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This Sunday we observe World Day of the Poor. A special collection to support the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) will be taken up at Sunday Masses. This coming Thursday is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. It is a good time to consider how richly blessed most of us are in comparison to those people throughout the world who live in dire poverty. As we prepare to thank God for our many blessings, the Church invites us to pray for those who are poor and support CCHD’s efforts to “break the cycle of poverty by helping low-income people participate in decisions that affect their lives, families, and communities.”
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 Cartoon Reading and Lesson
Holy Heroes
The Parable of the Talents
Parable of the Talents
Parable of the Talents in Lego
Using Our Talents Well (for preschool and primary children)
Seeds
Lesson Theme: God gives and sustains life.
For this lesson you will need a puppet, paper slips naming the children’s talents, scissors, envelopes, crayons, and a Church Year calendar.
This Sunday Gospel is about the Parable of the Talents. For the Cover Activity, we recommend that you prepare in advance slips of paper that list talents the children in your group may have. Make sure you have at least one slip of paper for each child. We also suggest that you use a puppet for this activity. Using a puppet may encourage the children’s participation. For some preschoolers, it is less intimidating to talk to a puppet than talking to a catechist or teacher.
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: God gives us talents.
For this lesson, you will need scissors, envelopes, pencils, crayons, small boxes, and a Church Year calendar. We suggest that you separate pages 1–2 from page 3–4 in the student lessons in advance.
With Sunday’s Gospel focus on talents, the Promise children will be discussing their own talents and how they can use them for good. This is a lesson during which you can help the children build their own positive sense of self and growing understanding of their responsibility to make a difference for good. Some children have more obvious talents than others. Be prepared with ideas of the children’s talents that might be less apparent but no less important. This will be especially valuable for drawing out the talents of some of the less confident children.
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: We use our talents to serve God.
For this lesson, you will need scissors, pencils, envelopes, a Church Year calendar, and a Bible.
The story in this lesson introduces the topic of cheating on schoolwork. The child in the story (Marci) didn’t want to study for the spelling test and looked at another’s paper. The children will at least recognize the temptation to cheat—whether it is on schoolwork, playing a game, or in sports. This is a good time to impress upon them that even if spelling isn’t one of Marci’s talents, she should still have studied and done her best. After the children proclaim the Gospel, you might refer back to Marci’s choice and invite the children to find connections between Marci and the servant (Joshua) who buried his talent.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Video
Develop Your Gifts and Talents to Glorify God
Venture
Lesson Theme: God is generous.
In this lesson, Venture children are introduced to the Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching. You will invite them to consider how they might use their own talents to support each of the seven themes. Be prepared with some examples of people acting on Catholic social teaching principles in your parish, school, and local community. You may wish to bring recent parish bulletins, newsletters, and diocesan newspapers to help the young people identify individuals and groups. Before class, mark this Sunday’s Second Reading, 1 Thessalonians 5:1–6, which you will read aloud as part of the Our Catholic Faith activity on page 5.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Videos
Develop Your Gifts and Talents to Glorify God
St. Roque Gonzalez
Visions
Lesson Theme: Our talents reflect God’s image.
Young people are sometimes fearful about standing out. They may need to be gently reminded that their gifts are intended to be used to serve others. In the World Church feature on page 8, the young people will learn about the World Day of the Poor. Click here to find Pope Francis’ message regarding this important day. Ask the students: How does Pope Francis want us to treat people who are poor?
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Videos
Laborem Exercens
Laborem Exercens 2
Sacrament of Matrimony
Sacrament of Holy Orders
World Day of the Poor
Image credit: Copyright © 2022, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Photo: © Getty Images.
