February Family Faith Packet

Topic: THE CLEAN SWEEP (RECONCILIATION) MEMORY VERSES: The Memory Verses are a means of reinforcing the topic of the month by memorizing a verse from the Bible that speaks to the topic of the month. Encourage your kids to return to the next Family Faith Session knowing their memory verses and they will receive a little treat (non-food) from their Catechist. The CD included in the first month has both the memory verses for the year and the Books of the Bible to help with memorization. Good Idea: Try posting the Memory Verses somewhere where the kids will see it often for example on the refrigerator

Hey Dad! Dont forget to read the Hey Dad section on the Opening Page (lower left margin) of each weeks topic, which calls out to Dad to play a special part each week!! Good Idea: Start each Family Faith Session off by lighting a candle and saying a family prayer. This helps everyone center themselves and quiet down.

Week 1: February 10th Topic: Miracles Focus: Understand what a miracle is and see how God has worked miracles throughout history and still works miracles within our own lives. Read the opening page, which helps us understand the role miracles play in our faith life. 1. Check your supply box. This week you will need: Bible, Catechism of the Catholic Church, crayons, markers, colored pencils, tape, small piece of cardboard, pencil, scissors, picture of Jesus

Some Terms we come across during this weeks packet: Benediction: One of the most generally popular of Catholic services is Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. It is ordinarily an afternoon or evening devotion and consists in the singing of certain hymns, or litanies, or canticles, before the Blessed Sacrament, which is exposed upon the altar in a monstrance and is surrounded with lights. At the end, the priest, his shoulders enveloped in a humeral veil, takes the monstrance into his hands and with it makes the sign of the cross (hence the name Benediction) in

silence over the kneeling congregation. Benediction is often employed as a conclusion to other services. (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02465b.htm) Pyx: a sacred vessel that the Blessed Sacrament is placed in, to be brought to the sick and homebound. Transubstantiation: the change of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ

2. Miracles ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD a. A miracle is completely unexpected b. Old Testament Miracles i. Through Prophets 1. Elijah, Moses c. New Testament Miracles i. Jesus performs many miracles 1. Follow the examples listed to read about Jesus miracles in the Bible 3. Why do Miracles occur? a. Help our faith i. Always brings people to a greater faith in God b. Evidence sent by God c. A sign of holiness i. Canonized saints must be credited with a healing miracle d. Witness to the truth of Church teaching i. Eucharistic Miracles e. Reward for virtue i. Saved the three from the Burning Furnace they would not bow down to the King f. Not Magic Tricks i. Magic tricks fool you into thinking something has happened or changed ii. Miracles something really and truly does occur or change 1. Power of God working in an extraordinary way 4. How do you know something is a Miracle? a. Its something that could not ordinarily happen b. You can detect a miracle with your senses you can see it, feel it, taste it c. A miracle always glorifies God and leads people to a greater faith 5. Miracles may occur through different agents a. People, objects, angels b. Always the Power of God

Activity: Read the booklet of Eucharistic Miracles. Make a paper Monstrance with a picture of Jesus in the Middle as a reminder of the Real Presence in the Eucharist.