Page 6 - First Reconciliation
P. 6

                                  LESSON Jesus Gives Us the Holy Spirit 5
Pray Together
Opening Prayer (5 minutes)
Gather in the prayer area of your classroom. Give the children time to quiet themselves. Then pray with them in the following words or similar words of your own.
Jesus, we are gathered in your name. Teach us how to make peace in our homes, with our friends, and in our own hearts. We trust you and know you will help us. Amen.
Sing “My Peace Be with You Always” from the Together in Jesus Music CD.
My peace be with you always
My peace be with you always
May it live within your hearts
May it live within your hearts
This peace I leave with you my friends
Is yours to share
This gift you  nd within your
hearts
Is always there
My peace be with you always
My peace be with you always
May it live within your hearts
May it live within your hearts May it live within your hearts © 2002 John Burland
Conclude prayer by having children shake hands and say “Peace be with you” as they do at Mass.
        Lesson Objectives
In this lesson the children will:
• recognize that Jesus gives his followers the Holy Spirit and calls them to forgive others.
• recognize ways we ask forgiveness at Mass.
• identify words and gestures of forgiveness in daily life and in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
• make a peace medal and celebrate the “We Share Peace” Prayer Ritual.
Lesson Overview
On the  rst Easter, Jesus’ friends gather in the evening behind locked doors. That morning Mary Magdalene had found the tomb empty and then met the risen Jesus in the garden. Peter and the beloved disciple, whom Mary Magdalene brought to the empty tomb, did not see Jesus risen. Nonetheless, the story tells us, the beloved disciple believed.
Evening  nds Peter in the company of Jesus’ many disciples. The story tells us they came to pray together and locked the door out of fear. We must imagine they fear Jesus’ enemies.
We must imagine that Peter feels ashamed and fearful about seeing the friend he denied in the high priest’s courtyard. When they gather in prayer together, they  nd Jesus in their midst.
Like the merciful father in the last lesson, Jesus makes
no accusations and points no  ngers at those who ran away when he was arrested. Instead he brings his friends peace and breathes the Holy Spirit upon them. He gives these followers the mission of forgiving others and making peace.
Together in Jesus helps primary-age children recognize that God continues to forgive sins and give peace in the words and actions of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We also celebrate Jesus’ reconciling love at Mass and live it out when we make peace with one another.
Lesson Preparation and Materials
• Have available crayons; markers; scissors; three-hole punch; construction paper; and 15-inch lengths of yarn, one per child.
• Have on hand a chalkboard and chalk or newsprint and a marker.
• Write the words to the peace song on newsprint or the chalkboard.
• Make copies of Prayer Ritual 5, “We Share Peace,” one per child.
• Make circles the size of the bottom of a two-pound coffee can out of construction paper or tagboard, one for each child.
              36 l Together in Jesus: First Reconciliation



























































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