2020.02.02 Faith FULL as We Feast

Overview & Learning Objectives:

We began by reviewing why priests are so special, recalling last week's lesson on Holy Orders and their power to heal both bodies and souls. This week we are beginning our study of a priest's power to turn ordinary bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This takes place at the Divine Liturgy and is called the Consecration.

The source of a priest's power dates back to Jesus Christ, who modeled how a priest should live and what he must do to minister to the needs of God's chosen people. Jesus specifically gave special power, through the Holy Spirit, to the Apostles who, in turn, passed that power onto ordained men throughout history.  As such, the Catholic Church is the one true church and her authority is certain. This does not mean it is without problems, but rather she will survive until the second coming. "I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18

The children listened to the story of the Miracle of the Loaves & Fishes.  They were prompted to find hidden loaves and fishes in the classroom, just like the Apostles were asked by Jesus to gather food to feed the crowd of over 5000 followers. The story is beautiful as it foreshadows the Holy Eucharist. It involves Jesus taking bread into His hands, blessing it, looking up to His Heavenly Father, thanking Him, breaking it, and giving it to the people to eat. Everyone had as much food as they needed and there were even 12 baskets of leftovers. Imagine that - through the power of the words of Jesus, the bread multiplied so that all of the people were fed and satisfied.

This miracle excited the crowd to such a degree, that the next day they asked Jesus to be their king and feed them everyday. But Jesus declined the offer. He told them that someday He would give them His very own Body and Blood as spiritual food to nourish their souls. The crowd was disappointed and scattered, leaving only the Apostles as believers.

A short time later, the 12 faithful men gathered at what we now call the Last Supper. It was at this famous meal that Jesus used the words that priests say to this day to change ordinary bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus.  It was the very FIRST Holy Communion.

As we know, the next day Jesus died on the cross, but three days later He rose from the dead. This frightened the Apostles because they were unsure of themselves, fearful of being without Jesus, and worried about what was to happen next. But soon Jesus appeared to 11 of His 12 friends as they huddled in a locked room. They each saw the nail marks on Jesus' hands and the wound in His side from the sword that pierced Him. They were so happy to have seen Jesus, and were anxious to tell their story to the 12th Apostle, Thomas.

But when Thomas heard the news, he refused to believe that it was truly Jesus, and said, "Let me put my hand into His side and feel the wounds myself, and then I will believe."

Eight days later, Jesus appeared a second time to the Apostles.  This time Thomas was present, and as he put his hand into the side of Jesus, he said, "I believe!" Jesus then answered, "Blessed are they who have not seen and yet believe."

Jesus was talking about us. Although we have not seen, at every Divine Liturgy, we ready ourselves to receive the His Body and Blood, by saying the Communion Prayer that starts with two simple, but powerful words, "I BELIEVE . . ."  Because of the fullness of our faith, when we receive Holy Communion, our souls are nourished and satisfied.

There is no doubt about it, we are truly blessed to have been chosen to walk by faith, not by sight. And when the waves of this world come crashing down around us, we have the power of the priests and our sacraments to lift us up - keeping us secure in knowing that God is working to the good in all things for those who love Him.

By the end of the lesson, the children will have been able to retell, at a high level, events that took place from the Miracle of the Loaves & Fishes to Doubting Thomas, such that the seeds of faith that have been planted in their hearts are given the scriptural nourishment needed to grow.

New Word:

Consecration

Today's Class Activity for Reinforcement:

We used our white boards again to write about times that we tend to doubt ourselves or want to give up trying. It was curious to see what was on the children's minds. We then brainstormed ways that we can reframe how we see things so that our faith in both God and ourselves improves. Keeping the faith is a habit that can be formed, but it takes practice.

At Home Reinforcement:

As a family, agree to help each other "keep the faith", by:

(1) Being intentional in how you speak to one another. Agree to keep the language positive, constructive and inspirational.
(2) Looking for opportunities to reframe your perspective on what is taking place in your world, so that you begin consistently seeing the glass half-full, instead of half-empty.
(3) Focusing on what you can control and channeling your energy only in that direction.
(4) Living your faith such that you role model, for each other and the world, actions that clearly contradict the ugliness of our culture and promote the tenants of our faith.
(5) Celebrating your individual and collective movement in the direction towards holiness. Keep your faith at the heart of your home and you will be blessed, nourished and satisfied.