Background/Homework

Have students read Handout A: Scriptural Foundations and answer the comprehension and critical thinking questions that follow.

1. Display an image of Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery by Vasily Polenov. Give students as much time as possible to view the painting in silence. Allow them to come up to the screen to examine details.
2. Put students in pairs or trios and give each group a copy of Sacred Art and Mercy: Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery. Have students discuss the questions in groups and then share responses as a large group

Warm-Up II

1. Have students complete Handout B: Consequences and Relationships.
2. After students have completed the handout, ask the following questions:
   • Based on the handout, what would you say is the difference between a contract and a covenant?
   • How would you begin to define what a covenant is?

Activity

1. Begin this section by going over key points with the students, using the PowerPoint available on the Catholic Curriculum Exchange at www.SophiaInstituteforTeachers.org/Curriculum. You may wish to use Handout C: Contracts vs. Covenants with younger learners.
2. Have students work on and complete Handout D: The Covenants and God’s Mercy.
3. After students have had a chance to complete the handout, take time to go over the answers, emphasizing the connection that God’s covenants are a sign of His mercy. Even when man breaks these covenants, God continues to show us love and mercy.

Wrap-Up

1. Read the Rite of Marriage.
2. After students have completed the reading, pose this question: “How does the covenant of marriage naturally rely on mercy in order to be lived out successfully?”
3. Conclude by saying a Divine Mercy Chaplet as a class.

Extension Option

Explore how forgiveness and mercy work together to strengthen not only God’s relationship with us, but also our relationships with others. Using the scenarios in Handout B as inspiration, have students work in groups of 3-4 to write original short skits demonstrating how we can learn from God to forgive all offenses, bear wrongs patiently, and practice other Works of Mercy.