In Unit 5 participants will learn that Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s promise of a messiah. They will read about John the Baptizer. They will see how the sacraments strengthen their faith, and they will learn how to pray as Jesus did.
		New Life and a Coming Messiah 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 struggle of the Jews in the last few centuries before Jesus was born. • identify how the Old Testament reveals the resurrection of the body and the coming of Jesus Christ. • define the concepts of heaven, hell, and purgatory. Background During the last few centuries before Jesus was born, the Jews struggled against foreign domination. They were oppressed because of their religious beliefs. They wondered why this happened. They wondered why they experienced so many troubles. They also wondered what would happen to them after death. Some Jews came to believe in life after death. That belief is evidenced in 2 Maccabees. It describes how as members of the Jewish army, the Maccabees prayed for fallen comrades who had taken part in idol worship. They prayed that God would be merciful to the dead, blot out their sin, and grant them resurrection. The Four Last Things Because of the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus, the Church has specific teachings regarding the "four last things" (death, judgment, heaven, and hell). After death, God will judge us according to how well we have loved God and loved others. Those who have been faithful will live in heaven (God's presence). At the end of the world, our bodies will be reunited with our souls; we will experience resurrection as Jesus himself did. Those who have chosen to reject faithfulness to God will be punished in hell (God's absence).
		Baptism and Repentance 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 • identify John the Baptizer. • recognize some ways in which the sacrament of Reconciliation helps us spiritually. • identify the sacraments of initiation, of healing, and at the service of communion and who may receive them. Background From the days of the Exile and the prophets, the Jewish people began to hope in the promise of a messiah. Not long before the Messiah arrived, a group of Jews, the Essenes, lived in the desert and wanted to purify themselves for his coming. John the Baptizer, who may have been an Essene, devoted his life to preparing people for the Messiah. His message of preparation was twofold: repent and be baptized. Sacraments of the Kingdom We recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah. We participate in the kingdom by turning way from sin and by being baptized with water and the Holy Spirit. In Confirmation we commit ourselves more fully to our faith; we are sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Baptism and Confirmation, along with Eucharist, are sacraments of initiation; they strengthen us to live as members of the Church. Sacraments of healing, such as Reconciliation, help us live as good members of God's kingdom. They bring us spiritual healing and rebirth throughout life. They help us celebrate and achieve oneness as God's own people.
		Christians and the Reign of 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 • learn that Jesus was the fulfillment of God's promise of a messiah. • recognize that all people have dignity because we are all created in God's image, and that we respect others' dignity by treating them with love and kindness. • understand that, as Christians, we are temples of the Holy Spirit and are called to sainthood. Background God lovingly created all people in God's own image. Each of us has God's goodness and love within. God sees beauty in all of us - inside and out. When we recognize the beauty within ourselves, we are better able to identify the inner beauty of others. Human Dignity We believe that Jesus Christ is both divine and human. We also believe that we share in God's divine nature through Jesus Christ. Indeed, we are temples of the Holy Spirit. This gives us a certain dignity. We help build God's kingdom of justice and peace by bearing witness to our own dignity and by respecting the dignity of all people. As Jesus once taught us, love of God and love of neighbor are connected. We can't love God without also loving real flesh-and-blood people. We can't love people without also loving God, whose image is in each person.
		Hope for the Ages 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' teachings on prayer. • understand what meditation is. • learn a prayer to the Holy Spirit. Background The message of Scripture is basically one of hope. We are not alone. God loves us and wants us to be happy. God is always there to help us. Through prayer, the Holy Spirit can strengthen us. As the young people will learn in this chapter, Jesus himself prayed constantly and taught his followers how to pray. Through our own prayer we are strengthened in faith, hope, and love - the basic virtues of Christian discipleship. Why We Have Hope There are many reasons Christians have hope. First, we believe that Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead to redeem us. Second, we believe that God offers everlasting life to all those who believe in and follow Jesus Christ. Third, we believe that God always hears our prayers. God is our Father, in whom we trust. This chapter focuses on meditation as a way to pray and grow in hope. In meditation we concentrate on listening to God. Like Jesus, who prayed in the garden of Olives before his arrest and crucifixion, we pray that we may conform our wills to the will of God. We pray that God's Spirit may fill us.