1

Faith Lesson Plan and Faith Activity

Chapter 2 – GOD IS FAITHFUL

Grades 3 & 4

Doctrinal Content:

• Death, suffering, ignorance, and the inclination to sin all came into the

world as a result of Original Sin. (CCC, 402-405)

• God always remains faithful and promises salvation, desiring humans to

be free and faithful to him. (CCC, 55)

• A covenant is a sacred promise or agreement between God and humans.

(CCC, 56-58)

• God called Abraham, and because of his belief and trust in God, God

established a covenant with him. (CCC, 59-60)

Invite – Let us Pray

Invite the young people to gather in their prayer space and make the sign of the Cross. Read aloud the leader's prayer. Proclaim the verse from Psalm 89:2-3 together. Have the children move out of their prayer space and back to their seats.

2

Say: God is forever faithful. Even if our belief in God wavers, he continues to believe in us. Have the children move out of the prayer space and back to their seats. Guide the young people through the process of Scripture reflection below. Invite them to close their eyes, be still, and open their minds and hearts to what God is saying to them in this passage. Display and Proclaim the Scripture.

Maintain several moments of silence. Ask: What did you hear God say to you today in this Scripture? Engage the children to respond.

What Do You Wonder? Say: Faith is a gift, a heartfelt gift from a faithful God. It is a gift not only to appreciate but to practice. It is a treasure to be cherished and shared. Ask: What else might you wonder about God’s Word? Ask the questions below.

3

Discover (1) Objective:

• Discuss how death, suffering, ignorance, and the inclination to sin all came into the world as a result of Original Sin.

• Understand that God always remains faithful and promises salvation, desiring

humans to be free and faithful to him.

The First Sin

Say: The Bible begins with the Book of Genesis. This book introduces Adam and Eve. Let us see what the Bible says about Adam and Eve.

Display and Proclaim the Scripture. (Genesis 3:)

Ask: How did life change for Adam and Eve after they sinned? Possible Answers: They felt ashamed; everything got harder; they had to leave the garden.

Ask: How did Adam and Eve's choice to sin affect all of us? Write the children's responses on the Smart Board.

Stress that Adam and Eve are responsible for their actions.

4

Consequences

Display the following:

Read: Humans were created to share God’s life and to be happy with God Forever.

By disobeying God, Adam and Eve broke their friendship with God. This sin of our

first parents is called Original Sin because ever since that choice was made, sin has

been present throughout the world. Original Sin affects every human. The inclination

to sin, suffering, and death all came into the world as a result of Original Sin.

Even though God sent Adam and Eve away from the garden, he did not abandon

them. He remained faithful and promised salvation. He wanted all humans to be free

and faithful to him, so they could be happy forever.

Work with Words Review the Catholic Words with the Children.

Original Sin – the sin of our first parents, Adam, and Eve, which led to the sinful condition of the human race from its beginning. Salvation – the loving action of god’s forgiveness of sins and the restoration of friendship with him brought by Jesus.

Quick Review God is always faithful, even when humans disobey. God made humans to be free to make choices and to experience faith and true happiness.

5

Discover (2)

Objectives:

• Describe a covenant as a sacred promise or agreement between God and

humans.

• Appreciate that God called Abraham, and because of his belief and trust in

God, he established a covenant with him.

Display and read the following

A Sacred Promise

Scripture: Read Genesis 12:1-8; Read Genesis 15:1-5, 18; Genesis 17:5-9, 15;

Genesis 21:1-3

6

Ask: What did God ask of and promise to Abram?

Display the following and read.

God made a covenant with Abram. God revealed his plan to Abram in a new way by making a covenant with him. A covenant is a sacred promise or agreement between God and humans. As a sign of the covenant, God changed the names of Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah. Soon after that, even though Sarah was old, she had a son, whom the couple named Isaac. Abraham and Sarah never turned away from God. Like Abraham and Sarah, you are faithful to God every time you obey his laws and make loving choices. Faithful means to be constant and loyal in your commitments to God and others, just as he is faithful to you. Abraham is considered an ancestor in faith of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. These religions see their origins in Abraham’s free response to God’s revelation that he was

the one God Abraham should believe in and follow.”

Emphasize that God made and kept promises.

Ask: How were Abraham and Sarah faithful to God? Possible responses: They trusted

God and his promises; they obeyed his laws; they made loving choices; they followed

his call.

Say: Abraham and Sarah's story is important to people of many faiths. Have them read

again the last paragraph to learn why.

Work with Words Review the Catholic Words with the Children.

Covenant – a sacred promise of agreement between God and humans. Faithful – to be constant and loyal in your commitments to God and others, just as he is faithful to you.

Quick Review

God made a covenant with Abraham. He promised Abraham that his descendants

would be God's people forever.

7

LIVE

Ask: How do you remain faithful? Engage the children to respond.

Read: Our Catholic Life and Jessica’s story. Answer the question below and then

complete “Your Story” activity.

Ask: How did God help Jessica?

Say: There is a saying, “God helps those who help themselves.” What do you think

this saying means?

8

Saint of the Day:

Tell the children about Saint Bridget of Sweden. Explain that Saint Bridget lived about 700 years ago. Unlike many Saints, she was married and had eight children. One of her daughters also became a Saint, Saint Catherine of Sweden. Say: Saint Bridget of Sweden is the patron Saint of Sweden. Some call her the patron Saint of failures because practically nothing she ever set out to do was ever realized. Yet she was the only woman to found a religious order. Tell about a time when you waited for God to answer a prayer.

Fun Fact of the Day

Did you know that time is part of creation? What would it be like if God had not

created time?

9

Faith Activity

10

Being Faithful – Answer Key

11

What did the Children Learn?

12

What did the Children Learn? – Answer Key

13