Today the children worked on making the Sign of the Cross as a way to honor the Most Holy Trinity. We used several analogies to bring an age-appropriate level of understanding to this complex doctrine: namely, one God in three Persons. By the end of the class the children will have been able to sign themselves using their right hand, clasping three fingers (thumb, index and middle) together, then touching their forehead, chest, right shoulder, left shoulder, and ending with their hands folded in prayer.
The blessing is a simple reminder of our intention to offer up whatever it is we are about to say or do to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is also a powerful reminder of the cross upon which Jesus died for our sins.
Insofar as the Trinity is concerned, they will have been able to name each Person and what specific role He had to play in God's plan for man's salvation.
Insofar as the Trinity is concerned, they will have been able to name each Person and what specific role He had to play in God's plan for man's salvation.
Classroom Work:
The children were given "Bless Me Bands" to wear on their right wrists. Then we stood in front of a mirror, as we practiced the proper sequence in blessing ourselves. It was a good way to see that individually and collectively, we were getting it right.
We recited the Our Father and reviewed the meaning of the special words introduced last week (heaven, hallowed, trespasses and temptation).
We recited the Our Father and reviewed the meaning of the special words introduced last week (heaven, hallowed, trespasses and temptation).
As we moved to a discussion of the Most Holy Trinity, we focused on the word "persons" and what that means. It was a wonderful discussion that led us to understand that although the three persons in one God are not human (because they are spirits with no bodies), they ARE persons with separate minds, wills and desires for us to draw close to them in a perfect union of love.
In thinking about the fact that they are three persons in one God, I drew a clover leaf, a triangle, a tricycle, and also shared a picture of a beautiful cloud that appeared in the Friday morning sky (it was shaped like a triangle with a cross embedded inside). What an amazing prop to reinforce the wonder of the signs that God uses to get our attention. The various pictures were then examined as comprising three distinct parts, with each part necessary to make one whole.
Our one God, who is all-knowing, all-powerful and all-good, has three equal persons - each having a different name and a different role to play in God's plan for man's salvation.
God the Father is the Creator - the source of all life - He is OUR Father in every sense of the word. He is also the one who sent Jesus into the world. Jesus is the one who walked on this earth in human form, showed us how to live and went to the cross as God the Son, our Savior. The person who stands in Jesus' place after He returned to the Father in Heaven is called God the Holy Spirit. He remains here, gathering us into the Trinity of God's love, providing the gifts we need to live peaceful and joyful lives. All we need to do is to accept those gifts with gratitude, and realize that it is through and in God's love that our restless hearts find peace.
God invites us into an eternal love relationship that exists between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As God's children, we can enter into that holy relationship through prayer, service of others, and the Eucharist, while achieving perfect union with Him when we get to heaven.
We then:
- learned the Trinity Song sung to the tune "Are You Sleeping". It went like this: "God the Father (2X), God the Son (2X), God the Holy Spirit (2X), Three in one (2X),
- practiced saying a few key words in Ukrainian,
- and finally, used an oversized Prayer Cube to toss around as we practiced saying our prayers.
Our one God, who is all-knowing, all-powerful and all-good, has three equal persons - each having a different name and a different role to play in God's plan for man's salvation.
God the Father is the Creator - the source of all life - He is OUR Father in every sense of the word. He is also the one who sent Jesus into the world. Jesus is the one who walked on this earth in human form, showed us how to live and went to the cross as God the Son, our Savior. The person who stands in Jesus' place after He returned to the Father in Heaven is called God the Holy Spirit. He remains here, gathering us into the Trinity of God's love, providing the gifts we need to live peaceful and joyful lives. All we need to do is to accept those gifts with gratitude, and realize that it is through and in God's love that our restless hearts find peace.
God invites us into an eternal love relationship that exists between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As God's children, we can enter into that holy relationship through prayer, service of others, and the Eucharist, while achieving perfect union with Him when we get to heaven.
We then:
- learned the Trinity Song sung to the tune "Are You Sleeping". It went like this: "God the Father (2X), God the Son (2X), God the Holy Spirit (2X), Three in one (2X),
- practiced saying a few key words in Ukrainian,
- and finally, used an oversized Prayer Cube to toss around as we practiced saying our prayers.
Special Word:
Trinity
Ukrainian Words:
Trinity
Ukrainian Words:
Boh (God), Otche Nash (Our Father), Vim'ya Otsia, I Syna, I Sviatoho Dukha. Amin. (In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.)
At-home Reinforcement Activity:
Take an apple and cut it in half. Talk about how there are three parts to the one apple: namely, the skin the flesh and the core. God the Father is like the skin - He protects us. God the Son is like the flesh - we take Him into our bodies as spiritual food when we receive the Holy Eucharist. God the Holy Spirit is like the core where His seeds are sown in our hearts when we are baptized and confirmed. If and when we take the time to get to know Him, we will spiritually grow and develop into the person God intended us to be!
At-home Reinforcement Activity:
Take an apple and cut it in half. Talk about how there are three parts to the one apple: namely, the skin the flesh and the core. God the Father is like the skin - He protects us. God the Son is like the flesh - we take Him into our bodies as spiritual food when we receive the Holy Eucharist. God the Holy Spirit is like the core where His seeds are sown in our hearts when we are baptized and confirmed. If and when we take the time to get to know Him, we will spiritually grow and develop into the person God intended us to be!
"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." 2 Corinthians 13:14
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