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Introduction to the Sacraments: Gr. 2 - Gr. 5

Resources: 

Presentation Slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1r4GKei8FW_7tZ3hO6g74gR4Cz1BCmW8awOiGCRp3FJI/edit?usp=sharing 

What is a Sacrament

  • Ask the kids who knows what a sacrament is
    • A sacrament is when a visible practice or action receives an invisible grace. The sacraments are the channels we receive the graces and blessings of the Holy Spirit. We cannot see the invisible grace that comes down during the practice of the sacrament but it is a blessing and a gift from God that God does through Abouna. Through these sacraments, we get united with Christ
  • Ask the kids how many sacraments we have in the Church. We have seven sacraments in the Church. 
  • Remember, a sacrament is an invisible blessing but we receive it when we participate in a visible activity performed by a priest.
  • There are two parts to a Sacrament: an outward or visible sign and an “invisible” form/formula where significant spiritual words are prayed over it. 


Seven Sacraments Overview

  • Ask the kids to try to list all the sacraments. 
    • Baptism
      • The visible material is the water the priests place the baby in. The water represents our second birth from Water and Spirit. The blessing is we become members of God’s family. This is a very important sacrament because we need it to be able to participate in the other sacraments. 
    • Chrismation
      • Chrismation happens at the same event as a baptism. After a baby has been baptized (in water), Abouna anoints the baby with a consecrated oil called the Myron.
      • Ask the kids if they know does consecrated means.
      • Consecrated means to be made holy. So, Myron isn’t just any regular oil. It’s not like the oil your parents use at home. Through this Holy oil, we receive the Holy Spirit. Abouna anoints a baby 36 times in the sign of the cross all over the baby’s body. The blessing is that the Holy Spirit dwells in us and unites with us.
    • Confession & Repentance
      • When we make mistakes, disobey our parents, or do anything that goes against what God told us to do in the Bible, we need to confess our sins to a priest. Abouna prays a special prayer called the prayer of absolution over us so God can wipe away our sins again, which helps prepare us to take communion. Imagine you are wearing a white shirt and every time you sin, it gets dirty. When we go to Abouna and confess/receive absolution, the dirty shirt gets cleaned again. 
      • But it is not enough to only confess our sins. We need to do better next time and work on getting better. God will still forgive our sins if we fall into them again but we need to practice each time we make mistakes.
    • Communion
  • Ask the kids when we take communion, what it is that we are taking.
      • When we go to liturgy, Throughout Liturgy, the Holy Spirit comes down to the altar to transform the visible bread and wine into the “invisible” Holy Body and Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. Every time we take Communion, Christ abides in us and us in Him. 
      • The food we eat every day is yummy and we need it to fuel our bodies so we can move around and stay active. But this food won’t keep us alive forever. We will always get hungry again and our bodies won’t stay alive forever. The Body and Blood of Christ is different because it feeds our spiritual soul. This is what can keep us alive forever, even after we pass away. This Eucharist gives us the grace to grow in spiritual health. Through the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit gives us the strength to overcome the sins we struggle with.
    • Marriage
  • Ask the kids if they’ve ever been to a wedding. 
    • When you go to a wedding, you can see a bride and a groom, two distinct people; however, when they receive the prayers from Abouna the Holy Spirit comes down upon them and unites them so that they are one. On the outside, we see two people but on the inside, they are One with Christ
  • Priesthood
    • A bishop or Pope ordains a man, who accepts the prayers of the Priesthood, to become a priest. As a priest, he gains the grace to perform many church services and sacraments. The priest has a very important role. He helps guide his whole church to get to heaven. That is why we have to confess to a priest and why the priest can baptize babies/
  • Unction of the Sick
    • When someone is sick, Abouna anoints them with a special oil (different than the myron in chrismation), and through the priest and oil, God heals the person and protects them/stands with them in their sickness.
    • We also call this sacrament the Sacrament of the Lamps when this sacrament is performed, Abouna places seven cotton bolls in a plat of oil in the shape of a cross. After every prayer, Abouna lights one of the cotton balls.
    • This type of oil is also consecrated, meaning the Holy Spirit makes the oil oil so it can heal those anointed by it. 





Floating vs Sinking Lemon in Water Activity

  • Run two “mini-experiments” with the kids to help them grasp the idea of a sacrament and the visible/invisible blessings.
  • **Test experiment works before running in front of the kids**
    • Materials
      • Clear jug of water
      • Fresh lemon/lime
      • Table salt
      • Spoon 
  • **Can set up multiple jugs and lemons and get kids to volunteer to come up and run experiments with you** 
    • Experiment 1: Lemon in normal water
  • Ask the kids for their predictions on what will happen when you drop a lemon into a glass of water.
    • Drop the lemon into the jug of water. The lemon should sink to the bottom.
  • Experiment 2: Lemon is salt water
    • Take the lemon out of the water and stir in a few spoons of salt into the jug.
    • Put the lemon back into the jug of water. The lemon should float to the top. 
  • Purpose of the experiment:
    • The lemon is the visible, material component of a sacrament. The salt represents the invisible blessing and the works of the Holy Spirit. We don’t see the salt in the water after we have mixed it in but we know it is there because the lemon floats in the water instead of sinking to the bottom/


Second Activity (taken from the Grade 2 SUS Copts lesson resource)

  • Have the children fold a piece of paper in half three times. Unfold the paper to create eight boxes to use for this activity. Have them label the paper in the first box in the upper left-hand corner of the page: “The Seven Sacraments and Me.” Then, have them label each of the remaining boxes as one of the Seven Sacraments: Baptism, Chrismation, Confession, Eucharist, Unction of the Sick, Matrimony, and Priesthood. 
  • Get them to draw a picture that correlates to each sacrament to help them remember what each sacrament is, based on what was said in the lesson.
  • Suggestions:
    • Baptism: Water tub, baby
    • Chrismation: oil, 36 crosses
    • Confession and repentance: a blank t-shirt
    • Marriage: bride and groom, wedding, two stick figures
    • Priesthood: Abouna, stick figure with a  beard and tunic
    • Unction of the Sick: plate with seven candles/flames in the shape of a cross
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