Grade 7 - Lesson 23 Proclamation: Sacramentals are sacred signs established by the Church to bestow grace on those who use them with the right disposition. We honor the saints and ask them to pray for us. Catechetical Points We can receive blessings by using Sacramentals. Materials Saint Medals Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe Treasure Chest May 24, 1951, pages 19-21 https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=35965 YouTube (Please bring your own laptop or tablet) Wi-Fi: StMichaelGuest Password: 6084375348 Catholic Know-How Series - Sacramentals by Sancta Familia Media https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpd8hkotq1m Before class starts: Students who arrive early can play Train Wreck with students from the other grades.
[15 min] Silent Prayer Bring the class into church for a few minutes of silent prayer. At the beginning of prayer in Church, lead the class in the Divine Praises. They should repeat each line after you: Blessed be God. Blessed be his Holy Name. Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man. Blessed be the Name of Jesus. Blessed be his most Sacred Heart. Blessed be his most Precious Blood. Blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy. Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception. Blessed be her glorious Assumption. Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother. Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse. Blessed be God in his angels and in his saints. [20 min] Sacramentals What is a Sacrament? What is a sacramental? (see the notes on page 270 in the teacher s manual). Read about sacramentals on pages 152-153 (page 276 in the teacher s manual) Discuss some of these types of sacramentals (what are they and how are they used): Crucifix Rosary Divine Mercy Chaplet 1
Brown Scapular Relics Blessed medals Statues of saints Holy Water Holy Oil Watch Catholic Know-How Series - Sacramentals by Sancta Familia Media https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpd8hkotq1m Which sacramentals do you use in your home? Which sacramentals would you like to know more about? Show the saint medals and have each student choose one they would like to keep. These have all been blessed already. [20 min] Sacramentals vs. Superstition When using sacramentals, it is important to remember that these are signs of God s grace, these objects have no inherent power by themselves. Believing that an object on its own can protect you is a superstition (for example, a lucky rabbit's foot.) We do receive grace from sacramentals, but only because of God s grace which works through the Church. Read Sacramentals from the 1950s comic Treasure Chest. Assign each student a role to read. (See the handout below. Copies will be provided in the classroom). [15 min] The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe Read Popular Piety on page 153. Show the picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Who is this a picture of? Do you know who painted this image? 2
On December 12th, 1531 in Mexico, there was a peasant named Juan Diego. On one of his trips to the chapel, Juan was walking through the Tepayac hill country in central Mexico. Near Tepayac Hill he encountered a beautiful woman surrounded by a ball of light as bright as the sun. Speaking in his native tongue, the beautiful lady identified herself: "My dear little son, I love you. I desire you to know who I am. I am the ever-virgin Mary, Mother of the true God who gives life and maintains its existence. He created all things. He is in all places. He is Lord of Heaven and Earth. I desire a church in this place where your people may experience my compassion. All those who sincerely ask my help in their work and in their sorrows will know my Mother's Heart in this place. Here I will see their tears; I will console them and they will be at peace. So run now to Tenochtitlan and tell the Bishop all that you have seen and heard." Even though it was winter, there were roses blooming on the hill where Mary appeared. Juan Diego wrapped the roses up in his cloak. When Juan Diego met the bishop, the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary miraculously appeared on Juan Diego s cloak when he let the roses fall on the floor in front of the bishop. This type of cloak is called a tilma, and it was made out of cactus fiber. Usually, these kinds of clothes would start to fall apart in about 10 years, but after almost 500 years, the tilma can still be seen in Mexico completely intact. It even survived a terrorist bombing in 1921. The image doesn t seemed to have been painted, since there are no visible brush strokes. And the part of the tilma covered by the image feels like silk, rather than scratchy cactus fiber. The tilma stays at a constant temperature of 98.6 degrees the same temperature of the human body. Scientists looked at the image at 2500 times magnification and found that there are people reflected in Mary s eyes: it looks like a snapshot of the moment that Juan Diego was meeting the bishop. 3
The Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego in 1531, and at that time, most people in Mexico practiced the Aztec religion and made human sacrifices to pagan gods. After the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary, millions of Aztecs converted to the Catholic faith. [5 min] Closing Prayer Pray the Memorare (p. 179 in the student text / p. 318 in the teacher s manual.) [5 min] Wrap up We are done for the school year! Send home the workbooks with the students (textbooks should stay in the cabinet Please remember to leave your teacher s manual in your classroom. Thank you so much for being a catechist this year! 4
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