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We are officially beginning the second half of Lent! Strictly speaking, the Thursday of the third week of Lent marked the halfway point of our Lenten journey. This Sunday, the Catholic Church celebrates Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent).
On this special occasion (as we do on the Third Sunday of Advent’s Gaudete Sunday), the Church expresses joy and hope in the midst of our preparation for Easter. The name Laetare comes from the first words of this Sunday’s Entrance Antiphon from the Book of Isaiah: “Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her.” Laetare is the Latin word for “rejoice.”
The joy of Easter, which is just around the corner, is symbolized by the priest wearing rose-colored vestments and flowers adorning the altar. Just before we enter into the solemn days of remembrance of Jesus’ last days, we pause our penitential practices so we can have a glimpse of the joy that waits for us as we celebrate our Lord’s Resurrection at Easter.
Let us join the worldwide Church and take this opportunity to reflect on the glory that lies ahead on Easter Sunday.
NOTE: This Sunday also marks the start of Unit 4 of the Gospel Weeklies Faith Formation Program. Find Unit 3 assessments for Good News, Venture, and Visions 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:
Gospel Reading and Reflection for Kids
Holy Heroes: 4th Sunday of Lent
The Rizers: John 3:16 Music Video
Tim Tebow Shares Incredible Story of John 3:16
Jesus and Nicodemus
Videos for Lent
Lent Webinar for Kids! Songs to Journey with Jesus during Lent, Featuring Miss Heidi and John Burland
Lent: Catholic Central
Lent in 3 Minutes
Cardinal Timothy Dolan: What Is Lent?
What Is Lent?
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: God is always with me.
For this lesson you will need black paper with random holes cut in it, crayons, scissors, tape, paper clips, straws or craft sticks, large battery-operated candle, copies of Prayer to My Guardian Angel (one per child), and a Church Year calendar.
In this lesson, the children will explore their feelings of being afraid and will learn that God is always with us, even when we are scared. For the Gospel Warm-Up activity, punch holes in advance on sheets of black construction paper. You will need one for each child along with paper clips to secure the sheet to the cover of Seeds. We suggest that you prepare photocopies of the Prayer to My Guardian Angel to send home with the children. You can find the prayer on page 33 in the Catechism handbook.
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: We can be children of the light.
In this lesson, the children will learn that being a child of the light means doing good things and saying yes to God. They are old enough to be aware of times when they make unloving choices and say no to God. They will learn a Prayer of Sorrow to pray when they need to tell Jesus they are sorry. Help them relate the word sorrow with one they already know: sorry.
For the “Who needs forgiveness?” activity (pages 3–4), you will need scissors and a small box or basket.
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
Lesson Theme: Jesus calls us to live in the light.
Note that the “Memory Verse” (page 4) will be cut into as the children complete their Lenten Calendar activities in the week ahead. Note that we suggest you direct the children to underline these same words of Jesus in the Gospel on page 3. They may use this to memorize the verse. You might wish to ask if they have seen signs at sport events that read “John 3:16.” Explain that this is the Bible passage these signs refer to. The people holding the signs are sharing the Good News that’s summarized in this important Bible passage.
You will need writing paper and pencils for the children to use to write their own examinations of conscience based on the Ten Commandments (see the What the Church Believes and Teaches section in the Teaching Guide on page TG4-7). Encourage them to use their examination of conscience every night before going to sleep, pray an Act of Contrition, and try to do better the next day.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Videos
The 10 Commandments
What Do the 10 Commandments Command?
Ten Commandments with Hand Motions
Venture
Lesson Theme: Jesus is light to the world.
For the “God so loved the world . . .” activity on page 1, note that the colored lines in the text box match the colored words along the right side of the cover. After doing the activity in class, give each of the children a paper clip so they may keep the cutout words together and continue the activity at home. Give them a second clip (or small plastic bag) to hold together the game pieces on pages 5–8.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Videos
Word of the Week – Catechumenate
The Eighth Commandment
Visions
Lesson Theme: Jesus is light to the world.
For the cover activity, the young people will be presented with some situations in which they will evaluate their willingness to take social risks and assess situations in which they feel comfortable speaking out and trying something new and where they prefer to be more cautious. Make sure you let them know that these are personal choices and should not be labeled as “good” or “bad.” Respect those who wish to keep their responses private.
Plan ahead to allow ample time for the Examination of Conscience prayer service (page 5) and the conscience-building scenarios in the activity on pages 6–7.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Videos
Pope Francis: Resignation Is not Christian
Homeboy Industries “Stand With Us”
Examination of Conscience
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