The Pharisees and the Sadducees are two important groups of Jewish leaders in the New Testament. Most of the Pharisees and Sadducees not only rejected Jesus and his teachings, they rejected each other. The Pharisees were experts on the law and believed in a strict adherence to important interpretations of the law as a path…
Search Results for: Jesus
How Is the Date of Easter Determined?
How is the date for Easter determined? The date for Easter is calculated as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. The vernal equinox is the day of the yearn in the Spring when the day and the night are of equal length. We know that Easter must be on…
The Come Holy Spirit Prayer
I have had the privilege of attending a number of masses with Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, the legendary President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame. In each of these masses, Fr. Ted has given different variations of the same homily, all of which advocate for the use of one simple prayer: Come Holy Spirit. Fr. Ted…
A Ten Commandments Activity
The ten commandments are such an important topic in Catholic religious education curricula. They have a place in almost every year’s course. This Ten Commandments activity asks students to creatively interpret and understand these great laws. An important disclaimer: the risk of using this activity is that students lose an appreciation for the Scriptures as…
Stations of the Cross Video
The 14 Stations of of the Cross remember the events of Jesus’ Passion and Death in Jerusalem. The Stations of the Cross devotion is often practiced by Catholics during Lent and especially on Good Friday to deepen our connection between Christ’s Passion and Death and our own lives. The Stations of the Cross, or the…
The Number 40 in the Bible (and Lent)
What is the significance of the number 40 in the Bible? We fast for the 40 days of Lent leading up to the Resurrection. The 40 day fast in the Bible that Jesus underwent before his temptation by the devil is a significant inspiration for our 40 day fast during Lent, but there are many…
7 Ways to Use Praise and Worship Music In Class Prayer
I have to admit that I like praise and worship music and use it in class often. I was very involved in my youth group as a teenager and the music that is played at Steubenville Youth Conferences has stuck with me for years and still holds a special place in my heart. A major…
The Religion Teacher Gets a New Look!
I am so pleased to introduce a brand new logo and design to The Religion Teacher. We have come a long way since starting this website as a Blogspot blog in 2009 and it feels like just yesterday that the .com version of the website was established. I started The Religion Teacher because I wanted…
Catholic Videos
The Religion Teacher provides short instructional videos to be used in the classroom or at home for direct instruction, review, or homework assignments. These Catholic videos provide brief overviews of the Church’s teaching on various subjects. Advent Videos See all Advent videos. The Meaning of Advent The Meaning of the Advent Wreath The Second Coming…
Joe Paprocki on “Evangelizing Discipline”
I am happy to welcome Joe Paprocki, author of The Catechist’s Toolbox: How to Thrive As a Religious Education Teacher, as a guest at The Religion Teacher. Joe is celebrating the fifth anniversary of his very popular blog this week! Joe was an inspiration to me in starting The Religion Teacher three years ago, so…
