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Home , Our Lady of Guadalupe

Grade 3 – Lesson 5

Key Points   The means “good news”.  The Messiah means “God’s anointed one” or savior.  The Kingdom of God is the world of love, peace, and justice that is in Heaven and is still being built on Earth.  A miracle is something that cannot be explained by science, but happens by the power of God.  A parable is a short story told about everyday life to teach something about God.  A sacrifice is giving up something out of love for someone else. Jesus sacrificed His life for so that we can be saved from the consequences of sin.  The Paschal Mystery is Jesus’ suffering, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. The word “Paschal” comes from Passover, which is a holiday the Jewish people were celebrating the week that He died.

Materials  Mary, Mother of God (Active Learning Primary 2)  Our Lady of Guadalupe poster  Jesus’ Miracles book  Advent Wreath coloring sheet  Pipe cleaners

Catechist Prayer before the lesson: Gracious God, You are always ready to welcome each person with open arms. Teach me to love You more and more each day. Amen.

Before the lesson:  Hand out Mary, Mother of God.

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[10 min] Invite – Walk in the Light (p. 15)

 Explain that December 8th is the feast of the . This is the day we honor Mary being conceived without sin. Mary is the patron of America, so December 8th is a when we have to attend .  Listen to the instrumental song Lumen Christi (Track 1) while reciting the prayer and Scripture passage.  Pray a

[20 min] Discover – Jesus, God’s Light (p. 16)

 Hand out the Advent Wreath Coloring Sheet o Advent is the season of 4 weeks before , when we celebrate the coming of Jesus. o There are special candles used in church during Advent. This is called an Advent Wreath. o Each Sunday, a new candle is lit. o 1st candle: Hope o 2nd candle: Peace o 3rd candle: Love (this candle is pink. This candle is a different color to show that love is the greatest virtue) o 4th candle: Joy o The Advent coloring sheet shows a 5th candle for Jesus, which is lit on Christmas Day.  Read the text on page 16 while the students color.  Pipe Cleaner Advent Wreath o Give the students the colored pipe cleaners o Wrap 2 green pipe cleaners around a pencil and tie together to make a wreath shape. o Twist 2 pipe cleaners together to make a candle. Instruct the children to make 3 purple candles and one pink candle, then attach the candles to the wreath. o Twist a short yellow pipe cleaner to the end of each candle to make a flame.

[10 min] Discover – The Blessed Mother (p. 20)

 Show the poster of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Ask: Who is this a picture of? Do you know who painted this picture?  Read the story on page 20.  Explain: The image of the Blessed Mary miraculously appeared on ’s cloak when he let the roses fall on the floor in front of the . 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 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.  The Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego on December 12th, 1531, and in 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 converted to the Catholic faith.

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[15 min] Discover – The Kingdom of God (p. 124-125)

 Explain: The in the gives the good news about Jesus and God’s love for you. The stories about the life of Jesus are called the Gospel, which means “good news”.  The Jewish people were waited for the Messiah, or savior. “Messiah” means “God’s anointed one.” Jesus showed He was the Messiah by His teachings and miracles.  Read the text on page 124 about the Kingdom of God and miracles.  Read the book Jesus’ Miracles.  Read or summarize the text on page 125 about parables.

[10 min] Live – People of Faith (p. 137)

 Explain: A sacrifice is giving up something out of love for someone else. Jesus sacrificed His life for so that we can be saved from the consequences of sin.  The Paschal Mystery is the mystery of Jesus’ suffering, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. The word “Paschal” comes from Passover, which is a holiday the Jewish people were celebrating the week that He died.  Read about St. on page 137 and complete the Live Your Faith Box.

[10 min] Sending – Witness to the Light (p. 17)

 Ask the students if they have any prayer requests and pray the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.  Recite the prayer and read the Scripture passage from the children’s Bible.  Listen to God’s Greatest Gift (Track 54)

Remind the students to show their parents the Family+Faith section on page 129.

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