Goal for the Life Night:
The goal of this night is to help the teens redefine how they think of human freedom and free will and to give them an opportunity to see that they choose between good and evil, between eternal life and death, and between being bound by sin and the freedom of righteousness. In addition, they should be reminded that their conscience and the Holy Spirit are here to help them utilize their freedom in the right way.
Life Night at a Glance:
This Life Night is based completely around the idea that, “The more one does that is good the freer one becomes” (CCC 1733). And, conversely, the more evil one partakes in the more bound to sin that person becomes. Pinocchio serves as the means to communicate this message. Gepetto, the Master Builder in this story, wants Pinocchio to become a “real” boy. He wakes up one night to find that his wooden puppet can walk and talk. Pinocchio is not yet a real boy and so he goes out to find out how he can become “real”. Pinocchio first tries to act like a real boy at a carnival where he hangs out with all the other real boys who are smoking and drinking and lying, etc. Of course, he ends up turning into a donkey (making a real ass of himself). It is only after he returns to Gepetto and chooses the right path that he does turn completely into a real boy and realizes his potential as Gepetto’s son (Son of the Master Builder). Like Pinocchio, we have a desire in our hearts to be real. We can choose the path of sin, which leads us away from God and into a puppet life style, a slave to sin. Or we can choose to listen to our conscience, to do good, and love God, which will lead us to keep it real and lead us to eternal life.