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This Sunday, the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, is also World Food Day. In a society of fast food and dieters, we can lose touch with the reality of food insecurity that so many in our country and wider world face daily. In a society of bottled water and soft drinks, we can lose sight of the fact that many people do not have access to clean and safe drinking water. While problems in the supply chain may still affect some items on our grocery lists, we have many other options with which to fill our carts. And while preparing meals for our families may sometimes be a hassle, most of us rarely lack food with which to feed them.
If we as adults can be so out of touch with the reality of world hunger, how much more unaware may the children in our lives be. From picky eaters to those whose “eyes are bigger than their stomachs,” children can waste a lot of food. Help children find out how they can learn and take action so that no one is left behind. Find World Food Day Activity Books here. Look through the interactive stories that you might share with your class. Let’s all do our part to take a bite out of world hunger!
Loving God, help us to simplify our lives so that others may simply live. Amen.
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 online resources.
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:
Sunday Gospel Cartoon Reading and Lesson
Holy Heroes
Gospel Reading and Reflection for Kids
The Parable of the Persistent Widow in Lego
Follow Me Parable Persistent Widow
The Persistent Widow – Why you never stop praying!
Seeds
Lesson Theme: Jesus wants us to ask.
For this lesson, you will need crayons or colored pencils and a Church Year calendar. As we approach the start of a new Liturgical Year, you may find a 2023 Church Year calendar for your classroom here.
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus is teaching us the importance of being persistent in prayer, like the widow in the story. The most important lesson that the children must understand is that we can talk to God anytime and anywhere because God is always with us. During the whole year, you can be a model of trust in God through prayer by using any opportunity to give thanks to God for all his blessings, to pray for the children’s families and particular situations, and to remind the children to persevere in their prayers.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Lesson Planning Ideas for Grandparents
Extending Activities
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Word of the Week
Seasonal Resources
Videos
Gospel Reflection and Saint of the Week
Bible Bag Gospel Lesson with Mrs. Cole
Five Finger Prayer: Teach Kids to Pray
Promise
Lesson Theme: God wants us to ask.
For this lesson, gather crayons, pencils, scissors, drawing paper, a Church Year calendar, and a story coloring page (one per child). We suggest that you separate pages 1–2 from 3–4 in advance.
In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus teaches his followers to be persistent in prayer. Helping young children learn to pray is an important part of your time with them. A catechist’s willingness to pray with children gives powerful witness to the importance of God in our lives. Plan simple prayers into every class session. Pray for people the children know, things and people in the news, your own concerns, and those you’ve discussed in class. Vary the prayer forms you use—including movement, role-playing, singing, spontaneous prayer, and memorized prayer. Model prayer as a heart-to-heart talk with God so that the children can follow your lead and persist in their own prayers.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Lesson Planning Ideas for Grandparents
Extending Activities
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Online Assessment
Word of the Week
Seasonal Resources
Videos
Gospel Reflection and Saint of the Week
Bible Bag Gospel Lesson with Mrs. Cole
Good News
Lesson Theme: Jesus teaches us to pray always.
For this lesson, gather pencils, crayons, drawing paper, and a Church Year calendar.
Good News children can be very persistent in asking for things they want. This can be good practice for their prayer lives. In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus tells his followers to be persistent in prayer. But our prayers should be more than only requests (petitions, intercessions). Our prayers should also include thanksgiving, praise, and expressions of sorrow. This lesson teaches the children that they can pray anytime, anywhere, through good deeds and kind words, and with their bodies. Expose the children to a variety of ways to pray and encourage them to pray often. The important thing is not how they pray but that they pray!
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Lesson Planning Ideas for Grandparents
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Online Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Video
Five Finger Prayer: Teach Kids to Pray
Venture
Lesson Theme: Jesus encourages us to pray.
The theme of this Sunday’s Gospel is asking for what we need with persistent prayer. Some of the children will be very familiar with prayer—they will be able to identify its forms and likely have a regular prayer practice. Some will be unfamiliar. Encourage those who are very familiar to expand and vary their prayer practice. Everyone has room to grow in prayer.
Also share with the children that it can be difficult to keep praying without losing heart; this is a real-world application of the Catechism. The Bible tells us to “keep praying,” but it can be a challenge to remain hopeful when we feel that God does not respond as quickly as we would like or in the way. Assure them that God is always there, and regular prayer will make that more apparent.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Lesson Planning Ideas for Grandparents
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Online Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Videos
God’s Story–Moses
God’s Story–Prayer
Grey Nuns of Montreal to redevelop Youville Mother House, shed light on history
Visions
Lesson Theme: For what do I keep asking?
Ask the young people how they get what they want or need. How do we ask God for what we need? (Prayer!) The theme of this Sunday’s Gospel and lesson is persistence—persistence in prayer, in working for justice, in seeking what is right. Take time to have the young people assess their knowledge of prayer by taking the two prayer quizzes in their What the Church Believes and Teaches handbooks. Note: We do not “grade” people on prayer. This is just a benchmark and guide to see where they might spend more time talking with God.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Lesson Planning Ideas for Grandparents
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Online Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Video
Spread the Word: Inclusion
Image credit: © FAO 2022, WED22_Brochure_First revision_31082022_EN, page 1, https://www.fao.org/world-food-day/communication-toolkit/en, Downloaded 09.26.2022
