| Year Levels Focus: | The sacraments are celebrations of the presence of God in the lives of Christians. Through the sacraments, Christians are born into and nourished in the life of Christ. (TCREK021) |
| Aims: |
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| Content Statement: |
Refer to specific content about essential elements, symbols, symbolic actions/words in teacher background on unit planner. See GNFL P - 6 Sacraments Essential Elements, Symbols, Symbolic Actions/Words Resource Document Signs of God’s loving presence i) in all of life ii) in the actions of Jesus i) Students will be offered opportunities to deepen their understanding that people and the world around us are signs of the presence of God. ii) They will be supported to see how Jesus used words, actions and the things of the world (voice, touch, anointing, food/meals) to communicate God’s loving presence. They will examine Jesus’ teachings about & demonstrations of God’s love shown in forgiveness, reconciliation & healing (Parable of the Forgiving Father & the story of Zacchaeus will be key references). They will reflect on examples of Jesus nourishing His friends through sharing life, meals and self. They will consider His gift of self at the Last Supper and on Calvary. Students will explore how Jesus’ actions of uniting, nourishing, healing, forgiving & blessing are present in the sacraments of the Church through the Holy Spirit. Students will reflect on God’s presence and action in the sacraments of Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick and the Eucharist. Sacramental aspects of God’s presence in and through the essential elements, symbols, symbolic actions/words: They will investigate the words and ritual elements of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. They will learn its key elements: confession, repentance, absolution, satisfaction. They will consider examples of Jesus’ blessing and healing of the sick, and will investigate the words and ritual elements of the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. They will learn its key elements: priest using blessed oils to anoint hands and head with the Sign of the Cross, and prayer. They will explore the essential elements, symbols, symbolic actions/words used in the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. They will identify the four-part structure of the Mass. The Spirit’s action in the Sacraments: They will be supported to discover that, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, our relationship with God and with others is renewed through his loving forgiveness and healing. In investigating Anointing of the Sick they will be supported to grow in awareness of respect for the human person and of God’s loving care throughout life. In considering the Eucharist, they will be supported to recognise their oneness with Jesus. They will be encouraged to realise that the Eucharist helps us grow in love for others. Being signs of God’s presence to others: Students will identify links between the sacraments and living with God and others. They will consider the sacraments of healing as our call to wholeness and our call to heal brokenness in our world and in others. They will identify ways to forgive, heal hurt, care for human life, support others in sorrow and grow in loving relationships. Students will reflect on examples of witnesses who express the Eucharist in their lives and actions and how it challenges and nourishes us for Christian living. Students will be supported to grow towards and in sacramental life. |
“Sacrament” is traditionally defined as a sign that is itself what it signifies. A sacrament is not a mere representation, therefore, but is, in some sense, itself the very thing it represents, just as, for example, a hug not only signifies affection: it is affection. Sacraments not only show God’s love: they are that love in visible and concrete form.
Every sacrament has four inseparable parts to it:
- it is an ordinary, earthly reality
- that points beyond itself
- making that to which it points truly and revealingly present in itself
- thereby transforming those who receive it
To properly understand the Church’s sacraments we must start with Christ as the “sacrament of God”, and with the Church as the “sacrament of Christ”. Christ himself is the “sacrament of God” because he is the sign (of God) that is itself what it signifies (he is God), and transforms us who receive him (we become the Body of Christ, and so one-with-God). Just as Christ points to God and makes God’s presence real, transforming those who receive him, so the Church is a sacrament that points to Christ and makes his presence real, transforming the world that receives it. In the same way the seven sacraments of the Church point to the Church’s own real nature as the Body of Christ. These seven sacraments realise the Church’s true nature as Christ’s Body.
The Church has “seven” sacraments because seven is the biblical number of completeness, or “perfection”. In the Catechism they are grouped in three categories:
A. Sacraments of Initiation:
(1) Baptism
(2) Confirmation
(3) Eucharist
B. Sacraments of Healing:
(4) Anointing of the sick
(5) Reconciliation
C. Sacraments of Commitment in the Service of Communion:
(6) Holy Matrimony
(7) Holy Orders
The seven sacraments of the Church are celebrated liturgically. The word “liturgy” means “public work”, and so refers to the actual celebration of the sacraments ritually, in a public way and for the sake of the world. The word “ritual” refers to a repeated and communally understood set of meaningful actions, which is the way in which we celebrate the Church’s sacraments liturgically.
In GNFL this understanding of sacraments is developed with these theological emphases:
- Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist are called sacraments of initiation.
- They initiate us (lead us into) the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection, which reveals to us that God is the communion of love we call Trinity.
- Therefore they also lead us into the mystery of the Church, the community of all those who believe in Christ and know themselves as loved by God.
- It is through these sacraments that the Church becomes Christ’s earthly presence, his own sacrament.
- The sacraments of healing, that is, Reconciliation and Anointing, are about enabling us to remain baptised, confirmed, united.
- They heal evil done (sin), through Reconciliation, and evil suffered (sickness), through Anointing.
- Reconciliation brings us back into right relationship with God, which begins the healing process of bringing us back into right relationship with other people, the world and even our own inner self.
- Anointing unites us in our suffering with the suffering Christ (the “anointed one”), revealing the potential transformation of suffering into holiness and wholeness, into compassion and love.
- The sacraments of commitment in the service of communion, that is, Holy Matrimony and Holy Orders, are there to remind us that our freedom is to grow in love in commitment and service.
- Holy Matrimony celebrates the life-giving nature of particular love, showing us that God loves us and invites us to love God with the spousal love that gives birth to life in the world.
- Holy Orders celebrates the self-giving nature of love as service to all humanity, thus revealing God’s universal love for all in order to rightly order all things towards their ultimate good: union with God and one another in God.
URL link to Theological Conversation chapter (PDF).
- We celebrate God’s presence in people and in the world around us.
- Sacraments are sacred gifts and signs of the Church that celebrate God’s presence and grace.
- Through the Sacraments, Jesus continues his actions of healing, forgiving, nourishing and transforming.
- Through the Sacraments of Healing and Eucharist, we are strengthened and nourished in the life of Christ.
Sacrament of Matrimony addressed in Yrs 5/ 6 'God'
Sacrament of Holy Orders addressed in Yrs 5/6 'Church'
The sacraments are celebrations of the presence of God in the lives of Christians. Through the sacraments, Christians are born into and nourished in the life of Christ. (TCREK021)
Refer to specific content about essential elements, symbols, symbolic actions/words in teacher background on unit planner.
See GNFL P - 6 Sacraments Essential Elements, Symbols, Symbolic Actions/Words Resource Document
Signs of God’s loving presence i) in all of life ii) in the actions of Jesus
i) Students will be offered opportunities to deepen their understanding that people and the world around us are signs of the presence of God.
ii) They will be supported to see how Jesus used words, actions and the things of the world (voice, touch, anointing, food/meals) to communicate God’s loving presence.
They will examine Jesus’ teachings about & demonstrations of God’s love shown in forgiveness, reconciliation & healing (Parable of the Forgiving Father & the story of Zacchaeus will be key references).
They will reflect on examples of Jesus nourishing His friends through sharing life, meals and self. They will consider His gift of self at the Last Supper and on Calvary.
Students will explore how Jesus’ actions of uniting, nourishing, healing, forgiving & blessing are present in the sacraments of the Church through the Holy Spirit.
Students will reflect on God’s presence and action in the sacraments of Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick and the Eucharist.
Sacramental aspects of God’s presence in and through the essential elements, symbols, symbolic actions/words:
They will investigate the words and ritual elements of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
They will learn its key elements: confession, repentance, absolution, satisfaction.
They will consider examples of Jesus’ blessing and healing of the sick, and will investigate the words and ritual elements of the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. They will learn its key elements: priest using blessed oils to anoint hands and head with the Sign of the Cross, and prayer.
They will explore the essential elements, symbols, symbolic actions/words used in the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. They will identify the four-part structure of the Mass.
The Spirit’s action in the Sacraments:
They will be supported to discover that, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, our relationship with God and with others is renewed through his loving forgiveness and healing.
In investigating Anointing of the Sick they will be supported to grow in awareness of respect for the human person and of God’s loving care throughout life. In considering the Eucharist, they will be supported to recognise their oneness with Jesus. They will be encouraged to realise that the Eucharist helps us grow in love for others.
Being signs of God’s presence to others:
Students will identify links between the sacraments and living with God and others. They will consider the sacraments of healing as our call to wholeness and our call to heal brokenness in our world and in others. They will identify ways to forgive, heal hurt, care for human life, support others in sorrow and grow in loving relationships. Students will reflect on examples of witnesses who express the Eucharist in their lives and actions and how it challenges and nourishes us for Christian living. Students will be supported to grow towards and in sacramental life.
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.