Intergenerational Catechesis: Lent

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Emil Owens
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1 Intergenerational Catechesis: Lent Opening Prayer You Will Need: Copies of the prayer for each person A prayer table with a Bible, candle, table cloth, crucifix &/or symbol/picture from either reading A reader to be the Psalmist A leader of song Welcome Leader says this or similar words: Good. It is so good to see so many of the families of our parish gathered together today. Today is the second time we are gathering the families of our parish together as we get ready for Pope Francis to visit the United States this fall. He is coming to Philadelphia in September for an event called the World Meeting of Families. Pope Francis wants us all to know how God is present in our families and how our families are necessary for the Church to flourish. Today, we are going to focus our attention on how God provides support and guidance to each one of us. We also want to talk about how God is asking us to bring that support to each other. Sometimes life is hard. There are problems in our families. The car breaks down. Sometimes we are mad at our parents or brothers and sisters. But God wants to help us through those problems. He asks us to be his helpers when there are problems in our families or someone is sad. God wants to be our anchor. So, let s begin with prayer. Opening Song: Psalm 33: Psalmist: Our soul waits for the LORD; Psalmist: the Lord is our help and shield. Psalmist: Our heart is glad in the Lord, Psalmist: because we trust in his holy name. Psalmist: Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, Psalmist: even as we hope in you. Closing Parents: Lord God, we come to you trusting that you are a loving Father, a parent who cares for and loves each of us as your children. Help us to be open to you as we spend this time together. Help us as 1

2 we look at our families, the families in which we live and our Church family, as a sign of how you want to care for us and as places where you teach us how to follow You. May we come to know and see You as an anchor in our lives that keeps us from drifting away from the love and the direction You have for each of us in our lives and in the lives of our families. We ask this in the name of Jesus, Your Son and our Brother. All: Amen. Lesson Plan You Will Need: Tables and chairs for each family group Two readers, one for Hebrews and one for the Gospel Copies of the readings and questions for family discussion Posters with anchor and surface of water sketched in (template of anchor below) Crayons, markers or colored pencils for each family Part 1: Setting the Stage: So that everyone knows what is being talked about, ask the group: What is an anchor? What is it used for? How can a person be an anchor for another? (Get a few examples.) Explain: God wants us to know that God is an anchor for us. Long ago, God promised Abraham and Sarah to be an anchor for them and God makes the same promise to us today. Listen to this reading from the Bible. Reader 1: A Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (adapted from Hebrews 6:13-20) When God made the promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, and said, I will indeed bless you and multiply you. And so, after patient waiting, he (Abraham) obtained the promise. Human beings swear by someone greater than themselves; for them an oath serves as a guarantee and puts an end to all argument. So when God wanted to give the heirs of his promise an even clearer demonstration that his purpose never changes, he intervened with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, the promise and the oath that God made, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge in God might be strongly encouraged to hold fast to the hope that lies before us. This hope in God we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil, beyond what our human eyes can see, to where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner. The Word of the Lord All: Thanks be to God. For Discussion in Each Family Group 2

3 Describe times in your family life that have been hard, sad or upsetting. How do you think God used/uses these times of need to make your relationships with your family stronger? Who in your family has been an anchor for you when you needed hope? How? Think about how strongly the reading from Hebrews emphasizes that God promises to be our anchor: So when God wanted to give the heirs of his promise an even clearer demonstration that his purpose never changes, he intervened with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, the promise and the oath that God made, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge in God might be strongly encouraged to hold fast to the hope that lies before us. How might this reassurance help you with some difficult part of your life now? Large Group Discussion: Invite a representative from each family to share something they learned in their family s discussion. Part 2 Setting the Stage: Explain: God is not just an anchor for times we are in trouble. God also anchors us by giving us our identity: who we are, our values, our sense of self-worth, our roots and our purpose. If we let ourselves get close to God, God will reveal himself to us and we will understand ourselves better. Listen to the gospel about how Jesus discovers who he truly is when he gets close to God on the mountaintop: Reader 2: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 9:2-10) After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, This is my beloved Son. Listen to him. Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant. The Gospel of the Lord All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. Review the Story: Ask the following to be sure everyone understands the story: 3

4 Who are the three friends Jesus took to the mountain with him? What happened when they got up on the mountain? How did Jesus show His greatness? Who was Jesus speaking to? Why were Elijah and Moses there? (Moses represents the Law and Elijah represents the promise of God s prophets; these people represent Jesus Jewish faith.) Why were Jesus friends scared? Whose voice did they hear? For Discussion in Each Family Group: The Gospel story tells us that Elijah (the Prophet) and Moses (the Law-Giver) appeared to Jesus and they were having a conversation with Him. o How much do you think that the faith in God that was passed on to Jesus by his family effected what he shared about God with others? o Are there certain values that are important to your family because you are Catholic/you believe in God? o How is your Catholic faith and the values it teaches an anchor in your life? Jesus faith in God the Father was an anchor for Him. o How do you think the words spoken by the voice from the cloud made Jesus feel? o God says about each one of us, This is my beloved child. Listen to him/her. Knowing that God loves us so much can help us be an anchor of support for each other. How could you be a better anchor for each person in your family? (Be specific if you can!) Activity: Provide each family with a poster of an anchor under the water and plenty of room above the water to draw in. Invite each family: To label the anchor God To put on the water (in boats if they want!) times/ways God has provided them with hope or support (in pictures &/or in words) To put on the water any ways they need God to give them hope or support now (in pictures &/or in words) To draw ropes from those boats to the anchor To color in their poster Closing Prayer You Will Need: Prayer table used in the opening prayer Copies of the closing prayer for all Place to display everyone s posters around the prayer space Call to Prayer: Let us gather once more in prayer to celebrate the steadfast love of our God! Let us join in wonder and awe at all the ways God anchors us in the storms of life. Let us marvel at how God gives us our identity and purpose, to be God s children and to love God and one another. Intercessory Prayer: Invite each family to show each other their posters and share one way they need God to provide hope or support to them now. After each story, the group will pray: Lord God, fulfill your promise and be our anchor of hope! 4

5 Parents: God, Father of all people, we thank you that the promises you make to us never change. We thank you that your care for us always remains the same. Help each of us to see you and your son, Jesus, as the great hope to which we can anchor ourselves. Allow us to place our hope in you and the promises you make, to give us life that never ends, when we place our trust in your saving power. All: Amen. Closing Song: 5

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SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT. Lower Elementary. Learning Goals

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT. Lower Elementary. Learning Goals Journey through Lent SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT Lower Elementary Materials ӹӹ ӹӹ ӹӹ Handout A: Gospel Reading for February 25, 2018 Handout B: Jesus Is God and Man Handout C: God and Man Learning Goals In the