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1Vocation Lessons | TEACHER – 5th Grade: Religious Education

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5th Grade: RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

OVERVIEW

OBJECTIVE:• To be inspired to pray more, and

to begin to sense God’s voice through peace, joy, and courage.

• To internalize the reason God created me, and to apply that purpose to my current family and single state of life.

• To be able to locate the basic teach-ings on marriage in the Catechism.

• To grow in awe and apprecia-tion of a priest’s unique ability to consecrate the Eucharist.

• To recognize the Liturgy of the Hours as a form of prayer that is part of religious life.

MAIN CONCEPTS:• God calls every person to an inti-

mate relationship with him. This is our first and foremost vocation.

• Prayer helps us to know God.• God speaks through peace, joy,

and courage.• Each person is made to know,

love, and serve God.• The purpose in life can be lived out

in a family and as a single person.• Marriage is a freely chosen

union of love between a man and woman for life instituted by God.

• Through the sacrament of mar-riage, the bride and groom receive the Holy Spirit and together be-come a sign of Christ’s presence.

• Love of husband and wife reflects the love of God for his bride, the Church.

• The Last Supper is present to us at Mass when the priest consecrates the bread and wine.

• A priest is the only one who can consecrate the Eucharist.

• Jesus is truly present to us in the Eucharist.

• People in the religious life pray the Liturgy of the Hours.

• The Liturgy of the Hours is the prayer of the Church composed of hymns, Psalms, prayers, and other scriptures.

PLANNING DIRECTIONS:• Complete the core components of the lesson. Select and complete other components

given the time you have and the needs of your students.

INTRODUCTION2 min

Summarize today’s theme.

Today we are studying the vocations to which God calls people so that you will be able to follow his call always. Right now, you are in the single state of life, but someday God may call you to a particular vocation: married life, priesthood, or religious life. Today we will learn a little about each of these vocations. We will also learn about living our first and most important vocation: to know God and spend time with him.

Vocations“We speak God’s wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory…But as it is written: ‘What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him.’ This God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.” -1 Corinthians 2:7, 9, 10

Vocation Lessons | 5th Grade: Vocations 1

ESTABLISHING THE MAIN CONCEPTS - Who is speaking?

God’s voice gives you courage and willingness to do what is good. God speaks through peace, joy, and courage.

Thoughts that are discouraging and lead to depression, anxiety, and fear are not from

God. Neither do thoughts of selfishness and quick

pleasure come from God.

The devil tempts us with bad thoughts about ourselves.



Vocations“We speak God’s wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory…But as it is written: ‘What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him.’ This God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.” -1 Corinthians 2:7, 9, 10


ESTABLISHING THE MAIN CONCEPTS - Who is speaking?

God’s voice gives you courage and willingness to do what is good. God speaks through peace, joy, and courage.

Thoughts that are discouraging and lead to depression, anxiety, and fear are not from

God. Neither do thoughts of selfishness and quick

pleasure come from God.

The devil tempts us with bad thoughts about ourselves.

OPENING PRAYER2 min

Slowly read aloud 1 Corinthians 2:7, 9, 10, pausing a few seconds between phrases for silent reflection.

“We speak God’s wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory…But as it is written: ‘What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him.’ This God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit scrutinizes every-thing, even the depths of God.” - 1 Corinthians 2:7, 9, 10

Pray this or another simple prayer from the heart:

Thank you, Lord, for the incredible plan you have for your people. Please give us a glimpse of your purpose and plan for us in our families and as individuals so that we may live with more courage, conviction, and faith. Amen.

ESTABLISHING THE MAIN CONCEPTS

30 min

DISCERNMENT

Discuss and teach the main concepts of how we hear God’s voice in prayer.

God calls every person to an intimate relationship with him. Prayer helps us to know God and draw close to him. Have you ever wondered how we hear God’s voice in prayer? There are many wonderful explanations, but let’s focus on Saint Ignatius’ advice. He said that if you are in a state of grace, God’s voice gives you courage and willing-ness to do what is good. His voice leads to conversion. His is a voice of peace. God speaks through peace, joy, and courage.

Ask: When do you hear God’s voice in prayer?

On the other hand, thoughts that are discouraging and lead to depression, anxiety, and fear are not from God. Neither do thoughts of selfishness and quick pleasure come from God.

Ask: Who are negative thoughts from?

Pause to answer any questions students may have.

In many ways, you can know God’s voice by its effect on you. It is rare to hear specific words from God (although it definitely happens), but more often he will speak to you with thoughts of encouragement, confidence, and joy. When you pray often, you will become more aware of God’s voice, and his voice will strengthen you.

Ask: Have you ever experienced this when you pray?

Do not worry if you don’t notice these things yet. You cannot feel that you are growing right now, but you are. In the same way, God is pleased with your prayer, and he is doing good things in you though you may not realize it!



MARRIAGE

Use the reading to teach the main con-cepts about marriage and our purpose in life.

1. Have students read the reflections and passages from the Catechism individually, in small groups, or together as a class.

2. Use the reflection questions to spark discussion, or assign the students to write answers to them.

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we cannot see means that we love the people we can see. So, loving your family members is a way to know, love, and serve God.

MARRIAGE

Read these passages from the Catechism on marriage. The words may be challenging, but try to understand the main idea of each passage.

1601 The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life…this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.

1603 God himself is the author of marriage. The vocation to marriage is written in the very nature of man and woman as they came from the hand of the Creator. Marriage is not a purely human institution despite the many variations it may have undergone through the centuries in different cultures.

1604 Since God created him man and woman, their mutual love becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man. It is good, very good, in the Creator’s eyes.

1661 The sacrament of Matrimony signifies the union of Christ and the Church. It gives spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved his Church.

YOUR OWN SPIN

• Which passage from the Catechism of the Catholic Church stands out to you most?

• How can knowing the reason God made you affect how you live in your family?

Read through the passages “Why God Made Me?” and “Marriage,” and answer the reflection questions according to your teacher’s directions.

WHY GOD MADE ME

There is a terrific reference book for learning about the Catholic faith. It is called the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Its words can be difficult to understand, but the truths it contains are very simple and deep. We’ll look at few passages today to help understand the purpose of life and marriage.

Have you ever stopped to wonder why God made you? This is a very normal thing to wonder. This is one of the most important questions to ask, and its answer is the key to the meaning of life. Understanding why God made you can influence why you do what you do and how you chose to live your life. It can mean the difference between true happiness in life or fake happiness that does not last. A person who understands the answer to this question is like someone who holds in his hands pure gold instead of a big, cheap, plastic gold ring.

So, what is the answer? Why did God make you? Here’s what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

“For if man exists, it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his creator.” [1]

In other words, God made you because he loves you. It is his love for you that urged him to create you. Wow!

Furthermore, “Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for.”² Only in God can you, I, and every person be truly and completely happy! How do we respond to God’s love? We receive his love and love him in return, for man is “created in God’s image and called to know and love him.” [2]

Your family has a special role to help you know God, receive his love, love him, serve him, and find your happiness in him. The Bible says that to love God whom

[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 27.

[2] Ibid.

MARRIAGE



PRIESTHOOD

Use the reading page to teach the core concepts of the priesthood and the Eucharist.

1. Have students read through the reading page individually, in small groups, or as a class.

2. Use the reflection questions to spark discussion, or assign stu-dents to write answers to them.

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IT’S ALL ABOUT THE EUCHARIST

If you were to ask the question, “What is the most powerful thing in your life?” many Catholics would answer, “the Eucharist.” In the Eucharist, Jesus is physically present to us. We receive nourishment for living through receiving the Eucharist at Mass every Sunday. It is because of the priest that we can receive Jesus so intimately in the Eucharist. The priest is the only one who can consecrate the Eucharist. When the priest consecrates the bread and wine, they become the Body and Blood of Jesus, and the Last Supper is present to us. Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.

Thank God for the gift of the priesthood! Without priests, we could not have the Eucharist.

The following is a sharing by a priest named Fr. Jason. In his blog explaining why he became a priest, Fr. Jason retold the effect of the Eucharist on his desire to become a priest.

“I went on a retreat with the youth group. It was the first time the priesthood entered my mind. During the consecration, as I gazed at the elevated host, I thought to myself —in words that were my own, but which carried a resonance I will never forget— if there is one thing I should do, it’s that. It was the defining moment of my calling. I was taken entirely by surprise. I knew I had to look into the priesthood, but I didn’t know how or where.” [1]

YOUR OWN SPIN

• What did Fr. Jason realize is “the one thing he should do?”• What should you think about during Mass at the mo-

ment of consecration?• What do you think it would feel like to consecrate the

Eucharist as a priest?

PRIESTHOOD



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WHAT IS THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS?

The official prayer of the Church is called the Liturgy of the Hours. It is scripture (mostly psalms) and other prayers that can be prayed out loud with a group of people, such as monks and nuns, or individually by priests, married people, and single people. Besides the psalms, there are also Bible readings and even advice and stories from saints and other holy people.

There are five “hours” throughout the day when the Liturgy of the Hours is prayed. In this instance, an hour doesn’t really mean 60 minutes, it means a certain time of the day. The times for prayer are: morning, mid-day, evening, and night, plus one other time that can be chosen.

People have been praying the psalms at specific times throughout the day since before Jesus was born! You can be sure that no matter what time of the day it is, there is someone around the world who is praying the Liturgy of the Hours.

Consecrated brothers and sisters and priests get up dawn (some at 3 am!) to pray the first “hour” of the day. The Liturgy of the Hours is often chanted (which is a kind of melodic singing) by religious brothers and sisters. Praying the Liturgy of the Hours a big part of being a consecrated brother or sister.

YOUR OWN SPIN

• Why do you think prayer is scheduled for certain times throughout the day?

• Have you heard monks or nuns chanting in real life? Describe the sound.

• How is it that when religious participate in the Liturgy of the Hours they are part of something “larger than themselves”?

• How do you think praying several times a day like this would change your life?

Benedictine monks in Vancouver, Canada chat the Liturgy of the Hours.Still shot from the film “This Side of Eden,” produced by Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation

RELIGIOUS LIFE

RELIGIOUS LIFE10 min

Use the reading to teach the students about the Liturgy of the Hours.

1. Direct students to read, “What is the Liturgy of the Hours?” individually, in small groups, or together as a class.

2. Use the reflection questions to spark discussion, or assign the students to write answers to them.

3. Listen and watch this short clip of Benedictine monks for an ex-ample of chant and monastic life.

Video is available at http://www.you-tube.com/watch?v=CBwh1OXw6uI



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ROLE-PLAYING: WHO IS SPEAKING?

Your teacher will pick a few students to play three roles role:

1. A student praying2. God speaking3. The Enemy speaking

The students will role-play a scene, with God and the Enemy offering advice to the student. Based on what they say, guess who is God, and who is the Enemy.

CHANT: MAKE IT REAL

Now you will have an opportunity to join in the Liturgy of the Hours by praying one of the psalms likes monks do in chapel.

• Your teacher will divide the class into two groups, A and B, and the groups face each other.

• The groups will take turns reading the verses of Psalm 121.• Group A reads the first verse; then Group B reads the

next verse, and so on.

PRIESTHOOD IN ART

Study this image in light of today’s theme of the priesthood and the Eucharist.

• What happened at the supper at Emmaus?• What message is Jesus’ right hand giving?• The little child to Jesus’ left is looking right at us. No-

tice the direction the folds of his red garment lead your eyes. Notice the direction of his hand. What do you think he is telling us?

• What clues from the picture tell you something amaz-ing is happening?

• Why is there a dog in the picture?• How is this picture similar to what happens at Mass?

EXPLORATION

Religious brothers and sisters use a special book called a breviary to pray the Liturgy of the Hours.

EXPLORATION10 min

Time permitting, choose one or more of the following activities to further explore today’s lessons.

PRIESTHOOD IN ART1. Display “The Supper at Emmaus”

by the Le Nain brothers. (Before you display the image, you may want to read Luke 24:13-35 to remind students of the story.)

2. Direct students to analyze the im-age in light of today’s theme.

3. Use the reflection questions to spark and guide discussion, or assign students to write answers to them.

DISCERNMENT ROLE-PLAY

Let’s do an activity to experience how we hear God’s voice in prayer.

1. Select one student to pretend to be a person praying about his or her day, one to be the voice of God, and one to be the voice of the Enemy. Do not let the rest of the class know which person will be speaking for the voice of God or the voice of the Enemy.

2. Describe a scenario to the person who is “praying,” and have him or her act out telling God about it in prayer. Then, the one speaking the voice of God says something that will lead to peace, courage, self-sacrifice, and joy. The one speaking the voice of the Enemy then says something to the one praying that will lead to quick pleasure, depression, fear, or self-gratification.

3. Based on what the actors say, stu-dents vote to decide which actor was speaking the words of God to the one praying.

4. Switch actors every so often.

Possible scenarios: You scored a goal in soccer, got made fun of by kids at lunch, have lots of homework, are not getting along well with a sibling, had a birthday and received some great presents, or went over to your grandparents’ house for dinner.

CHANT: MAKE IT REAL

We’ll do a little activity so you can pray part of the Liturgy of the Hours. The Psalms are a big part of the Liturgy of the Hours so we’ll be praying one of the Psalms.

1. Print out Psalm 121, making enough copies for every student to have one.2. Divide students into two groups: A and B. Have the groups face each other on opposite

sides of the room.3. Explain how this prayer works. Group A will speak the first verse, then Group B will

speak the next verse, and so on.



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EXPLORATION continued

Begin the prayer with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Teacher: God come to my assistance.

Students: Lord make haste to help me.

PSALM 121

Group A: I raise my eyes toward the mountains. From whence shall come my help? My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.

Group B: He will not allow your foot to slip; or your guardian to sleep. Behold, the guardian of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps.

Group A: The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade at your right hand. By day the sun will not strike you, nor the moon by night.

Group B: The LORD will guard you from all evil; he will guard your soul. The LORD will guard your coming and going both now and forever.

Group A: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Group B: As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Teacher: May the Lord bless us, protect us from evil, and bring us to everlasting life.

Students: Amen (make the sign of the cross)

PRAY TOGETHER

Actiones Nostra

Father, may everything we do

begin with your inspiration

and continue with your saving help.

Let our work always find its origin in you

and through you reach completion.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

MEDITATIVE PRAYER5 min

Bring students to visit the chapel, or create a prayerful environment in the classroom.

Have students sit in silence for a few minutes.This is a time of prayer, re-flection, and listening to God in one’s heart.

Encourage students to close their eyes if they are distracted.

We’re going to take a few minutes of silence now for personal prayer, reflec-tion, and listening to God’s voice. This is a time for giving God your attention. Close your eyes if it helps you avoid distraction. Rest in God’s presence, and simply ask God, “What do you want me to do with my life?”

CLOSING PRAYER5 min

1. Direct the students to look over the prayer. Learning to direct all of your ac-tions toward God is a great path toward friendship with God. Are there any phrases in this prayer that are confusing?

2. Lead the students in praying the vocation prayer, Actiones Nostra.

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