Christ Our Life We Worship SCHOOL EDITION Teacher’s Guide ® GRADE 5 SAMPLE
www.christourlife.com Imprimatur In accordance with c. 827, permission to publish is granted on October 17, 2022, by Most Reverend Robert G. Casey, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Permission to publish is an official declaration of ecclesiastical authority that the material is free from doctrinal and moral error. No legal responsibility is assumed by the grant of this permission. In Conformity The Subcommittee on the Catechism, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has found the doctrinal content of this manual, copyright 2024, to be in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 VTL 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Acknowledgments Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition, copyright © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal. Copyright © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation Inc. (ICEL). All rights reserved. Excerpts from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. Copyright © 2006, U.S. Conference Catholic Bishops. All rights reserved. The prayers Sign of the Cross/Signum Crucis, Glory Be to the Father/ Gloria Patri, Lord’s Prayer/Pater Noster, Hail Mary/Ave Maria, Act of Contrition, Act of Hope, Act of Faith, Act of Love, Hail Holy Queen (Salve Regina), Angelus, and Memorare come from the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. English translation copyright © 2006, Libreria Editrice Vaticana. All rights reserved. Exclusive licensee in the United States is the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The prayers Grace Before Meals, Grace After Meals, Morning Offering, Peace Prayer, Prayer to St. Michael, and Prayer to One’s Guardian Angel come from the United States Catholic Catechism f or Adults. Copyright © 2006, U.S. Conference Catholic Bishops. All rights reserved. The Prayer for Generosity comes from Hearts on Fire: Praying with the Jesuits by Michael Harter, S.J. Copyright © 2005, Loyola Press. Loyola Press has made every effort to locate the copyright holders for the cited works used in this publication and to make full acknowledgment for their use. In the case of any omissions, the publisher will be pleased to make suitable acknowledgments in future editions. 978-0-8294-5290-7 Copyright © 2024 Loyola Press Cover and interior design: Loyola Press Cover illustration: Chiara Fedele All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Manufactured in China Art Credits i Chiara Fedele. iv(t) Vivian Imbruglia/Iconographer; (b) kookookoo/ iStock/Getty Images. vi Anni Betts. vii ajt/iStock/Getty Images. viii(br) Svetlana Vorotniak/Shutterstock.com; (b) kirstypargeter/ iStock/Getty Images. OV-3(t) Davyd Volkov/iStock/Getty Images; (b) FatCamera/iStock/Getty Images; SDI Productions/ E+/Getty Images. OV-8 monkeybusinessimages/iStock/Getty Images. OV-10(t) AzLa/Shutterstock.com; (b) jhuting/iStock/ Getty Images. OV-12 JGI/Jamie Grill/Tetra images/Getty Images. OV-14 Capelle.r/Moment/Getty Images. OV-15(t) Johner Images/ Johner RF/Getty Images; (b) Warling Studios. OV-16 Nongkran_ch/ iStock/Getty Images. OV-18 Klaus Vedfelt/Digital Vision/Getty Images. OV-21 colematt/iStock/Getty Images. OV-23 Cultura Creative RF/Alamy Stock Photo. OV-30 Anna Khomenko/iStock/ Getty Images. OV-33 and2DesignInc/DigitalVision Vectors/Getty Images. OV-36 (left to right, top to bottom) Loyola Press; bubaone/ DigitalVision/Getty Images; Loyola Press; Shams Suleymanova/ iStock/Getty Images; bortonia/DigitalVision/Getty Images; appleuzr/DigitalVision/Getty Images; bortonia/DigitalVision/ Getty Images; TotemArt/Shutterstock.com; Nadiinko/iStock/Getty Images. OV-37 elenabsl/Shutterstock.com. OV-39 Warling Studios. OV-40 adriaticfoto/Shutterstock.com. OV-41 FatCamera/E+/Getty Images. OV-42 Warling Studios. OV-43(t) Phil Martin Photography; (b) Loyola Press. OV-44 Ariel Skelley/DigitalVision/Getty Images. OV-45 amtitus/DigitalVision/Getty Images. Continued on page T439. SAMPLE
v Contents Digital Resources Easily access the robust digital resources included with Christ Our Life by visiting digitallibrary.loyolapress.com. Contact your administrator for your login credentials. We Worship God as Catholic Christians T1 Chapter 1 We Are a Worshiping People. . . .T2 Day One We Give Praise to God T4 Day Two All Worship Gives Glory to God T7 Day Three We Give God Our Worship T10 Day Four Martyrs Give the Greatest Praise T12 Day Five Extending the Chapter T15 Chapter 2 Jesus Calls Us to Worship. . . . T16 Day One Jesus Offered Perfect Worship T18 Day Two Jesus Shows Us the Father’s Love T21 Day Three We Worship the Father as Jesus Did T24 Day Four We Worship the Father with Jesus T26 Day Five Extending the Chapter T29 UNIT 1 Chapter 3 Baptism Welcomes Us into the Christian Community. . . . . . T30 Day One Baptism Makes Us Christians T32 Day Two We Celebrate Baptism T35 Day Three We Show We Belong to Christ T38 Day Four We Promise to Walk as Christians T39 Day Five Extending the Chapter T41 Chapter 4 Confirmation Seals Us with the Gift of the Holy Spirit. . . . . .T42 Day One The Holy Spirit Strengthens Us T44 Day Two We Become Strong Witnesses T48 Day Three Christian Heroes Give Witness to Christ T51 Day Four We Prepare for Confirmation T52 Day Five Extending the Chapter T55 Chapter 5 The Eucharist Is the Center of Christian Life. . . . . . . .T56 Day One God Feeds Us with the Eucharist T58 Day Two We Honor Jesus in the Eucharist T62 Day Three The Eucharist Is a Sacrificial Meal T65 Day Four Jesus Is Present in the Tabernacle T67 Day Five Extending the Chapter T69 Chapter 6 Unit 1 Review. . . . . . . . .T70 Day One Reflecting on Unit 1 T72 Day Two Review T74 Day Three Unit 1 Test T75 Day Four Jesus, the Center of Our Lives T76 Day Five Extending the Chapter T78 We Celebrate the Eucharist T79 Chapter 7 We Come Together to Celebrate. . T80 Day One We Celebrate the Eucharist T82 Day Two The Introductory Rites T86 Day Three We Come to Mass with Gifts T90 Day Four We Open Our Hearts to the Lord T91 Day Five Extending the Chapter T93 UNIT 2 Program Overview . . . . . . . OV-1 Welcome OV-1 Program Overview OV-2 Spiral Curriculum OV-23 Scope and Sequence OV-24 Media at a Glance OV-30 The Catechist’s Handbook . . . OV-31 The Vocation of a Catechist OV-31 The Role of the Catechist OV-32 Knowledge and Skills of a Catechist OV-34 Inclusion: Diverse Learners OV-39 Multicultural Awareness OV-44 Profile of a Fifth Grader OV-45 SAMPLE
vi We Celebrate God’s Healing Love T159 Chapter 13 God’s Healing Love. . . . . . T160 Day One God Enables Us to Choose T162 Day Two Christ’s Love Heals Us T165 Day Three God’s Gift of Conscience T169 Day Four The Forgiving Love of Jesus T170 Day Five Extending the Chapter T173 Chapter 14 Jesus Heals Us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. . .T174 Day One Jesus Invites us T176 Day Two We Prepare to Meet Jesus T180 Day Three Opening Up to Healing Love T184 Day Four We Celebrate God’s Forgiveness T185 Day Five Extending the Chapter T187 Chapter 15 A Gift of Strength. . . . . . .T188 Day One Jesus Heals Those Who Are Sick T190 Day Two Jesus Heals in the Sacrament T192 Day Three Celebrating the Sacrament T195 Day Four We Care for People as Jesus Did T197 Day Five Extending the Chapter T199 Chapter 16 Unit 3 Review. . . . . . . . T200 Day One Reflecting on Unit 3 T202 Day Two Review T203 Day Three Unit 3 Test T205 Day Four We Celebrate God’s Healing Love T206 Day Five Extending the Chapter T208 UNIT 3 Chapter 8 We Listen to God’s Word. . . . T94 Day One God’s Word Has a Message for Us T96 Day Two God Speaks Through the Readings T98 Day Three We Keep God’s Word T102 Day Four God Speaks, and We Respond T104 Day Five Extending the Chapter T107 Chapter 9 We Praise and Thank God. . . .T108 Day One We Give Thanks to God with Jesus T110 Day Two We Offer Ourselves with Jesus T113 Day Three Saint Kolbe, Like Jesus, Offered Himself T117 Day Four We Thank God for His Love T119 Day Five Extending the Chapter T121 Chapter 10 We Receive Holy Communion. . T122 Day One Jesus Gives Himself to Us T124 Day Two We Receive Jesus with Love T127 Day Three We Pray Before and After Holy Communion T130 Day Four Saint John Neumann Loved Jesus T132 Day Five Extending the Chapter T135 Chapter 11 We Are Sent to Glorify the Lord. .T136 Day One We Are Sent by Jesus T138 Day Two We All Are Missionaries T141 Day Three We Glorify the Lord T143 Day Four We Serve Others as Jesus Served T145 Day Five Extending the Chapter T147 Chapter 12 Unit 2 Review. . . . . . . . T148 Day One Review T150 Day Two Unit 2 Test T153 Day Three Planning a Mass T155 Day Four Celebrate Mass T157 Day Five Extending the Chapter T158 SAMPLE
vii We Worship God by Living in Love T257 Chapter 21 Life Is Precious . . . . . . . T258 Day One Life Is a Gift from God T260 Day Two Human Life Is a Treasure T264 Day Three We Feed the Hungry T267 Day Four Self-Control Makes Us Strong T269 Day Five Extending the Chapter T273 Chapter 22 Christians Are Faithful in Love. . T274 Day One God Wants Us to Be Faithful T276 Day Two God Helps Us Be Chaste T279 Day Three We ThInk About Our Choices T282 Day Four Mary Was Chaste and Faithful T283 Day Five Extending the Chapter T285 Chapter 23 Christians Respect What Belongs to Others. . . . . . .T286 Day One To Own Things Is an Important Right T288 Day Two To Share Is a Sacred Duty T291 Day Three A Matter of Justice T293 Day Four Respect Builds Up Trust T294 Day Five Extending the Chapter T297 Chapter 24 Christians Speak the Truth with Love. . . . . . . . . .T298 Day One We Help Build Up the Christian Community T300 Day Two Kind Words Are Important T303 Day Three The Spirit of Truth Is with Us T306 Day Four A Kindness Day T307 Day Five Extending the Chapter T309 Chapter 25 Unit 5 Review. . . . . . . . T310 Day One Reflecting on Unit 5 T312 Day Two Review T313 Day Three Unit 5 Test T315 Day Four Jesus, Our Model for Loving Others T316 Day Five Extending the Chapter T318 UNIT 5 We Follow Special Ways to Holiness T209 Chapter 17 God Calls Us to Be Holy. . . . T210 Day One We Follow God’s Plan T212 Day Two Lives of Dedication T215 Day Three Following God’s Call T216 Day Four We Prepare for Our Vocations T218 Day Five Extending the Chapter T221 Chapter 18 Christian Marriage Leads to Family Holiness . . . . . . T222 Day One A Sacrament of Faithful Love T224 Day Two The Beginning of Family Love T227 Day Three How Does a Christian Family Look? T230 Day Four We Love Children in Our Families T231 Day Five Extending the Chapter T233 Chapter 19 Holy Orders Is a Sacrament ofService. . . . . . . . . T234 Day One Christ’s Ordained Ministers T236 Day Two A Sacrament of Service T238 Day Three Ordained to Serve T240 Day Four We Honor Our Priests T242 Day Five Extending the Chapter T245 Chapter 20 Unit 4 Review. . . . . . . . T246 Day One Reflecting on Unit 4 T248 Day Two Review T250 Day Three Unit 4 Test T252 Day Four Mary, a Model for Our Lives T253 Day Five Extending the Chapter T256 UNIT 4 SAMPLE
viii Saints and Feast Days T407 Calendar of Saints and Feast Days T407 September T408 October T409 November T411 December T412 January T412 February T414 March T415 April T416 May T416 June T417 July T418 August T418 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . T419 Index..............T431 Scripture Index . . . . . . . . . . T437 Special Seasons and Lessons T319 The Year in Our Church T321 1 Feast of All Saints T322 2 Advent T328 3 Christmas T336 4 Lent T341 5 Holy Week T349 6 Easter T356 7 Pentecost T361 8 Our Lady of Fatima T366 9 The Most Holy Rosary T370 10 The Ascension T374 What Catholics Should Know T379 Contents T379 Prayer and How We Pray T381 Prayers We Pray as Catholics T383 The Rosary T387 Mysteries of the Rosary T389 Stations of the Cross T390 Living Our Faith T392 Celebrating Our Catholic Faith T394 Making Good Choices T398 The Bible T402 Showing Our Love for the World T403 Student Book Cover Prayers T405 SAMPLE
Media in This Unit When preparing to teach the unit, determine how you will use the media. Media that enhances each chapter can be accessed by scanning the QR codes found on the student pages. All media resources are available to you through the LP Digital Library (digitallibrary.loyolapress.com). Contact your administrator for your login credentials. UNIT 1 We Worship God as Catholic Christians Goals • Children will be able to identify basic characteristics of Christian worship and articulate worship’s importance for our life of faith. • Children will be able to identify the Sacraments of Initiation and explain their significance. 1 We Are a Worshiping People We praise God for his glory. We thank God for all he has given us. In fact, a life of joyful praise is our most fitting response to God’s love. Children learn how prayer and service honor God, and they are encouraged to evaluate how well their words and actions give God praise. 2 Jesus Calls Us to Worship Jesus Christ, the Son of God, worshiped the Father by prayer, loving service, and the sacrifice of his life. Children learn that Jesus calls them to offer themselves with him in prayer and loving service. Through the Holy Spirit, he gives them the grace to make their lives joyful sacrifices of praise through the sacraments. 3 Baptism Welcomes Us into the Christian Community In the Sacrament of Baptism, we share God’s life, become children of God, and are initiated into the Christian community as members of the Church. Life for God in Christ and death to sin and self are the essence of Baptism. They are the essence of daily Christian living. Children learn more about the meaning of Baptism and the signs of the rite. They also learn how adults are initiated. They are encouraged to respond to God’s great love for them by following Jesus faithfully. 4 Confirmation Seals Us with the Gift of the Holy Spirit In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Holy Spirit strengthens the faith we received in Baptism. Children study both the significance of Confirmation and the actual rite. They are led to realize that confirmed Catholics are called to be witnesses of Christ, to serve others as he did, and to work for the growth of the Church. They are encouraged to begin preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation by living each day as Jesus would have them live it. 5 The Eucharist Is the Center of Christian Life Our life in Christ, begun at Baptism and strengthened in Confirmation, is constantly nourished in the Eucharist. Each time we celebrate the Eucharist, we share a sacred meal as God’s holy people, and Christ’s saving acts are made present. Jesus gives himself to us totally and unites us to him. Children see the Eucharist as our Bread of Life and consider its importance in their daily lives. 6 Unit 1 Review Children review the concepts presented in Unit 1, which focus on our call to Christian worship and on the Sacraments of Initiation. They participate in review activities and a prayer celebration. These activities motivate them to incorporate the unit concepts, prayer practices, and good works into their daily lives. See page T41 for STREAM activity. T1 SAMPLE
CHAPTER 1 We Are a Worshiping People Listening Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord; cry out to the rock of our salvation. Let us greet him with a song of praise, joyfully sing out our psalms. Psalm 95:1–2 Reflecting When we praise the one true God, we are acknowledging his greatness and goodness. A prayer of praise is the most fitting and the finest of all prayers. Our highest calling as human beings is to recognize and respond to God. As we contemplate God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—we are irresistibly drawn to praise him. We praise God for his glory, and we thank God for all he has given us. We praise God’s forgiving love. We humbly petition God, trusting that he is with us and will always help us. The earthly life of Jesus, the Son of God, was one of glorification of the Father. His every thought, word, and act gave praise. Indeed, Christ’s last gift to us was the Eucharist, the offering of himself in joyful praise to the Father. What Jesus did we also do. Faith Focus We worship God through prayer, service, and personal sacrifice as Jesus did. Reflecting on the Faith Experience Take a few moments to reflect prayerfully before preparing the lesson. Responding Holy Spirit, help me to inspire children I teach to praise God. Scripture for Further Reflection John 4:23–24 Jesus tells us to worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Acts of the Apostles 2:42–47 The early Christians worshiped God through community prayer and by sharing their material goods with others. The Book of Revelation is sometimes called “the gospel of adoration and worship.” It gives us the following hymn of praise, which proclaims God’s grandeur: Worthy are you, Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things; because of your will they came to be and were created. Revelation 4:11 We are truly a worshiping people— people who belong to God and are aware of his creative power at work within us and among us through the action of the Holy Spirit. We give ourselves in worship to the Lord each day by our prayers and by the loving service we give to others. Do I allow the beauty of the earth to lift my mind and heart to God in praise? T2 Unit 1 We Worship God as Catholic Christians SAMPLE
Preparing for the Faith Experience Catholic Social Teaching The Poor and Vulnerable Church Documents Catechism of the Catholic Church. The themes in this chapter correspond to the following paragraphs: 2095–2100, 2104. Directory for Catechesis #86. We believe that creatures and their Creator are bound together in a loving relationship and that creatures owe their Creator worship and praise. Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World #19 (Second Vatican Council). We exist only because God’s love has created us and constantly preserves us. We must acknowledge that love and entrust ourselves to him if we would live fully according to truth. The Approaching Third Millennium #42 (John Paul II). We should all long for holiness and have a deep desire for personal renewal based on prayer and solidarity with our neighbor, especially those who are the most needy. General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours #16 (Congregation for Divine Worship). The Liturgy of the Hours, the Church’s official prayer of praise, consecrates all the activities of every day to God and allows us to share the joy of joining with Christ by singing God’s praise. Media in This Chapter Determine in advance if you will have children experience the media during class or at home. This media can be accessed by scanning the QR code with a web-enabled smartphone or tablet. Families in Mission Send home the Families in Mission pages after teaching the chapter so that families can further explore the teaching, grow in faith, and be inspired to go forth as missionary disciples. Enriching the Faith Experience Use the activities at the end of the chapter to enrich a lesson or to replace an activity with one that better meets the needs of your class. Scripture in This Chapter Deuteronomy 6:4–9 The Great Commandment Psalm 95:1–6 A Call to Praise Revelation 15:3–4 Giving God Praise Psalm 57:12 God’s Glory Mark 16:15 Jesus calls the Apostles to witness for him. Day One We Give Praise to God Day Two All Worship Gives Glory to God Day Three We Give God Our Worship Day Four Martyrs Give the Greatest Praise Day Five Extending the Chapter The following pages present a plan for teaching this chapter in five days. Adapt the lessons and pacing to suit your program. Bulletin Board A suggestion for a bulletin-board design for this chapter is pictured. We Are a Worshiping People Chapter 1 T3 Inclusion Scan the QR code for Inclusion articles or access them from the LP Digital Library. SAMPLE
Day One We Give Praise to God Student pages 1–3 LEARNING OUTCOMES Children will be able to • explain that this year’s study is focused on worship. • discuss why we worship God. • highlight ways to praise God. Materials • Decorated table with the Student Books on it • Reproducible 1a • Reproducible 1b (optional) • Recording of a song about God’s love • Recording of a song about praising God Before You Begin 1. Download from the LP Digital Library Reproducible 1a, Unit 1 Family Letter and Reproducible 1b, Pre-test/Post-test. 2. Keep in mind that with a sense of wonder, admiration, and joy, we praise and adore God in prayer and song. Praise is our response to God’s greatness and love. It is the highest action we can perform as human beings. 3. The fish has been a Christian symbol since the first century. Evidence of the symbol’s use was found in the catacombs of ancient Rome. While the fish as a Christian symbol arises primarily from its source as a Greek acronym, it has other important meanings for Christians. It recalls Jesus’ multiplication of loaves and fishes. It also echoes Jesus’ call to the fishermen Simon and Andrew: “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). 4. Consider combining the presentation of the Student Books with a Mass. The priest could bless the books after the Liturgy of the Word or before the Concluding Greeting and Blessing and the Dismissal. If this is not possible, you may wish to invite a priest to your classroom to bless the books or to participate in distributing them. 5. If time allows, consider administering Reproducible 1b, Pre-test/Post-test during the first days of class. It will reveal areas with which children are already familiar and those in which they need more study. Use the results of this test to guide your planning of the year’s work. Save the pre-tests. At the end of the year, you might give the same test as a post-test and compare the results. Centering 1. Introduce yourself to children and invite them to introduce themselves to you. • Share with children your name, a little about yourself, and why you are happy to be their religion teacher. • Invite each child to introduce himself or herself to you and share a special memory he or she has of the Church. 2. Introduce children to the Student Book and the book’s theme. • Hold up a copy of the Student Book. • What is your book’s title? (Christ Our Life) • What do you think the title means? (We should make Christ the center of life; our lives are for serving Christ.) 3. Distribute the books in a prayerful celebration. • Invite children to close their eyes and think about how much God loves them. • As children do this, play a recording of a song about God’s love. • Direct children to form a line to receive their books. • Present a book to each child with a personal comment such as “[Name], come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord; cry out to the rock of our salvation. May this book help you to worship the Lord.” Sharing 1. Invite children to examine their books and comment on anything that interests them. • Allow time for children to page through their books and look at the pictures. Invite volunteers to share anything that draws their interest. • Invite a volunteer to read aloud the unit title on page 1 of the Student Book. Have children discuss what it means to worship God. • Display the picture on page 1 of the Student Book. • The people in the bottom half of the picture are worshiping God. Your book will help you understand the ways in which we worship God. How do you think your book might help you worship God? (It will tell us about God and explain how we can pray and live in a way that brings us close to him.) T4 Unit 1 We Worship God as Catholic Christians SAMPLE
• What are some of the wonderful things God has done for you? (Allow children to respond.) • How do we honor God? (through worship) • Why should we praise God? (Examples: because he loves us and created us, because he gave us a wonderful world and great gifts, because he sent his Son to save us) • In this unit, we are going to learn about the sacraments that make us members of the Church. We will talk about symbols used to celebrate the sacraments. These symbols help us worship God and understand what it means for us to belong to God’s people, the Church. 2. Have children find the Scripture verse at the bottom of page 1. Remind children that the words are from the Bible, the Word of God. • Invite a volunteer to read aloud the Scripture passage. • Invite volunteers to share about their experiences of worshiping God joyfully. • When we worship God, we can use signs and symbols to show we belong to him and that we love him. • All of our signs and symbols have meanings. They tell others that we are Catholics, but they also remind us of what we believe. Understanding their meaning helps us grow in our understanding of our faith. 3. Direct children to the QR code at the bottom of page 1. • Explain that you will be inviting children to access media behind the code, whether it be in class via computer or tablet or at home via smartphone, computer, or tablet. 4. Discuss We Give Praise to God on page 3. • Have children read this section silently. • What does it mean to praise God? (to adore God, to admire God, to give God glory) • Find in the first paragraph two wonderful things that God has done. (God created the universe. God gives us life.) UNIT 1 Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD; cry out to the rock of our salvation. Psalm 95:1 We Worship God as Catholic Christians 1 A Letter Home On Day One, have children tear out page 2 and take it home. Ask children to read this letter with their parents and use the QR code found on the page to experience and discuss the media before your next class meeting. A Letter Home LOOKING AHEAD Together as a family, scan the QR code with a web-enabled device to view a video about Saint John Neumann. You will learn more about his holiness, preaching, and spiritual writing in the Families in Mission pages for Chapter 3. Signs of Faith We often use images, signs, and symbols to show that we belong to a particular group or community. As Catholics, we also use colors, images, signs, and symbols to show that we belong to a group. We might carry a Bible, pray the Rosary, or wear a crucifix. In this way, we show others that we are part of a group united by our faith. Early Christians had to be careful about being identified as followers of Christ. In the Roman Empire, many people did not think Christians were loyal citizens. If the wrong person found out you were a Christian, your life might be in danger. Christians had to use symbols that only other Christians knew. One of these symbols was the outline of a fish. If two strangers met and one thought the other might be a Christian, he or she would draw a curved line to show the upper half of a fish. If the other person was a Christian, he or she could draw the lower half of the fish to complete the symbol. Why would Christians use the image of a fish? Many early Christians spoke Greek. In Greek, the word fish could also be used as an acronym for “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.” People who wanted to become Christians during this time studied for as long as a year or two. They would learn about other Christian signs and symbols. They learned of the waters of Baptism. They discovered the meaning of the bread and wine at Mass. They came to know signs of Christian devotion such as the Sign of the Cross. In these ways, they came to belong to the Church. In this unit, children learn about how the Church welcomes people into its community through the sacraments. Children revisit essential chapter content, complete a Your Turn activity, and undertake an interactive chapter review in the Review section of each chapter. At the end of each chapter of this unit, children will also bring home the Families in Mission pages so that you can further explore the chapter content, grow in your faith, and be inspired to go forth as a family of missionary disciples. The last chapter of each unit is a unit review. There you will find a QR code that you can scan to play the Stump the Shepherd unit review game. 2 Unit 1 Christ Our Life® We Are a Worshiping People Chapter 1 T5 Day One SAMPLE
2. Distribute copies of Reproducible 1a, Unit 1 Family Letter and instruct children to share the letter with their families. CHECKPOINT Were the learning outcomes achieved? What seem to be children’s attitudes toward religion and religion class? Name 1a REPRODUCIBLE Christ Our Life® All Rights Reserved Christ Our Life® Reproducibles w3158 www.christourlife.com GRADE 5 Chapter 1 Page 2 of 2 Unit 1 Family Letter (cont.) Growing in Christ’s Love Since the day of our Baptism, we have had the grace to bring the image of Christ within us to life. If we fix our gaze on Christ throughout our lives, we will experience all that we are and all that we have through him. Our lives will be joyful worship united to the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ our Savior. Reflect on the following questions to clarify your understanding of community worship, which your child will learn about in Unit 1. • How does the way we live each day give worship to God? • What does Jesus tell us about worshiping God? • What difference does Baptism make in my life? • What does Holy Communion mean to me? • How do I share my faith with my family? During the next few weeks, your child will be learning how our worship as a Christian community helps us live the life we received in Baptism. During this time, you may wish to review and renew your own appreciation of God’s gift of grace. The following suggestions may help you: 1. Designate quiet times to be observed in your home that provide an atmosphere for prayer. 2. Look around your home for visual reminders of God’s gift of grace. Is a crucifix in a prominent place? Is religious art part of the decor of your home? Is the Bible in a place of honor? 3. Choose a time for a quiet visit to the Blessed Sacrament and reflect on how God has shown his great love for you. Worship and Your Family Your response to all that God does for you each day profoundly affects the way your children will worship God. To reinforce the everyday ways you transmit attitudes and values, you may wish to use one or more of the following ideas: 1. Family prayer is a powerful means of forming Christian community in the home. Make time for family prayer. As part of this prayer, each member of your family might praise and thank God for a particular gift. 2. Plan together how your Sundays can be meaningful family time. Let each family member have a turn choosing an activity that all can enjoy doing together. 3. Discuss how your family shares Jesus’ love with others. Decide on one thing you will do each week to grow in his love. 4. Learn about your patron saints. Learn about your patron saint based on your given name, your baptismal name, or your Confirmation name. Ask these patrons to bless their namesakes. Celebrate their feast days. 5. Reflect frequently on short selections from Scripture. Psalm 95 and John 6:32–40 might be good places to start. 6. Schedule a time for praying the Rosary. Ask family members to bring specific intentions for each mystery of the Rosary. Name 1a REPRODUCIBLE Christ Our Life® All Rights Reserved Christ Our Life® Reproducibles w3158 www.christourlife.com GRADE 5 Chapter 1 Page 1 of 2 © patrimonio designs ltd/Shutterstock.com As your child begins to study Christian worship, think about your own understanding of the value of worshiping with the Christian community. The Church Teaches Faith is certainly a personal act and, nevertheless, it is not an individual and private choice; it has a relational and communal character.… In fact, [the Christian’s] personal act of faith represents the response to the living memory of an event that the Church has handed on to him. The faith of the disciple of Christ is therefore kindled, sustained, and transmitted only in the communion of ecclesial faith, where the “I believe” of Baptism is married to the “we believe” of the whole Church. Directory for Catechesis, para. 21 Reflecting on the Message To praise God is to acknowledge his greatness and goodness. Praise is the most fitting of all prayers, for our highest duty as human beings is to recognize and respond to God’s gifts. His goodness continually surprises us with signs of his steadfast love. We come in worship to honor God and to acclaim his mighty deeds. We give praise and thanks to God for all he has given us. We live in joy because of God’s all-forgiving love. We humbly petition God, trusting that he is with us and will help us in every circumstance of life. Jesus’ life was full of praise and worship. His every thought, word, and act worshiped God the Father. Indeed, Christ’s last gift to us was the Eucharist, the offering of himself in joyful praise to the Father. What Jesus did, we are called to do. Like him, we are called to live lives of prayer, service, and sacrifice. Through our participation in the sacraments, we are given the grace to strengthen our relationship with God. We are able to worship the Father by following Christ. The sacraments of the Church bring the significant moments of our lives to God. In each sacramental celebration, we come before the Lord as a community of faith and joyfully accept our vocation to “be holy and without blemish before him.” (Ephesians 1:4). Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we are given the grace to live in faith. Baptismal consecration initiates us into the community of faith. It challenges us to bring the entire human community into communion with Christ. It leads us to celebrate other sacramental acts that remind us how to live the life we received in Baptism. Aware of God’s great love for us, we respond with lives lived in conscious remembrance of the wonderful works of the Lord. Unit 1 Family Letter We Worship God as Catholic Christians 5. Have children complete the activity Wonders of the World on page 3. • When children have finished, invite volunteers to share the feelings they wrote about. Invite others to describe moments when they felt similar emotions. • These are ways we respond to the amazing world God created. Sometimes we are filled to overflowing with these emotions. This wonder we feel is also wonder for God and his deep love for us. God’s Word 6. Discuss the God’s Word feature on page 3. • Revelation is the last book of the Bible. These verses from Revelation are a prayer of praise. You might like to make this prayer your own. • Invite a volunteer to read aloud the God’s Word feature on page 3. • Why do we praise God? (God’s works are great and wonderful. God’s ways are just and true. God alone is holy.) 7. Invite children to sing or listen to a song of praise. Acting 1. Invite children to praise God’s greatness. • Have each child compose a onesentence prayer praising God for something he or she has experienced this day. • Let each child share his or her prayer and have the class respond, “We praise and thank you, Lord.” • Have children find the prayer Glory Be to the Father on the inside front cover of the Student Book. Invite a volunteer to pray it aloud while remaining children pray along silently. CHAPTER 1 Wonders of the World Check off each experience you have had. ❍ flying in a plane and seeing the world below ❍ feeling the summer sun warm your skin when you climb out of cold water ❍ touching the petals of a flower ❍ hearing a large crowd singing together ❍ looking at the tiny fingers and toes of a newborn baby ❍ listening to the wind blow through the trees on a quiet night Think about how you felt during these experiences. Below, write words that describe your feelings. We Are a Worshiping People We Give Praise to God The wonders of the world and the joys of being alive lead us to praise or adore God. God is all-powerful, creating the universe, freely and with no help, to show his love. We were created to show love as well and to share in God’s truth, goodness, and beauty. God is all-loving. Out of pure love, he gives us life. When we realize God’s greatness and his gifts, our hearts fill with admiration and thanks. Sometimes we want to shout with joy to God. We want to give God glory because he is great and good and has done wonderful things. We honor God above all else with our worship. God’s Word Great and wonderful are your works, Lord God almighty. Just and true are your ways, O king of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, or glorify your name? For you alone are holy. Revelation 15:3–4 We Are a Worshiping People Chapter 1 3 T6 Unit 1 We Worship God as Catholic Christians Day One SAMPLE
• Today, people who are not Catholic may choose to worship by meditating, making pilgrimages, reading important books, or devoting themselves to certain patterns of behavior. • Remember the powerful feelings we wrote about on page 3? People everywhere feel similar feelings about the world around them. We all feel God’s call to worship in some way. 3. Discuss worship in other cultures. • Through the centuries and around the world, people have always worshiped, though in many different ways. Humans have always sensed God in the world around them and felt the need to respond. Different people in different times and places have had their own ways of responding. • Clarify that although everyone feels the need to respond to God in some way, only through the Christian faith can we respond in a complete and true way. • In the past, people who were not Catholic worshiped by sacrificing animals, worshiping nature, meditating, or reading from non-Christian texts they considered sacred. Centering 1. Pray again with children the verses from Revelation on page 3. 2. Explain the fish as a Christian symbol. • Signs and symbols are important to our faith. The sign of the fish was used by early Christians to identify themselves to one another as members of the Christian community. In a similar way, the worship we share with other Catholics helps strengthen our sense of belonging to the Church community. 2. Note that Deuteronomy 6:4–9 makes up the first part of the most important prayer in Judaism, called Shema Yisrael. This prayer reaffirms allegiance to the one true God and is prayed in the morning and the evening. Similar in importance to the Lord’s Prayer, the Shema Yisrael is the first prayer taught to Jewish children, and it is the prayer Jews pray before dying. The name refers to the first two words of the prayer in Hebrew, translated as “Hear, [O] Israel.” The remainder of the Shema Yisrael is found in Deuteronomy 11:13–21 and Numbers 15:37–41. Materials • Item or picture of an item used in Catholic worship, such as incense or a hymnal (optional) • Bible bookmarked to Deuteronomy 6:4–9 • Parish hymnals Before You Begin 1. Keep in mind that in his farewell discourse, Jesus expressed his desire for Christian unity. (See John 14—18.) To be signs of the Lord’s unifying love, we are called to affirm our Catholic identity and to respect those whose beliefs and practices are different. LEARNING OUTCOMES Children will be able to • identify ways the Israelites responded to God’s love. • identify the connection between Jewish and Catholic worship. • explain that Jesus taught Christians how to worship. • identify the Eucharist as a great act of worship. • define synagogue. Word to Know synagogue See the Glossary for definition. Day Two All Worship Gives Glory to God Student pages 3–5 We Are a Worshiping People Chapter 1 T7 SAMPLE
3. Introduce children to Deuteronomy 6:4–9. • Jewish people still pray the prayers they were originally taught. Every day, devout Jewish men, women, and children remember that God is their God, and they adore him. This reading is part of their daily prayer. They know it by heart. • Read aloud from a Bible Deuteronomy 6:4–9. • The one true God of Israel to whom this passage refers is our one true God. This is a good prayer for us to remember as well. • Who taught the Jewish people how to worship? (God) • What did the Jewish people do to show they loved God? (They offered sacrifices, set aside a place of prayer in their homes, prayed in the synagogues, and listened to God’s Word in the Sacred Scriptures.) • This may sound familiar to you. As Christians, we do very similar things. Sharing 1. Have children review features of Catholic worship. • Write the following words on the board as column headings: Physical Actions, Things We Say, Books, Clothes, Objects, and Places. Draw children’s attention to the column headings. • As Catholics, we have various ways we engage in worship. Part of being Catholic is knowing our ways of worship. • Arrange children into six groups and assign each group a category on the board. Have children work together to list examples from Catholic worship that fit in each category. • When they have finished, invite a child from each group to share the group’s list. After each list is shared, invite the remaining children to add to the list. • The way that we worship has roots far back in history. It began with the people of Israel. 2. Discuss the first two paragraphs of All Are Called to Worship on page 4. • Invite volunteers to read aloud the paragraphs. • Jesus worshiped the Father by praying in a synagogue each week. In a synagogue, Jewish people pray together. Sacred Scripture, God’s Word, is read and explained. The Hebrew Scripture is in the Old Testament of our Bible. • How is this similar to what we do in church? (We pray together and listen to God’s Word.) All Are Called to Worship In all places and times, people have believed in a god or gods. They have built temples and monuments. They have prayed and chanted praise to their gods. They have offered sacrifices, or gifts, in worship. This is not surprising. Humans are religious by our very nature and calling. The one true God, our Creator and Lord, created us to be with him in happiness. Humans can reason and know of the one true God by his creation. But people lost their way and needed help to come to know God. Out of love, the one true God revealed himself. He wants everyone to live with him in love, but he chose the people of Israel as his Chosen People. God taught them how to live as his people and to worship him. The Israelites responded to God’s love. They offered sacrifices to him. Families set aside a place of prayer in their homes. In a building of prayer, called a synagogue, they praised and thanked God for all he had done for them. They listened to God’s Word in the Sacred Scriptures. The Son of God was born among the Chosen People. Jesus was the promised Savior whom the Chosen People had been hoping for. Christian worship grew out of Jewish worship. The first Christians worshiped as Jesus had taught them. They prayed together every day. They prayed the Lord’s Prayer as Jesus had taught them. Their greatest act of worship, though, was the breaking of the bread. In the Eucharist, their thanksgiving and offerings were joined to Jesus’ sacrifice to the Father. Many people do not know the one true God. They do not know that Jesus is the way to the Father or that the Holy Spirit leads and guides us to live as Jesus taught. We can help lead them to Jesus by our prayers and our love, by talking to them, and by supporting missionaries. Unit 1 We Worship God as Catholic Christians 4 T8 Unit 1 We Worship God as Catholic Christians Day Two SAMPLE
2. Invite children to praise God through song. • We try to praise God in all that we say and do. • Distribute the parish hymnals and work with children to select a song about praising God. Together, sing the song with joy. CHECKPOINT Were the learning outcomes achieved? Do children show an interest in worship? Do children recognize a response to God’s love in the worship practices of other people throughout history and the world? 4. Discuss the rest of this section. • Invite a volunteer to read aloud the third paragraph. • What is the greatest act of Christian worship? (the Eucharist) • What do Christians do through the Mass? (We thank God, with Jesus, for all he has done for us. We offer ourselves, with Jesus, to the Father.) • Invite a volunteer to read aloud the last paragraph. • The teachings of the Catholic Church include everything that we need to know to worship as Christians. It is important for us to learn everything that Jesus taught and to follow him. • Think about the many people who don’t know Jesus. What can we do to lead them to him? (pray for them, love them, tell them about Jesus, support missionaries) Acting 1. Have children pray for the missionaries working around the world. • Invite a volunteer to name a country where missionaries are at work. Remind them that missionaries also are at work in our country. • Invite children to say a silent prayer for the missionaries who work around the world. • Have children pray using the following words: “For the people of [country], that they may come to know and love God, let us pray. Lord, hear our prayer.” After each child has had an opportunity to pray aloud in this way, conclude by praying together the Lord’s Prayer. Words to Know Invite a volunteer to read aloud the definition of synagogue from the Words to Know feature on page 5. Children can further explore the meaning of the word in the Glossary. • Explain that Jesus taught Christians how to worship. • Our worship is connected to Jewish worship, but as Christians, we worship as Jesus taught us. He taught us an important prayer that we should know by heart. What is it called? (the Lord’s Prayer) • The Lord’s Prayer is the great prayer of all Christians. When we pray it, we adore God and ask for all we need. We should pray it every day. Do you know it by heart? It is on the front inside cover of your book. • What does the picture on the top of page 4 show? (Jesus offering himself to the Father at the Last Supper) • What did Jesus tell the Apostles to do at the Last Supper? (to continue to do what he did that night) • When do we do what Jesus did at the Last Supper? (at Mass) • The Mass is Jesus’ perfect offering of himself to his Father. It is Jesus’ prayer. As followers of Jesus, we gather together to thank God in the way Jesus taught us. Participating in Mass every Sunday is one sign that we are followers of Jesus. We Are a Worshiping People Chapter 1 T9 Day Two SAMPLE
Centering 1. Discuss how we honor people who have done great things. • Invite children to name famous Catholics or saints whom we honor. Discuss what these people have done. (Examples: Pope Francis, Saint Peter, Saint Teresa of Calcutta) • We honor these people because we are thankful for their example. We are thankful for what they did and how they encourage us in our faith. • What are some ways we honor these people? (Examples: celebrate them on feast days, display pictures or statues of them, name things after them) 2. Explain that worship is a way of showing thanks and honor to God. • God has done even more for us! He made us. He loves us and cares for us. He sent his Son to save us from sin. More than anything, he wants us to know that we belong to him. We have so much to be thankful for. • But honoring and thanking God takes more than holidays and statues. We honor and thank God with our lives and through our worship. • God gives us many ways to worship. Some we share together. This is because we all belong to God. It shows that we are part of God’s family and thankful that we belong to him. LEARNING OUTCOMES Children will be able to • explain that we worship God because we belong to God and to God’s family. • identify both personal and communal prayer as ways to worship God. • identify ways to express their faith by praising God through word and action. • define Alleluia. Word to Know Alleluia See the Glossary for definition. Materials • Device with internet access (optional) • Bible bookmarked at the following passages: Mark 2:1–12, Luke 7:11–17, and Mark 10:46–52 • Small, smooth rock for each child • Felt-tipped pens • Recording of hymn or song of praise for Acting #2 Before You Begin 1. Determine whether the media will be experienced in class or at home. 2. Worship is our response to our Creator. He is our God, and we are his people. Our worship acknowledges that we belong to God and depend entirely on him. 3. Note that Charles de Foucauld (phoo-KOE) lived from 1858 to 1916 and is best known for his desire to live a simple life of witness to Jesus among the Muslims in the Sahara. He is the founder of the religious order known as the Little Brothers of Jesus. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. Day Three We Give God Our Worship Student pages 5–6 We Worship in Many Ways How wonderful it is to belong to God! He made us, and we are his people. God’s love for us is everlasting. We love and honor him above everything and everyone. We worship him in prayer, loving service, and sacrifice. Worship is our way of telling God that we know we belong to him. In personal prayer, we adore God as the Holy One who created us. We ask him as our Savior to forgive us. We ask him as the Holy Spirit to make us holy. We thank God for all he gives to us. We pray together with our family at home and with our Church family in the parish. Whenever we pray, we talk to God and give him time to talk to us. Through prayer, God calls us to encounter him and his mystery. Every day, God has new things to share with us. Everything God has made tells us something about his great power and love, but we sometimes miss the message. To make sure we do not miss the message, we need to take time to think quietly about God’s greatness. Then we will want to cry out Alleluia! The word Alleluia comes from the Hebrew words hallel and yah. The word hallel means “praise,” and yah is the first syllable of “Yahweh,” or God. Together they form Alleluia, which means “praise God.” A Moment with Jesus Pause for a moment and silently read this prayer of Blessed Charles de Foucauld. Lord, one more day to love you! In your own words, thank Jesus for the gift of faith and the chance to love and praise him. Words to Know synagogue The Jewish place of assembly for prayer, instruction, and study of the Torah Alleluia A prayer of praise to God I Give Praise Think how great and good God is. Check the ways you will give him praise. ❍ by praying every morning and evening ❍ by taking time to see the beauty in creation ❍ by being quiet and listening to hear God speak in my heart ❍ by talking with God about what happens each day ❍ by often repeating short prayers such as “My God, I love you” What else can you do to praise God? Write your answers below. We Are a Worshiping People Chapter 1 5 T10 Unit 1 We Worship God as Catholic Christians SAMPLE
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