Faith Under Pressure · Week 4 · Grades 6–8
Guided Notes: Sts. Peter and Paul
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
Sts. Peter and Paul
Peter: failure is not the end
Simon was a fisherman from blank 1. Jesus called him, renamed him Peter, meaning “rock,” and said, “Upon this rock I will build my church.”
Peter was bold and often spoke first. At the Last Supper he promised he would never abandon Jesus. Hours later, afraid for his own safety, he denied knowing Jesus three times.
The risen Jesus did not replace him. He asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” and told him to feed his sheep.
At Pentecost, Peter stood up in blank 2 and preached about Jesus to a huge crowd.
From Galilee to Rome
Write what happened at each point.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| c. 30 | Write your answer |
| c. 34 | Write your answer |
| c. 46–58 | Write your answer |
| c. 49 | Write your answer |
| c. 60 | Write your answer |
| 64 | Write your answer |
| c. 64–67 | Write your answer |
Check the facts
What did the risen Jesus do after Peter had denied him? Circle one.
- A He chose a different apostle to lead in Peter’s place
- B He asked Peter about his love and gave him a mission
- C He told Peter to go back to his fishing boat for good
- D He made Peter wait three years before trusting him
Why is that the right answer?
Paul: a complete turnaround
Saul of blank 3 was a well-educated Pharisee and a Roman citizen. He believed the followers of Jesus were betraying the faith of Israel, so he worked to have them arrested.
Near Damascus a light from the sky stopped him. He heard, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He was blind for three days until a blank 4 named Ananias came and baptized him.
Paul then spent about thirty years traveling, preaching and founding communities. He was beaten, jailed and shipwrecked.
He kept those communities together with letters. A friend carried each one by hand, and it was read aloud to everyone.
Why letters?
Why did Paul write letters to communities such as Corinth and Philippi? Circle one.
- A To ask each of them to send soldiers to guard him
- B To record the life of Jesus from his birth onward
- C To teach and encourage them when he could not visit
- D To announce that he was now the leader of the Twelve
Why is that the right answer?
Paul’s test for a message
Paul’s letters were honest, even tough, but they aimed to build the community up. Sort these online choices. Check one box for each.
| Item | Builds communion | Breaks communion |
|---|---|---|
| Messaging a friend privately to say a post hurt you | ||
| Screenshotting a private chat to mock someone | ||
| Checking in on a classmate who moved away | ||
| Piling on when a group chat turns against one person | ||
| Thanking a teammate by name in the team chat | ||
| Posting a vague insult so everyone guesses who it is | ||
| Apologizing in the same chat where you were rude |
Virtues Peter and Paul lived
For each virtue, write how the saint lived it.
| Virtue | How the saint lived it |
|---|---|
| Humility | Write your answer |
| Fortitude | Write your answer |
| Charity | Write your answer |
History or tradition?
What do we know about how Peter and Paul died? Circle one.
- A The Acts of the Apostles describes both deaths in detail
- B Roman court records of both trials survive in Rome today
- C Paul’s last letter describes Peter’s death as he saw it
- D Early Christian writers say both were martyred in Rome
Why is that the right answer?
Think, pair, share
Paul’s letters kept faraway communities united, yet he also wrote that he longed to see his friends face to face. What can a message do for a friendship, and what can only happen in person?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “A message is good for ... but it cannot ...”“I feel most connected to a friend when ...”“One thing I would rather say in person is ...”
Pair: something my partner said
Let us pray
“I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.”
2 Timothy 4:7
Lord Jesus, you turned a failure into a shepherd and an enemy into an apostle.
Give us the courage to begin again and to build one another up.
Sts. Peter and Paul, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done!
A fisherman who failed and a persecutor who changed became pillars of the Church. Their shared feast is June 29.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
How could the example of Sts. Peter and Paul shape the way I live, online and offline?
Challenge: Before you send any message this week, ask Paul’s question: does this build someone up? Send at least one that does.