Grade 6 – Lesson 12: Chapter 15 Key Points Venial sin is less serious sin which weakens a person’s relationship with God. Mortal sin is serious sin which breaks a person’s relationship with God. Materials Listen to Your Conscience (p. 209E) Act of Contrition Examination of Conscience YouTube (Wi-Fi Password: AllisHoly) Catechist Prayer before the lesson: Forgiving Christ, make me a teacher of good intentions and habits. Help me to embrace a love for you so deep that sin holds no appeal for me. Amen. [10 min] Invite – Sin and Forgiveness Create a quiet prayer space and pray aloud the leader prayer on pg. 209. Encourage the children to respond. Introduce the scripture passage by saying: “In today’s scripture reading, Peter wanted to show Jesus how much he had learned about forgiveness. Peter expects to know the answer when he asks Jesus a questions about forgiving others. “ Then read the scripture passage. Peter thought that forgiving someone SEVEN times was pretty generous. When Jesus said “seventy-seven times”, he meant that forgiveness must be offered without limit. Peter’s heart had some growing to do – as do ours! Invite the children to respond to the questions in the “what do you wonder” box. [25 min] Discover - Your Relationship with God (p. 210-213) Optional: Watch a video by Fr. Mike Schmitz on mortal sin: https://youtu.be/eGghX65-9Zg (Wi-Fi Password: AllisHoly) Note: You may want to stop the video after 4 minutes if you have students who would feel uncomfortable hearing details about bull fighting, but the rest of the video is very good also. Read pages 210-211. Mortal sin breaks a person’s relationship with God. For a sin to be mortal these 3 conditions have to be met: 1. It is a serious sin. 2. You know it is wrong. 3. You freely choose to do it. o You should not receive communion while in a state of mortal sin. When a person commits a mortal sin, they should go to confession as soon as possible. God forgives any sin, no matter how serious it is, as long as the person is truly sorry and tries to be a better person. If a person dies while in a state of mortal sin, they cannot enter heaven. 1 The word “mortal” means “death”. Our soul “dies” when it is a state of mortal sin, but God’s forgiveness restores us to life. There are souls in hell because they refused God’s mercy and chose eternal separation from God through sin. o Anyone over the age of seven (the “age of reason”) can easily commit a mortal sin, which is why the Sacrament of Reconciliation is first offered for kids in second grade. Here are some examples of sins that can be mortal depending on the situation: skipping Mass on Sunday or on a Holy Day of Obligation (when you’re not sick), not telling a priest all of your sins in confession, viewing inappropriate movies or websites, feeling strong hatred for someone, bullying, telling a serious lie, stealing something valuable, gossiping about others, not loving God, saying God’s name in vain, disrespecting sacred things (especially the Eucharist). Venial sin is a sin that weakens a person’s relationship with God, but does not destroy it. We have to purify ourselves of venial sin either here on earth or in purgatory before we can enter heaven. Discuss: o Why do people sin, even though they know it’s wrong? o How could a venial sin lead to a more serious sin? o How often do you go to confession? Why? (Note: Confession is offered every Saturday morning at 9:30. You can show the students where the confessional is by upper level entrance of the Church. We will also be having a Communal Penance Service on March 14th at 6:00 PM) Read pages 212-213. : emphasize the faith words. Hand out the Examination of Conscience sheet and discuss how to use it. Practice making a confession. Write these phrases on the board: o Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It’s been _______ since my last confession. o I’m sorry for these and all my sins. o His mercy endures forever. o Thanks be to God. Pretend to be the priest and invite the students to practice making a confession using made up sins. Priest: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Student: Make the Sign of the Cross, then say: “Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It’s been (a month) since my last confession. These are my sins.” Encourage the student to make up some sins, for example: 1. I got angry at my mom and talked back to her, and I was disobedient towards her. 2. I said bad things about a classmate behind their back. 3. I was lazy and I disobeyed my dad by not helping with housework. 4. I disobeyed my parents by watching an inappropriate TV show two different times. 5. I’m sorry for these and all my sins. Priest: Give some advice and asks the student to say the Act of Contrition. Student: O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, 2 and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell; but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen. Priest: Give advice and assign a penance. “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Student: Make the Sign of the Cross. Priest: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.” Student: “His mercy endures forever.” Priest: “The Lord has freed you from your sins; Go in peace.” Student: “Thanks be to God.” [10 min] Listen to Your Conscience Let the students work on the Listen to Your Conscience worksheet in pairs, then discuss as a class. If your class is big enough, you could break them into groups and role play the scenarios on this sheet, as well as the scenarios on p. 215. [10 min] Live: Our Catholic Life – pg. 214-215 Ask the students how they can keep a clear conscience. After a brief discussion, read the introductory paragraph on p. 214 If time permits, read about Saint Margaret of Cortona. If you didn’t already do this- You may also choose to do the role play scenarios on p. 215- divide the students into groups and have them role play together for the class. You an always do the Chapter Review on p.218 if there is time also! [5 min] Sending – The Jesus Prayer (p. 216) Pray the Jesus Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. o You can say this prayer throughout the day while walking, waiting in line, doing chores, etc. Pray the Memorare. Remind the students to read through the Family + Faith pages with their parents. 3 4 Examination of Conscience I. I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me. Do I give time every day to God in prayer? Do I put my trust in superstitions, good luck charms, rather than God alone? Have I rejected any Church teaching or denied that I was a Catholic? Have I wanted more things, making things or money more important than God? Have I made an idol of sports or entertainment figures? II. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Have I used the words “God” or “Jesus” in anger or irreverently? Have I used foul or ugly language? Have I wished evil on another? Do I use God’s name carelessly? Do I use God’s name in anger? III. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day. Have I missed Mass on Sunday or any holy day of obligation? Do I arrive at church late or leave early? Do I try to be reverent and pay attention during Mass? Do I avoid unnecessary work on Sunday? Do I make Sunday a day of prayer or rest? Did my behavior make it difficult or impossible for my parents to get to church on time? Have I remembered to pray daily? IV. Honor your father and your mother. Do I respect and obey my parents? Am I willing to help around the house or must I be nagged a hundred times? Do I try to get along with my brothers and sisters? Am I a tattletale or bully? Do I give a good example, especially to younger siblings? Do I respect others in authority: priests, nuns, police, old people, baby-sitters? Have I done my chores without complaining? Do I do my chores without being reminded? Have I been disrespectful to teachers, coaches or others in authority? V. You shall not kill. Do I beat up others or hurt their bodies? Do I say cruel things, or make fun of others to hurt their feelings? Do I say mean things about others behind their backs? Have I stopped speaking to anyone? Do I encourage others to do bad things? Do I keep my patience or do I lose my temper? Do I hold grudges and try to get even with others? 5 VI. You shall not commit adultery.