focus

When we sin
Jesus gives us peace
through the sacrament
of Reconciliation.

Refle c t i on : P a r e n t s / C ate c h i sts

:: L I STE N I N G : :
“The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders,
and on the evening of that same Sunday they
locked themselves in a room. Suddenly, Jesus
appeared in the middle of the group. He greeted
them and showed them his hands and his side.
When the disciples saw the Lord, they became
very happy.

After Jesus had greeted them again, he said,

“I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me.”
Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they will be
forgiven. But if you don’t forgive their sins, they will not be forgiven.” (John 20:19-23)

:: R E FL ECTI N G : :
Friends share their deepest love him and one another. develop. This life of grace,
feelings and thoughts. They Humble acknowledgement which can transform us, is a
choose to be together, to of one’s sinfulness can free gift of God.
listen to each other, to give strengthen bonds of love The Holy Spirit is with us
all that will enhance each with God. Zacchaeus was always, but we are not always
other’s lives. conscious of the alienation sensitive to his presence.
The depth of their friendship caused by his sin, but in the Just as photographic film
can be measured by their end he used his failings and captures elusive and fleeting
mutual acceptance and sins to his advantage and impressions when it is
respect, but especially by their experienced God’s forgiving carefully exposed to light,
willingness to share with and love. His story illustrates the human heart detects
please one another. a dramatic conversion or delicate and seemingly
Christians who hear the Lord’s “turning” toward a better way imperceptible movements
call to friendship regret every of life. of grace when it is closely
desire, word, or action that Every baptised person should attuned to the Holy Spirit.
cannot be offered to him repeatedly experience God has put the Spirit of his
with love. They are at peace conversion toward God to Son into our hearts. Thus, we
only when they respond allow the divine life received can implore him to help us
wholeheartedly to his call to in Baptism to unfold and reflect Jesus in our daily lives.
Materials needed
for this lesson: : : PAG E 1 ::
The Big Word
for Kids

Lea d yo ur c hi ld to a p p re c i a te wh at it mean s to be a frien d of Jesus.

In the Bible Jesus tells us When are we good friends of If we use God’s name the
whom he chose for his friends. Jesus? wrong way, do we show that
Find John, chapter 15, verse (When we do what he tells us; we love him? (No.)
14 and the first part of verse when we pray, keep his name
16 and complete the missing holy and celebrate his day; When we do things such as
words on Page 1. when we’re kind and loving to these, we offend God. We sin.
(You did not choose me. I chose others.) Sometimes we fail to love
you.) others, or we choose to do
Do you think we’re always hurtful and unloving things.
Whom did Jesus choose for his good friends of Jesus? We disobey our parents. We
friends? fight with others or we are
I’m going to tell you something mean to them. We hurt other
(The apostles - some were
very important. Jesus is always people by not telling the truth.
fishermen, one a tax collector.)
our friend. Even when we are
not loving towards him, he is Do we love others when we
Jesus really wants you to be
our friend; he still loves us. choose to do these things?
his friend also. We can say yes
or no when Jesus asks us to He does not like the unloving (No.)
be his friends, but we can be things we do, but he still loves
happy only if we say yes. us. We also offend God, who told
us that whatever we do to
Have your child look at the two However, when you hurt others we do to him. So when
pictures at the top of Page 1. someone who loves you very we deliberately hurt others we
much how do you feel? What sin.
What may have happened in did you do about it?
these two pictures? When we sin, we hurt
You may like to share a ourselves because we lose
What happens when we personal experience. our peace and happiness. We
choose to do things that we need forgiveness from God.
know our friends will not like? Sometimes we don’t love God.
If we choose to stay at home Sometimes we are tempted
(Our friends are unhappy.)
and watch television instead to do what we know is wrong
Then we are not good friends. of taking part in Sunday Mass, because we think it will make
We spoil our friendship. We are we showing love for God us happy.
hurt our friends and ourselves. (No.)
Talk to your child about when games in order to win; wanting in to the temptation and do
he/she may be tempted to do to shout at his/her parents). something wrong.
something wrong.
(wanting to take something Explain to your child that Now help your child complete
that belongs to someone else; being tempted is not a sin. Sin the two drawings at the
thinking about cheating at is when we choose to give bottom of page 1.

:: PAG E 2 ::

Re a d Luk e 19: 1-1 0, th e sto ry of Zacch aeus,

whi le your c hi ld lo o ks at th e pictures o n page 2.

“In the Bible Jesus shows However, some of the people Do you think Jesus knew that
us how we are to ask in the crowd complained Zacchaeus cheated people?
forgiveness. Today I will read when they saw what had (Yes.)
you a story about being sorry. happened. They knew that
tax collectors often cheated Why do you think Jesus chose
One day Jesus was passing people out of their money. to stay at his house?
through the town of Jericho. A “Jesus has gone to stay at the (Jesus loved him even though
very rich tax collector named house of a sinner”, they said. he was a sinner.)
Zacchaeus lived there. He was But something happened
very eager to see Jesus, but when Jesus ate at Zacchaeus’ Although Jesus loved
the crowd was so large and house. Zacchaeus, he did not like
Zacchaeus so short that he Zacchaeus’ unloving actions
couldn’t see anything. Zacchaeus was sorry for the toward people. He wanted
times he had cheated people to help Zacchaeus become
So he ran ahead and climbed of their money, so he stood up a better person. When
a sycamore tree to catch a and said to the Lord, “Look, Zacchaeus showed he was
glimpse of Jesus as he passed sir. I am going to give half of sorry for the times he had been
by. all I own to the poor. If I have unloving, Jesus forgave him.
cheated anybody, I will pay
When Jesus reached the spot back four times the amount.” Why did Zacchaeus want
where Zacchaeus was, he Jesus said to him, “The to give away half of his
looked up into the tree and blessing of God has come to belongings to poor people?
said, “Zacchaeus, come down this house today.”
(He was sorry for being selfish
quickly, for today I must stay
and for taking from others what
at your house.” Zacchaeus Discuss the story of
didn’t belong to him. He wanted
could hardly believe it. He Zacchaeus.
to be Jesus’ friend.)
hurried down and welcomed
Jesus with great joy. He took Why did people complain
Jesus to his home. when Jesus went to visit
Zacchaeus?
 :: PAG E 3 ::

He l p your c hi ld to understan d th at Jesus gives us th e

Sa c ra me nt of Re co n ciliatio n to h elp u s be h appy.

Jesus understands that it is Listen to this story about the Look at the picture on Page 3.
not always easy to be loving. special Easter gift Jesus gave Can you find Jesus? How do
He understands how unhappy us to help us be happy. you think the apostles feel?
we feel when we have been Why are they so happy?
“On Easter Sunday evening,
unloving. That is why Jesus (They were happy to be friends
Jesus went to the room where
has given us a special gift of Jesus.)
the apostles were staying.
to help us be happy again
He stood before them and Jesus says to his apostles,
when we have sinned. We
said, “Peace be with you. As “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you
call this gift the Sacrament
the Father sent me, so I send forgive people’s sins, they
of Reconciliation. It is a
you.” Then Jesus breathed are forgiven.” When Jesus
sacrament of peace.
on his apostles and said, said these words, he gave his
Jesus gave us seven special “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you apostles, and bishops and
signs of his love and care forgive people’s sins, they are priests power to give us his
for us. We call these signs forgiven.” forgiveness.
sacraments. You already know
Jesus wanted his apostles and Fill in the missing words from
about Jesus’ gift of Baptism.
priests to be able to forgive the basket:
This is one of his sacraments.
in his name so that people
The sign of his forgiveness (GIFT, PEACE, EASTER, JESUS.)
who were sorry for their sins
is also a sacrament, the
could receive his peace and
Sacrament of Reconciliation.
happiness.
Reconciliation is a long word,
but it means something
simple. When you have an : : PAG E 4 ::
argument with your friend and
no-one gives in you both feel
upset. You are no longer good
friends. But later on when you
say sorry to each other you
are reconciled. Reconciliation
is making up and becoming
friends again. Co mplete th e exercises o n page 4.
In the Sacrament of we remember...
Reconciliation, with whom do God gave us the Ten Commandments to
John 14:16 _________________________________ the Holy Spirit who will help you and
we become friends again? help us to be happy and holy on earth
always be with you.
(God, others.) and to be happy with Him forever.
You might like to tell about Word find: fight, lies, selfish, mean words.
a time when you were
reconciled with someone. Learn the prayer as an example of an Act of Contrition.