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As difficult as it may be to believe it, Lent begins this week. Ash Wednesday is February 14. As we invite and guide the children in our care to prepare their hearts for Easter through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we must give thought to our own Lenten preparation for Easter.
In his 2024 Lenten reflection booklet, The Season for Healing Hearts, Father Joseph Sica encourages each of us to open our “helping heart to hurting hearts: gently nudging others to use their inner strength, perseverance, and determination to bounce back and get on their feet again, stronger and better.” May we follow his guidance and possibly be healed of some of our own hurts in the effort to help others.
If you missed the post last week about planning ahead for Valentine’s Day and Lent, you can find it here.
Every week in the GROW newsletter, you will find helpful tips for teaching your Gospel Weeklies lesson, a reflection on the Sunday Gospel, and information about our online resources and seasonal activities. Here are tips for teaching the Gospel Weeklies lessons this week:
Videos of Sunday’s Gospel
Use these videos as you discuss today’s Gospel. Please preview all videos you plan to share with your class:
Holy Heroes
Gospel Reading and Reflection for Kids
Jesus Heals the Leper
Saint Valentine’s Day
Saint Valentine
Lent
Lent Webinar for Kids! Songs to Journey with Jesus During Lent (Miss Heidi and John Burland)
Ash Wednesday and Lent in 60 Seconds (Lego)
Lent: Catholic Central
Lent in 3 Minutes
Cardinal Timothy Dolan: What Is Lent?
What Is Lent?
Holy Heroes: Ash Wednesday
The Stations of the Cross with Bishop Barron
10 Fun Things You Might Not Know About Lent
Faith, Fun, and Celebration: Lent Episode (featuring John Burland)
Seeds
Lesson Theme: Jesus is Good News.
If the children bring valentines, make sure they include every child in the class. Valentine’s Day can be a chance for the children to tell the good news of how they care for others and how others care for them.
For this lesson, you will need crayons, scissors, 2” by 16” ribbon lengths (one per child), one heavy marker, and a Church Year calendar.
We suggest you prepare in advance for the “Jesus loves us all” activity on pages 3–4. Make sure you bring enough ribbons for each child and that you cut them to 16″ strips beforehand. We also recommend that you cut the hearts and fold them to cut the slits as shown in the illustration on page 4. It is a good idea to have one or two helpers to aid the children in threading the ribbon through their hearts.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Word of the Week
Seasonal Resources
Videos
Gospel Reflection and Saint of the Week with Miss Heidi
Bible Bag: Kid-Sized Lessons on the Sunday Gospel with Mrs. Cole
Promise
Lesson Theme: Jesus cares for everyone.
If the children bring valentines, make sure they include every child in the class. Valentine’s Day can be a chance for the children to tell the good news of how they care for others and how others care for them.
For the “What’s Your Favorite?” activity, you will need a large ball that bounces—a kickball or basketball will work.
For the Catechism handbook activity “Jesus Wants Us to Do the Right Thing” (page 22, bottom), encourage the children to draw things they really do, not things they may do someday.
You may need an aide or aides to assist with the “Jesus Cares Valentine” (pages 3–4) activity. Make sure that the children keep the “scraps” left after cutting to take home.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
Extending Activities
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Word of the Week
Seasonal Resources
Videos
Gospel Reflection and Saint of the Week with Miss Heidi
Bible Bag: Kid-Sized Lessons on the Sunday Gospel with Mrs. Cole
Good News
Lesson Theme: We show love by reaching out.
If the children bring valentines, make sure they include every child in the class. Valentine’s Day can be a chance for the children to tell the good news of how they care for others and how others care for them.
For the Gathering Prayer, bring a big paper heart. You will pass the heart around the prayer circle. The person holding the heart will offer a prayer to thank God for people who love them and help them grow.
For the saint story “Father Damien Reached Out to Lepers” (page 2) you may wish to point out the location of Molokai on a world map, globe, or a US map with Hawaii inset.
If you don’t expect to have time to complete the Catechism handbook activity “The Church Year” (page 25) in class, make photocopies of the page to send home with the children.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Video
Saint Damien of Molokai
Venture
Lesson Theme: Jesus shows us that God’s love is for everyone.
In the two-part activity, “Gospel Booklet: Jesus Begins His Ministry” on pages 7–8, the children will open and close the book from opposite sites to follow the story in order (i.e., turn to Day 1, read it, close; turn to Day 2 (Sabbath morning, on left), read and close; Day 2 (noon, on right), read and close; and so on. See a photo of the completed booklet here.
Give the children time to work on the cover activity independently but be ready to give clues to stave off frustration. Encourage them to look at the illustrations.
Make sure that the children understand that in the Gospel, Jesus is not just curing an illness; he is welcoming and including someone who was on the outside of friends and family due to his contagious condition. Jesus’ healing action also restores the leper to his community. It may be hard to imagine a situation in which we wouldn’t readily welcome and help someone who is hurting; however, encourage the children to consider other outsiders in our lives and whether we welcome them.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Videos
What Is the Eucharist?
What Is the Eucharist?
What Are the Parts of the Mass?
Visions
Lesson Theme: Jesus shows that God’s love is for everyone.
We recommend that you cut in advance your set of cards for the “What Does ‘Do Not Lie’ Really Mean?” activity on pages 6–7. You will only need one set of cards for the whole class. Encourage the young people to play this game at home with their family and friends.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Videos
What Is the Eucharist?
What Is the Eucharist?
What Are the Parts of the Mass?
The Eighth Commandment
Image credit: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, photo by George Martell – Pilot New Media (CC BY-ND 2.0 DEED, cropped)
