In Unit 5 participants will learn how as Christians they are called to bring God’s love, peace, and justice to the world. They will come to understand the need to respect others and share what they have with one another.
		Our Vocation to the World 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 • know that Catholics have a responsibility to help those in need. • identify the many vocations that allow them to serve one another. • explore ways in which they may determine their vocation. Background God calls all Church members to help relieve suffering in the world. Goodness and justice are not simply personal matters, nor are they optional expressions of charity. The Church teaches us that social justice and peace are the work of all Christians. The local, regional, and global Church community has a duty to help the poor and distressed. Whenever we do the work of justice, we bring the light of Christ to others. We follow the example of Louis IX, the king and saint who reached out to the poor and sick in thirteenth-century France. The Priesthood of All Christians This chapter focuses on our call, or vocation, to serve others by developing our special talents. God calls some people in the church to serve others as members of a religious community. Some serve the Church through ordained ministry as deacons, priests, and bishops. Some serve as religious. Single and married lay people also share in the Church's work of justice and service. When we show mercy to the poor, we share in the priesthood of Christ. We call all these vocations "the priesthood of the faithful."
		The 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 • discuss how people help us learn about God and the world. • understand that the Eucharist is central to your faith. • learn about the role of the priest in the liturgy and in the parish community. Background The bishops of the Second Vatican Council clearly stated that the Eucharist is the source and center of Christian life. The Eucharist unites us with God and other Catholics throughout the world. It also makes us one with the Communion of Saints - all those who have died as faithful followers of Christ. At every Eucharist, we celebrate our faith in Jesus, the Messiah and Son of God. We remember his Paschal mystery - his death, Resurrection, Ascension, and victory over sin. We are reconciled with God and with one another; we grow stronger in our faith. Liturgical Roles This chapter deals specifically with the roles of the Christian assembly and the priest during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Every member of the assembly has a duty to participate consciously and sincerely in the liturgical action. The priest leads the assembly in prayer and helps us understand the Gospel through the homily. Together, the priest and assembly join with Christ in offering to God a perfect sacrifice for the remission of sin. In the Eucharist, the past, present, and future become one. We, too, become one with all Christians - past, present, and future. Just as the loaf of bread is one, we become one Body in Christ at the eucharistic table.
		The New Commandments and the Works of Mercy (The Law of Love) 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 how Jesus combined the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes into one law of love, known as the New Commandment. • learn the corporal and spiritual works of mercy and how they stem from the New Commandment. • identify ways we can take care of the needs of others. Background The tenth commandment reminds us not to be greedy or covet the goods of others. Instead we are to be thankful for the gifts God gives us. We are to be generous in sharing what we have with others. Jesus summarizes all the commandments into one law of love: "As I have loved you, so you also should love one another" (John 13:34). Our challenge as Christians is to love completely, as Jesus does. Works of Mercy There are many ways to follow the law of love. For example, we can begin each day by doing ordinary acts of kindness. More specifically, we can try to take care of the physical needs of others through the corporal works of mercy - feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, caring for the sick, visiting those in prison, and burying the dead. The chapter provides young people with the example of someone who tried to love and serve others as Jesus himself served his apostles at the Last Supper. Dr. Albert Schweitzer dedicated his life to helping the sick and the poor in Africa. Like him, we too, are called by God to work for justice by responding each day to the physical needs of others.
		The Commandments and Bringing God's Message to the World (Deliver Us from Evil) 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 the power of prayer. • learn how prayer helps us bring God's love to the world, • pray and identify ways they can bring peace and justice to the world. Background Despite all our efforts to follow the commandments and live Jesus' law of love, the world in which we live is never perfect. There will always be moments of failure, misunderstanding, hurt, and oppression. Such things persist, but we believe, as Christians, that God's love and goodness are greater than any evil that may afflict us. We also believe that prayer is powerful; it can bring about transformations and miracles. The Power of Prayer The habit of frequent prayer reminds us that we continually need God's love and guidance. Prayer brings us close to God; it strengthens us to keep trying to bring justice and peace to today's world. When Jesus commissioned his disciples before his Ascension into heaven, he did not promise them that their lives would be easy. Instead, he promised to be with them always, especially when they gathered together for prayer. God is always with us. In prayer, God touches our hearts with love and strengthens our faith. That is why the Church encourages us to lift up our hearts in prayer, asking for God's help to ease the suffering of others and to "deliver us from evil."