GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES This week s goal: When we read the Old Testament in light of the New, we see clearly God s plan in Christ. Sunday, Dec 13 th, 2015 Begin with prayer and this teaching: Lord live in me so that your grace be mine. Gianna Beretta Molla lived life to the fullest; she saw it as a marvelous gift. And she knew how important and powerful it is to pray. After earning degrees in Medicine and Surgery, she specialized in Pediatrics. In her practice as a doctor, she gave special attention to mothers, babies, the elderly and the poor. Like most saints, hers is a tale of tragedy and heroic sacrifice. Against the advice of doctors, Gianna gave her life to save her baby girl (also named Gianna), fully aware that she could die if she gave birth. A few days before the due date she said, If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child I insist on it. Save the baby. Do you remember how our story as Children of God began? It began in a garden the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve lived there in peace, and they knew how much God loved them. UNTIL something happened: they stopped trusting God and gave into the temptation of the serpent. They disobeyed God and ate from the forbidden tree the one tree God told them not to eat from. Adam and Eve were banished sent out from the beautiful garden. But, remember, God loved them no matter what! To prove this, he promised to send a Savior to bring forgiveness and to make everything right again. A STORY OF TWO GARDENS That s the first story in the Old Testament. (You may want to have the Bible handy to show the Old and New Testaments) And already we know there will be a Savior! From the beginning, God had a plan that would prove he loves us, no matter what. The last story in the Gospels is about Jesus last days. And guess where this story begins? In a garden, just like Adam and Eve! Jesus went to a garden to pray after the Last Supper. In that garden, the devil tempted Jesus not to trust God his Father, just like the devil tempted Adam and Eve. But on the wood of the cross what we call the new Tree of Life Jesus saved us from all our sins. Jesus trusted his Father and he cried out for help. He was scared, but he knew he could trust his Father. He prayed for the Father s will to be done, because he knew he could trust that whatever happened, it would be OK. Through Jesus life, we learn so much. Jesus remembered what Adam and Eve forgot. He remembered that God always answers our prayers, and he always has the perfect answer! It may not always be what we want to hear, but our Heavenly Father knows best. Like Jesus, we just need to trust our heavenly Father and remember how much he loves us. Jesus shows us the Father s love on the cross, and through the cross he saves us. Whenever we look at the cross, we remember that we can trust God.
Activities to Enrich Your Faith: (Choose at least one or two to use directly following your Sunday teaching, but try to complete all the activities sometime throughout this week) 1. The Two Gardens Divide a piece of paper or small poster board into three sections, on both sides. a. On one side, draw Adam and Eve happy with the animals in the first section. In the middle section, draw Adam and Eve being tempted by the serpent. In the last section, draw them sad outside the garden. b. Turn the paper over. In the first section, draw Jesus praying in the garden. Then draw him being tempted by the serpent. Finally, draw him gloriously risen from the dead. 2. Who Do I Trust? Who Do I Obey? Make a list of everyone you trust. Discuss together why your child trusts these people. Next, Make a list of those whom you need to obey Discuss together why it s important to obey these people. 3. Where else is Jesus Present? Talk about other stories from the Old Testament and how God was preparing his people to receive Jesus. Just like the Garden of Eden points to Jesus, so also does the story of Abraham and Isaac; or the crossing of the Red Sea, the Passover Lamb, the Manna in the Wilderness, the Ark of the Covenant, etc. 4. Jesus, I Trust in You Find an image of Divine Mercy and have your child draw it. Decorate it and hang it up. If you have an image of Divine Mercy in your home, think about adding it to your prayer space. Then, have your child memorize this simple but powerful prayer: Jesus, I Trust in You To see or purchase Divine Mercy images, visit: www.divinemercyart.com Questions for Discussion: (Ask these questions at the end of your Sunday teaching session, then again sometime later in the middle of the week to reinforce the lesson) 1. What happened in the Garden of Eden? To whom did Adam and Eve listen? 2. Who did they stop trusting? 3. Where did Jesus go to pray? What did Jesus ask? Who did he trust? 4. Who should we always trust? 5. Read the story of St. Gianna on the front of this sheet. Ask: St. Gianna loved her baby more than her own life. How is her love for her child similar to Jesus love for you? Church Teaching: YOUCAT: 7-10, 16-19, 170-171, 474 CCC: 50-67, 101-104, 115-119, 1093-1098, 1150-1152, 2599 2
GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES This week s goal: Jesus doesn t just make sense of the Old Testament; He also reveals the true meaning of my own life. Sunday, Dec 20 th, 2015 Begin with prayer and this teaching: Do you like stories? What do you like best about stories? (pause for answers) Did you know that everyone has a story? And that God is a part of everyone s story? Do you know why? (pause for answers) God is everywhere. He created us and he never leaves us, even if we forget about him. He knows your name. Jesus sees you with his human eyes. He never forgets about you. He really likes you. He loves you so much he died on the cross for you! And he has a marvelous plan for your life. Lord live in me so that your grace be mine. Gianna Beretta Molla lived life to the fullest; she saw it as a marvelous gift. And she knew how important and powerful it is to pray. After earning degrees in Medicine and Surgery, she specialized in Pediatrics. In her practice as a doctor, she gave special attention to mothers, babies, the elderly and the poor. Like most saints, hers is a tale of tragedy and heroic sacrifice. Against the advice of doctors, Gianna gave her life to save her baby girl (also named Gianna), fully aware that she could die if she gave birth. A few days before the due date she said, If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child I insist on it. Save the baby. GOD IS HELPING YOU WRITE YOUR STORY Just like God never left the people in the Old Testament, he never leaves you. Just like Jesus was sent to be with the people in the Bible, God sent Jesus to be with you, too. He s with us in good times, hard times, confusing times ALL THE TIME! Do you know what that means? It means we can hear him speaking to our hearts if we learn to pray and listen to his voice. We need to listen to him, to love Jesus throughout each day. If we do, we will really love God. We will do what is right and help everyone to feel loved, because we will hear Jesus in our hearts. Remember when we talked about God s family? In the Bible, we learn all about God s family. We learn about how they came to trust him and to live as his children, praying for the strength to love everyone they met. God wants us to do the same thing to trust him and to do what we know is right, even when it s hard. Then, the story of our life will be wonderful! Because God s love is there. The Old Testament in the Bible is filled with the stories of people who were not perfect, who made mistakes, and who sometimes ignored God just like we sometimes do. And yet God was there for them, even when they didn t think so. And their faith grew and grew; and, with his help, they became the best they could be. That s what God asks of us, too to do our best, and never to forget to ask him for help. End by telling the story of your child s birth 3
Activities to Enrich Your Faith: (Choose at least one or two to use directly following your Sunday teaching, but try to complete all the activities sometime throughout this week) 1. My Life is a Gift Book Fold 3-4 blank white 8x11 pages in half, then staple them together to make a short booklet with the title, My Life is a Gift from God. With your child, record all the people you can think of family, friends, teachers, neighbors, etc. Don t forget your Guardian Angel! Make a note of good times, favorite places, perhaps a time of trouble or sadness. Include the day your child was born, and the day he/she was baptized. Have your child decorate the booklet with pictures to represent these stories. 2. Joseph s Story Read the Old Testament story of Joseph in Genesis 37. Discuss how God was there for Joseph and gave him what he needed. Talk about how certain things happened because God had a special plan for Joseph s life. 3. What s God s Plan for Me? Ask your child to think about the plans God might have for your child s future. Is he preparing you to be a loving husband, wife, father, or mother? How is he doing that? Have you ever thought that God could have a plan for you to be a priest, or a religious sister? What do you think about that? What are some other things God might have planned for you? End with a short prayer for your child to know his/her vocation, and to live it out with faith, hope, and love. 4. Quiet Time at Church Pick a quiet time during the day and go into the Church. Look at the stained-glass windows together and talk about the stories they tell. Talk about the Stations of the Cross along the walls. Take a few minutes just to sit and look around. Before you leave, kneel as a family and pray for all those you love, for all of God s family, and thank him together for the gift of your life. Questions for Discussion: (Ask these questions at the end of your Sunday teaching session, then again sometime later in the middle of the week to reinforce the lesson) 1. Do you have a favorite story from the Bible? Why do you like it? What did you learn about God in the story? 2. How can we show people that we are a part of God s family, and that he is a part of ours? 3. Have you ever had a hard time trusting God? Can you tell me about it? 4. Read the story of St. Gianna again. Who did she give special attention to as a doctor? Why do you think she picked those people? Church Teaching: YOUCAT: 21, 49, 58-60, 122, 170, 280, 515-517 CCC: 154-155, 302-305, 356-361, 759, 1109, 1701, 2779-2793 4
GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES This week s goal: God is present and at work in everyone s life; as his people, it s our mission to help point him out. Sunday, Dec 27 th, 2015 Begin with prayer and this teaching: When Jesus died on the cross for us, he proved his love for us. God has given us the Bible to remind us how much we are loved. He never left his people, Israel, and he will never leave us. God is always present in our lives, even when we don t see him. Lord live in me so that your grace be mine. Gianna Beretta Molla lived life to the fullest; she saw it as a marvelous gift. And she knew how important and powerful it is to pray. After earning degrees in Medicine and Surgery, she specialized in Pediatrics. In her practice as a doctor, she gave special attention to mothers, babies, the elderly and the poor. Like most saints, hers is a tale of tragedy and heroic sacrifice. Against the advice of doctors, Gianna gave her life to save her baby girl (also named Gianna), fully aware that she could die if she gave birth. A few days before the due date she said, If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child I insist on it. Save the baby. Once we know God, we see his actions everywhere. He gives us his Holy Spirit and helps us notice him in all the little things we experience every day: the beautiful smile of mom, the strong hugs of dad, the kindness of teachers, the laughter of a friend, the cheek squeeze of a grandmother (squeeze your child s cheek), watching two friends holding hands as they cross the street, puffy white clouds, snowflakes landing on our noses, the first spring flower, the music filling the church, the people sitting all around us in the pews. God created all of this! And all of these wonderful things are here to remind us that he s here, too! And, in the most special way of all, God is really present in the Eucharist that the priest holds up high on the altar at Mass. It looks like bread, but it s really Jesus! God gives us the Holy Spirit so that we can know this mystery. In the Eucharist, Jesus gives us his whole life his Body and Blood and remains physically present with us. Remember, it looks like bread but it s really Jesus! YOU CAN HELP OTHERS SEE GOD, TOO When we notice God all around us, it makes us happy inside. Do you think other people might like to feel this happiness, too? They can, if you help them. They see the same smiles, and snowflakes, and puffy white clouds as you do. If they re feeling sad, remind them, God is all around us and he has a plan. Everything is going to be ok. God loves us and he calls us to love others in the same way. The best thing we can do for our friends and family is to remind them that they are not alone; God is always with them, and he loves them. 5
Activities to Enrich Your Faith: (Choose at least one or two to use directly following your Sunday teaching, but try to complete all the activities sometime throughout this week) 1. Water and Life Get a cup of water and have your child take a drink. Ask your child, Why do we need water? (pause for answers) Then compare it to the water of baptism water for the SOUL. Say: Water gives our bodies life; baptism gives our souls God s life and love. Did you know that? MAIN POINT: Because we are baptized we have a special strength from God to help other people find him and know him better. Christians are like water for the whole world when we share God s love. We bring the world life! Think about our family. When is a time that you could remind mommy/daddy, your sister/brother how much God loves us? 2. Pray Grace with a Friend When you have lunch with a friend, thank God first and ask him to bless the food. 3. The Birth of Jesus Discuss the Christmas Gospel (Luke 2:1-20) together and talk about how Jesus has made such a huge difference in the world, in your own personal life, etc. 4. Celebrate Life Go for a walk and celebrate the beauty of God in the world. Point out to your child the season, the sights, sounds, and smells you encounter, the people who cross your path they are all signs of God s love. (Have some hot cocoa when you get home, and thank God for the gift of sweet memories together) Questions for Discussion: (Ask these questions at the end of your Sunday teaching session, then again sometime later in the middle of the week to reinforce the lesson) 1. Where do you see God? 2. Is there someone you know who might need your prayers? Is there anything else you could also do for them? 3. What can you, as a member of God s family, do to make our world better? (Example: Take care of each other, take care of the earth, think about others be generous, share God s story, do what s right, etc.) 4. Because St. Gianna is a saint, she is alive with Jesus in heaven, and she prays for you. (Take a moment now to say a prayer to St. Gianna and ask for her intercession in your life ) Church Teaching: YOUCAT: 125, 200, 205, 347 CCC: 783-785, 897-907, 1267-1270, 1302-1304, 2044-2046 6