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We are beginning the second week of this year’s Lenten journey. The hope-filled readings for the Second Sunday of Lent remind us of God’s immense love for us. The First Reading tells the story of God’s promise to Abram to give him numerous offspring. As we know, Abram and his wife Sarai were old and could not have children. Out of this hopeless situation, God brought an entire people, his People. Listening to this marvelous deed and wondering what God can bring out of my own despair, my heart wants to sing out loud this Sunday’s Responsorial Psalm: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear.” Then, Saint Paul reminds the Philippians, and us, that we don’t belong to this world, which gives us so much anguish. As followers of Christ, we are citizens of Heaven and, one day, we will participate in Jesus’ glory. We are talking about the same glory that Simon Peter, John, and James witnessed for a moment during Jesus Transfiguration! How could we be afraid?
Let’s “wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted and wait for the Lord.” He knows our pain and has great things in store for us.
Every week in the GROW newsletter, you will find helpful tips for teaching your Gospel Weeklies lesson, a reflection on the Sunday Gospel, and links to many online resources.
Videos of the Sunday Gospel (Luke 9:28b–36)
Use these videos as you discuss the Sunday Gospel. Please preview all videos you plan to share with your class:
• Holy Heroes
• The Story of the Transfiguration with Lego
• St. Patrick
• St. Joseph
• Gospel Reading and Reflection for Kids
Ash Wednesday and Lent
• Ash Wednesday and Lent in 60 Seconds. With Lego!
• Lent: Catholic Central
• Lent in 3 Minutes
• Cardinal Timothy Dolan: What Is Lent?
• What Is Lent?
• Holy Heroes: Ash Wednesday
• 10 Fun Things You Might Not Know About Lent
• Faith, Fun, and Celebration: Lent Episode (featuring John Burland)
• Songs to Journey with Jesus during Lent, Featuring Miss Heidi and John Burland
• The Stations of the Cross with Bishop Barron (you may wish to show this in segments to your group, or select one or two stations at a time)
• The Catholic VR Experience: The Stations of the Cross (Virtual Reality)
Jubilee 2025: Pilgrims of Hope Resources
• Jubilee 2025 activities, handouts, resources, and more
Seeds
Lesson Theme: Jesus is God’s Son.
For this lesson, you will need scissors, crayons, a Church Year calendar, and copies of the story coloring page (one per child). We suggest that you separate pages 1–2 from 3–4 in advance.
This Seeds lesson focuses on prayer as a way to strengthen the children’s awareness that God is close to them. Emphasize that we can pray anywhere and anytime and that there are many ways to pray. We can pray memorized prayers, like the Lord’s Prayer or make up our own prayers. The important thing is that the children recognize that they can talk to God always.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Extending Activities
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Word of the Week
Seasonal Resources
Videos
• Gospel Reflections and Saint of the Week with Miss Heidi
• Kid-Sized Lessons on the Sunday Gospel with Mrs. Cole (Bible Bag)
Promise
Lesson Theme: God wants us to listen to Jesus.
Materials you’ll need for this lesson are scissors, a hole punch, yarn, pencils, crayons, construction paper, a Church Year calendar, and copies of the story coloring page (one per child). You may also wish to engage an aide or aides to assist with the My Prayer Pocket activity. We also suggest that you separate pages 1–2 from 3–4 in advance.
Listening is an important part of this lesson as it goes with the lesson theme of listening to Jesus. You may wish to note this at the beginning of your class session to encourage good listening. Reinforce this behavior by noting who is being a good listener as the lesson progresses.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Word of the Week
Seasonal Resources
Videos
• Gospel Reflections and Saint of the Week with Miss Heidi
• Kid-Sized Lessons on the Sunday Gospel with Mrs. Cole (Bible Bag)
Good News
Lesson Theme: We listen to Jesus.
For this lesson, you will need a world map or globe, large art paper (eight pieces), small pieces of paper (four per child), crayons, pencils, magazines, glue, scissors, a Church Year calendar, and a Bible.
God’s message for us in the Gospel is that we should listen to Jesus. This lesson emphasizes ways the children can listen to Jesus with special emphasis on prayer. The concept that prayer involves listening as well as talking may be new to the children. As you lead the children in prayer and talk about prayer throughout the lesson, encourage the children to consider ways Jesus speaks to them and how they can open their ears and hearts to what Jesus has to say.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Venture
Lesson Theme: God calls us to listen and follow.
For this lesson, gather Bibles (one per child), a world map (optional), Liturgical Year calendar, and a copy of the 3/9 lesson cover for the Week 2 prayer. We suggest that you cut out one game (pages 7–8) in advance.
In this lesson, the students begin a three-week map study to follow the journeys of people from the Old Testament. This week, it’s Abraham. The map study is paired with a Scripture study of major events from the lives of Abraham and his wife, Sarah.
This Sunday’s Gospel is the Transfiguration. Spend time connecting the idea of change with the children. Ask: How do we change during Lent?
Make sure the children have Bibles for the page 5 and page 8 activities. A world map is optional but can be used to show modern locations of locations noted in the Bible.
Note: The year on the Spanish side of the bilingual lesson is incorrectly shown as 2023. It is the correct lesson for March 16, 2025.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Videos
• God’s Story: Abraham and Sarah
• The Meaning of the Lord’s Prayer
Visions
Lesson Theme: Jesus shows he is Son and prophet.
For this lesson, you will need markers, pens or pencils, scissors, and Bibles (one per child). We suggest that you assemble one My Lenten Prayer Journal (page 7) in advance.
This Sunday’s Gospel is the Transfiguration. This is a story of change, in which we see Jesus as a Divine Person—the Son of God. Ask the young people why they think it is an appropriate Gospel for Lent. We can make positive changes that draw us toward God at any time of year, however, the Scriptures we read during Lent especially encourage us.
Give the young people time to review their lives, make commitments to change, and identify the steps to keep them. Before class, prepare a sample of the Lenten prayer journal on page 7. In class, make sure to review the Attitudes responses on page 8 together before directing the young people to fold their prayer journals. Direct the young people to cut out and post their Lenten commitments on page 5 once you have prayed the Psalm Prayer Service on page 6.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Video
• A ‘New Day’ for students in eastern Congo
• The Meaning of the Lord’s Prayer
• Bite Size Catholic: Covenants in Scripture
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