Lesson 1

Church as a Joyful Community

Learning Competencies:
 Doctrine: Identify the importance of having a loving and joyful family
 Morals: Cite ways on how to live as God’s people
 Worship: Thank God for calling us to be His people, His Church

Opening Prayer:
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
(For Catholic pupils only)
Loving Father, we are grateful for your wondrous deeds and for the graces that we
daily receive. Your Son, Jesus Christ, showed that loving is giving and through His self-
offering, we have joy. Give us strength of mind, body, and spirit to be like Jesus that others
may live.
We ask this through your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Venerable Ignacia del Espiritu Santo, Pray for us.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
(For Catholic pupils only)

God’s family “is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.”
Timothy 3:15

LET’S GET MOTIVATED

Activity 1: What do the two family pictures portray?

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 LET’S GET STARTED

Activity 2: Guess and arrange chronologically the following events based on the Church’s
celebrations being observed by Christian families every year. Name and number the events from 1
(first event) to 5 (last event).

Insert picture Insert picture Insert picture Insert picture

______________ _______________ ________________ _______________ _______________

EXPLORE MORE!

Reasons why I Like to Learn

Activity 3: Guide Questions to reflect: To be written in your journal notebook.
1. What are God’s blessings to you/us?
2. Why does God never fail to love you/us?
3. Why did He give us Jesus, His Son, as your/our saviour?
4. How shall we thank God for all the love that he gives us through Jesus?
Because God LOVES us, He gives us FREEDOM to respond to his love. People say that they
love God, yet many do not know how to love Him through loving their neighbour. Many tend to
fight others or consider others as their enemies.

LET’S GET FOCUSED

Biblical foundations
The First Letter of Saint Peter sends a message to all Christians of his time to be holy and to
live as God’s joyful community.
Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, insincerity, envy, and all slander; like
new-born infants, long for pure spiritual milk so that through it you may grow into
salvation, for you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious
in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ. For it says in scripture: “Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a cornerstone,
chosen and precious, and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame.”
Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith: “The stone which
the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone that will make people stumble,
and a rock that will make them fall.” They stumble by disobeying the world, as is their destiny.
But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that
you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
—1 Pt 2:1–9

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 Activity 4:

1. According to the First Letter of Saint Peter, what are we in the eyes of God?
a. _________________________________________________________________________
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b. _________________________________________________________________________
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c. _________________________________________________________________________
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d. _________________________________________________________________________
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e. _________________________________________________________________________
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2. Why should Christians get rid of all malice, deceit, insincerity, envy, and slander?
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3. Who is the living stone and what are its characteristics?
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4. What is our responsibility as a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and as a
people of His own?
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5. What will happen to those who believe in the cornerstone?
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Church Teachings

The teaching from the Catechism for Filipino Catholics (CFC) explains to us the nature of
the Church.
Our Catholic Church traces its origin back to the Old Testament qahal and the New
Testament ekklesia. Both terms mean “the people of God called together,” or an “assembly
convoked by God.” Thus, they stress the action of God in calling the people together. The
Church thus claims to be a faith-assembly whose root cause is God’s free call to all to
share His divine goodness and love in Christ. The Church therefore is not just a social
grouping of people drawn together by cultural values and attitudes. — CFC 135

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 Activity 5:

Based on what you have read on the Church Teachings, write down the origin of the Catholic
Church based on the excerpt given. Write your answers on the table and on the questions on
“The Catholic Church” in the worksheet.
Catholic Old Testament New Testament
Churc
h
According to the teachings of the Church what is the similarities of the two?

What is stressed and claims by these two words?

THINK DEEPLY “No man is an island…” This is one of the most popular sayings
that we can hear from the people around us. This saying simply
means one thing: We cannot live without the existence of others. This
is also the reason why God gave man a partner. “It is not good for the
man to be alone” (Gn 2:18). Through these words, we can see how
great the love of God for His people for He considers us as His
children.
Every person is a relational being. Every time we are alone, we
tend to look for someone to share our stories, dilemmas, and life
issues. With this, we can feel God’s presence and love through our
neighbors. We are called to be a family with God as our Father, and
Jesus as our Brother. In the Old Testament, God established a family
by forming the Israelites and calling them as His people.
We, Christians, who are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, are part of this family. In spite
of our infidelity, God shows His unconditional love through constant forgiveness and acceptance
of our failures. This can be seen in the letter of Saint Peter when he says, “But you are ‘a chosen
race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the
praises’ of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Pt 2:9). The word
“Church” does not only mean a structure or building, more so it is us, the people of God. Together
as God’s children, we are united through the reception of the sacraments and we become one by
the power of the Holy Spirit. With Mary as our mother and model of faith, we are called to
holiness and live the life of the early Christian communities.

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 Merging Insights for

Integration
Ignacian Core/Related Value: Faith / Strong Faith in God

Doctrine: How does a community become a joyful community?

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Moral: How will one concretely share to maintain a joyful and loving community?
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Worship: Recite and reflect on the following prayer together with your family.
A Prayer of Joy
Heavenly Father, how we bless and thank You for the glad tidings of great joy that were
given to all people through that angelic host so many years ago. Thank You for Jesus and for
the joy and peace that floods the hearts of all who have found in Him the rock of their
salvation. Eternity is too short for us to praise and magnify your glorious name for all your
goodness and love toward us and for all who are called in your name . . . for in you is the
fullness of joy. Help me to share this joy of knowing Jesus with all those who you place in my
path. I pray that throughout the world there may be many sinners today who will be saved by
grace through faith in the blood of Christ Jesus so that they, too, may experience the joy and
peace that pass understanding, which is freely available to all who pay heed to the glad tidings
of the gospel of grace.
This we ask in Jesus’ name and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

 Social Issues: Epidemic disease (Covid-19) and different calamities

o It is very evident that all of us were sad and afraid of what is happening at present days. We
tend to forget that amidst these problems and difficulties God is with us who continually
sustain us in his love and mercy to make us joyful community.

 Lesson Across Discipline: Araling Panlipunan: Contemporary Issues

o As the Church journeys in this changing world, her goodness and beauty have been deeply
wounded by sins (corruption, scandals, pride, technological advancement and among others)
Unlocking difficulties
 Gratuitous – not involving a return benefit, compensation or consideration

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 Shepherd – this is the image of the King in ancient Israel, emphasizing leadership and
providence for his subjects.
 Church – an assembly convoked by God
– claims to be a faith-assembly whose root cause is God’s free call to all, to
share His divine goodness and love in Christ
– is not the structure or the building, but the people of God called together

References
 Live Your Faith Everyday Series (In the Life and Mission of the Church): RVM Christin
Living Series 1st Edition. Author: Regino Maximo A. Malundas & James Christian G.
Botanes
 Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
 Catechism for Filipino Family (CFC)
 New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSVB)
 Internet
o Catholictradition.org
o Amormeus.org
o Sichristianchurch.org

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 Activitie
s
Name: _________________________________ Score: ___________________

Direction: Read carefully the following questions. Then, write your answer on the space provided.
1. Identify and write the effects of being quarrelsome and of being a loving and caring person.
Use the table below for your answers. (14 points)
QUARRELSOME LOVING AND CARING

2. In your own words, define Church using the acronym below. (6 points)

C – _________________________________________________
H – _________________________________________________
U – _________________________________________________
R – _________________________________________________
C – _________________________________________________
H - _________________________________________________
Direction: Draw a heart on the lines if the statement reflects a joyous and loving act toward
ones neighbour or community. Draw a broken heart if it does not. (5 points)
_____1. Charly visits her cousin Vina and helps her with household chores.
_____2. The store manager guides the new employee in to the office.
_____3. The student did not greet the principal and the visitors who arrived.
_____4. The eldest daughter hits her younger brother with a broom.
_____5. The community helps maintain the cleanliness of their surroundings.

Direction:

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 Inspired by the love of the Blessed Virgin Mary to God’s people, what would you do (a) for your
family, (b) for your school, (c) for your friends, and (d) for your parish to always bring about a
community of joy? Use the chart below for your answers. (3 points each)

MY WAY OF BRINGING JOY TO THE COMMUNITY

A. FOR MY FAMILY B. FOR MY SCHOOL

C. FOR MY FRIENDS D. FOR MY PARISH/CHURCH

Kindly recite this prayer after you have done this session.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
(For Catholic pupils only)
Loving Father, we are grateful for your wondrous deeds and for the graces that we daily
receive. Your Son, Jesus Christ, showed that loving is giving and through His self-offering, we
have joy. Give us strength of mind, body, and spirit to be like Jesus that others may live. We ask
this through Your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Venerable Ignacia del Espiritu Santo, pray for us.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
(For Catholic pupils only)