24. Lesson for 4th Grade Religious
Education program
This will be posted on the class blog for
review or for those students who missed
Sunday’s class.
It will be used in class without the
narrations.
26. Bibliography
( 2010-2013 ). Retrieved June 25, 2013, from
www.stclementcincinnati.org:
www.stclementcincinnati.org/faithformation/th
e7catholicsacraments
Coerver, R. R. (2006). Faith First Legacy Edition.
Cincinnati: RCL Benziger.
(Tesla) Signs.
Cat Chat. (2012). Hike of My Life.
Editor's Notes
Today we are going to talk about what the 7 sacraments are, why they are important, and how they are grouped together.
You are surrounded by signs and symbols.
The Church uses signs and symbols too.
A sacrament is a visible sign that Jesus has given to us so we can receive grace. It is a special event that is normally celebrated by a bishop, priest or deacon that gives us more grace to make better choices in our lives to be more like Jesus. Sacraments are gifts from God.
The seven sacraments are: Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Marriage, and Holy Orders. They are celebrations of our Catholic faith.
Baptism is the first sacrament that we receive. We become members of the Catholic Church. The original sin we are born with is forgiven. We only receive Baptism one time and it’s usually done when we are a baby.
The priest or deacon performs the sacrament of Baptism. Water is poured over the baby’s head and the priest says “I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit” The baby’s forehead is anointed with holy oil. Other symbols of baptism include the white garment, which represents Jesus and a candle that is lit from the big Easter candle showing that the baptized baby carries the light of Jesus into the world.
In the sacrament of the Eucharist, we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus. The priest, deacon, or lay minister gives us bread which has been changed into Jesus’ body and wine which has been changed into Jesus’s blood. We are welcomed into the church family each time we receive the Eucharist.
We can receive the Eucharist once a day if we are free of serious sins. We receive Jesus directly and it helps us get closer to God.
Confirmation strengthens the grace of Baptism. We are given more grace from the Holy Spirit to share the Good News with others.
Sometime around 8th grade, you will receive Confirmation and your heads are anointed with the same oil at Baptism by the Bishop. It is our turn to say yes to our Catholic faith.
Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation are all sacraments of initiation or joining.
Reconciliation is when any sins we have committed after being baptized are forgiven. This sacrament is also known as Penance or Confession. Forgiveness is an important type of healing. When we sin, we turn away from God and weaken our friendship with Him. The Holy Spirit invites us to ask for forgiveness and heal the harm that our sin has caused.
When weare truly sorry for our sins, we confess our wrong doings to a priest in private. The priest gives us penance to heal the damage. God forgives us through the priest who gives us absolution. We become reconciled with God and our community. We must receive this sacrament at least once a year.
Jesus invited people to have faith and trust in God. Because of their faith, many people were healed of illnesses. This is continued in the church today through the Anointing of the Sick. We receive God’s grace to help us when we are very sick, weak from old age, or in danger of dying.
The priest anoints the hands and forehead with a special oil. He prays that we receive some of the graces of the sacrament. Some of the graces we could receive would be the courage, strength, and peace to deal with our suffering or to prepare for death and to join God in heaven. If we would grow in holiness, our health may be restored. We may not ever receive this sacrament.
Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick are both sacraments of healing—either healing our relationship or our health.
A baptized man and a baptized woman are committed to serve the church family and create their own family in the sacrament of marriage.
The couple marries each other with the priest or deacon only witnessing the marriage. This sacrament is also known as matrimony. The couple is the first teachers of their children. They are together to serve each other, their children, and the church community and receive the grace from the sacrament to carry out their mission. We may not ever receive this sacrament either.
Baptized men are ordained as priests and deacons to serve the whole Catholic church in Holy Orders.
The Bishop ordains the men that are going to become priests or deacons. The Bishops are the successors of the apostles and chief teachers in the Church . Priests preach the Gospel and lead is in celebrating the sacraments. They help us understand the Bible and teachings of the Church. Priests can not do everything a bishop can. Deacons are sometimes married and help the priests and bishops. Deacons are not able to do everything a priest can do.
Marriage and Holy Orders are sacraments of Communion of Service
