“God raised up this Jesus, and of that we are all witnesses.”(Acts 2:32)
Source: USCCB.org
“Peter explained, ‘Jesus came and served the people. He taught God’s laws. He performed miracles. He was crucified and died, all with God’s Knowledge. Then God, the Father, raised his only Son, Jesus Christ, to sit at his right hand. Jesus promised not to forget us, and so he poured the Holy Spirit upon us. God made Jesus both Lord and Messiah.'”
Source: Catholic Book of Bible Stories, “The Coming of the Holy Spirit” Page 198
For Parents to Teach to Their Children
This is the last “post” of the school year 2017-2018 for the “Curriculum” segment of SundaySchoolUpdates.com for families with a child making their First Holy Communion. I intended to provide enrichment materials for homeschooling families or for families who wanted additional information. The “enrichment” material will continue weekly and will focus on Catholic Bible Stories and art ideas. The new school year SSU curriculum will re-start in mid-August. Have a beautiful summer!
A Family Conversation
Imaging being a simple fisherman, carpenter, or farmer from Galilee who was a follower of Christ from the beginning and saw all the miracles and wonders that Jesus performed. These men became His disciples and learned about the Kingdom of God, how to treat others, and the Commandments by listening to Jesus’ preaching on The Beatitudes, Mercy, and the Great Commandment. How profoundly sad it must have been to see Jesus crucified, and then how mystifying and awesome to hear the news of the resurrection. What could they have possibly have thought when Jesus returned to talk and eat with them for forty days. Then, to see him rise and disappear into the sky. All of the apostles did as Jesus instructed them to do…to go out and spread the Gospel. This is remarkable. Only something as extraordinary and incomprehensible as the wonders of Christ, empowered the apostles to leave everything behind and to bring Christ’s message and promise to other parts of the world. Let’s think ways we can bring the message of Christ to those in our lives.
Learning About the Apostles Through Song
Here is an easy-to-remember way to learn the names of the apostles from MountainOfGraceHomeschool.com
The Apostle’s Creed–A Profession of Faith
Perhaps your child can work on memorizing this over the summer!
The Last Apostle is Added
Since Judas betrayed Jesus and died, the apostles needed to chose a replacement for him.
“Without Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, there were now only eleven apostles left. ‘There must be twelve of us, as before,’ said Peter. They all prayed together and then chose Matthias, who had been a follower of Jesus from the start.'”
Source: The Catholic Bible for Children “The Ascension and the Choosing of Matthias” Page 209
Deciding How to Spread the Good News
The word “apostle” comes from the “Greek word apostello ‘to send forth, ‘to dispatch.'” We drop off a letter at the post office to be sent off or mailed. When I finish writing this article, I will post it onto the Sunday School Updates website.
The apostles were “sent out” by Jesus to share the “Good News,” to baptize new Christians, and to forgive sins. Peter realized in a vision, ‘Jesus had come to save all men!'” “Peter and Cornelius” Page 219
“Paul, wanted to preach about Jesus to people everywhere. Peter, too, agreed to proclaim Jesus to men of every race. They prayed with the other apostles, asking God to help them find the best way to announce the good news.” “The Great Council of Jerusalem” Page 220
Our Art Project–Giving Thanks to God
“From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.”
Source: USCCB.org Psalms 113:3
Our Materials and Method
If you just have crayons, that is fine for drawing a sunrise or sunset. These paintings started as drawings with watercolor pastels. The next step was to brush water over the drawings. For more depth, paint on top of the colors with watercolor paints for layering and intensity.
