February 7-13
LESSON 57:
The Our Father, pg. 139 in The Catholic Bible for Children
Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-4
1. What is prayer?
Prayer is simply having a conversation with God. God loves us and wants us
to talk to him. When we pray, we lift our hearts and minds to God. We
praise him, we ask him to help us, and we thank him for caring for us. We
can pray alone, and we can pray with others. We can use our own words, or
we can use the words of special prayers.
2. Why is the Our Father such a special prayer?
The Our Father (also called the Lord’s Prayer) is very special because it is
the prayer that our Lord Jesus taught us. His disciples had asked him, “Lord,
teach us how to pray…” (Luke 11:1). Jesus’ gave this prayer to his disciples
and to the whole Church as a guide for how we should pray.
3. How does the Our Father guide our prayers?
The very first words, Our Father, remind us that we have become children
of God through baptism (Catechism, No. 1243 & 2769). He is our Father in
heaven! The whole first part of the prayer turns our hearts toward God.
4. Saint Thomas Aquinas—a very wise Saint--said that the Our Father is
“the most perfect of prayers.” (A Saint is a person who loved God, lived a
holy life, and is now in heaven with God.)
In the second part of the prayer there are seven things that we ask of God.
St. Thomas said that Jesus was showing us what kinds of things we should
desire, and the order in which they should be desired.
5. The Catechism teaches that the Our Father is like a summary of the
Gospels.
When we pray the Our Father, we are asking God to help us live according
to the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels (Catechism No. 2761 & 2764).
LESSON 58:
The Beatitudes, pg. 142 in The Catholic Bible for Children
Pg. 274 in The Illustrated Catholic Children’s Bible
Matthew 5:1-12; Luke 6:20-26
1. What were the Laws that God gave us in the Old Testament?
God gave us the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament. These Laws are
the rules for living a holy life. The Beatitudes also show us how to live.
Jesus shared these words with a crowd of people who gathered around him
on a mountain. We call this the Sermon on the Mount.
2. What do the Beatitudes teach us?
The Beatitudes teach us how to live a Christian life, and how to have the
right attitudes in our hearts. The Beatitudes show us that true happiness
does not come from having riches, power, or a comfortable life. True
happiness comes from God. Through the Beatitudes we can learn to love
God more than anything else (Catechism, No. 1717, 1723, & 1728).
3. How do we follow the Beatitudes?
The Holy Spirit gives us Grace so that we can follow the words of Christ in
the Beatitudes and stay on the path that leads to the Kingdom of Heaven
(Catechism, No. 1724). We receive Grace through the Sacraments.
The Beatitudes
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be
satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when men revile against you and persecute you and utter
all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.
LESSON 59:
The Kingdom of Heaven, pg. 143-145 in The Catholic Bible for Children
Pg. 276-277 in The Illustrated Catholic Children’s Bible
Matthew 6:19-34 & 7:1-5; Luke 12:22-34
1. What kind of stories did Jesus use to tell people about the Kingdom of
heaven?
Jesus used parables to explain the Kingdom of heaven.
2. What is a parable?
A parable is a simple story that teaches a moral or spiritual lesson.
3. Where did Jesus say we should store up our treasure?
Jesus said we should store up treasure in heaven. Worrying about getting
rich or having lots of “cool stuff” can distract us from loving God and one
another. Money and fancy things don’t last forever, and they can be stolen
or destroyed. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there also will your
heart be” (Matthew 6:20). Jesus wants our hearts to be focused on heaven,
which does last forever.
4. Jesus also taught that we should not judge other people.
Jesus said, “Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not see
the log in your own eye” (Matthew 7:3). Jesus wanted to show how silly it is
to look down on other people for their sins when we also have sin in our
lives.
5. What does Jesus want us to do?
Jesus wants us to get rid of the sin in our lives. This isn’t easy to do, but
Jesus is always there to help us learn how to follow him more closely. He
has given us his Church where we can receive him in Holy Communion
when we go to Mass. He has given us the Sacrament of Reconciliation
where we receive forgiveness for our sins and the strength to do better. We
can talk to him in our prayers, we can read our Bibles, and we can follow
the examples of the Saints.