In Unit 3 the children will learn about the birth of Jesus, the Son of God. They will find out how Jesus is still with them and what he teaches them about forgiveness. They will discover how Jesus prayed, and learn to pray as he did.
		Jesus Is God's Son 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 Mary is the mother of God's Son, Jesus. • learn that God sent his Son, Jesus, into our world to be our Savior. • discover how we can spread the Good News about Jesus with others. Background Throughout history, God has employed many kinds of messengers to communicate divine love. Often, the bearers of God's good news are angels. In Luke's Gospel, the Angel Gabriel announced God's invitation to Mary. Mary said yes under very perplexing circumstances. She was unmarried, and yet God was asking her to be a mother. As it turned out, Mary's yes brought very good news to the rest of the world; she gave birth to Jesus, God's own Son. The Gift of Jesus Indeed, the greatest piece of good news is that God sent his only Son, Jesus, to be our Savior. Because God gave us Jesus, who lived as we live and who died and was raised from the dead, we share in the divine life. Our lives as human beings have new meaning and purpose. Because of Jesus' birth, life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension, we are God's own sons and daughters. We have communion with God. We are empowered to fight evil and give witness to God's kingdom. Jesus is the greatest gift God has ever given to us. He brings us the wonderful news that God loves us and calls us to membership in his Church. He challenges us to bring God's healing love to our daily lives and relationships.
		We Celebrate the Gift of Eucharist 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 • recognize that the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass describes what Jesus did at the Last Supper. • realize that Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist. • learn how we can pray before the Blessed Sacrament. Background The Eucharistic Prayer at Mass is the Church's great prayer of praise and thanksgiving. We praise and thank God for the wonderful gift of creation and for the even more incredible gift of the Paschal mystery. In this chapter, the children will learn that the words of the Eucharistic Prayer narrate the Last Supper of Jesus. At this meal, Jesus changed bread and wine into his own Body and Blood. Our present-day liturgy arises from Jesus' words, "Do this in memory of me" (Luke 22:19). Since 1969 there have been four Eucharistic Prayers in The Roman Missal, along with three Eucharistic Prayers for children and two for Masses of Reconciliation. The Divine Presence In teaching this chapter, it is important not to convey the idea that there is a "magic moment" at Mass when Jesus begins to be present. We believe that Christ is present throughout the eucharistic liturgy–in the person of the priest, in the Christian assembly, in the Scripture readings, and in the bread and wine. Christ is also present in the consecrated hosts in the tabernacle. Saint Katharine Drexel is a good role model regarding eucharistic devotion. As her life reminds us, God invites all people to his table–regardless of race or nationality.
		Jesus Teaches Us About Forgiveness 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 • learn that God's laws help us choose what is right. • realize that when we choose to do something wrong, we sin. • understand that God wants us to be sorry when we do wrong, and that God is always ready to forgive us. Background Most children have an innate sense of right and wrong. We call this ability conscience. As Christians, we form our conscience according to Scripture and the teachings of the Church. Specifically, we turn to the Ten Commandments as guidelines in determining moral goodness and evil. The Ten Commandments help us live as disciples of Jesus. They help us know right from wrong. They help us choose what is good and avoid what is evil. When we obey the Ten Commandments, we are morally good. We also are happy. When we fail to be loving people, we sin. We hurt ourselves and other people. We alienate ourselves from God and our neighbor. God's Mercy In teaching this chapter, it is important to remember that God's mercy is always a gift. It is also important to remember that while God is always ready to forgive us, God will not force forgiveness on us. We must be sorry for the wrong we have done. We must ask God to forgive us. Then we will know the peace and happiness that come from God's mercy.
		We Pray with God's Words 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 • discuss some of the ways that Jesus prayed. • learn how to pray with a Gospel story. • appreciate meditation as a way of growing closer to Jesus. Background Children have wonderful imaginations. That is why now is a terrific time to teach them the prayer of meditation. Meditative prayer requires imagination. We put ourselves into a Scripture passage. We imagine what we would see, hear, think, and feel if we were really there. We try to listen to what God is saying to us. Jesus himself prayed with his heart and voice. Furthermore, he communicated mentally with God, his Father. Jesus used his imagination in prayer, even as an adult. Praying with Scripture Praying with Scripture was a favorite form of prayer for many saints. Saint Ignatius of Loyola, for example, prescribed certain passages for meditation throughout his thirty-day retreat. These passages continue to inspire people today with God's message of love and forgiveness. Luckily, we don't have to wait for a retreat in order to pray with Scripture. Each week at the Sunday liturgy we hear four passages from Scripture--usually two Old Testament readings including a psalm and two New Testament readings including the Gospel. Reading and praying with the Scripture readings before Mass is a good way to prepare for Mass. Praying with them after Mass is also a good way to discover how to incorporate God's word into our daily life.