LEARNING MODULE IN CHRISTIAN LIVING 8 S.Y.

2020-2021

MODULE 8 FREEDOM OF THE CHURCH

Content Standard: Performance Standard:

The learners demonstrate understanding The learners are able to devote time to
on how Christians experienced freedom celebrate freedom of all believers in the
of expressing their faith publicly. sacrament of the Eucharist.

FORMATION STANDARD:
The learners will grow maturely, to express freely their faith in different ways.
LEARNING TARGETS
Doctrine: Discuss how Christians experienced freedom of expressing their faith publicly
Morals: Express freedom of worship at all times
Worship: Celebrate freedom of all believers in the sacrament of the Eucharist

TIME FRAME: 1 week

OPENING PRAYER
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen
Dear Lord, I have lots of things to do, but nothing I do is more important than the time I spend with you. I
thank You, Lord, for your blessings, for Your Son, and for Your Bible. I will take time to read it every day.
Amen.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen

DOCTRINE

“Christianity has been varied inside the walls of churches and secured with the
shackles of dogmatism. Let it be liberated to come into the midst of us and teach us
freedom , equality , and love.” – Minna Canth

Freedom is God’s greatest gift to mankind. When it was given to the early
Christians, they became free to worship the true God and express their faith in different
ways.

ACTIVITY 1: LET US EXPLORE

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IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY ACADEMY FLORIAN M. MALAPOTE, LPT
Madrid Blvd., Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
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 LEARNING MODULE IN CHRISTIAN LIVING 8 S.Y. 2020-2021

I BELIEVE I CAN FLY

By R. Kelly

I used to think that I could not go on

And life was nothing but an awful song
But now I know the meaning of true love
I’m leaning on an everlasting arms.

If I can see it, then I can do it

If I just believe it, there’s nothing to it

I believe I can fly

I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away
I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door
I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly

See I was on the verge of breaking down

Sometimes silence can seem so loud

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IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY ACADEMY FLORIAN M. MALAPOTE, LPT
Madrid Blvd., Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
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 LEARNING MODULE IN CHRISTIAN LIVING 8 S.Y. 2020-2021

There are miracles in life I must achieve

But first I know it starts inside of me, oh

If I can see it, then I can be it

If I just believe it, there’s nothing to it

GUIDE QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. What is the song all about?
2. What is your idea of freedom?
3. Why is freedom an important right in society?
4. Choose some lines from the song that describe freedom.

Answer the given questions on a whole sheet of paper

( to be passed on February 1, 2021)

Teaching Minds

Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for
the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Freedom
It is the power of the will to determine itself and to enact itself without external or
internal influence, and to not act with coercion or force from anybody.
Religious Freedom
This is the freedom to worship God according to the dictates of one’s own conscience.
Specifically, it points to freedom from constraint by the civil law. The Second Vatican Council declared
that
“The private and public acts of religion by which men direct themselves to God according to
their conscience transcend by their very nature the earthly and temporal order of things.
“Therefore the civil authority, the purpose of which is the care of the common good in the
temporal order, must recognize and look with favor on the religious life of the citizens. But if it
presumes to control or restrict religious activity, it must be said to have exceeded the limits of its
power.” (Vatican II document)

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IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY ACADEMY FLORIAN M. MALAPOTE, LPT
Madrid Blvd., Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
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 LEARNING MODULE IN CHRISTIAN LIVING 8 S.Y. 2020-2021

Religious Freedom in the Constitution

“No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion, or

prohibiting the free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession
and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be
allowed. No religious test shall be required for the exercise of civil
or political rights” ( Article III, Section 5, Bill of Rights)

CCC 2108 The right to religious liberty is neither a moral license to adhere to error,
nor a supposed right to error, but rather a natural right of the human person to civil
liberty, i.e., immunity, within just limits, from external constraint in religious matters
by political authorities. This natural right ought to be acknowledged in the judicial
order of society in such a way that it constitutes a civil right
Start of Freedom for Christianity

The issuance of the Edict of Milan by Emperor Constantine, which declared

toleration of Christianity and other religions to exist in the empire, began the freedom
that the Christians had been longing for a long time.

Starting year 312, Constantine openly favored Christian religion, which resulted in the
following:
1. Clerics enjoyed tax exemption just like the pagan priests in the empire.
2. Crucifixion as punishment was abolished.
3. Church leaders were permitted to acquire properties.
4. Sunday was declared as a public holiday for all.
5. Gladiatorial combat was abolished as punishment for offenders.
6. Beautiful church structures reflected the emperor’s recognition of Christianity.
Furthermore, Christians exercised their complete freedom when Emperor Theodosius
Declared Christianity as the official religion of the empire.

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ACTIVITY 2: PAUSE AND REFLECT
IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY ACADEMY FLORIAN M. MALAPOTE, LPT
Madrid Blvd.,What
Pinamalayan,
symbolOriental Mindoro
will you choose to represent yourself before God?
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 LEARNING MODULE IN CHRISTIAN LIVING 8 S.Y. 2020-2021

.”
Answer the given questions on a whole sheet of paper
( to be passed on February 1, 2021)

MORALS

John 8:32 “You will know the truth shall set you free.”

True freedom is what all people long for. Most of us appreciate the fact that we enjoy some
freedom in a democratic society. We are able to live a comfortable life.

With regard to speech, lifestyle, and religious beliefs, we have a lot of freedom. Freedom of
religion, makes our country freer than many other countries in the world. To live in a country where
we have the freedom to practice the religion, is quite a rare situation in this world. This kind of
freedom cannot be found in the Islamic world and Communist countries where practice of Christianity
means death.

As individuals, we have the right to lead the lifestyle that we prefer. We can come and go as
we please, we can get married or remain single, we can have families or choose not to have families,
we can work or choose not to work; we are free to live our lives as we wish.

Our ignorance, greed, selfishness, desires, and the creations of our minds are the things that
oppress us.

From the Christians point of view, we are not free. Most of us are still very much slaves tour
own desires and wants, obsessive anxieties, fears, and thoughts. We are slaves of technology and
fashion too. People nowadays could not live without the latest gadgets in the market. And we think
that not having fashionable clothes, high-tech cellphones, and fancy cars would render us useless and
less human in society.

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IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY ACADEMY FLORIAN M. MALAPOTE, LPT
Madrid Blvd., Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
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What is even worse is that we are slaves of our sinfulness. We continue to participate in
spreading injustice in the community by our silence; we praise ourselves by saying bad things against
another; we promote the culture of cheating by not reporting cheaters to the authorities, and sell our
votes during elections. Sometimes , we are the cause of other people’s sinfulness. We are good people
doing bad things.One man summarized all of these when he said, “For evil to thrive, let good men do
nothing.”

Unless we change and do things in accordance with God’s command, we cannot achieve
genuine freedom. Are you up to the challenge to change now?

- Author’s Reflection

Pause and Reflect

How can you say that you are free in whatever you do in relating with God and others?

WORSHIP

St. Joan of Arc

Burned at the stake as a heritic after a politically motivatd trial, Joan was beatified
in 1909 and canonized in 1920.
Born of a fairly well-to-do couple in Domremy-Greux (southeast of Paris),Joan was
twelve when she experienced a vision and heard voices that she later identified as St.
Michael the Archangel, Catherine of Alexandria, and Margaret of Antioch.
During the Hundred Years War, she led French troops against the English and
recaptured the cities of Orleans and Troyes. This enabled Charles VII to be crowned as king
in Reims in 1429. Captured near Compiegne the following year, she was sold to the English
and placed on trial for heresy and witchcraft. Professors at the University of Paris
supported Bishop Pierre Cauchon of Beauvis, the judge at her trial; Cardinal Henry Beaufort
of Winchester, England, participated in the questioning of Joan in prison. In the end, she

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IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY ACADEMY FLORIAN M. MALAPOTE, LPT
Madrid Blvd., Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
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 LEARNING MODULE IN CHRISTIAN LIVING 8 S.Y. 2020-2021

was condemned for wearing men’s clothes. The English resented France’s military
success--- to which Joan contributed.
In 1431, she was burned at the stake in Rouen, and her ashes were scattered along
the Seine River. A second church trial 25 years later nullified the earlier verdict, which was
reached under political pressure.
Remembered by the most people for her military exploits, Joan had a great love for
the sacraments, which strengthened her compassion toward the poor. Popular devotion to
her increased greatly in nineteenth century in France and later among French soldiers
during World War I. Theologian George Tavard wrote that her life “offers a perfect example
of the conjunction of contemplation and action” because her spiritual insight showa that
there should be a “unity of heaven and earth.”

Joan of Arc has been the subject of many books, plays, operas, and movies.
Pause and Reflect
What particular virtue or good example from St. Joan of Arc can you emulate?

CLOSURE

*Emperor Constantine’s Edict of Milan resulted in the tolerance of Christianity and other
existing religions in the empire. The issuance of this edict also led to the giving of special
privileges to Christians , such as tax exemption , abolition of crucifixions, acquisition of
private properties , and declaration of Sunday as a public holiday.
*Signs and symbols were used by the early Christians to keep their belief secret from the
Roman authorities. When Christianity was declared as the official religion of the empire ,
the use of emblems, signs, and symbols to express the reality of Christian faith was
allowed.

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IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY ACADEMY FLORIAN M. MALAPOTE, LPT
Madrid Blvd., Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
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 LEARNING MODULE IN CHRISTIAN LIVING 8 S.Y. 2020-2021

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Psalm 120
In my distress I called to the Lord;
He answered me and set me free.
The Lord is with me, I will not be afraid;
What can anyone do to me?
Closing Prayer
It is the Lord, who helps me,
And I will see my enemies defeated.
It is better to trust in the Lord,

Than to depend on man.

It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to depend on human leaders.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

SOURCE AND REFERENCE:

*Understanding Our Faith 8
The Church and the Sacraments
By Raul L. Paras
Dane Publishing House Inc., Quezon City, pp.45--55

*The images used were borrowed from Google sites

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IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY ACADEMY FLORIAN M. MALAPOTE, LPT
Madrid Blvd., Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
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