A blessed Advent and Christmas to all our readers!
I’d just like to share some FREE resources that have been very helpful to parents and catechists preparing children to receive sacraments.
- First, here’s a link to an examination of conscience written for children, based on the Ten Commandments, by one of my heroes, educator and speaker, Barbara Falk.
- Second, a puppet script called, “Sacraments: What Are They?“, that I wrote several years ago (which you can also use as a skit for older children to act out), and which explains the basics of the sacraments in a humorous, but effective way. If you have any trouble copying the text from the bottom of this post, email me directly at: lisa@mladinich.com and I’ll send it to you as a .pdf attachment.
Enjoy, and let me know how you used it and how your lesson went. You can find many more of my scripts on all sorts of catechetical topics at CatholicMom.com.
ONE MORE FREE OFFER! If you get at least 10 people (DREs take note) to sign up for our RSS feed, I’ll send you a copy of each of my magazine-sized, full-color booklets, published by Our Sunday Visitor. “Be an Amazing Catechist: Inspire the Faith of Children,” gives easy, but powerful teaching techniques for making lessons delightful and memorable, and “Be an Amazing Catechist: Sacramental Preparation,” covers the Sacraments of Initiation and lots of great, creative teaching ideas and techniques. (Both are available at OSV.com in English and Spanish.)
Once your friends have signed up, email me (lisa@mladinich.com) all ten of their names, plus your address, and after verification I’ll send you the booklets!
Merry Christmas!
Love,
Lisa Mladinich
Founder, AmazingCatechists.com
Sacraments: What are They?
Sally
Good morning, Joey!
Joey
Hi Sally!
Sally
I just have to give you a great big hug!
Joey
Thanks! That was nice!
Sally
I think hugs are just like sacraments!
Joey
Remind me – what is a sacrament?
Sally
A sacrament is a physical sign of something invisible.
Joey
Something invisible? You mean like germs?
Sally
No, much nicer things than that!
Joey
You mean like the smell of fresh chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven? I can’t see them, but I can SMELL them, so I know they’re there!
Sally
You’re getting closer!
Joey
You mean like music? I can hear it, but I can’t see it!
Sally
You have wonderful ideas about invisible things, but I’m talking about heavenly things.
Joey
Heavenly things! You mean like love?
Sally
That’s right. Like, my hug is a physical sign of the love I feel for you.
Joey
Oh, yeah. Your love isn’t something I can see, but when you hug me I know it’s there!
Sally
Right! Can you think of some sacraments that Jesus gave us?
Joey
Well, my teacher taught us about Baptism and the whole water thingy.
Sally
Right. In Baptism we pour water on a person’s forehead and make the Sign of the Cross, like this. (she does it on his forehead) “I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” That’s the part we can see, the visible part!
You can’t see any change in the person who’s been baptized, but he becomes a child of God and a member of the Royal Family of Heaven!
Joey
AWESOME! Oh, WAIT! There’s another sacrament called, reckon…reckon…
Sally
Reconciliation!
Joey
Yeah, that’s it! Reconciliation!
Sally
That’s where the priest listens to our sins, but…
Joey
Jesus forgives us!
Sally
Wow! You’re really learning fast!
Joey
Teach me a new one!
Sally
Holy Communion is my favorite sacrament.
Joey
Why?
Sally
Because it looks like a piece of bread and a cup of wine, but in the priest’s hands it becomes the actual Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.
Joey
Wow! That’s a lot to remember!
Sally
Well, let’s make it simple. We baptize with water but we become…
Joey
Members of the heavenly family! (they dance)
Sally
Yes! And we ask forgiveness from a priest, but we are forgiven by…
Joey
Jesus! (they dance) Thank you Jesus!
Sally
Yes. And we receive Holy Communion, which looks like bread and wine, but it’s really…
Joey
Jesus! (they dance) My King and my God!
Sally
(out of breath) Boy. You learn fast. That’s a physical sign of something invisible.
Joey
What’s that?
Sally
You’ve been listening. (they laugh)
Copyright, Lisa Mladinich 2012
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