Grade 8

RELIGION BENCHMARKS

RELIGION CURRICULUM

JESUS CHRIST, THE WORD OF GOD, FOR THE SALVATION OF THE WORLD, BECAME FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US.  

JESUS CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF A BODY, THE CHURCH. 

JESUS, IN RESPONSE TO THE FATHER'S PLAN OF SALVATION, INSTITUTED THE CHURCH THROUGH HIS GIFT OF SELF.  

IT IS THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH TO CONTINUE TO BUILD THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND SPREAD T.HE GOSPEL TO THE WORLD. 

ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH GOD HAS BEEN REVEALED IS THROUGH THE SACRED HISTORY OF GOD'S PEOPLE AND THROUGH SACRED TRADITION.  

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES TELL THE STORY OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 

PENTECOST IS THE FEAST ON WHICH THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS REVEALED TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD. 

THE TEACHING AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH WAS GIVEN TO THE APOSTLES BY JESUS CHRIST AND HANDED DOWN THROUGH APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION.

THE CHURCH IS HIERARCHICAL IN STRUCTURE. 

THE SUCCESSORS OF THE APOSTLES, THE BISHOPS, ARE GIVEN THREE AUTHORITIES. 

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS RECOGNIZED BY FOUR MARKS. 

IN THE HISTORY OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD, THERE HAVE BEEN MANY TRIALS AND TRIUMPHS THAT SHAPE OUR IDENTITY AS THE CHURCH.

GOD REVEALS HIS COMMANDMENT TO1LOVE THROUGH EXAMPLE OF JESUS CHRIST LIFE AND MINISTRY.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS AND THE BEATITUDES FORM THE FOUNDATION FOR A MORAL LIFE.

TRUE CHRISTIAN HAPPINESS IS BASED ON THE GREAT COMMANDMENT: TO LOVE ABOVE ALL ELSE THE TRUE GOD AS REVEALED IN JESUS CHRIST AND TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.

CHRISTIANS ARE CALLED TO FOLLOW THE "GOLDEN RULE": DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU.

CONSCIENCE IS THE MOST BASIC AWARENESS OF RIGHT AND WRONG.

THROUGH PRAYER AND STUDY A GOOD CONSCIENCE REQUIRES LIFELONG FORMATION SHAPED BY THE COMMUNITY OF FAITH, THE MAGISTERIUM AND THE WORD OF GOD.

ALL HUMAN LIFE IS SACRED AND HAS DIGNITY FROM CONCEPTION TO NATURAL DEATH. CATHOLICS ARE CALLED TO PROTECT THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON FROM SUCH THREATS AS ABORTION, POVERTY, SUICIDE, EUTHANASIA, DEATH PENAL TY, ETC.

GOD'S GRACE PRECEDES, PREPARES AND DRAWS OUT A PERSON'S FREE WILL; GRACE PERFECTS ONE'S FREE WILL

PRECEPTS, GOOD WORKS, AND VIRTUES HELP. TO STRENGTHEN.THE FAITHFUL IN LIVING HOLY LIVES AND DOING GOOD WORKS.

LITURGY IS THE• PUBUC WORK OF THE BODY OF JESUS CHRIST, THE CHURCH.

JESUS CHRIST TAUGHT US HOW TO TREAT ONE ANOTHER WITH JUSTICE AND MERCY IN ORDER TO TRULY LIVE AS HIS

Faith Theme: The People of God.  

Faith Theme: Morality/ Our Life in Christ

Faith Theme: Worship and Liturgy

Faith Theme: Social Justice/Service 

The Incarnation is the fact that the Son of God assumed human nature and became man in order to accomplish our salvation in that same human nature. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity, is both true God and true man, not part God and part man.

A diversity of members in the various parishes are engaged in building up Christ's Body. While their functions (roles} maybe different they are all a part of the Body of Christ.  

The Church continues in response to Jesus' call of the Apostles, with Peter as head. The popes as successors of Peter, the Magisterium as successors of the Apostles, and all the laity, continue spreading the Good News.

The community of the Trinity is the model for the community of the Church. 

The Kingdom Of God (Of Heaven} is the reign or rule of God. It is the righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, of which Jesus Christ gave to his Apostles for the work of proclaiming the Kingdom. 

We are all called to participate in the proclamation of Jesus Christ and his Gospel by word and testimony of life, in fulfillment of his command.  

Sacred Tradition comes from the apostles and is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical, or devotional traditions born in the local churches over time. 

Sacred Scripture and Apostolic Tradition are modes of Divine Revelation. The task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome (the Pope).

In the Acts of the Apostles the communal life of the baptized was expressed in devotion to the teachings of the apostles, breaking bread, and in prayers. 

The Holy Spirit is the third divine Person of the Blessed Trinity, the personal love of Father and Son for each other.  

Pentecost is important in salvation history because it is the beginning of the Church's ministry which has continued through the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the Magisterium, liturgy, in the witness of the saints, and in the whole work of salvation.  

The day of Pentecost has Jewish roots as the Feast of Weeks, a holy day to be observed by the Jews.  

Apostolic succession is the handing on of apostolic preaching and authority from the Apostles to their successors the bishops through the laying on of hands, as a permanent office in the Church. 

The authority of Peter as Pope is handed to his successors throughout the Church's history. 

Infallibility is the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church whereby the pope, pastor of the Church, and bishops in union with him, can definitively proclaim a doctrine of faith or morals for the belief of the faithful.  

The divinely instituted ecclesiastical ministry is exercised in different degrees by those who even from ancient times have been called bishops, priests, and deacons. Two degrees of ministerial participation in the priesthood of Christ are the episcopacy and the presbyterate. The diaconate is intended to help serve them.  

The Bishops, as successors of the Apostles, have the authority and duty to teach, govern and sanctify the People of God. 

The Catholic Church has four marks. It is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. Each mark has an essential meaning for the Church and its mission.

Within the history of the Church, we are given many unique individuals whose lives model for us the Universal Call to Holiness.

Saints are models of discipleship, the "holy one" who leads life in union with God through grace of Jesus Christ and receives the reward of eternal life.

Martyrs witness to the truth of the faith. The martyr endures even death to be faithful to Jesus Christ.

To live as a disciple of Jesus Christ one must use him as the example of a full and moral life.

The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes help the faithful make choices and live out daily situations.

"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

The "Golden Rule" is relational since each person is called to treat others with respect, 3.1.1 dignity, and love as each person would expect to be treated by others.

Conscience is a judgment of reason by which the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act.

The faithful must continue throughout a lifetime to develop a formed conscience according to the Word of God and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Right judgment requires the faithful to listen to God's truth and practice virtue.

The Church's teachings with respect to the dignity of the human person maintain that the rights of the human person are prior to society. Cultural influences must always be evaluated in this light.

The Church teaches that the equality of all people rests essentially on their dignity as persons and principles of Social Justice flow from this truth. Social Justice principles must address issues of age, physical and mental abilities and benefits that come from social commerce and distribution of wealth.

Just as a covenant is a sacred relationship between God and a human being, sacramental marriage mirrors that covenant through exclusive and faithful love.

Free will and intellect, or reason, make people responsible for their actions to live a moral life.

Grace is the free and undeserved gift from God by which Christians are united with him and empowered to love him. There are four kinds of grace: sanctifying, actual, sacramental and charisms (the grace of one's state in life).

As a consequence of Original Sin man lost the grace of original holiness, and became subject to the law of death; sin became universally present in the world. Human nature is described as being in a fallen state.

Any deliberate thought, word, deed or omission against God's law is a sin. Sin is a personal act for which a person is responsible. Personal Sin is to be distinguished from Original Sin.

Venial sins do not break one's relationship with God, but they weaken it.

Mortal sin is knowingly and willingly choosing to do something that is gravely contrary to God's law. It is a serious, deliberate failure in one's love and respect for God, one's neighbor, creation and oneself.

The Theological Virtues are Faith, Hope and Charity (Love). They are keys to develop the attitude necessary to live a life in keeping with the Gospel and the commands of Jesus.

The Cardinal Virtues of Temperance, Justice, Fortitude and Prudence make it possible to respond effectively to the Theological Virtues.

The precepts of the Church are standards that Catholics observe to live a Christian life in the Catholic community.

The laity, consecrated religious and ordained ministers are called to join in the work and prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. The Liturgy of the Hours is the daily public prayer of the Church, prayed at regular intervals throughout the day.

The Church marks time with a Liturgical Calendar, in order to sanctify our days.

The Bishop calls the faithful to "full, active and conscious participation" in the Liturgy; especially, the Sunday Eucharistic Celebration, the central liturgical action of the faithful.

The Seven Sacraments are celebrated as part of the Liturgical work of the Church and help the faithful to lead lives directed towards Jesus Christ.

The message of justice and mercy in the Beatitudes is central to the New Covenant.

The Church gives us 7 points of Social Teaching by which to model our lives.

Every disciple of Jesus Christ has a responsibility to serve those in need through the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.

JESUS CHRIST, THE WORD OF GOD, FOR THE SALVATION;OF THE WORLD, BECAME FLESH AND DWELT AMONG MANKIND.

JESUS CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF A BODY, THE CHURCH. 

JESUS, IN RESPONSE TO THE FATHER'S PLAN OF SALVATION,. INSTITUTED THE CHURCH THROUGH HIS GIFT OF SELF.

IT IS THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH TO CONTINUE TO BUILD THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND SPREAD THE GOSPEL TO THE WORLD. 

ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH GOD HAS BEEN REVEALED IS THROUGH THE SACRED HISTORY OF GOD'S PEOPLE AND THROUGH SACRED·TRADITION.

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES TELL-1iHE STORY OF THE EARLY CHURCH.  

PENTECOST IS THE FEAST ON WHICH THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS REVEALED TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD.  

THE TEACHING AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH WAS GIVEN TO THE APOSTLES BY JESUS CHRIST AND HANDED DOWN THROUGH APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION. 

THE CHURCH IS HIERARCHICAL IN STRUCTURE

THE SUCCESSORS OF THE APOSTLES, THE BISHOPS, ARE GIVEN THREE AUTHORITIES. 

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS RECOGNIZED BY FOUR MARKS. 

IN THE HISTORY OF TH.E PEOPLE OF GOD, "FHERE HAVE BEEN MANY TRIALS AND TRIUMPHS THAT SHAPE OUR IDENTITY AS THE CHURCH. 

GOD REVEALS HIS COMMANDMENT TO LOVE THROUGH THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS CHRIST LIFE AND MINISTRY.

LIVING THE COMMANDMENT TO LOVE STRENGTHENS THE COMMON GOOD OF ALL THE MEMBERS OF SOCIETY. 

THE JEN COMMANDMENTS AND THE BEATITUDES FORM THE FOUNDATION FOR A MORAL LIFE. 

TRUE CHRISTIAN HAPPINESS IS BASED ON THE GREAT COMMANDMENT: TO LOVE ABOVE ALL ELSE THE TRUE GOD AS REVEALED IN JESUS CHRIST AND TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.  

CHRISTIANS ARE CALLED TO FOLLOW THE "GOLDEN RULE": DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU.  

NATURAL LAW IS THE PART OF MORAL LAW THAT IS ACCESSIBLE TO ALL PEOPLE THROUGH THE USE OF REASON REFLECTING ON THE NATURE OF WHAT IS TO BE HUMAN. IT REMAINS VALID IN ALL TIMES AND PLACES. 

CONSCIENCE IS THE MOST BASIC AWARENESS OF RIGHT AND WRONG.  

THROUGH PRAYER AND STUDY A GOOD CONSCIENCE REQUIRES LIFELONG FORMATION SHAPED BY THE COMMUNITY OF FAITH, THE MAGISTERIUM AND THE WORD OF GOD.

SACRED TRADITION, AS THE LIVING TRANSMISSION OF GOD'S TRUTH TO THE CHURCH, SERVES TO HELP PEOPLE THROUGH THE GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, TO KNOW HOW TO LISTEN TO AND RESPOND TO GOD IN PRAYER AND IN OUR DECISIONS. 

THE MAGISTERIUM IS THE CHURCH'S AUTHENTIC TEACHER IN MATTERS OF MORALITY

THE CHURCH'S MORAL AND SOCIAL TEACHINGS ARE ROOTED IN THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF THE SACREDNESS OF EVERY PERSON.

ALL HUMAN LIFE IS SACRED AND HAS DIGNITY FROM CONCEPTION TO NATURAL DEATH. CATHOLICS ARE CALLED TO PROTECT THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON FROM SUCH THREATS AS ABORTION, POVERTY, SUICIDE, EUTHANASIA, DEATH PENAL TY, ETC. 

TO BE MORAL MEANS TO TURN AWAY FROM SIN AND COOPERATE WITH GOD'S GRACE IN EXERCISING ONE'S FREE WILL.

GOD'S GRACE PRECEDES, PREPARES AND DRAWS OUT A PERSON'S FREE WILL; GRACE PERFECTS ONE'S FREE WILL. 

HUMANS, HAVING.BEEN WOUNDED IN NATURE BY ORIGINAL SIN, ARE SUBJECT TO IGNORANCE, SUFFERING AND THE DOMINION OF DEATH; AND INCLINED TO SIN - AN INCLINATION TO EVIL CALLED CONCUPISCENCE

PRECEPTS, GOOD WORKS, AND VIRTUES HELP. TO STRENGTHEN THE FAITHFUL IN LIVING HOLY LIVES AND DOING GOOD WORKS. 

LITURGY IS THE PUBLIC WORK OF THE BODY OF JESUS CHRIST, THE CHURCH.

JESUS CHRIST TAUGHT US HOW TO TREAT ONE ANOTHER WITH JUSTICE AND MERCY IN ORDER TO TRULY LIVE AS HIS DISCIPLES.

The Incarnation is the fact that the Son of God assumed human nature and became man in order to accomplish our salvation in that same human nature. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity, is both true God and true man, not part God and part man.  

Jesus Christ is the center of salvation history. God has revealed himself fully by sending his own Son, in whom he has established his covenant forever. The Son is his Father's definitive Word; so there will be no further Revelation after him.  

A diversity of members in the various parishes are engaged in building up Christ's Body. While their functions (roles) maybe different they are all a part of the Body of Christ.  

The Church continues in response to Jesus' call of the Apostles, with Peter as head. The popes as successors of Peter, the Magisterium as successors of the Apostles, and all the laity, continue spreading the Good News.

The community of the Trinity is the model for the community of the Church.

The Kingdom Of God (Of Heaven) is the reign or rule of God. It is the righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, of which Jesus Christ gave to his Apostles for the work of proclaiming the Kingdom. 

We are all called to participate in the proclamation of Jesus Christ and his Gospel by word and testimony of life, in fulfillment of his command.  

Sacred Tradition comes from the apostles and is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical, or devotional traditions born in the local churches  over time.  

Sacred Scripture and Apostolic Tradition are modes of Divine Revelation. The task of interpretation has been entrusted to the  bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome (the Pope).  

In the Acts of the Apostles the communal life of the baptized was expressed in devotion to the teachings of the apostles, breaking bread, and in prayers. 

The primacy held by Saint Peter in the early church is evidenced in the Acts of the Apostles. 

In the early church different ministries grew out of the communal life.  

The Holy Spirit is the third divine Person of the Blessed Trinity, the personal love of Father and Son for each other.  

Pentecost is important in salvation history because it is the beginning of the Church's ministry which has continued through the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the Magisterium, salvation.

The day of Pentecost has Jewish roots as the Feast of Weeks, a holy day to be observed by the Jews.

Apostolic succession is the handing on of apostolic preaching and authority from the Apostles to their successors the bishops through the laying on of hands, as a permanent office in the  Church.  

An Apologist is an early Church Father who wrote or preached in defense of the faith. 

Apostolic Fathers are always timely witnesses in the Tradition, as they help to transmit the faith, guided by the Holy Spirit.  

The authority of Peter as Pope is handed to his successors throughout the Church's history.  

Infallibility is the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church whereby the pope, pastor of the Church and bishops in union with him, can definitively proclaim a doctrine of faith or morals for the belief of the faithful.  

The divinely instituted ecclesiastical ministry is exercised in different degrees by those who even from ancient times have been called bishops, priests, and deacons. Two degrees of ministerial participation in the priesthood of Christ are the episcopacy and the presbyterate. The diaconate is intended to help serve them.  

The Bishops, as successors of the Apostles, have the authority and duty to teach, govern and sanctify the People of God. 

The Catholic Church has four marks. It is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. Each mark has an essential meaning for the Church and its mission.  

Within the history of the Church, we are given many unique individuals whose lives model for us the Universal Call to Holiness. 

Saints are models of discipleship, the "holy one" who leads life in union with God through grace of Jesus Christ and receives the reward of eternal life. 

Martyrs witness to the truth of the faith. The martyr endures even death to be faithful to Jesus Christ. 

To live as a disciple of Jesus Christ one must use him as the example of a full and moral life.  

There is a difference between freedom in law and freedom from law for freedom is the power to act or not to act, and so to perform deliberate acts of one's own. Freedom attains perfection in its acts when directed toward God, the sovereign Good. 

Respect for the human person considers the other "another self." It presupposes respect for the dignity intrinsic of the person. Solidarity is an eminently Christian virtue. It practices the sharing of spiritual goods even more than material ones.  

The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes help the faithful make choices and live out daily situations.  

"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." 

The "Golden Rule" is relational since each person is called to treat others with respect, dignity, and love as each person  would expect to be treated by others.  

The natural law is written and engraved in the soul of each and every person, because it is human reason ordaining to do good and forbidding the person to sin. The New Law is the grace of the Holy Spirit received by faith in Christ, operating through charity.  

Conscience is a judgment of reason by which the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act.

The faithful must continue throughout a lifetime to develop a formed conscience according to the Word of God and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Right judgment requires the faithful to listen to God's truth and practice virtue.

Throughout the history of the Church, Sacred Tradition has aided the faithful in understanding and discerning the right judgments of conscience. 

The pastoral duty of the Magisterium is aimed at seeing that the People of God abide in the Truth that liberates.

The Magisterium of the Church teaches and interprets the moral choices for the faithful. It is ordinarily exercised through catechesis and preaching.

The Church's moral and social teachings must guide the People of God in every age and each person must assume responsibility for acts performed. The Church's teaching reflects culture in each era of history. 

The Church's teachings with respect to the dignity of the human person maintain that the rights of the human person are prior to society. Cultural influences must always be evaluated in this light. 

The Church teaches that the equality of all people rests essentially on their dignity as persons and principles of Social Justice flow from this truth. Social Justice principles must address issues of age, physical and mental abilities and benefits that come from social commerce and distribution of wealth. 

Just as a covenant is a sacred relationship between God and a human being, sacramental marriage mirrors that covenant through exclusive and faithful love. 

Through the Church's administering of the sacraments, Jesus Christ continues to reach out to sinners and offers redemption to all.

Each person must will to repent and be saved. By acknowledging faults, the human person asks to share in Jesus Christ's mercy. Actively participating in the sacraments leads the faithful to true conversion and correct moral decision making.  

The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it. It is the sanctifying or deifying grace received in Baptism. 

Free will and intellect, or reason, make people responsible for their actions to live a moral life. 

Grace is the free and undeserved gift from God by which Christians are united with him and empowered to love him. There are four kinds of grace: sanctifying, actual, sacramental and charisms {the grace of one's state of life). 

The morality of human acts depends on: the object chosen; the end in view or the intention; and the circumstances of the action.  

As a consequence of Original Sin man lost the grace of original holiness, and became subject to the law of death; sin became universally present in the world. Human nature is described as being in a fallen state. 

Any deliberate thought, word, deed or omission against God's law is a sin. Sin is a personal act for which a person is responsible. Personal Sin is to be distinguished from Original Sin. 

Venial sins do not break one's relationship with God, but they weaken it. 

Mortal sin is knowingly and willingly choosing to do something that is gravely contrary to God's law. It is a serious, deliberate failure in one's love and respect for God, one's neighbor, creation and oneself.  

The Theological Virtues are Faith, Hope and Charity (Love). They are keys to develop the attitude necessary to live a life in keeping with the Gospel and the commands of Jesus. 

The Cardinal Virtues of Temperance, Justice, Fortitude and Prudence make it possible to respond effectively to the Theological Virtues.  

The precepts of the Church are standards that Catholics observe to live a Christian life in the Catholic community. 

The laity, consecrated religious and ordained ministers are called to join in the work and prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. The Liturgy of the Hours is the daily public prayer of the Church, prayed at regular intervals throughout the day.  

The Church marks time with a Liturgical Calendar, in order to sanctify our days. 

The Bishop calls the faithful to "full, active and conscious participation" in the Liturgy; especially, the Sunday Eucharistic Celebration, the central liturgical action of the faithful. 

The Seven Sacraments are celebrated as part of the Liturgical work of the Church and help the faithful to lead lives directed towards Jesus Christ. 

The liturgy has undergone changes throughout the history of the Church in order to better serve the needs of the faithful. 

The message of justice and mercy in the Beatitudes is central to the New Covenant.  

The Old Testament and New Testament both contain scriptural stories that guide the faithful in living lives of justice and mercy. 

The Saints provide us with examples of how to live justly and with compassion for others.  

The Church gives us 7 points of Social Teaching by which to model our lives.  

The Magisterium has given us guidance in the form of encyclicals and letters to help us live just lives.  

Every disciple of Jesus Christ has a responsibility to serve those in need through Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.