The Church Teaches Us About Life - Younger Child Lesson

Scripture
Before Jesus died he promised that His Father would send us the Holy Spirit. He said, "...the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you in everything, and remind you of everything I have told you." John 14:26

When Jesus began the Church, he chose his apostle Simon to be the first Pope. He gave Simon the new name of Peter which means rock. He said, "Blest are you, Simon, son of Jonah!...I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church."
Matt. 15:17-18
Right before Jesus went back to His Father, he gave the apostles the job of teaching all people and he promised to be with them always through the Holy Spirit. He said, "...And know that I am with you always, until the end of the world!"
Matt. 28:18-20

Important writings of our Church
Jesus made St. Peter the first Pope. He gave St. Peter His very own power to lead and teach the people of His Church with love and care for them. All the Popes who have come after Peter have had this special grace. When the Pope and bishops teach us all together, we know they cannot be wrong because the Holy Spirit keeps them on the right track. The Holy Spirit helps our Pope and all the bishops with him teach us about our faith and about what is right and wrong.

Sometimes our Pope and bishops write to us to tell us what we need to know. There are two very important writings that we will learn about in our Life Lessons. They are The Catechism of the Catholic Church and a special writing called The Gospel of Life which was written to us by Pope John Paul II. The Catechism contains a summary of all the things that we believe. The Gospel of Life reminds us that Jesus and our Church have always taught us to protect all human persons from the tiniest babies before they are born to the very oldest persons when they die. We will learn more about this from these writings as we do more of our Life Lessons.

More about our lesson
Our former Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, was a good and holy man. Before Pope Benedict XVI, our Holy Father now, Pope John Paul II was the leader of our whole Church here on earth. He served all the people of the Church including us with wisdom and with love. The Pope loved to remind us that Jesus was and still is our first and most important leader because He is God's own Son.

Imagine for a minute that you can see Pope John II holding the hand of Pope Benedict XVI now and with his other hand holding the hand of Pope John Paul I who was the Pope before him. Imagine Pope John Paul I holding the hand of Pope Paul VI and Pope Paul VI holding the hand of Pope John XXIII and then each Pope holding the hand of the Pope before him all the way back to St. Peter.

Remember, St. Peter was our first Pope. He was picked by Jesus. So in our imaginary line, St. Peter would be holding the hand of Jesus Himself who came to love and teach all people. Jesus had all the life and knowledge of His Father and he wanted to share that gift with St. Peter and the other Popes down through the ages so he gave the Church the Holy Spirit to guide and protect our Pope and our bishops in a special way when they are teaching the important basic truths of the faith that Jesus taught. The Holy Spirit helps us too so that we can understand and believe all that we need to know.

Thinking and talking about our lesson
What do you know about Pope John Paul II? Did you ever see him on TV or see his picture in a book or magazine? How did he look? Was he someone you would have liked to meet? Why or why not? What did you learn in this lesson that was new for you?

Jesus and our Church leaders teach us to love and respect every human person. Do you know special persons who need love? How can you love and respect them? Who loves you?

Something to do at home with your family
Ask someone at home or your whole family to talk with you about how we love and teach each other in our families? Be sure to talk about what happens when we don't treat each other kindly with love and respect? Make a picture or a banner that says: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Draw or write words that tell how you serve the Lord by serving one another. Say this lesson's prayer together and have a special snack. Try to find a picture of Pope John Paul II and one of Pope Benedict XVI, our Pope now. Perhaps you can find pictures of other Popes from the past too.

A Prayer for all the Church
"Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth."

The Church Teaches Us About Life - Older Child Lesson

Scripture
"...the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will instruct you in everything and remind you of all that I told you." John 14:26
"...Blest are you, Simon son of Jonah!...I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the jaws of death shall not prevail against it." Matt. 15:17-18.
"...Full authority has been given to me both in heaven and on earth; go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to carry out everything I have commanded you. And know that I am with you always, until the end of the world!" Matt. 28:18-20.

Church documents - the important writings of our Church
The task of telling us the true meaning of the Word of God belongs to the bishops who are in agreement with the Pope who is the Bishop of Rome and the successor of St. Peter. This is true whether the Word is in its written form or in the form of Tradition, the teaching and practice of the Church since the time of Jesus. The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes this clear in paragraph 85. This paragraph quotes the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation which was one of the important documents of the Second Vatican Council.

In paragraph 2032, The Catechism teaches us that the Church has the right and responsibility to teach and tell the whole world about what is right and wrong in order to protect the basic rights of human persons and care for the salvation of their souls. This paragraph refers to the actual law of the Church called The Code of Canon Law.

In 1995, Pope John Paul II wrote an encyclical called The Gospel of Life. An encyclical is a very important writing the Pope uses to teach the whole world and especially all Catholics. In the encyclical, Pope John Paul II wrote that innocent human life cannot be violated or harmed. He said that this is an absolute moral truth that has been taught by Sacred Scripture and upheld by the Popes and bishops throughout the history of the Church. He told us that the reason this teaching has lasted is because it has been inspired and kept alive by the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who guards and guides the Church and keeps it from error in teaching us about faith and morals. In The Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul often quoted words from The Catechism and the documents of Vatican II to show us that this same truth about human life really has always been taught in the Catholic Church.

Some more thoughts about our theme
One of the most important things in the world is to be able to trust the special people in our lives. Pope John Paul II was a very special person for all of us. He was a true servant of the Word of God and that means that he led us with wisdom but also with love. We can trust that what the Popes tell us, when they teach us in the power of the Holy Spirit, will lead us on a path that will bring us peace and security.
Think for a moment of the people in your life who you trust the most. Think especially of your friends. Real trust can only happen when our friends don't use us or lie to us or tell us to do things that are wrong or things that will hurt us. We trust those friends who respect us and are honest.
Jesus is the best friend we will ever have. He loved us so much that he gave His life for us. He would never have ascended to the Father without giving us who are His Church the very best. We know that He gave us Himself in the Eucharist and He asked His Father to send the Holy Spirit to protect and guide us and those who lead us in the Church so that we would be safe from evil and always know His love and truth.
The authority the Church has to teach and guide us comes from Jesus who was given all authority as one with the Father. The gifts and grace the Church needs to teach us about life and help us speak out with courage come through the Holy Spirit who is one with the Father and the Son. We can absolutely trust that the teaching of our Church about life will bring joy and hope to the world. We can absolutely trust that the Holy Spirit will give us the gifts we need to learn and live that teaching in our lives.

Reflection and group discussion
What kind of a person is your best friend here on earth? Are some of your best friends members of your family? How do these people help you know that they respect and love you? How do you show them your respect and love in return? Letting someone do whatever he or she wants isn't true friendship. Why?

Why is authority important in our lives? What would happen if there were no laws or rules at home or in your town or city? What if there were no rules among countries of the world? What do you think about our former Holy Father, Pope John Paul II? How did you see him leading the world as a servant of God's Word? How do you see our current Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI doing the same?

How do you feel when you pray to Jesus? Do you see Him as your friend?

Faith-building at home
Discuss authority at home. Do respect and obedience have any role in making authority a good thing for your family? Give some examples. What is the result when someone refuses to be kind and cooperative at home? Give some examples. Make a banner or sign that says: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Draw pictures or write words telling how you serve the Lord by serving one another in love and obedience. Say this lesson's prayer together and have a special snack.

Prayer for all of the Church
"Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth."

The Church Teaches Us About Life - Adult/Teen Lesson

Scripture
"...the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will instruct you in everything, and remind you of all that I told you." John 14:26

"...Blest are you, Simon son of Jonah!...I declare to you, you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the jaws of death shall not prevail against it."
Matt. 15:17-18
"...Full authority has been given to me both in heaven and on earth; go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to carry out everything I have commanded you. And know that I am with you always, until the end of the world!" Matt. 28:18-20

Church documents
" 'The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ.' This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome." The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 85 quoting the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation.

" 'To the Church belongs the right always and everywhere to announce moral principles, including those pertaining to the social order, and to make judgments on any human affairs to the extent that they are required by the fundamental rights of the human person or the salvation of souls.' " The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2032 quoting The Code of Canon Law 747.

"In effect, the absolute inviolability of innocent human life is a moral truth clearly taught by Sacred Scripture, constantly upheld in the Church's Tradition, and consistently proposed by her Magisterium. This consistent teaching is the evident result of that 'supernatural sense of the faith' which, inspired and sustained by the Holy Spirit, safeguards the People of God from error when "it shows universal agreement in matters of faith and morals." The Gospel of Life, citing The Catechism, paragraphs 91-93 and The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church.

Further development
The Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as the conciliar and post-conciliar documents place the Magisterium at the service of the Word of God. Thus, the Magisterium, the Pope and bishops in communion with him, do not dictate, but rather hand on what has been entrusted to them. The Church, the People of God, sharing in the priestly, prophetic, and kingly role of Jesus through Baptism, respond to the call to witness this faith to the world. Thereby, the entire Church becomes a living sign of God's deepest and most intimate love for all of humankind. As sacrament for all the world, this one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church signifies and makes real and visible both the grace contained within the life of the Church and the promise of complete unity yet to come.
Over and over again, since the time of Christ, the Church has proclaimed the Gospel as life for all. She has led her faithful children into truth and charity and has stood as guide and protector in times of confusion and fear. She has been and continues to be both Mother and Teacher in the midst of a smorgasbord world that says, "accept only what you want, what seems expedient, what feels good now!"
When we open our hearts in trust to what the Church teaches we have the opportunity to continue learning and to form our individual conscience in accord with revealed Truth.. No matter what our age might be, through prayer and study, we can grow in true freedom which will lead us to choose what is good and right so that we might know more of the healing love and peace that Jesus came to bring.
In his encyclical, The Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II, challenged us to build a "new culture of life." He believed that, together in faith, we can bring new life to our homes, our workplaces, our communities, our government, and our world. Let us pray that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we too will believe and have the courage to grow in our faith and love so that we might truly help to "renew the face of the earth."

Reflection and group discussion
Was there anything "new" in this Life Lesson that might make you re-think or reconsider your personal attitude toward the teaching authority of the Church? If so, what and why? If not, did this lesson help affirm what you already believe? Why or why not?

Do you consider the images of mother and shepherd helpful images for speaking about the Church? What other life-loving, life-giving images come to mind?

What are some specific ways you can help build respect for all life in your daily life?

Faith-building at home
Discuss authority in your home. What roles do respect and obedience play in making authority life-giving to all? Give some examples. What is the result of rebellion? Give some examples. Make a banner or a sign that says: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Draw pictures or write words telling how you serve the Lord by serving one another in love and obedience. Say this lesson's prayer together and have a special snack.

Prayer for all of the Church
"Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth."