In Unit 1, the children will learn about their Church community and how to be followers of Jesus. They will read about different ways of belonging to the Church and giving praise and thanks to God.
		Our Church Welcomes Us 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 they are the People of God. • recognize that the Mass is a special meal celebrating God's love for all. • understand the need to be welcoming to others. Background A meal is not so much about food as it is about people. It is an experience of conversation and companionship. The Gospels show Jesus sharing meals with his disciples, the Pharisees, and publicans many times. In Luke's Gospel, a meal is an occasion to extend hospitality to all. To dine with people is to show a oneness with the host and all the guests. It is a privileged place where Jesus does his teaching; an evangelizing event where Jesus calls sinners to repentance. Those who repent are forgiven and reveal great love for Jesus and for one another. Life in the Christian Community In the early Church, Christians ate together and shared their stories of Jesus' teachings. They became witnesses to the life and mission of Jesus. The community of believers devoted themselves to the breaking of the bread. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with people. They held things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need (Based on Acts 2:42-47). In this same spirit we gather to give thanks for the Eucharist. We gather with Christ, whose spirit leads us to acts of great generosity.
		We Belong to the Church 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 the effects of Baptism. • understand that we are the children of God. • identify the signs in the Sacrament of Baptism. Background John the Baptist, the Gospels tell us, baptized in the Jordan River. His was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus himself came to John for baptism. According to the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus came up out of the waters of the Jordan, "a voice came from the heavens, saying, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased'" (Matthew 3:17). Thus began Jesus' public life in which he lived the Good News of God's love for us. The Liturgy of Baptism The Liturgy of Baptism has developed over time. The early Church baptized by full immersion in the "living" water of a stream or river. The catechumen went down into the water and rose up–a new person! (This was the way Jesus had been baptized.) However, as time passed, the Church began to baptize by infusion, or the pouring of water on the forehead. Baptism is both death and Resurrection. In Baptism we die with Christ and we rise with Christ to new life. As a sacrament, Baptism brings God's love and life, or grace, to us through the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus. This wonderful sacrament derives its power from the Son of God–the Word–taking flesh in the person of Jesus. In Jesus we are baptized. It is through him, with him, and in him that we give glory to God.
		Our Church Shows Us How to Live 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 they are called to be good and holy. • learn about the lives of saints who helped others. • discover ways to show their love for others. Background At the Eucharist each Sunday, Catholics profess their belief in the "Communion of Saints." With this term, the Church teaches us that we are united with those holy people who have gone before us. Veneration of the Saints Initially, Paul used the word saint to speak of all Christians. But later, the Church began to use it to speak of Jesus' disciples–after they died–and of the early martyrs. Still later, when the period of Roman persecution ended, Christians began to venerate holy people who had given their lives to God in a special way. Each of these saints is a model of holiness for the Church. Each can teach us different ways of following Christ. When we honor the saints, we are really praising God, who gave them the gifts they used to follow Jesus, and whose great good presence shone through these holy people and their loving actions.
		We Praise and Thank 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 • appreciate how singing sacred music is a form of prayer. • recognize prayers of praise and thanks. • compose short prayers of praise and thanks. Background Throughout its history, the Church has always given praise and thanks for God's mighty deeds. We praise God for who God is. We thank God for the miracle of creation, for the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt in the Exodus, for the gift of Jesus, for Jesus' passover from death to life in the Resurrection. In the Eucharist, we give thanks for the gift of Christ and for his Good News of God's deep and abiding love for us. Each Sunday we praise God with words and songs, with gestures and movements. We lift our hearts and minds to God in a hymn of communion. We give thanks for the gift of Christ and for the blessings in our lives. The "Gloria" and the Psalms It is from Scripture–both the Old and the New Testament–that the Church finds words for its acclamations, processions, responses, and chants, such as the "Gloria." This prayerful song begins with the words sung by the angels as they proclaimed Jesus' birth to the shepherds in Bethlehem. Since its beginning, the Church has always used the Old Testament Psalms as an integral part of its liturgy. Among the 150 psalms, we find many that praise God to give thanks for blessings bestowed on all people.