| Year Levels Focus: | The Church is a community that celebrates and makes present Jesus and his work. (TCREK019) |
| Aims: |
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| Content Statement: |
Students will consider the Church as a community of believers called to celebrate Jesus and continue his work. They will explore how the Church celebrates Jesus’ life, death and resurrection through the Eucharist and its liturgical seasons and feasts. Students will examine and reflect on how the Holy Spirit inspires the Church to make Jesus’ ministry present through worship, witness and service. They will explore examples of how God’s people look to Mary as a helper in times of need. |
The Church is the “Body of Christ”, the “Temple of the Holy Spirit”, the “Bride of Christ”, the “People of God”, the “Sacrament of Christ”, the “Community of Faith”, the “Communion of Saints”, a “Priestly People”, etc. These are not sociological, political, psychological, philosophical, historical or “scientific” descriptors. They are theological images and metaphors whose meaning is discovered in love—not in our love, but in God’s love, which is revealed in Jesus.
The Church does not exist for itself. It is, by definition, called and sent—down into the depths of the Mystery that loves us, and out on mission to the margins of our world. Mission is not just something the Church does, then. Mission is what she is sent to be and do, because that is what Christ does and is: “good news to the poor, liberty to captives, sight to the blind, a time of the Lord’s favour”.
The Church’s identity is God’s gift to us in Christ because we are first and foremost God’s gift to Christ: “They were yours; you gave them to me” (John 17:6). And through us, as Christ’s Body, unity, holiness, catholicity and apostolicity continue to be God’s gift to the world: “so that the world may know that you have sent me, and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23). Our unity, holiness, catholicity and apostolicity is, then, the heart of our mission and thus of our identity: at once a call to be (one with God in Christ) and a sending out of ourselves into the whole world to live (in faith, with hope, and, above all, as love).
This call and this sending are the same act in Christ: we are called and sent through him, with him, and in him, united by his Spirit. Apart from a constant focus on Christ, being one, holy, catholic and apostolic would lose its vital meaning. Therefore, in Christ, as his Body, we profess that the Church is “one, holy, catholic and apostolic”.
In GNFL this understanding of the Church as one, holy, catholic and apostolic is developed with these theological emphases:
- It is Christ who is one: completely and authentically himself, “fully integrated”, single-minded, wholehearted, and utterly alive. And as such, he is the unifying power of God at work in us through our sharing in his Spirit as his Body.
- It is Christ who is holy: divine, other, transcendent, marginal, and liminal (these are all part of the meaning of the word “holy” in Scripture). And as such, he is the sanctifying power who gives us his Holy Spirit, the only real source and meaning of the Church’s holiness.
- It is Christ who is catholic: one-with-God and one-with-us, whole-and-inclusive, open to all, and made up of all-into-one. And as such, he is the all-embracing opening up of the Triune God drawing us into the divine communion of love.
- It is Christ who is apostolic: coming from God, sent by God, and forever moving ahead of us leading us into God; and as such, the simultaneous act of grounding us in a living tradition and sending us out into the whole world to live and proclaim the Gospel.
- Being one, holy, catholic and apostolic is the Church’s “radical tradition”.
- As we are called to integrity (“one”), wholeness (“holy”), and communion (“catholic”), so have we been sent in living continuity (“apostolic”) with all those who have gone before us (“tradition”), beginning with Christ himself (which is why this tradition is “radical”, from the Latin radix meaning “root”).
URL link to Theological Conversation chapter (PDF).
- The Church is a community of believers that celebrate and make present Jesus and his work.
- The Church celebrates Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
- The Spirit empowers the Church to celebrate and continue Jesus’ work of worship, witness and service.
- God’s people look to Mary as a helper in times of need.
The Church is a community that celebrates and makes present Jesus and his work. (TCREK019)
Students will consider the Church as a community of believers called to celebrate Jesus and continue his work. They will explore how the Church celebrates Jesus’ life, death and resurrection through the Eucharist and its liturgical seasons and feasts. Students will examine and reflect on how the Holy Spirit inspires the Church to make Jesus’ ministry present through worship, witness and service. They will explore examples of how God’s people look to Mary as a helper in times of need.
TCREI007
Developing questions for investigating religious ideas, events and rituals (TCREI007)
- developing and posing questions about the Trinity as a community of loving Persons
- generating questions about the Mass and why Catholics say “it is what God does for us”
- asking “why are there different forms of writing in the Bible and why is it not all narrative?”
- questioning and reflecting on how Pope Francis is pope, just as St Peter was the first pope
- formulating questions about, and writing examples of, ways that the Spirit of Jesus lives in others and the church community
TCREI008
Being familiar with some of the most significant stories of the Old and New Testaments and discussing characters and meanings (TCREI008)
- learning words from glossaries of significant words from the Old Testament and the sacraments, e.g., covenant, initiation, sin, reconciliation
- using a range of methods including digital technologies to plan and conduct an information search about the different genres in the Bible, including parables, proverbs, narratives, psalms, miracle stories, etc.
- defining and explaining the different genres of writing found in the Bible
TCREI009
Representing and communicating religious or spiritual ideas and information using diagrams, models and simple reports (TCREI009)
- researching biblical lands and creating three-dimensional maps of geographical areas that relate to important Old Testament stories
- gathering Scripture quotations around a series of themes and making a class mural, story maps or a class big book
- writing student-derived examples of Scripture genres based on biblical texts (e.g., writing a letter to a friend who is far away, encouraging her or him to stay strong and keep going even though she or he is alone)
- retelling Scripture passages illustrating different genres and making shadow puppet plays
TCRED007
With guidance, identifying questions about religious ideas, events or rituals and recording ideas, thoughts and feelings (TCRED007)
- developing searching questions about how the mystery of God helps us grow in wisdom and understanding
- reflecting individually or collectively using imaginative prayer and meditation, journalling, reflective writing
- inviting a guest speaker (e.g., the parish priest) to class to ask him questions, using a Q and A style format, about the Mass, God, the Church, or his vocation
- designing simple surveys to find out what students understand about questions such as “How is the Church animated by the Spirit?”
- using a range of methods including digital technologies to plan and conduct an information search about the teachings of Pope Francis and what he says about the Church today
TCRED008
Weighing up values and ideas to make connections. Sharing thoughts and suggestions with others. Reflecting, contributing to group dialogue, generating questions and drawing conclusions regarding principles for living responsibly, personally and in society (TCRED008)
- examining individually and collectively the idea of covenant
- listening to the stories of the Old Testament prophets
- examining our own actions and decisions in the light of their example
- weighing up choices
- sharing thoughts and suggestions about how families can live more like a loving community
TCRED009
Responding at the personal level or, with others, designing, sharing and, where possible enacting, a simple action plan towards improving specific situations at school or beyond (TCRED009)
- organising and leading an assembly prayer using Scripture, calling us to trust in God to find peace
- constructing visual representations or mosaics highlighting how the sacraments are celebrations of the presence of God in our lives
- journalling during Lent or Advent to invite Jesus into our choices, and living love by practising gratitude and acts of kindness
- creating a class or school prayer calendar using appropriate Scripture passages
By the end of Year 4, students can acknowledge that they and all human persons are created in the image of God, and that Jesus (God-with-us) reveals for us that God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—calls each one of us into a loving relationship with him and each other. They can recognise that Jesus’ loving example, as witnessed in the Gospels, informs the choices and guides the actions of those who follow him. They can recognise that, in the community of the Church, followers of Jesus celebrate God’s loving presence through the liturgy, and are nourished by the sacraments and by his Word in Scripture to live like Jesus. They can identify the Eucharist and describe its ritual elements as the celebration at the heart of Christian prayer and life. They can recognise that Jesus through his sharing of his Holy Spirit is present in the Church and its sacraments, and they can describe how the Spirit enlivens and guides us to be healing, forgiving and reconciling people. They can identify the way we celebrate God’s healing and forgiveness, and describe their ritual elements through the sacraments of Penance and of the Anointing of the Sick.
Students can explore, pose questions about and respond in a variety of ways to religious experiences, texts and stories. They can reflect on living responsibly and can develop, share and enact a response at the personal level and/or a simple plan of action at the school or local level.
Pre-unit assessment
Hot potato game, with students naming an image of or word about Church.
Learning Hook
Read the phrases/titles in the boxes below. Identify groups that use these words to say what they think is important about themselves. Discuss the key messages in each of the given phrases/titles. Choose one group, sketch a logo, with a key word, for what the phrase highlights.
| We're a Happy Team... | Can Teen | Do the Most Good... | Mighty Matildas |
| AFL Hawthorn |
Young people living with cancer |
Vinnies | Australian Female Soccer Team |
Surface
(Giving language, facts, and basic concepts structure to lead into deeper learning)
Key Vocabulary: Body of Christ, charism
How can we describe the community of the Church?
Explore the meaning of community and specific words used to describe the characteristics of a church community.
- Share a book about families, for example, My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother, by Patricia Polacco (YouTube). Invite students to respond and tell stories about events in their families.
- What image would you use for your family? Birds in a nest? A visit to the zoo? What does that image tell other people about your family?
- Build a list of words that describe the class group. Decide on an image that captures these words (e.g., a garden / a jigsaw). Create an art piece that expresses this idea.
- Call on students to list any images they can recall that have been used to represent the church community. If they can’t remember any, invite them to invent some as they did for the class.
Deep
(Learning experiences that lead on from beginning experiences to questioning more deeply and exploring ideas in different ways to lead to making connections between faith and life)
Continue to explore the question:
How can we describe the community of the Church?
Present images from Scripture: People of God, Family of God, Body of Christ, Vineyard (also Vine and branches), Bride, “Mother Church”.
Use a “snowball strategy” for groups of students to record thoughts about each image. A suitable version of a snowball strategy could be envisaged as:
1. Each group writing about their first assigned image with, on a signal, the recording page being passed on for the next group to add more or to comment
2. Through a sorting process, identifying similarities and differences in the summarised responses
3. Inviting students to discuss the pros and cons of each image
4. Drawing conclusions about points in common.
When and how do we celebrate as the Body of Christ?
Consider occasions on which / reasons for which we gather as one to celebrate Jesus. (Sacraments Units include a focus on this also. Prayer Units address the gathering, introductory rites of the Mass.)
- Using their own choice of media, invite students to develop an illustrated summary.
- Explore the image of the Body of Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 12).
Give students the background to this part of St Paul’s writings. As a centre of trade, the city of Corinth was home to a wide range of people, but there was disharmony among them.
- Read the extract from St Paul’s letter, 1 Corinthians 12:1-27. Review through An Animated 1 Cor. 12: We Are the Body of Christ, by Steve Tomason (YouTube).
- Discuss why Paul was giving this message at this time. How might this example have made sense to the people? What message does it have for us?
- Invite students to illustrate and explain their personal understanding of the image of the Body of Christ. Design a class artwork to show connections and harmony in the Body of Christ. Use phrases from the Scripture text.
Decide whether to develop the concept of:
- living in harmony (continue Thread A)
or - using our gifts for service
How do we live in harmony?
- Share amazing facts about the human body to highlight the importance of every part.
- In the style of 1 Cor.12: Body of Christ (YouTube), invite students to take one of the parts listed by St Paul and to make their case for its being the most important.
- Share stories about people trying to outdo each other.
- Consider what causes arguments about who is more important.
- View Boss Baby Trailer (YouTube). What kind of things does the baby do to get his own way? How do others respond?
- Are we still like this when we are older? Investigate this question, perhaps using a picture story.
- Book as a starter, for example, Marlene, Marlene, Queen of Mean, by Jane Lynch. See Lynch’s book on YouTube OR also on YouTube: Wonder (2017): There Are No Nice People. What was happening? How did the people feel? Did anything help? Might something more need to be done? When do we see or have experiences like this?
- Explore the feelings of those being bossed around, left out or treated disrespectfully. Invite students to develop theories about why such things happen.
- Identify similarities between St Paul’s message to the Corinthians and Pope Francis’ ideas.
- View on YouTube: Pope Francis, Promise Me You Will Not Bully Others (start at 4:00). Discuss and wonder about the energy that Pope Francis brings to his message.
- Develop a Y chart of what it looks, sounds and feels like to live in harmony.
- Describe the result of living as friends / in harmony, in contrast to living in competition / with conflict.
Transfer
(Learning experiences that help students engage with deeper understandings that can be applied in their own lives)
How do we use our gifts to continue Jesus’ mission of service and to live in harmony?
Consider real-life experiences and determine how actions are or are not examples of Jesus’ mission of service, which allows people to live in harmony.
- Invite students to identify and investigate an aspect of class or school life that indicates some degree of disharmony. They may research ways to address others; develop a plan of response.
- Identify where Jesus’ arms aren’t reaching / his hands aren’t healing / his feet aren’t going, and develop either a personal or a group plan of action/response.
Resources
1 Cor. 12: Body of Christ. YouTube.
Boss Baby Trailer. YouTube.
Francis (Pope). Promise Me You Will Not Bully Others. YouTube. (Starts 4:00).
Lynch, Jane. Marlene, Marlene, Queen of Mean.
Lynch, Jane. Marlene, Marlene, Queen of Mean. Lights Down Reading. YouTube.
Polacco, Patricia. My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother.
Polacco, Patricia. My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother. YouTube.
Tomason, Steve. An Animated 1 Cor. 12: We Are the Body of Christ. YouTube.
Wonder (2017): There Are No Nice People. YouTube.
Other Supporting Resources:
Body of Christ. LifeKids. YouTube.
“Fruits of the Spirit”. In Understanding Faith. Unit 38, Part 7. Online Subscription.
Gifts, Fruits & Charisms: what is the difference? YouTube.
If We Are the Body of Christ. Casting Crowns. YouTube.
“The Spirit’s Gifts”. In Understanding Faith. Unit 38, Part 6. Online Subscription.
* Unless otherwise noted, items listed under “Resources” are books