In Unit 5, children with learn that the Holy Spirit is their helper, guide, and teacher. They will also understand that Jesus teaches them to live in peace and treat everyone with justice.
		God Gives Us 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 • understand that the Holy spirit is our helper, guide, and teacher. • consider the gifts mentioned in the Scripture passage. • identify and appreciate individual gifts. Background Christians believe in a triune God–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But neither the Old nor the New Testament clearly defines the doctrine of the Trinity. However, both speak of God's Spirit. In the Old Testament this Spirit stirs the waters of creation, enlightens kings, prophets, and priests. The Spirit of Yahweh was among God's people, enlightening them and strengthening them. Yahweh's Spirit guided the people. The New Testament and the Holy Spirit In the Gospel of Luke, the angel Gabriel announces that the Holy Spirit will come upon Mary and that she will conceive the Messiah. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell us the Holy Spirit came upon the adult Jesus at his baptism. It is at Pentecost that the Spirit is poured out upon the followers of Jesus. The Spirit unites them. The Spirit helps them recall all that Jesus has taught them and gives them gifts that will help them spread the Good News. The Church teaches that the Spirit bestows the same gifts on us at our baptism and our confirmation. It is the Holy Spirit who guides the Church and helps all of us witness to the coming of the Kingdom.
		We Celebrate Peace and Service 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 • become familiar with the Sign of Peace exchanged during Mass. • understand the obligation to be active members of their church community. • recognize that Holly Orders and Matrimony are Sacraments at the Service of Communion. Background The Church is so committed to service that it celebrates two sacraments in which the participants vow to serve others. These sacraments are matrimony and Holy Orders. Through these sacraments, husbands and wives, deacons, priests, bishops, and popes vow to bring forth community through service. Through service, those who celebrate these two sacraments build up the Church. They bring God's peace and justice, God's mercy and compassion, to others. They commit themselves to living out their vocation to spread the Good News of God's love. Serving Others The Church has always emphasized the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy as ways to serve others just as Jesus did. Thus, God calls us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, visit the imprisoned, take care of the sick, shelter the homeless, and bury the dead. In this way we can educate others in the ways of peace. See KIDS, Level 2, Unit 3 Activity. In today's world, with the growing chasm between the rich and the poor, the "haves" and the "have-nots," there is ample opportunity for us to put the Corporal Works of Mercy into action.
		We Work for Peace and Justice 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 the concepts of peace and justice. • realize that Jesus taught us to treat others fairly and respectfully. • identify actions to promote peace and justice. Background Through Baptism, God calls each of us to be holy and to share Good News with others. This is our vocation. To fulfill that vocation, we serve others. Our model for service is Jesus Christ. Through us, Jesus Christ reaches out to the needy, the homeless, the hungry, the lonely, and the imprisoned. As we reach out and serve, we bring peace. Peace is an outcome of justice and flows from just actions. We build peace by serving others. Becoming Peacemakers We create peace when we treat our family members, our co-workers, our customers, and our friends fairly. To do this, we need to reflect on how we would want to be treated. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch tells his daughter, Scout, that she'll understand others if she tries to walk in their moccasins for a while–that is, if she learns what life is like for them, rather than imposing her own expectations on others. God calls us to do that which is fair and just. Then we will know the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.
		We Go Forth in 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 can offer prayers of blessing to God and ask God to bless others. • recognize that the Holy spirit guides us as we serve others. • compose prayers of blessing. Background God calls us to holiness. As we become holy, that is, as we grow into God's vision of us and live God's presence, we become a blessing to our world. God uses us to bless the people we meet. God blesses them in and through and with us. Of course, the greatest blessing is Jesus. In him and through him and with him, God blesses our world. The Holy Spirit works through Jesus to bring God's love and graciousness to us. Christ Jesus, Our Eucharist We are blessings and we bless. The Church encourages us to bless God through thanksgiving and praise. The Eucharist is our greatest thanksgiving. In fact, the word Eucharist means to give thanks, to be grateful. We are grateful for Christ Jesus and for God's love, and we are grateful in him. It is in Christ and through Christ and with Christ that we bless God for the great goodness given to us. Each Sunday or whenever we gather to celebrate Eucharist, we offer God our prayer of praise and gratitude. That is, we bless God with the blessing that is Christ Jesus. God blesses us with Christ; we bless God in Christ. And so the circle is complete.