Page 6 - Together in Jesus - First Eucharist

LESSON I Belong to a Loving Community 1Pray TogetherOpening Prayer (8 minutes)Create a prayer corner in your space where your group can display the Bible and gather to pray. Gather the children in the prayer space. Explain that they will have a prayer celebration with every lesson as they prepare for First Eucharist.Sing “Belonging Through Baptism.”CHORUSOne Family our FamilyAll helping with God’s workWe are there for each other Teaching one anotherBuilding God’s great ChurchWe are building God’s great Church © 2008 John BurlandPray with your group in words such as:Children, our parish community invites you to come to Jesus’ table and share the food that Jesus made special signs of his love for us. You belong to a community of Jesus’ followers. All the people of our parish are Jesus’ followers. Jesus, please watch over these children as we prepare together for their First Eucharist.Amen.Lesson ObjectivesIn this lesson the children will:• recognize they belong to the Church.• recognize that members of their parish share faith in Jesus.• recognize that Baptism, Con rmation, and Eucharist are Sacraments of Initiation.• appreciate their own Baptisms.• participate in a prayer ritual that celebrates the beginning of their preparation for First Eucharist.Lesson OverviewFirst Eucharist is for most Catholics an unforgettable day. Itis a benchmark moment in every Catholic’s journey into full membership in the Church, the community of faith. Eucharist is one of three Sacraments of Initiation into the Church.Baptism welcomes new members into the Church and bathes us in the waters that signify the life-giving power of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection to new life. Con rmation seals us with the gift of the Holy Spirit and strengthens our bond with the Church. First Eucharist brings Catholics to share for the rst time the Body and Blood of Christ, the regular nourishment of the Church—the heart and summit of the Church’s life (CCC, #1407). Together in Jesus emphasizes that the child who is preparing for First Eucharist belongs to the Church, a community of believers.Usually, young Catholics receive First Eucharist as second graders. They have reached the age of reason and can understand that the food we share in the Eucharist is not the same as ordinary bread and wine. Their preparation for First Eucharist only begins an understanding of the sacrament. They each have a lifetime for opening themselves to Jesus’ loving gift of himself and our call to be his Body in the world—the Church.Lesson Preparation and Materials• Have a chalkboard and chalk or newsprint and markers in your classroom or meeting space. Also have activity boxes, pencils, crayons, markers, tape, glue, scissors, and lengths of yarn.• Display an open Bible in the prayer area.• Duplicate enough copies of the Lord’s Prayer, page 17, one for each child.• Consider having available a bowl of water, a saucer of vegetable oil with a drop of perfume, and a loaf of bread, the signs of the three Sacraments of Initiation, for the First Eucharist children to touch and experience as they explore these sacraments in this lesson.• Have the words to the gathering song on a sheet of newsprint.12 l Together in Jesus: First Eucharist