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About Christian LeBlanc

Christian LeBlanc is a revert whose pre-Vatican II childhood was spent in South Louisiana, where he marinated in a Catholic universe and acquired a Catholic imagination. During his middle school years in South Carolina, Christian was catechized under the benevolent dictatorship of Sister Mary Alphonsus, who frequently admonished him using the nickname "Little Pagan." After four years of teaching Adult Ed and RCIA, he returned to Sr. Alphonsus' old classroom to teach Catechism himself. This is his tenth year of teaching sixth grade. Married to Janet, the LeBlancs have five children and two grandsons. Christian and Janet belong to St. Mary's Parish in Greenville, South Carolina.

Check out Christian's book on Bible-based catechesis at:

https://www.createspace.com/3835986

I AM I AM

By Christian LeBlanc

In 6th grade Catechism class, we go through the Bible chronologically, Genesis to Revelation. In the first four months, the kids learn all sorts of Old Testament stuff that will connect to what’s covered in the last four months. What sort of stuff? Stuff such as this bit of Exodus 3:

“I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses said unto God, “Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?”And God said unto Moses, “I AM That I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”

We talk about how God’s title, YHWH, is related to the Hebrew word for ‘I AM,’ and says something important about God’s existence in the Eternal Present.  As the Glory Be puts it, “As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.”

Then a few months go by. We leave the O.T., and eventually Jesus becomes an adult, and drives the Pharisees and scribes so crazy they want to kill him. Here’s a good example from John 8. Jesus’ critics ask:

 “Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? And the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?…Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?” Jesus said unto them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.” Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

I ask the kids why people would want to stone Jesus to death. They make a few guesses. I write “I AM” on the board. “Where have y’all seen that before?” Little brains percolate; then, “That’s what God told Moses his name was!  Yes, genius! Somebody tell me about it! It was when Moses saw the Burning Bush!  Yes! So why do folks want to kill Jesus when he says “Before Abraham was, I AM?” More percolation, and boom, “Because he’s saying he’s God?  Yes, that’s it! Nobody thinks a human being can be God, and to suggest that you are God will offend many people. It’s a serious sin aimed right at God Himself, what we call blasphemy. Jews would stone such a person to death.”

In that first case I have to help them a bit with the I AM business. Then last Wednesday, Jesus was arrested:

The high priest asked him, and said unto him, “Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I AM: and ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, “What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye?” And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.

This time all I said was: Tell me about it. And within two seconds, a child responds, “He said I AM again like he’s God. And is Jesus God? Yes, but they didn’t believe him. Yes- what doesn’t the high priest have? Faith. Yes, good. Of course faith is a great gift; but nobody has to accept it.”

In Catechism class, if I let the Bible be the Bible, it can teach the kids about Jesus almost by itself.

Read all posts by Christian LeBlanc Filed Under: General, Middle School

Summapalooza 2015 #10 Media

By Christian LeBlanc

media3

Sticks, rags, bones, flags, and Elijah’s seersucker jacket.

Read all posts by Christian LeBlanc Filed Under: Catechetics, Sacraments, Scripture

Summapalooza 2015 #9 Images

By Christian LeBlanc

isenheim
About 20 minutes on two of my favorite works of sacred art. Scroll down to Class 9.

Read all posts by Christian LeBlanc Filed Under: Art

Summapalooza 2015 #8 nthngbtcnsnnts

By Christian LeBlanc

 

prodScroll down at the link.

 

 

Read all posts by Christian LeBlanc Filed Under: Catechist Training, Scripture

Summapalooza 2015 #7 Forgiveness

By Christian LeBlanc

forgive

Scroll down at the link.

Read all posts by Christian LeBlanc Filed Under: Catechist Training

Summapalooza 2015 #6 Hierarchy

By Christian LeBlanc

hier1

Nature Mountain Ziggurat Tent Miracle Mass Acts Church Apocalypse

scroll down at the link

Read all posts by Christian LeBlanc Filed Under: Catechist Training

Summapalooza 2015 Class 5 Blood & Water

By Christian LeBlanc

ClipbloodClass 5, Blood & Water, scroll down at the link.

 

Read all posts by Christian LeBlanc Filed Under: Catechist Training, General, Scripture

Summapalooza 2015 #4 Food Pyramid

By Christian LeBlanc

The Bible Miracle Food Pyramid;  scroll down to Class #4.

Read all posts by Christian LeBlanc Filed Under: Catechist Training, Scripture

Summapalooza 2015 #3 Arkeology

By Christian LeBlanc

The 7 Arks of Salvation History, scroll down to class 3.

Read all posts by Christian LeBlanc Filed Under: Catechist Training, General

Summapalooza 2015 #2 Overshadowing

By Christian LeBlanc

umbra

This talk “covers” the Bible-Catholic significance of overshadowing. Scroll down at the link to Class 2.

Read all posts by Christian LeBlanc Filed Under: Catechist Training, Scripture

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