God created all things – visible and invisible. The most important creatures God made are human beings and angels.
**** Read Lessons 5 Creation & fall of man & 6 Actual sin in the St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism book #2 ****
Why did God create?
God created all things because of His goodness and love. There are 2 creation stories in the Bible (Genesis) The first was written about the formation of the world in days: light, sky, earth, seas plants, sun moon stars, sea creatures birds, land animals man & woman, rest. It was written as a poem not as a historic record of 7 days. The second is of Eden (paradise) Adam and Eve ——> Man and Woman equal in dignity and perfect companions. There they lived in friendship with God and in harmony with each other and the rest of creation. They enjoyed the divine life of GRACE and were holy.
We call this happy state original justice.
Humans were created with spirits and bodies. Our spirit also called soul enables us to think, choose, and love like God. It is this gift of Free Will that allows us to love as God loves. Because of our free will we are able to cooperate with God and help Him carry out His plan for the world to live in peace, justice, and love. Eden was a place of love and harmony. It was free from cravings, need for wealth and power, and pride. Adam and Eve were created full of Grace and were able to live forever and with Free Will.
They chose to love and obey God until…………… the chose to DISOBEY. This disobedience became what we know as SIN. SIN is disobedience to God’s law (rules) . They lost their original holiness, due to eating from the Tree of Knowledge, which made it difficult to resist sin. Eve and Adam’s sin is called original sin. It was the first sin that took away the special gift of GRACE God gave humans. This loss was passed on to all of humanity.
The Original Sin shattered their relationship with God. After Adam and Eve sinned EVIL was set loose in the world. Actual Sin- sinful acts we choose to do– became part of humanity. It became a pretty terrible situation reaching a peak during Noah’s lifetime. It is from Adam and Eve we humans are predisposed to desires that do not honor the grace of God.
The Council of Trent 1545-1563 taught us that “comes from sin and induces to sin” is Concupiscence. The human inclination to do that which is sinful to that which is holy.
Simply: our tendency to sin.
Concupiscence makes us vulnerable to sin. Our susceptibility to temptation is not sin. How we act in response to the temptation determines the rightness or wrongness — the sin. We are most likely to behave in ways that are selfish rather than SELFLESS. This preference to selfishness is what leads us to sin.
What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate.
Romans 7:15
Saint Paul is telling us that it is hard to be good all the time. We must find courage and God gives us grace to make us stronger to resist sin.
This is where some of you may have heard the “dying to sin” phrase. The concept can be found in Romans 6: 3-11.
As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:10-11
To “consider yourselves dead to sin” means we must endure an ongoing moral commitment to lead with grace. As Catholics we are called to continually cooperate with God’s grace by refusing to let sin control our mortal bodies and instead offer ourselves as instruments for holiness.
Due to original sin we have to struggle with temptation. Like Adam and Eve we can fail. Every day we are faced with decisions to do right or wrong. We use our conscience (the power of our minds to judge what is right or wrong) to choose how to act. Jesus is our example. We should love others and God. We should learn and obey His Commandments. *Repeated sins can smother your conscience.*
We can fight temptation by:
1.) Praying every day
2.) Learning about the saints
3.) Reading the Bible
4.) Having good friends
5.) SACRAMENTS (going to confession & receiving Holy Communion)
Which one is the biggest help to prevent temptation?
Summary: We are made in the image of God to be in unity and harmony with God. The Original Sin broke the family unity. Concupiscence, which is a tendency toward selfishness and sin, left man weak and vulnerable, man becomes wounded and separated from God. Jesus was able to pay the debt for humanity and restored unity with God. Jesus established the Church to reunite God’s family.
An additional Lesson about the 10 Commandments may be taught at this time to tie in the purpose of rules. (Rules are meant to keep us safe) Review the story of the 10 Commandments and Moses. (Exodus 19:16-25, 20:1-3) When beginning the lesson about the Commandments I often discuss the importance of rules. Children understand the reason for being safe and asking the children to tell me some rules they follow at home and/or school. Why do they think that rule is important? What are the purpose of rules? Likewise replace the word “rules” with Commandment and talk about what the Commandments are asking us to do. Briefly breakdown the Commandments into 2 groups: Commandments 1-4 teach us how to show love towards God AND Commandments 5-10 teach us how to show love towards others.
Vocabulary words to discuss with your child:
Grace A share in God’s own life; a supernatural power to resist evil and do what is right. Adam and Eve took this away and we are all born without the gift of Grace, we regain Grace through the sacraments.
Free Will a person’s choice to do good or bad. This is what makes it possible for humans to love as God does.
Concupiscence tendency toward selfishness and sin.
Original Sin The sin of Adam and Eve that took away the special gift of Grace God gave us.
Actual Sin sinful acts we choose to do.
Covenant family relationship.
Confirmation Assignment:
1.) Print and cut out a small version of this image Expulsion of Adam and Eve and glue it to a page in your notebook. Beside the image write the verse:
2.) See The Apostle Paul, portrait by Rembrandt 1657. Take a small printed version of this artwork and cut it out. Glue this art inside your notebook and below/beside it write the Romans 7:15 verse.
3.) Draw the 5 steps to a good Confession. (Hint: see page 187 Baltimore Catechism)
Communion Assignment:
1.) Draw Adam and Eve with the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Need some ideas look for some artwork as inspiration in a picture Bible.
2.) Beside/underneath your Adam and Eve drawing copy the verse: Genesis 3:23
