness”)
• Unfortunately, there is the reality of sin. At the beginning of humanity, Adam and Eve rejected God
through sin. They doubted God’s goodness and disobeyed God.
• As a result, humankind was deprived of original justice and holiness.
• Like a spiritual genetic trait, original sin is passed to each of us. (Going Deeper 3: “Original Sin”)
• The good thing is we have a Redeemer. There is a solution to the sin that we inherit. Jesus returned
us to the state of original holiness and justice by opening heaven’s gates.
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BREAK
CONNECT GROUP DISCUSSION 25 min
Come together in Connect Groups. Connect Groups are six to eight teenagers and one core member
leader. Small group sessions occur within the Safe Environment parameters for your diocese. These
small groups remain the same throughout the semester and are the same groups that meet outside
the Life Night.
Begin your Connect Group time with a prayer. If this is your first or second meeting as a group, ensure
the members are acquainted. Conduct a check-in where each person shares for a minute or two about
their week. Then, lead a discussion based on the provided questions. The goal of the discussion is to
have the teens see how original sin affects them today and how the longing for “more” points us back
to God’s original plan of creation.
SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS
• Do you think most teens today are happy and content? Why or why not?
• Are you truly happy and content right now? Why or why not?
• Why is the beginning of our story important? How does the story of the Creation and Fall
impact our lives today?
• Where have you experienced the effects of original sin? (sickness, death, temptation, etc.)
• In what areas of your life do you desire more? What feels incomplete or lacking?
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SEND
OUT OF FOCUS 5 min
Bring the group together, and project an image of an out-of-focus nature scene. Recap the Life Night
using this visual and the following example:
Look at this beautiful image. Wait… is it beautiful?
At first, the blurry image bothers us because we know it is not how it should look. We have the urge to
fix it and see the picture in focus. This is what happened with original sin – our sin blurred God’s original
plan and glory.
But, in time, we get used to the blurry image and aren’t bothered by it much. If we keep the image up
there long enough, eventually, we may assume that’s as good as it gets.
But the truth is there IS more.
Project the image in high-definition clarity.
There was an original harmony, holiness, and beauty that we were created for, and anything less will
leave us unsatisfied. Humanity messed up the plan – we blurred the image, but if we are to know God
and ourselves honestly, we must see the story’s beginning – the original idea.
PRAYER FOR HOPE AND TRUST 10 min
The Closing Prayer concludes the Life Night on a note of Christian hope. Call the teens into a time of
prayer. Teach the teens the response to the litany, and alternate core members or leadership teens
reading the following litany slowly and prayerfully.
After the litany, close the Life Night with the Hail Mary. Make announcements and send the teens
joyfully, promising to see them next time. Play a decades’ music playlist or upbeat Christian music as
the teens depart.
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Prayer For Hope and Trust
Response: Lord, we place our hope in you.
God of hope, we bring you all who have lost hope.
Lord, we place our hope in you.
We pray for those made hopeless by disappointment, bitterness, or guilt.
Lord, we place our hope in you.
We pray for those whose spirits are drained by grief, fear, or despair.
Lord, we place our hope in you.
We pray for people who are persecuted, violated, or left for dead.
Lord, we place our hope in you.
We pray for people who are confused, disillusioned, or apathetic.
Lord, we place our hope in you.
God of hope, we bring you all who feel alone and isolated.
Lord, we place our hope in you.
We pray for those made to feel less than human by age, disability, or sickness.
Lord, we place our hope in you.
We pray for those who feel the loss of a loved one,
For those who see no reason to live,
For those who find it impossible to believe in a loving God.
Lord, we place our hope in you.
God of hope, we thank you for the promise of restoration through a new day and life.
Amen.
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