In Unit 4 participants will learn that Christ offers them forgiveness and healing through the sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick. They will realize that their conscience helps them judge whether something is right of wrong.
		God Saves Us (God's Love Is Endless) 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 God created the world out of love and that Adam and Eve, the first human beings, hurt human nature through their sin. • understand that God sent his only Son, Jesus, to save us from sin and eternal death. • appreciate the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Background God made us to enjoy the presence of God within us and among us. Although God made the world good, we make choices that bring evil into our global community. Our choices sometimes bring pain, suffering, and death. But Jesus repeatedly assured us that God holds us dear, that God waits, like a father, for us to return. God waits for us to choose goodness again. When we choose God, we choose an unconditional love for us. We choose God's will instead of our own will. God's mercy breaks through all the barriers of guilt and fear that we sometimes forge between God and us. God's mercy waylays us at the crossroads of our lives. This God of mercy rushes out to greet us whenever we choose to return home to love and graciousness. A Final Judgment God anxiously awaits our return when we wander away from goodness. God welcomes us home to the joy of unconditional, unquestioning love. God has prepared for us a kingdom of justice and mercy. But before we come into the fullness of the kingdom, we must face the judgment of Christ Jesus. Jesus knows us through and through, like light through a windowpane. For Jesus, mercy and justice are one. What better judge could we have?
		Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick 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 • review the four major parts of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. • learn about five effects of the special grace one receives in the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. • understand why Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick are called the Sacraments of Healing. Background The sacrament of Reconciliation reconciles a sinner both to God and to the Church. In this sacrament the Church celebrates God's mercy. God offers mercy; we offer a contrite heart and childlike trust. The Church teaches that sin is removed through the sacraments, especially Reconciliation and the Eucharist. The effects of sin in the world can be transformed through prayer, charity toward others, and doing good and walking humbly before God. During Mass we are reconciled to the assembly and to God. We confess that we have sinned, and we ask for God's mercy. Anointing of the Sick In the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, we are united with the suffering of Jesus on the cross. This sacrament of healing helps us remember that we are one with Christ. It invites us to look back over our lives and see the many ways that God has filled us with good things. When we see all that we have to be thankful for, then out of our suffering can come great good and peace. Between the Middle Ages and Vatican II, the Church called Reconciliation "Extreme Unction," or the "last anointing." Since Vatican II we can celebrate this sacrament even when someone is not in danger of death. In the Gospels we see God working through Jesus to bring healing to the sick. We trust that God will heal our spiritual, physical, and emotional needs, too.
		Living God's Commandments 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 the Ten Commandments help us form an honest and truthful conscience. • understand the difference between mortal sin and venial sin. • appreciate the life of Saint Augustine. Background The Old Testament tells us that God gave the Hebrew people "ten words," which we call commandments. In giving these commands, God became bound with God's people. In accepting them the Israelites bound themselves to God. These commands became the covenant between God and the Israelites. In the ancient world, people of other cultures believed that humans made their laws. The Israelites maintained that God made their Law, which was given to Moses at Mount Sinai. Their God took such an interest in them as to give them rules by which to live! The Bible reveals how different the God of the Israelites was from the pagan gods of the people who surrounded them. God's commands also showed that when humans place God first, all else in life falls into place. When humans recognize that God created them, they understand that all creation deserves respect. When they respect the rights and property of others, they build a strong community. So the commandments build one on the other. They represent a bond between God and the Israelites, between God and us. Rules for the Community The Israelites needed rules to help them live together as a faithful community. Stealing, adultery, lying, killing, and violence destroy a community. These actions lead to mistrust and fear. As the Israelites wandered in the desert, they needed to be able to trust one another. God's commands gave them guidelines for living together in peace and harmony God's commands also showed that when humans place God first, all else in life falls into place. When humans recognize that God created them, they understand that all creation deserves respect. When they respect the rights and property of others, they build a strong community. So the commandments build one on the other. They represent a bond between God and the Israelites, between God and us.
		God Is Merciful (We Pray for 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 • understand that mercy is the loving kindness that God shows to sinners. • realize that we receive God's mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. • appreciate the life of Saint Maria Goretti. Background Each day and especially during Lent, the Church encourages us to seek God. Knowing that we sin, the Church encourages us to feel contrition, or sorrow, for our sins and to do penance. The Church emphasizes that our contrition will bring a change of heart, or metanoia. Day in and day out, the Church invites us to live a good life, to move beyond words to loving actions. In the beginning of our moral life, we think about what we should not do. But as we mature, we realize that God wants us to focus on choosing good and doing good actions. Celebrating Contrition The Spirit calls us to be contrite. Our contrition expresses our desire for God's forgiveness. When we ask for God's forgiveness out of fear of punishment, our contrition is imperfect. When our contrition arises out of our love for God above all else, it is called perfect contrition. Throughout the ages the Church has emphasized that contrition is a lifelong attitude toward God and us. We know God's goodness, and we know our own flaws and failings. Therefore, as we seek God's forgiveness in our lives, we also praise and thank God for endless love and mercy.