1 2 Jesus Is Our Friend understand that Jesus, our Savior, invites us to be his friends. When Jesus came to bring salvation to the world, he came not only as our Lord and Savior, but also as our friend. The Lord who is above all, who is incomprehensible, and who is Holy Mystery, desires our friendship. Jesus Christ is our friend. He loves and cares for us and longs to be one with us. Jesus considered himself a friend to us when he said, You are my friends if you do what I command you. (John 15:14) The Gospels are rich with stories about Jesus friendship with people from all walks of life. And Jesus especially loved children. It is not uncommon in Catholic tradition to speak of Jesus as a friend. In being our friend, Jesus models how we are to relate to one another. Just as he calls us friend, so we are to call each of our sisters and brothers friends. We are to care for one another as Jesus cares for us. Mark 10:13 16 Jesus Blesses the Children. John 15:14 Being Jesus Friend Matthew 28:20 Jesus Is Always with Us. Luke 18:16 Jesus Calls the Children to Himself. Mark 16:15 Share the Good News. 425, 617 618, 2157 tell the story of Jesus and his love for the little children. explain how Jesus invites him or her to come to him. explain that a cross or crucifix is a visible reminder of Jesus love as shown through his Death and Resurrection. describe the Sign of the Cross as a blessing and a sign that Jesus friends use to express their love for him. make the Sign of the Cross with reverence. Christ Jesus crucifix an image of Jesus on the Cross bless to ask that the power of God s goodness come upon that person or object God Is the Giver of Gifts understand that we were made like God and given many gifts. Poets capture in words the wonder of the world and the vitality of life. Their sensitivity to sights, sounds, and feelings helps us see familiar things in new ways and increases our awareness of the greatness of God. The psalmist, reflecting on how the human person surpasses the other marvels of creation, says When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars that you set in place What are humans that you are mindful of them, mere mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them little less than a god, crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them rule over the works of your hands, put all things at their feet: Psalm 8:4 7 Psalm 139:14 Psalm of Praise Mark 16:15 Share the Gospel. 299, 301, 355 358, 422 describe the gifts of God s love that are experienced each day. explain that God s love is known through the love of the people in their lives. explain that God s gifts are for sharing. explain that we are made in the image of God. describe God s never-failing care for creation. Trinity angels creatures God made that are pure spirits creation everything God made image a likeness; something that is like another thing in form 40 Home Learning Guide www.christourlife.com
3 4 God Calls Us understand that we are called to believe in God and to do what God asks. God is always calling each one of us to himself. God calls us in many different ways, even in the most ordinary situations. God s call is an election to a particular work in his plan of salvation. It is also a promise of help and blessing if we have faith in God and respond trustingly to this call. In whatever manner it is given to us, each call contains a personal challenge directed to the deepest level of our sense of moral responsibility. God awaits our response, for although God is the Lord, the events of history depend upon people s response to God s call. Abraham and Ruth are models of fidelity to the call of God. Both Abraham and Ruth received the gift of faith. Both were blessed in many other ways, especially by progeny who were direct ancestors of Jesus. Like our ancestors in faith, we too are called to holiness, to sanctity. Genesis 12 21 God s Promises to Abraham The Book of Ruth Ruth Responds in Faith. 144 146, 2156 2159, 2653 recognize the importance of his or her name and take pride in it. name ways God calls and speaks to us, especially through the Bible. describe the stories of Abraham and Ruth. compare our journey of faith with Abraham s. describe the meaning of faith. Abram Abraham s name before God changed it Canaan the Promised Land Haran country from which Abram was called Sarai Sarah s name before God changed it Boaz Naomi s kinsman who marries Ruth Israel the land occupied by the descendants of Jacob (to whom God gave the name Israel) Moab ancient kingdom east of the Dead Sea God Reveals Himself to Us Through His Son understand that God reveals himself in many ways but especially through his Son, Jesus. God reveals himself to us in two basic ways: natural and supernatural. In natural Revelation, God makes himself known through the world of creation. In supernatural Revelation, God communicates by divine speech, as he did through the prophets and through his Son, Jesus. Gerard Manley Hopkins, viewing creation with the eye of a poet and the heart of a mystic, exclaimed: The world is charged with the grandeur of God. from God s Grandeur In supernatural communication, God speaks through others. The prophets, for example, were seers chosen by God to bring his Revelation to us. In the person of Christ, however, God himself speaks to the members of the human race. Psalm 104 Praise of God the Creator John 20:24 29 Jesus Appearance to Thomas 65, 150 152, 293 294, 457 458 explain that God is a Trinity of three Persons. explain that we receive a share in God s life at Baptism. explain how God reveals himself through creation and through Jesus, and how Jesus reveals the Father to us. discuss how Jesus helped Thomas believe in him. explain that faith is a special gift from God and describe how we come to know about God today. describe how people can help him or her know and believe in Jesus. Hebrews prophets deceive to make someone believe something untrue eternal life life that will never end; living forever in heaven with God faith belief in God; a gift received at Baptism www.christourlife.com part 2 Working With Your Children and Christ Our Life: New Evangelization Edition 41
5 6 We Are a Worshiping People understand that we worship God through prayer, service, and sacrifices, as Jesus did. Our highest calling as human beings is to recognize and respond to God. As we contemplate God, we are irresistibly drawn to praise him for his glory and to thank him for all he has given us. We humbly petition God, trusting that he is with us and will always help us. The earthly life of Jesus was one of glorification of the Father. His every thought, word, and act gave praise. Indeed, Christ s last gift to us was the Eucharist, the offering of himself in joyful praise to the Father. What Jesus did we also do. We are truly a worshiping people a people who belong to God and are aware of his creative power at work within us and among us. We give ourselves in worship to the Lord each day by our prayers and by the loving service we give to others. Deuteronomy 6:4 9 The Great Commandment Psalm 95:1 6 A Call to Praise Revelation 15:3 4 Giving God Praise 2095 2100, 2104 explain why we worship God and identify ways to praise God. identify ways the Israelites responded to God s love. indicate that Jesus taught Christians how to worship and identify the Eucharist as the greatest act of worship. identify both personal and communal prayer as ways to worship God. identify loving service, especially to those in need, as a way to worship God. alleluia synagogue a building that is a center of Jewish prayer worship honor and praise given to God The Bible Reveals God s Saving Love understand that we come to know God and Jesus through Scripture. Beginning with Abraham, God revealed himself at specific times, in specific places, to specific people, for the sake of our salvation. The record of this communication has been faithfully transmitted through the ages, first orally and then in writing. Catholic Tradition has always held that God s revelation in the Bible is true, for the Church has always believed in the divine origin of the Scriptures. God s Word can radically change our lives as it changed the life of Saint Augustine. After years of reckless living, Augustine s life was changed when he read the following Scripture passage: Let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and licentiousness, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh. Romans 13:13 14 That message was the catalyst that converted Saint Augustine, turning him away from sin and toward the Lord. Isaiah 43:1 I Have Called You by Name. Luke 24:13 35 The Road to Emmaus Ephesians 5:8 Live as Children of Light. 102, 151 compare ways of coming to know people with ways of coming to know God. explain that God s self-revelation is in the Bible. describe how to read the Bible as a Catholic. identify Scripture and Tradition as forming one sacred deposit. know that God s main message in the Bible is I love you. Old Testament 42 Home Learning Guide www.christourlife.com
7 8 The Impact of Jesus Jesus the Son of God understand that Jesus, our Savior, is the Son of God and a human being. Christians believe that Jesus is the Way to the Father, to eternal happiness. We believe that he is the second Person of the Trinity, the beloved Son who exists in a community of love with the Father and the Holy Spirit. These three Persons are eternal and equal. They were all present at creation, and as the One God, they achieve our salvation in history. The love the Father has for us prompted him to send his Son to become one of us so that we could join with them. In loving obedience, the Son became incarnate in Jesus and taught us the meaning of love. Jesus revealed God to us and, through his life, suffering, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, became our Savior and Lord. Now in his humanity, he is with the Father, while we are able to share in divinity through grace and the power of the Holy Spirit. John 10:30 The Father nd I Are One. Colossians 1:15 Image of the Invisible God 464 469 express an awareness of God s unconditional love. relate that he or she has value and is worth loving. recognize the need to grow in all aspects of life. identify Jesus as Son of God, true God and true Man, and Savior. explain some of the implications of the Incarnation. express who Jesus is for him or her now. eternal life Incarnation Abba Father or Daddy, how Jesus addressed God Jesus the Son of God as a human being; the Savior Paschal Mystery the suffering, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Savior Jesus, who saved us from sin and death Trinity the mystery of one God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit A Community of Disciples understand that the Church is the community of disciples, the Body of Christ, loved and redeemed by Christ. It was Jesus mission to reveal the mystery of God and our relationship to God. Through images, Jesus shared aspects of the mystery of the Church. He used the symbol of leaven to indicate that the kingdom would extend throughout the world. To show that we are bonded to him and find life through him, he likened our relationship with him to branches grafted to a vine. In comparing the Church to a sheepfold, Jesus emphasized his care for us. The Church is a mystery because Christ is present in the Church and the Holy Spirit is guiding it. The Church is also a mystery because it is a sign of the Kingdom of God. Each of us is a small but vital part of the holy and splendid mystery of the Church. We are the leaven in Christ s parable; we are the living branches grafted onto Christ and rooted in him; we are the sheep of his pasture; we are the Church, and Mary is our Mother. Luke 13:20 21 The Leaven John 10:1 16 The Sheepfold John 15:1 8 The Vine and the Branches 1 Corinthians 12:12 31 The Body of Christ 781 798, 829, 963 975 explain that the Church is a mystery. identify scriptural images of the Church. explain that he or she is responsible for making Christ and his Church present to others. explain why Mary is called the Mother of the Church. describe the role of the Spirit in the Church. Church Communion of Saints mystery sanctify Second Vatican Council www.christourlife.com part 2 Working With Your Children and Christ Our Life: New Evangelization Edition 43
GATHER AND GO FORTH CHAPTERS 1 25 Gather and Go Forth S 1-8 FOCUS: The new Gather and Go Forth pages at the end of every chapter respond directly to the Church s call for a New Evangelization. Material shows children how to know, proclaim, witness, share, and invite others to the Good News of Jesus Christ. The new pages encourage children to turn their hearts to God, share with others the Good News through their words and deeds, and take an active part in the life of the Church. Children live their faith and the goals of the New Evangelization when they use various features of the Gather and Go Forth pages: Scripture sidebar Scripture in every chapter helps children grow in understanding and love for God s Word, persuading them to embrace Jesus Christ and his Way. Know and Proclaim Faith facts and associated practices show children our unique identity as a Catholic people so children can be confident inviting others to faith. Test Your Catholic Knowledge A question that aligns with the NCEA IFG: ACRE provides practice in test taking and promotes children s understanding of a key faith concept. A Catholic to Know A brief biography of a saint shows a heroic life of Catholic witness who encourages children to live a life of holiness as a disciple of Jesus Christ. My Way to Faith statements allow children time to reflect on their Catholic beliefs so they can assess where they are on their path to holiness and where they d like to be! Share Your Faith Children are evangelizers when they make a discipleship promise to others, keep it, and then invite others to do the same. 140 Home Learning Guide www.christourlife.com