If The Hunger Games is dystopian, is Jesus utopian?
Part online spiritual retreat, part Bible study, part literary analysis, this study invites Christians to seriously consider and ponder -- perhaps for the first time -- Jesus's Way of Nonviolent Love of friends and enemies.
Over the course of 40 days, participants will listen to the first eight presentations in Rev. Emmanuel McCarthy's world renowned retreat Behold the Lamb, while reading (or listening to) the first book in Suzanne Collins' young adult trilogy, The Hunger Games. This study requires 60-90 minutes of reading, listening, and thinking every other day for 40 days (a 20-day study).
Students, young and old, will walk away with a better understanding of the perennial problem of violence in human society; better able to see it in the context of Church history, teaching, and tradition; and most importantly in the eternal light of the Gospels.
The ultimate goal of this study is to help participants grow in the virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love.
It is hoped that the activity of reading The Hunger Games while listening to the retreat will make the study of Gospel Nonviolence more compelling and more accessible to people of all ages, as the profound spiritual lessons can be immediately applied to the concrete (albeit fictional) situation in the story and more easily discussed.
This study is perfect for:
- book clubs,
- church groups,
- homeschool co-ops,
- and families.
It's easy to listen to on road trips and sure to spark great dinner conversation and debate! Parents are encouraged to do it with their teens. Recommended for students 14 and up.
Testimonial
"This course could truly be life changing for a family."
- Adult student in live class, summer 2023
The Lectures
Behold the Lamb is a professionally recorded retreat on the Nonviolent Jesus of the Gospels and His Way of Nonviolent Love of friends and enemies that was given by Emmanuel Charles McCarthy at Our Lady of Knock Shrine in Knock, Ireland, in March 1995. It consists of sixteen presentations, which collectively contain what is considered to be the most comprehensive and spiritually profound proclamation of Jesus’ vital Gospel message of Nonviolent Love. He takes as his central theme the Nonviolent Lamb of God and focuses on this biblical symbol and reality as the true icon and transcendental model for encountering God as revealed by Jesus, and for understanding and following the Way of God as taught by Jesus. Every Christian, every Christian Church, indeed all humanity, should ponder whether what is said here about God and God’s Way as made visible by Jesus, the Lamb of God, is THE GOOD NEWS for which each human being, consciously or subconsciously, ceaselessly yearns, whether what is said here genuinely fulfills the hopes and quenches the fears that universally reside at the deepest recesses of each human soul.
(Bread Alone covers the first eight presentations in Behold the Lamb.)
The Teacher (via recorded audio)
Fr. Emmanuel Charles McCarthy, born October 9, 1940, is a priest of one of the Eastern Catholic Churches, Byzantine-Melkite, in communion with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. He has been a Catholic priest for over forty years, ordained on August 9, 1981, in Damascus, Syria. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree with majors in philosophy and English from the University of Notre Dame in 1962. He received his Masters Degrees in English and in Theology from the same University. He earned his Doctorate in Jurisprudence from Boston College Law School in 1967 and was soon after admitted to the Massachusetts Bar for the practice of law. The cure of his daughter was the official miracle for the canonization of St. Teresia Benedicta a Cruce, St. Edith Stein, who was killed at Auschwitz.
(He has never read The Hunger Games. The book did not exist when he recorded the Behold the Lamb retreat in 1995.)
Testimonial
"...entertaining and engrossing. A wonderful learning and spiritual experience."
- Jim Kiefer (student in live class for adults, summer 2023)
The Materials
The Study Guide will help the student:
- pace learning
- check for understanding
- reflect on the material
- engage with the study personally, spiritually, creatively
- make connections
- and prepare for group discussions.
It also includes suggestions for Final Projects and enrichment.
The online course will:
- Provide access to the Behold The Lamb lectures, divided up according to the Study Guide for ease of listening;
- Include convenient links to the Catechism, Bible readings, and other sources;
- Include visuals to aid contemplation (not printed in the Study Guide so as to keep the price low);
- allow students to comment with their thoughts, observations, and impressions.
Testimonial
"My teen daughter and I took this class together. This was a great opportunity for me to meditate on the teachings of Jesus..."
-Adult learner, live class, summer 2023
The Guide/Moderator
Ellen Finnigan is author of Bread Alone: A Contemplative Study of The Hunger Games for Christians, and the creator of this course. She taught classical literature for ten years, and wishes she could have made this class a prerequisite for all her students of ancient Greek and Roman literature! She has also taught English Composition and Creative Writing at the high school level. She hosts the Catholics Against Militarism podcast, on which Rev. McCarthy has been a frequent guest. In 2022, she founded Teach to the Text to promote contemplative learning. Sign up for the newsletter below to stay informed about new courses!
(Ellen has read The Hunger Games. She is on Team Peeta!)
The Author
"I don't write about adolescence. I write about war. For adolescents."
-Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games
Testimonial
"...eye-opening and an informative... disturbing and provocative...in a good way..."
-Dan Tracy, age 60, Salt Lake City, student in live class, summer 2023
Curriculum Preview
Required
The Hunger Games is not included in your purchase. This is to help keep the price low so you have the option to borrow it from the library. Audiobook is fine, but the film will not work as a substitute for the book!
Supplemental
You can use any Bible with this study but The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible is recommended. The Study Guide includes references to commentary and word studies that are very helpful. If you choose to purchase it, it will pay off for years to come!
Supplemental
The online course will provide links to all sections referenced in the Catechism, but a hard copy will come in handy and make it easier to do your own research and independent study. If you choose to purchase it, it will pay off for years to come!
Testimonial
“Clergy and laity owe it to themselves, to the Church, to the world and to God to take time to prayerfully ponder what is said here [in Behold the Lamb]."
-Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Nobel Peace Prize Laurette from Northern Ireland
Note to Spanish Speakers
Las conferencias de audio y las transcripciones escritas para Behold The Lamb y su traducción al español, Ese es el Cordero, están disponibles para descargar en español sin costo alguno. Los Juegos del Hambre están disponibles para su compra en español, tanto en versión impresa como en audiolibro. La Guía de estudio está disponible solo en inglés y las sesiones en vivo se llevarán a cabo solo en inglés, pero los hispanohablantes podrán realizar la mayor parte de este curso en español y son bienvenidos a participar.
Behold the Lamb is available online in Spanish at no cost, both the audio lectures and the written transcripts. The Hunger Games is available in Spanish, both in print and on audiobook. The Study Guide is currently available only in English.
Interested in a live class for your group?
If you would like to have Ms. Finnigan lead your group in a series of online discussions throughout the course of your study, please contact her at:
Note About Religion and Participation
This Study is written from a Catholic perspective but for all Christians. It will be more personally challenging for believers, but it is open to anyone with an open mind!
“Fr. McCarthy’s retreat was the turning point in my conversion to Christian Nonviolence."
-Fr. George Zabelka,
Catholic Chaplain to the Hiroshima-Nagasaki bomb crews
Photograph: George Zabelka, 1945
Testimonials
"My teen daughter and I took this class together. This was a great opportunity for me to meditate on the teachings of Jesus, consider a perspective on non-violence from outside my own tradition, and expose my daughter to teaching on non-violence in a way that was accessible to her. I appreciate the conversations Ellen’s study guide facilitated, the tremendous number of cultural resources she collected and linked to further our study, and the opportunity to meet and hear from like-minded Christians. "
- Adult student in live class, summer 2023
* * *
"I would have loved to have studied the YA course with a teen-aged child, but alas my years of having a teen are behind me. I would highly recommend this course to parents with teenage students and believe the HG book is well chosen, the Father McCarthy lecture series is life-changing, and the study guide helps with student reflection. This course could truly be life changing for a family."
- Student in live class for adults, summer 2023
* * *
"I would highly recommend this course on Gospel Nonviolence. Ms. Finnigan is passionate about the subject matter and this comes across to her students. I learned a great deal from the lectures by Fr. McCarthy. I found the course to be entertaining and engrossing. A wonderful learning and spiritual experience."
- Jim Kiefer, adult student in live class, summer 2023
* * *
"The course was eye-opening and an informative way to look at the Gospel from a different perspective. It came at a good time during the summer as I was probably spending too much time watching YouTube videos and reading things on the internet, so the course provided a 'kick-in-the-behind' to do some reading. In addition to HG, I did some other reading too.
I found The Hunger Games book to be an easy read, and initially intended to pace myself following the daily 'assignments' but I ended up reading it through in a few days. This was the first time reading it, though I did watch the movie years ago while on a transpacific flight. So while reading it, I did have images of the movie playing out in my mind.
The 'assignments' helped us capture and understand messaging in The Hunger Games. The 'Behold the Lamb' lectures are a disturbing and provocative way in seeing the Gospel in a new light. I do not mean in a bad way, but in a very different and challenging way--frankly it bothered me (again, in a good way). Hopefully, I will be a better Christian for listening to these lectures."
- Dan Tracy, age 60, Salt Lake City, student in live class, summer 2023
* * *
“Fr. McCarthy’s retreat [Behold the Lamb] is a remarkable contribution to furthering the understanding of Christian Nonviolence—so urgent a need for Christians today. Clergy and laity owe it to themselves, to the Church, to the world and to God to take time to prayerfully ponder what is said here."
-Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Nobel Peace Prize Laurette from Northern Ireland
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