In Unit 4 the children will learn about the Holy Spirit who comes to them in Baptism and Confirmation. In each chapter they will read about how the Holy Spirit helps and guides them.
		Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit 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 about Jesus' promise to send the Holy Spirit. • understand that the Holy Spirit is the gift of God's love. • discover how the Holy Spirit can help us and guide us. Background For most adults, the Holy Spirit is a mystery that continues to perplex them. They have only a vague sense of who the Holy Spirit is and how this Spirit works in their lives. Young children, however, seem to have an intuitive understanding of the Holy Spirit. They accept, without question, that the Holy Spirit is God, that the Holy Spirit lives within them, and that the Holy Spirit is always ready to help them. Perhaps one of the reasons young children can readily accept the Holy Spirit is the fact that they are aware of their own vulnerability. There are many things they cannot do for themselves. They continually need and seek help. God's Special Gift The Church teaches that the Holy Spirit is God's special gift of love for us. The Holy Spirit is always with us, leading and guiding us. The Holy Spirit, however, cannot help those whose hearts are closed. Perhaps that is why Jesus tells us that only those who become like little children can enter God's kingdom. We must open our hearts to the Spirit's help.
		Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit 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 • realize that we receive God's gift of the Holy Spirit in the sacraments. • learn the significance of the water used in Baptism and the oil used in Baptism and Confirmation. • discuss ways the Holy Spirit helps us make good choices. Background We cannot see the Holy Spirit, and yet we believe that the Spirit is real. Perhaps that is why, throughout history, the Church has chosen visible symbols to represent the Holy Spirit. Two symbols of the Spirit are water and oil. The ritual pouring of water or immersion in blessed water signifies being born in the Spirit. The ritual anointing with oil signifies being chosen by the Spirit, being someone in whom the Spirit dwells. By the waters of Baptism, we are freed from sin and reborn in the Holy Spirit. We receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, which takes root in us and helps us grow as God's children. Through the anointing with oil in Confirmation, we receive the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Church publicly recognizes that the Holy Spirit has been at work in us, strengthening us as Christians. Everyday Grace We celebrate the Rite of Baptism and the Rite of Confirmation only once. Yet, as the children will learn in this chapter, the grace of these sacraments fills us with God's Holy Spirit every day throughout life. In each situation, the Holy Spirit helps us be more like Jesus. This Spirit helps us live as followers of Christ and strengthens our faith.
		The Holy Spirit Is Our Helper 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 • realize that we receive God's gift of the Holy Spirit in the sacraments. • learn the significance of the water used in Baptism and the oil used in Baptism and Confirmation. • discuss ways the Holy Spirit helps us make good choices. Background When you were a child in religion classes, perhaps you were required to memorize the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit and nine or twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit. If you can still recite them, congratulate yourself. What is far more important, however, is that you recognize and appreciate the Holy Spirit at work in your life. As Thomas Aquinas taught, every Christian should use the Spirit's power and gifts throughout life. We should also enjoy and feel close to the Holy Spirit, just as we do with a friend. Human Happiness When we are open to the Holy Spirit, we grow in human happiness. We experience the fruits of God's life within us–love, peace, joy, and so forth. This chapter teaches seven of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. The children will learn that we become happy by developing good habits, living like Jesus, and following God's law to love our neighbors as ourselves. It is good to realize that the Holy Spirit is always with us–in good times as well as bad. This Spirit teaches us how to follow Jesus. The Spirit gives us the courage to do what is right. If we ourselves are filled with the Holy Spirit, then we can help to bring happiness to others. We can do this by being kind, encouraging, gentle, and loving.
		The Holy Spirit Helps Us Pray 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 • realize that the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray. • discover how the Church prays to the Holy Spirit. • write petitions to the Holy Spirit. Background This chapter is based on the belief that "the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings" (Romans 8:26). In other words, the Holy Spirit helps us pray. Indeed, the Holy Spirit plays an essential role in the Church's liturgy. During the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass, the priest asks the Holy Spirit to change the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. In each sacrament, we pray to the Holy Spirit for new life, healing, and growth in holiness. The Challenge to Pray Always Praying does not exclusively involve memorized formulas or a particular place. Instead, prayer is a conversation with Jesus Christ, an uplifting of our minds and hearts to God. As Jesus explained to his friends, the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray sincerely. This Spirit helps us turn everything we say and do into a prayer. The Spirit helps us keep on praying even when we feel like giving up. In this chapter, the children will learn that there are many ways to pray, one of which is the prayer of petition. In each kind of prayer, the Holy Spirit is with us. Even when we don't have words to express our thoughts and feelings, the Holy Spirit helps us in our prayer.