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How is your Lent going? Many people find Lent to be a good time to start or strengthen good habits. Fasting, prayer, and almsgiving are practices that should not be limited to Lent. They are Christian practices to carry into the rest of the Church Year—and into the rest of our lives. We pray that you use this Lent to grow in personal virtue and holiness.
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
Kids Tell John 2:13–22
Modern Retelling/The Clearing of the Temple (with Legos)
Clearing the Temple John 2:13–22
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: Jesus wants us to pray.
For this lesson, you will need colored pencils or crayons, scissors, glue or tape, a puppet, copies of the story coloring page (one per child), and a Church Year calendar.
For this lesson, we recommend having at least one aide to help the children with the cutting and pasting activity on pages 3–4. If you cannot find someone to help, or if you wish to save some time, you could cut off the strips on page 3 of the student lessons before class and use a paper clip to keep them together so you can distribute them to the students during class. Make sure you finish your prayer booklet beforehand so you can show it to the children.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
Extending Activities
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 teaches that prayer is important.
For this lesson, you will need crayons, pencils, scissors, 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 lesson’s cover activity engages the children in identifying what is out of place in the picture. Some things are silly while others are unloving. This activity connects with the Sunday Gospel in which Jesus reacts in anger to the buying and selling that is happening at the Temple.
The story “Owen Gets Mad” invites the children to identify anger as a feeling that it’s OK to feel but not a reason to hurt others. The story helps the children identify the need to say we’re sorry. It also prepares the children to hear about Jesus’ anger in the Gospel.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
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: Jesus calls us to be holy.
For this lesson, you will need writing paper, pencils, crayons, and a Church Year calendar.
The story “We’re the Tigers!” will help the children recognize that our actions—not a team jersey or color—will show to whom we belong. This concept comes up later in the lesson as the children are invited to connect a holy place with living a holy life. The Temple is identified as a place of prayer, and a holy life also includes prayer. The children will recognize that we show we’re on Jesus’ team by living holy lives and praying.
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 REALLY Command?
Ten Commandments with Hand Motions
Venture
Lesson Theme: Jesus is God’s temple.
The commandment covered this week is the Fifth Commandment: “You shall not kill.” Children (and adults) may think they get a pass on this one. We may think, “I’m not killing anyone. That’s easy to keep!” But this commandment challenges us to consider our view of human life and respect for every person. Invite the children to think about whether they’ve “killed someone” with their words, actions, or attitudes. This can also lead into a discussion of how we can best manage anger.
If the children in your class especially enjoy drama, bring simple props to enhance their reading of the play on pages 1–3. Plan to take the children to visit the Stations of the Cross in your parish if time permits. The children will review the Stations as part of an activity on page 4.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Videos
Mortal Sin vs. Venial Sin
Saints Perpetua and Felicity
The Ten Commandments
The Fourth Commandment
The Fifth Commandment
The Sixth Commandment
The Seventh Commandment
The Eighth Commandment
The Ninth Commandment
The Tenth Commandment
Visions
Lesson Theme: Jesus is the real temple.
In this lesson, the students will continue their Lenten study of the Old Testament. This week, it’s the Ten Commandments and the relationship between God and the Israelites. After reading the Gospel about Jesus clearing the Temple, the young people will do an activity (pages 6–7) that will help them reflect on how they deal with anger. Make sure to give them enough time to create and act out an ending for their stories.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Videos
The Ten Commandments
The Fourth Commandment
The Fifth Commandment
The Sixth Commandment
The Seventh Commandment
The Eighth Commandment
The Ninth Commandment
The Tenth Commandment
How to Overcome Resentment, Anger, Bitterness
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