Chapter 5: Your First Reconciliation

Objectives:

Reconciliation is a lifelong blessing.
No matter how far you may wander from God, he will never stop searching for you. He will never stop encouraging you to become the-best-version-of-yourself, to grow in virtue, and to live a holy life.
Your child’s First Reconciliation is going to be a great moment in his or her life.

Opening Prayer:

Start by saying, “Let’s take a moment in silence to be still and quiet and open ourselves up to whatever God wants to lead us today.”

Have your child/children bless themselves and read the prayer:

God, our loving Father, thank you for all the ways you bless me. Help me to be aware that every person, place and adventure I experience is an opportunity to love you more. Fill me with a desire to change and to grow, and give me the grace to become the best-version-of-myself in every moment of every day. Amen.

Watch & Discuss / Read & Explore

Watch Episode 1 and read pages 138-139

Ask your child to share a great moment in their life... a favorite birthday, the first goal in soccer, a new pet, etc. Share one of yours as well.
Read pages 140-143

Watch Episode 2 & 3 and read page 144-147

Have your child read out loud the 5 steps to making a great Reconciliation.

Watch Episode 4 and read pages 148-161

Have you child practice reading the first Act of Contrition out loud. The more comfortable he/she feels with the Act of Contrition, the more comfortable he/she will be on the day of his/her First Reconciliation.
Ask your child, “How he/she felt when they watched the episode with Jesus in the confessional forgiving sins through the priest. Was he/she amazed, confused, grateful, excited?

Watch Episode 5 and read pages 162-165

Share with your child that The Prodigal Son is one of the most famous stories in the entire bible. It is about how God the Father always rejoices when we return home to him.

Watch Episode 6 and read pages 166-169

Ask your child: "Who is the best friend you could ever have?"

Show What You Know

Pages 170-171 are a review of what you have learned in this chapter. Give your child time to answer all of the questions and review the answers with them at the end. Suggest that they may have to look back in the chapter to find the answers to some of the trickier questions.

Journal with Jesus & Closing Prayer

Have your child write as if they are writing a letter to Jesus. In this chapter they will be writing a letter about why they are so blessed.

Ask what are some of the most important things they learned in this session:

My First Reconciliation is going to be a great moment in my life.
Preparation is essential for a great experience.
There are five steps to a great Reconciliation.
God will rejoice every time I come to Reconciliation.
Reconciliation is a lifelong blessing.
God is the best friend I will ever have.

Watch Episode 7 and read the closing prayer on page 174-175

Family Connection Activity

In all likelihood, your child is going to be nervous to make his or her First Reconciliation. You can help ease his nerves. It doesn’t matter how long it has been since your last Confession—go. Reconciliation is the perfect spiritual practice to rekindle our passion for excellence in the spiritual life. It is a blessing and a gift to embrace. It is not just a cleansing experience; it is a strengthening experience. It is an opportunity to work with God to form a-better-version-of-ourselves.

When you go to Reconciliation, make a point either to take your child with you or tell him or her about it afterwards. Sharing the experience will help your child know it isn’t so scary. But more than that, you can show by example that Reconciliation is not just a one-time event, but a lifelong blessing.

Pray this Prayer with Your Child Each Day this Week

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.