In Unit 2 the focus is on Jesus who teaches how God is a loving Father. God is the Creator of everything. We are called to love God, other people, and ourselves.
		God Is Our Loving Father Prior to presenting each chapter, refer to the TAKE HOME FAMILY TIME pages in your child's book, or print out these pages from TAKE HOME FAMILY TIME. Learning Focus This chapter will help the children • understand that God created all things to show his love. • realize that God cares for us and for all that he creates. • discuss ways that we can care for God's creation. Background God reveals himself to us in many ways. One of the most wondrous and visible ways is through creation. We believe that God made all things in the universe. We also believe that all things–trees, flowers, animals, rocks, clouds, sun, planets, rivers, and people–show us God's eternal love and goodness. Some widespread heresies in church history have taught that God is good but that the world (God's creation) is evil. Some heresies have regarded "spirit" as good but physical matter as bad. Nothing could be farther from the truth we believe as Christians. We believe the Creation story found in Genesis teaches us that God is good and that everything God creates is also good. God loves creation and asks people to take good care of it. Responding to God's Love We respond to God's gift of creation by helping people in need, by caring for plants and animals, and by protecting the environment. Whenever we show our love and care for the world, we give God thanks for the awesome gift of life. Such thanksgiving is a basic attitude of Christian prayer and worship. It is our fitting response to the Creator's love.
		Baptism Is a Wonderful Gift Prior to presenting each chapter, refer to the TAKE HOME FAMILY TIME pages in your child's book, or print out these pages from TAKE HOME FAMILY TIME. Learning Focus This chapter will help the children • appreciate Baptism as a celebration of becoming a member of the Christian community. • realize that God's gift of grace is his loving presence in our lives. • recognize holy water as a sign of God's gift of new life. Background We become members of the Christian community through the Sacraments of Initiation–Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. Since the restoration of the catechumenate, more and more Catholics are coming to appreciate the meaning of Baptism in Christian life. Baptism is not an event that happens once and then is over. Its grace continues to animate us in Christ each day throughout life. Our new lives consist of ongoing conversions–turning away from evil and embracing the Gospel. A Sign of Conversion Water is a powerful sign of rebirth used in the Rite of Baptism. It recalls the first creation, when the Spirit of God swept over the primeval waters. It reminds us of the waters of the great flood through which God purified the human race and saved Noah. It represents the waters of the Red Sea, through which the Israelites passed from slavery to freedom. It symbolizes Jesus' own baptism in the Jordan River, as well as his death and Resurrection. The water of Baptism is indeed "living water." It is a sign of conversion, our promise to God to "repent and believe in the Gospel." Whenever we make the Sign of the Cross with holy water or are sprinkled with holy water at Mass, we remember our baptismal call to live as good members of the Church and followers of Jesus Christ.
		God Made Us to Be Good and Holy Prior to presenting each chapter, refer to the TAKE HOME FAMILY TIME pages in your child's book, or print out these pages from TAKE HOME FAMILY TIME. Learning Focus This chapter will help the children • understand that God made us to be good and holy. • realize that God wants us to be happy with him forever in heaven. • list ways that we can show our love for God and other people. Background Since the beginning of time, human beings have wondered about the purpose of their existence. To Christians, the answer seems simple: God made us to know, love, and serve him, and to be happy with him in heaven. This answer, however, presupposes faith. First, we must believe in a good and loving God, and we must believe that God made us. Second, we must believe that God created us like himself, in his own image and likeness. God breathed his own life within us. Our destiny is heaven, eternal life and happiness with God. Holiness and Happiness For Christians, holiness and happiness are connected. We become holy by striving to be like God–loving, compassionate, kind, and merciful. We find happiness by striving to be good and holy. This belief is the basis of our Christian faith and morality. All people have dignity and are valuable because they are made in God's image. They have an immortal soul that is destined to live with God forever. In all our words and actions, we are to have a profound respect for the human life God created. We are to love others as God loves them. Although we will only experience the fullness of heaven after death, we can begin to experience it now in life by loving God and loving others.
		We Give Thanks to God Prior to presenting each chapter, refer to the TAKE HOME FAMILY TIME pages in your child's book, or print out these pages from TAKE HOME FAMILY TIME. Learning Focus This chapter will help the children • explain how God is like a good father. • realize that Jesus taught us to call God our Father. • learn how we can thank God in prayer. Background The Lord's Prayer is a basic prayer common to all Christians. In it, we state our belief that God is the loving Father of all people. He is a good parent, infinitely better than our human parents could ever be. We are God's sons and daughters; we are to love each other as brothers and sisters of Jesus. Although God may not give us everything we ask for in prayer, God will always give us what we need to be truly happy, both in this world and in the next. In this chapter, the children will hear the Scripture story about Jesus and the ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19). They will learn the importance of giving God thanks and praise. Like the leper who returned to thank Jesus, we should take nothing good in life for granted. Even our health is God's gift to us. God's Many Gifts When we reflect upon God's actions in our lives, we come to a startling realization: Everything we have is a gift from God. Our very being is God's gift of love to us. This realization is indeed awesome; it fills us with a sense of wonder and profound gratitude.