Magis Parish Edition - Facilitator's Guide Sample

PARISH EDITION
The
Catholic Faith
AND Science
----------------------------------- FACILITATOR’S GUIDE -----------------------------------
ROBERT SPITZER S.J., PH.D.

Contents
Acknowledgements .................................................................................iii
Facilitating a Session ................................................................................. 1
Episode 1: Medical Evidence of Our Transphysical Soul .................................................2
Episode 2: Evidence of the Soul from Our Transcendental Desires .....................................10
Episode 3: Scientific Evidence of an Intelligent Creator ................................................18
Episode 4: Philosophical Proofs of an Intelligent Creator ............................................. 26
Episode 5: What Questions Are Raised by God’s Existence? .......................................... 34
Episode 6: From an Intelligent Creator to Jesus ...................................................... 42
Episode 7: Evidence for Jesus’ Divinity .............................................................50
Episode 8: The Historicity of Jesus’ Miracles ........................................................60
Episode 9: Science and the Shroud of Turin ......................................................... 68
Episode 10: Jesus Is with Us: Mary, the Saints, and the Eucharist ......................................80
Episode 11: The Uniqueness of Jesus’ Revelation of God ............................................. 88
Episode 12: Jesus Reveals God as Unconditional Love ...............................................96
Episode 13: Jesus’ Unconditional Self-Offering ..................................................... 104
Episode 14: Why Believe in the Catholic Church? ..................................................... 112
Episode 15: The Purpose and Benefit of the Church ..................................................120
Episode 16: The Four Kinds of Desire and Happiness .................................................128
Episode 17: Moving to Level Three and Four Happiness ..............................................136
Episode 18: The Christian Understanding of Suffering ................................................144
Episode 19: Why Would an All-Loving God Allow Suffering ............................................152
Episode 20: Transforming Suffering through Faith and Prayer ....................................... 160
© Sophia Institute for Teachers Contents
i

EPISODE 1
Medical Evidence of Our
Transphysical Soul
Introduction
The question of God’s existence is not merely
an academic puzzle or an interesting thought
experiment — it is intimately and urgently bound
up with our own personal destiny. Everything
around us — houses, cars, flower beds, coffee
cups, phones, highways, hurricanes, the Grand
Canyon, the sun — is going to crumble to nothing
sometime between now and the heat death of
the Universe, but we are not, because we are destined
for a transcendent and eternal existence.
The details of this destiny — that God has
called us to live forever with Him in our true
home — are things we know because God came
to earth in Jesus Christ to tell us. However, there
is a lot we can learn about our immortal soul
before we take these revelations into account.
There is a wide range of natural evidence to look
at — from the insights of classical philosophy to
the discoveries of modern science. In this series
we will look at some of this evidence.
2 © Magis Center

Episode at a Glance
Key Take-Aways
In this Episode, participants will understand that…
■ We can learn about our eternal destiny from revelation as well as
natural science.
■ Our consciousness cannot be reduced to the brain, and has a
transphysical component.
Connections to
the Catechism
■ CCC 1016-1017
■ CCC 1052
■ Scientific studies on near-death experiences (NDEs) and
terminal lucidity provide evidence of survival of human
consciousness after clinical death.
■ Scientific studies complement Church teaching when it comes
to understanding life after death.
Notes
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© Sophia Institute for Teachers Episode 1: Medical Evidence of Our Transphysical Soul
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Focus and Reflection Questions
1 Had you heard of near-death experiences before watching this Episode? If so, how did the Episode
add to your understanding of them?
Answers will vary.
2 What did you find most interesting in this Episode? Thinking of the young people in your life what
do you think they would find most interesting?
Answers will vary.
3 Fr. Spitzer mentioned that some hydrocephalic patients exhibit “genius level IQ” despite the fact
that their brains have sustained major damage. What does this suggest about the relationship between
consciousness and the body?
Consciousness seems to originate or be sustained somewhere other other than the physical body.
4 If you were talking to a young person in your life and they had heard of near-death experiences, but
thought they were simply imagined by patients, how could you respond?
Answers could refer to the evidence in the video, and especially the veridical evidence in section 3 of the
reading.
5 In terms of apologetics [the defense of the Catholic faith], what is the significance of the types of
sources reporting on near-death experiences? How can you use what you learned in this episode
with the young people in your life?
The variety of sources, and especially scientific sources, lends credibility to the experience of near-death
experiences. Scientific studies complement Church teaching when it comes to understanding life after death.
© Sophia Institute for Teachers Episode 1: Medical Evidence of Our Transphysical Soul
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EPISODE 9
Science and the
Shroud of Turin
Introduction
The Shroud of Turin is a simple linen burial cloth
that bears a photographic negative image of a
crucified man complete with accurate bloodstains
— an image that matches perfectly to the
description of the wounds Christ suffered during
His Crucifixion. Modern scientific examination of
the shroud has shown the image to be incredibly
anatomically accurate and, even more, that
it could not have been produced by any kind
of paint, dye, chemical, vapor, or scorching.
Recent tests have dated the shroud to roughly
the time of Christ and have circumstantially
placed its origin near the Sea of Galilee. Faced
with a growing body of evidence, it is difficult to
conclude anything other than that the Shroud
of Turin is the burial cloth of Christ mentioned in
the Gospels, and that it bears a miraculous image
of the moment of Jesus’ Resurrection. This
precious relic is powerful testimony to our faith
in Christ, the historicity of His Resurrection, and
His claims to be divine.
While participants may have a passing familiarity
with the Shroud of Turin, this Episode provides
detailed scientific analysis of the shroud
and the image it contains. For some, such empirical
evidence of Christ and His Crucifixion and
Resurrection can be powerfully convincing and
tip the scales in favor of belief.
68 © Magis Center

Episode at a Glance
Key Take-Aways
In this Episode, participants will understand that…
■ The Shroud of Turin contains a miraculous image of a crucified
man that all evidence suggests is Jesus Christ.
■ The scientific investigation of the Shroud of Turin validates the
Gospel narratives’ accounts of Jesus’ Passion.
Connections to
the Catechism
■ CCC 606–630
■ CCC 638–640
■ CCC 651–655
■ The scientific investigation of the Shroud of Turin shows that
the image has a supernatural origin, because it is scientifically
inexplicable.
■ Jesus’ Resurrection was not merely the resuscitation of His
body, but a powerful, glorious, light-filled event.
Notes
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© Sophia Institute for Teachers Episode 9: Science and the Shroud of Turin
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Focus and Reflection Questions
1 What, if anything, had you known about the Shroud before watching this Episode?
Answers will vary.
2 What point(s) about the Shroud of Turin stuck with you the most?
Possible responses cover all subject matter presented in the Episode.
3 How do we know the stains on the Shroud are blood, and furthermore human blood?
The stains contain chemical compounds and proteins only found in human blood, such as human hemoglobin,
immunoglobulins, and whole blood.
4 Think of how you could share what you’ve learned about the Shroud with young people in your life.
How would you explain the particle radiation hypothesis concerning the image on the Shroud, and/
or any other part of the Episode you found compelling?
Answers may vary. The image on the Shroud must be caused by exposure to radiation, since the image is only
impressed on the very top layer of the Shroud’s fibers. The current leading hypothesis is that Jesus’ body
underwent nuclear disintegration as He was resurrected. The flow of protons produced the image on the
Shroud, and the flow of neutrons irradiated the blood, giving it its red color, and reconstituted the carbon
bonds of the Shroud in a way that made it more resilient against age and decay.
5 Why do you think God gave us relics such as the Shroud which provide evidence of supernatural
occurrences?
Answers may vary. God intended for us to use our reason, among other things, to seek after Him.
© Sophia Institute for Teachers Episode 9: Science and the Shroud of Turin
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EPISODE 19
Why Would an All-Loving
God Allow Suffering?
Introduction
While we have learned that Jesus has redeemed
suffering by His Resurrection, we may still wonder
why He did not just eliminate it completely.
with the correct understanding of suffering,
however, we see the beauty and wisdom of
God’s plan unfold: a world that is benevolent and
beautiful, but not perfectly so, and is a setting
where the human spirit can come alive. If God’s
plan is to bring us to eternal life with Him through
our free choices, then He had to create a world
in which these choices could be made. When we
encounter suffering, we can find our inner courage
and resilience in the midst of challenges, and
actualize ourselves — that is, be who God made
us to be — in overcoming them.
As with the last Episode, the suffering your
participants have encountered in their own lives
and the context in which those sufferings were
faced will likely have shaped their understanding.
We can gently guide them towards reshaping
their outlook. Instead of asking, “Why does God
not stop hunger, or war, or any other form of
misery when He has the power to do so?” we can
turn that question around and ask “Why are we
not doing all we can to address those ills?”
152 © Magis Center

Episode at a Glance
Key Take-Aways
In this Episode, participants will understand that…
■ The Resurrection of Jesus and the suffering He endured for our
sake perfectly reveals God’s unconditional love for us.
■ Jesus Christ has changed the meaning of suffering – we now
have the ability to offer up our own suffering for the good of
others.
Connections to
the Catechism
■ CCC 301
■ CCC 601
■ CCC 1804
■ CCC 2015
■ There will be no suffering in our own resurrection.
■ Suffering is not only experienced by the unjust and it is not solely
the result of Original Sin.
Notes
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© Sophia Institute for Teachers Episode 19: Why Would an All-Loving God Allow Suffering?
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Focus and Reflection Questions
1 Fr. Spitzer described the chain of reasoning that leads some to conclude that suffering disproves
the existence of an all-powerful and all-loving God. How would you put that reasoning into your
own words?
The reasoning is that suffering exists, and God either can or cannot stop it. If he cannot stop it, then He is
not all-powerful and therefore not truly God. If he can stop it but chooses not to, then He is not all-loving.
2 Father Spitzer called something about this chain of reasoning “dead wrong” – what is the error, and
why is it important for helping others overcome doubt about God’s existence?
The idea that suffering is so completely bad that God must stop it is the idea that is dead wrong. Jesus Christ
has changed the meaning of suffering – we now have the ability to offer up our own suffering for the good
of others. There must be some good in suffering if God allows human beings to cause suffering to other
human beings, and allow the forces of nature to cause suffering.
3 What is the connection between suffering and freedom?
Real love requires a free choice. If we’re free to choose between loving and unloving actions, then suffering
from unloving choices is a necessary consequence. But without a free, self-initiated choice, there is no such
thing as love.
4 Have there been times in your life when difficult circumstances brought out strength and virtue you
did not know you had? How so?
Answers may vary.
5 Fr. Spitzer shared some of the good things that can come from suffering (especially suffering from
a self-destructive path). Thinking back on your own life, are there any parts of your story you can
use to share God’s love with others?
Answers may vary.
© Sophia Institute for Teachers Episode 19: Why Would an All-Loving God Allow Suffering?
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