Unit 5 tells of Paul and the apostles, who model for all Christians by bringing love, hope, and the justice of the Gospel to the world. Chapter 17|Chapter 18|Chapter 19|Chapter 20
		The Early Church: People of Pentecost Refer to GET CONNECTED, pages 173–174 (Parish Edition), 227–228 (School Edition), in your child’s book to help your child prepare for Chapter 17. Learning Goals Participation in this chapter will help young people • identify the Twelve Apostles and the early disciples, such as Paul, as the first missioners of the early Church. • understand that the Holy Spirit guides the Church in preaching the good news of salvation. • recognize that lay people are called to holiness in their personal, familial, and social lives. Our Missionary Mandate Before the evangelists wrote the four Gospels, Saint Paul went on several missionary journeys, preaching the good news to all people. Paul also wrote letters to the Christian communities he founded. These letters, known also as epistles, are the earliest written part of the New Testament. Paul not only taught the first Christians through his letters, he also taught them by his example. He taught them to reach out to others in love and share the good news about Jesus. Paul taught them to live as missioners by sharing their possessions with others, particularly the poor. In his letters, Paul taught the early Christians what it means to follow Jesus in daily life. As Jesus commissioned the apostles to evangelize and baptize all nations, so Jesus commissions us today to do the same. Guided by the teachings of the pope and bishops—the successors of the first apostles—we are to share the good news of Jesus with all people. Family Activity Explain that as many as 120 cardinals from around the world participate in the election of a pope. The cardinals eligible to vote gather in the Sistine Chapel. Once a candidate has received the required number of votes needed to become pope, he chooses a name that he wishes to use as pope. • Discuss the name and background of the current pope. • Why is the pope’s role important to the mission of the Church? Back to top
		The Church Today: Confirmed Believers Refer to GET CONNECTED, pages 181–182 (Parish Edition), 239–240 (School Edition), in your child’s book for a choice of things to do at home. Learning Goals Participation in this chapter will help young people • become familiar with the sacrament of Confirmation. • understand the action of the Holy Spirit within the Church. • recognize the action of the Holy Spirit within their lives and how to make a Christian response. The Gift of the Holy Spirit In the days of the apostles, people celebrated the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation together. An apostle, as "bishop" and representative of the entire Church, personally welcomed the new person into the faith community. As the Church grew, the bishops (successors of the apostles) no longer could attend every Baptism or Confirmation. The practice of celebrating Baptism with the priest and the local community developed. The newly baptized later met with the bishop for Confirmation. At Confirmation, the bishop officially welcomed the newly baptized on behalf of the Church. Although in Eastern Catholic Churches infants are baptized and confirmed, the Western Church continues to celebrate Baptism and Confirmation separately, except in the case of catechumens. This practice has led to the misunderstanding that the purpose of Confirmation is to confer the gift of the Holy Spirit for the first time. In truth, we receive the Holy Spirit at Baptism. Confirmation increases and deepens baptismal grace, unites us more firmly to Christ, increases the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit in us, empowering us to give witness to the Gospel and to serve others in our daily lives. With the Spirit’s help, we can assume more responsibilities as disciples of Christ. Family Activity Discuss the significance of holy oil. Explain that the bishop consecrates oil on Holy Thursday which is distributed to parishes throughout the diocese to be used for liturgical celebrations. Talk about the importance of ordinary oil: in cooking and baking, as a skin moisturizer, to help cars and other machinery work. Celebrate a family blessing ritual. Use olive oil or baby oil to first anoint the youngest member of the family. Make a small sign of the cross on his or her forehead saying, "I bless you in the name of the Father..." Have your child respond, "Amen." Continue blessing family members having the last person also bless you. Note that this blessing is a way of reminding the family that they are part of the larger church community. Back to top
		Spreading the Gospel Refer to GET CONNECTED, pages 189–190 (Parish Edition), 251–252 (School Edition), in your child’s book for a choice of things to do at home. Learning Goals Participation in this chapter will help young people • understand the missionary nature of the Church. • grow closer to Christ as they try to imitate how he lived. • recognize their call to bring Jesus to others. Love: Its Practical Dimensions Chapter 19 focuses on the New Testament epistles and what they teach us about Christian morality. Essentially, the epistles tell us that love is the foundation for living a Christian life. Without love, our good actions do not have the meaning Christ intends for them to have. As Christians, we have a moral obligation to love others. Such love means imitating Jesus who always treated others with kindness, justice, compassion, and forgiveness. True Christian love forms the basis of our morality. Christian love, along with morality and evangelization, begins in the family. The Christian family is the "domestic church," because it is in our families that we first experience God’s love and hear the Gospel message. To live in love means to promote the dignity and quality of all people, both in our family and in society. We work to eliminate the sins that hurt marriage and the family, including adultery, divorce, polygamy, and living together outside of marriage. We also strive to be good citizens—paying taxes, defending our country, voting, and working to eliminate social injustices. Family Activity As Christians, we are called to treat all people with dignity. Gather together to role-play how people are sometimes teased or ridiculed because of their height, weight, dress, mannerism, speech, or physical or mental disabilities. For each negative role-play, have another family member role play a positive response. Take turns choosing negative and positive actions. Discuss the feelings that surfaced during the activity. Emphasize that knowing the proper way to interact with others is just the beginning. We must act in ways that respect others. Back to top
		A Prayer for the Guidance of the Holy Spirit Refer to GET CONNECTED, pages 197–198 (Parish Edition), 263–264 (School Edition), in your child’s book for a choice of things to do at home. Learning Goals Participation in this chapter will help young people • become familiar with the Book of Revelation and realize that all Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit. • understand that they are invited to invoke the Holy Spirit and seek guidance for themselves and for the Church. • recognize their responsibility as Christians to respect life and protect human dignity. The Heart of Prayer For Christians, prayer is not something extra we "have to do" each day or each week. Rather, we pray because we want to. We pray to communicate with God, our eternal Father, Redeemer, and Advocate. We pray for our needs and the needs of others. We pray prayers of thanksgiving, and we open our hearts to all God has done and will do through the Holy Spirit. Genuine prayer rises from the heart. It deepens our love for God, conforms us more to God’s likeness, and empowers us to love others as Jesus loves us. Prayer is not something we outgrow; it becomes an integral part of who we are. At the heart of all prayer resides the Holy Spirit, who sustains and inspires us. The Holy Spirit guided the Twelve Apostles and continues to guide us. The Spirit reveals to us God’s eternal plan of love, and teaches us how to glorify God in our lives and to share this love with others. Through prayer we can open ourselves to God’s transforming Spirit. The Spirit helps us stand firm in our faith especially in the belief that all life comes from God and is a precious gift. The Spirit empowers us to go forth and live good Christian lives, showing respect and love for all God has created. Family Activity Symbols unify our Catholic community and give meaning to our worship. Together, brainstorm a list of some familiar symbols of our Catholic faith, such as candles, holy water, incense, rosaries, and the Sign of the Cross at the Gospel. Talk about each symbol’s meaning and how family members remember seeing it used. If your child received a special candle at Baptism, display it now, or refer to it in pictures you may have of the celebration.