WEEK ONE LESSON GRADES K-1

Transcription

1 WEEK ONE LESSON GRADES K-1 visit our site: 1

2 OVERVIEW The Gospel of Mark (13:33-37) reminds us that no one knows when Jesus will return. We can prepare for His coming by praying, by being kind to others and by caring for those in need. Materials and Preparations Needed Advent wreath and candles Crayons, enough for each student to have a few Blank sheets of paper, one for each student Mission story, Floods of Hope found at the end of this lesson. (Read the story in advance; retell it in an age appropriate manner.) Group Holy Bucket Newsprint and marker A globe or world map Internet access and a computer (optional) Session Steps 1. Ask students: How do you know that Christmas is coming? Invite a few responses. Next, ask young people to imagine this time of year without all the preparations for Christmas. Prompt them to think about whether or not they would know that Christmas was coming if they didn t experience all the usual preparations. Finally, invite additional responses to the question: How does your family get ready for Christmas? 2. Point out the Advent wreath. Provide a brief introduction noting its symbolism and significance to the Advent Season. Then invite the students to gather around the wreath as you light the first purple candle and pray: As we light this first candle for the first Sunday of Advent, let us give thanks for the Child Whom we await and prepare for this Advent Season. Let us also give thanks for all those who serve as missionaries, and who teach us the importance of staying alert to the needs of others around us. Lord Jesus, help us to reflect Your love for all by loving and helping to take care of all we meet. Blessed are You, Lord Jesus, forever and ever. Amen. visit our site: 2

3 3. Provide each student with a few crayons and a blank sheet of paper. Ask them to make a drawing of what their homes will look like as they prepare for Christmas. After a few minutes, have them share their drawings with one or two other students. 4. Introduce the Season of Advent to the group as the four weeks the Church sets aside to await and prepare for the important celebration of Jesus birth. Advent helps us look forward to the coming of Jesus with joy and hope. During the Advent season we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Holy Infant and we look forward to the time when Jesus Christ will come again in glory. Throughout Advent we think about how Jesus came to be with us a long time ago and how He will come to be with us again. Explain that this is the first week of Advent. 5. Prepare to play a quick game. Ask everyone to close their eyes and put their heads down on their arms on top of their desks, as if they are sleeping. Ask for two volunteers. Tell the volunteers that their job is to walk around the room and lightly tap the head of one person each. After tapping a student s head, the volunteer should go to the front of the room, making sure not to reveal whose head he/she touched. Invite the two students who felt their heads being tapped to stand up and guess who tapped them. A correct guess enables that student to exchange places with that volunteer for the next round. An incorrect guess keeps the volunteer in the game for the next round. Repeat this a few more times. Then, for the last round, let the students keep their eyes open and watch to see who taps their head. 6. Tell students that the Gospel reading for the first week of Advent comes from St. Mark. In this reading Jesus tells us that He is coming back, but nobody knows when it will happen. Jesus said to His disciples: Be watchful! Be alert! (Mark 13:33). Of course, sleeping is important to stay healthy. When Jesus tells us to keep watch and be ready, He does not mean we should not sleep. But He does want us to be prepared for His return by making Him the center of our lives. When you are riding your bike you must pay attention and stay alert or you may have an accident. During Advent, we pay special attention to opportunities to follow the will of God. It does not matter if we are in school, at home, playing with our friends, we must choose what is pleasing to God. When we do that, we are ready. 7. Next, do some imagining. Have students close their eyes and picture clouds floating in the sky. On one of those clouds is Jesus, the Son of God, coming down to earth with power and glory. The Gospel reminds us that we need to be alert to all that is happening in and around us, and to make Jesus the center of our lives. We are told, to be watchful, and be alert. 8. Ask students to name some things for which they are responsible (putting away toys, being polite to others, etc.). Help them to think beyond the basics and name other actions loving others, praying for others, having a kind heart, as examples. Record their responses on the newsprint. Encourage them to think less about themselves and more about others. 9. Ask the students if they have ever heard of the country of Pakistan. Locate the country on a globe or map, making sure to note the distance between the United States and Pakistan. Note that the story you will be sharing comes from the country of Pakistan. Using your own words, tell the Floods of Hope found at the end of this lesson. Then ask why it is important to pray and care for others who visit our site: 3

4 face poverty and disasters. Invite a few responses. 10. Ask the students to identify ways they can offer their love and concern to people like the ones they heard about in the story. (If prayer is not mentioned bring it up!) Again, allow for a few answers. 11. Introduce Holy Buckets: Throughout the four weeks of Advent, we will prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ at Christmas and also take the opportunity to be watchful for and be alert to the needs of others. We will do this by offering our time, talent and treasure to those in need of our prayers and our money. In this way, we are missionaries through our prayers and our sacrifices! Our class has received a special bucket. We call it a holy bucket. Each week, we will talk about ideas for staying alert and being responsive to the needs of the world through our prayers and actions. Each week, students and their families will be invited to donate to our holy bucket gifts of money, prayers and acts of goodness. At the end of the four weeks of Advent, all of our offerings will be gathered with those of other students from around the country and sent to the Missionary Childhood Association for children in the Missions. Be sure to check your group s progress online at MCAHolyBuckets. 12. Gather the students around the computer screen. Log on to Then click onto the page entitled, What happens to my dollar? Click through the interactive program that provides a fun way for students to learn how the money they collect can make a difference in the lives of others. 13. Ask students for ways they can collect money to place in the bucket. For example, they could give a portion of their weekly allowance or donate money saved by giving up treats, such as candy. Invite students to share their ideas with the class. visit our site: 4

5 Mission Story FLOODS OF HOPE: Catholics reach out in Pakistan The world watched with profound sadness. First, raging waters; then terrorist attacks. A few years ago, Pakistan suffered the worst flooding in decades, brought on by unprecedented rainfall. Some 1,500 were killed; millions left homeless. The expanse of water seen covering the fields is unfathomable, Father Mario Rodrigues, Pakistan s national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, told the news agency FIDES. Refugees are desperately calling for help; mothers mourn their lost children. Given the lack of roads, reaching the victims is very difficult. And while government and other officials responded to the massive natural disaster, extremist groups staged numerous attacks in various parts of the country. There is great suffering, observed Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore. But we continue to work to care for displaced persons, to offer a word of hope, and to pray. Relief worker Samuel Clement knows about that firsthand. Indeed, he and Bishop Andrew Francis of Multan have been working to serve those affected by the flooding in their homeland. The local church, through the Pontifical Mission Societies partnership with the relief agency Caritas,, provided food, blankets, cooking materials and tents to more than 30,000 families. They also distributed medical and health information to more than 60,000 people, and nutrition packs to some 48,000 children. But material aid is not all that these local Catholics offered their brothers and sisters at home. Through our actions, explains Clement, we have taken Jesus Christ to all. Our response to the flood emergency was a true sign of representing Christ s Gospel and His love to the suffering. We have witnessed to the Lord with boldness and compassion, he adds. We even were caught up at one point in the flood waters, but our hope and trust in Jesus helped us overcome this incident. Father Rodrigues observes that this faith-filled outreach of Catholics in Pakistan is not new, nor is it limited to times of disaster or extreme suffering. Christian hope is never lacking here, says Father Rodrigues. I see always so many hands involved in the solidarity effort, without placing limits and without borders. And now the world will continue to watch and see the hope that the Lord Himself gives. It rises up among the suffering, carried through every prayer and every outstretched helping hand. Advent Acts of Prayer Goodness Chain This week s activity gives students an opportunity to create a paper chain that includes daily actions and prayers. visit our site: 5

6 Instructions: Cut out each strip to create an Advent paper chain, linking the chains by date beginning with December 1. Each day, tear off the assigned link and complete the action noted on it. November 30: Read today s Gospel, Mark 13: Then light the first candle on your Advent wreath and pray together as a family. December 1: Create a family Advent wreath. You will need some greenery for the wreath, three purple candles and one pink candle. Place the wreath in a prominent location. December 2: Set a goal for money you would like to donate/collect this Advent Season for the Holy Buckets program. December 3: Conduct an Advent cleaning in your home. Identify items like clothes, household goods and toys you no longer use. Collect those items and donate them to a local group maybe your parish s thrift shop that distributes them to people in need. Or, consider holding a yard sale, and donating the money to your Holy Bucket. December 4: Make a list of all of the things you like most about each of your family members. Share the list with them today. Thank God for the gift of family. December 5: Spend time as a family deciding one way that you can save some money each week, perhaps by giving something up. Contribute those funds to your Holy Bucket. December 6: Today is the Feast Day of St. Nicholas. Learn more about this saint at the library, or through an Internet search with your parents help. visit our site: 6

7 December 7: Read today s Gospel, Mark 1:1-8. Then light the first and second candle on your Advent wreath and pray together as a family. December 8: Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pray the World Mission Rosary, if possible with your family. Learn more at December 9: Create your own good deed for today. In the space below, write down what you will do. December 10: Do an extra household chore today without being asked. December 11: Make or buy a Christmas card for a favorite teacher. Bring the card to school tomorrow and put it on his or her desk. Then pray for him or her. Pray also for all catechists who teach about Jesus in the Missions. December 12: Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas. Do a library or Internet search with your parents help to find out why the day is so important. Learn about St. Juan Diego too! December 13: Ask your extended family members (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents) to consider donating to the Holy Buckets program. Remember even the smallest donation can make a difference! December 14: Read today s Gospel, John 1:6-8, Then light the first two candles and the pink candle on your Advent wreath, then pray together as a family. December 15: At each meal today, say a prayer for all those who are hungry and in need of food and shelter. Pray also for missionaries who love and care for the poor. visit our site: 7

8 December 16: Be an angel for the Missions! Ask your pastor to hang some MCA angels on your parish Christmas tree, encouraging people to donate to the Missions! December 17: Create your own good deed for today. In the space below, write down what you will do. December 18: Forgive someone who has hurt you. Pray for peace in places in the Missions where there is war or fighting. December 19: Today, smile at everyone you meet. Imagine your joy reaches your mission family across the globe. December 20: Ask friends of your family to consider donating to the Holy Buckets program. Be sure to explain why you are collecting the funds and how they will be used. December 21: Read today s Gospel, Luke 1: Then light all four candles on your Advent wreath and pray together as a family. December 22: Who are the people in your neighborhood, school, or community who are lonely, excluded, or a bit different? Take time today to offer a kind word to a few of them. If you are not able to reach out to someone, pray for him/her instead. Pray for missionaries who reach out this day to those who are alone or abandoned. December 23: Pope Francis reminds us to care and pray for the less fortunate---to be a missionary disciple. Pray for the Holy Father and his mission. visit our site: 8

9 December 24 Read Matthew 1:18-25 with your family and then set up your Christmas crèche. December 25 Celebrate the birth of the Christ Child by joyfully thanking God for the great gift He has given to you the gift of Your faith and the gift He has given to all the world the gift of His Son. Pray for all in the Missions who may not know about Jesus birth and for the missionaries who bring them this Good News! visit our site: 9

10 Lesson Extensions Collection Jar Provide the students with an empty jar or some kind of container for them to decorate and then take home. Invite them to use the container for the safekeeping of all of the donations they make or collect for the group s Holy Bucket. Stocking for Jesus Provide each student with a small Christmas stocking. Ask them to hang it with all the other family stockings in their homes. Suggest that whenever someone in their family does a good deed that they write it down on a small sheet of paper and place it in the stocking. They should continue to do this throughout the Advent Season. When Christmas comes around, the family can read aloud the notes placed inside, or they might save the stocking and its contents until next year and read the good deeds at the beginning of next Advent as a reminder of their good deeds from this year. Teachers can write these for younger children, or have them draw a picture. Visiting Guest At the start of the session, place an empty chair in the front of the room and tell the students that a special guest will join the group. Do not provide them with any additional information. A few minutes before the class ends explain that the special guest was Jesus Who was there all along. Watching Star Provide each student with a large star-shaped cut out. Ask each to write watching and waiting in the middle of the star. On each point of the star, write a way to watch and wait. Think about how to prepare heart and mind for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. Looking out for others with good deeds is an excellent way to get ready for Jesus. Another is a contribution to the group s Holy Bucket. Craft items, including ribbons, glitter, etc., may be used to decorate the stars. Again, teachers can write these for younger children, or have them draw a picture. visit our site: 10

11 FAMILY RESOURCE Praying with the Advent Wreath Advent is a four-week period of prayer and preparation, and of looking forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus among us. We are filled with joy and love in the Lord, and compelled to share these with others. As we open our hearts in prayer during Advent, we pray that the Good News of Jesus is heard throughout the world so that hearts will turn to love and peace. While Lent is fundamentally considered a time for repentance, Advent also offers the opportunity for renewal. God invites us to let Jesus come into our hearts so that we can be more like Him. It is a season of quiet expectation. We live in the expectation of the fullness of joy to come. We strive to know and obey God s will for us. We set out to love God each day and to live out our baptismal call by loving and serving others. This is the way Jesus wants us to make a straight way for Him in our hearts as we await His coming. The symbolism of the Advent wreath is beautiful. The wreath is made of various evergreens, signifying continuous life. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul and the everlasting life found in Christ. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. The light signifies Christ, the Light of the world. Three candles are purple (or blue) and one is pink. The purple/blue candles symbolize the prayer, penance and preparatory sacrifices and goods works undertaken during Advent. The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday. It symbolizes rejoicing at the midpoint of Advent when our preparation is half over and we are close to Christmas. The progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord s first coming into the world and the anticipation of His second coming to judge the living and the dead. visit our site: 11

12 First Week of Advent On the first Sunday of Advent, gather the family and bless and light the Advent wreath. Begin by making the sign of the cross. Leader: Our help is in the name of the Lord. All: Who made heaven and earth. Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5 This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come, the mountain of the LORD s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say: Come, let us climb the LORD s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths. For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord! Blessing of the Wreath Invite everyone to extend a hand in blessing. Loving God, the time of Advent has arrived. Prepare our hearts for the promise of the Christ Child. As we bless this wreath, we ask You to bless us that we may seek to do Your will during the Advent Season. Candle-lighting Light the first purple/blue candle. As we light these candles let us give thanks for the Child Whom we celebrate this Advent Season the Child Who came to earth as an infant, died and rose as our Savior, and for Whose coming again we wait with anticipation and love. Good and gracious God, instruct us in your ways. Help us to walk in the light of Your ways as we reach out to those in need. Help us to build a world where there is no cause for war again. Guide us Lord, as we walk in Your light. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. visit our site: 12

13 WEEK ONE LESSON GRADES 2-3 visit our site: 1

14 OVERVIEW The Gospel of Mark (13:33-37) reminds us that no one knows when Jesus will return. We can prepare for His coming by praying, by being kind to others and by caring for those in need. Materials and Preparations Needed Advent wreath and candles Two large T-shirts Two large pairs of socks Two large pairs of shoes or boots Mission story, Floods of Hope found at the end of this lesson. (Read the story in advance; retell it in an age appropriate manner.) Group Holy Bucket Newsprint and marker A globe or world map Internet access and a computer (optional) Session Steps 1. Ask students: How do you know that Christmas is coming? Invite a few responses. Next, ask young people to imagine this time of year without all the preparations for Christmas. Prompt them to think about whether or not they would know that Christmas was coming if they didn t experience all the usual preparations. Finally, invite additional responses to the question: How does your family get ready for Christmas? 2. Point out the Advent wreath. Provide a brief introduction noting its symbolism and significance to the Advent Season. Then invite the students to gather around the wreath as you light the first candle and pray: As we light this first candle for the first Sunday of Advent, let us give thanks for the Child Whom we await and prepare for this Advent Season. Let us also give thanks for missionaries and all those who teach us the importance of staying alert to the needs of others around us. Lord Jesus, help us to reflect Your love for all by loving and helping to take care of all we meet. Blessed are You, Lord Jesus, forever and ever. Amen. visit our site: 2

15 3. Introduce the Season of Advent to the group as the four weeks the Church sets aside to await and prepare for the important celebration of Jesus birth. Advent helps us look forward to the coming of Jesus with joy and hope. During these weeks we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Holy Infant. During Advent, we think about how Jesus came to be with us a long time ago and how He will come to be with us again. Explain that this is the first week of Advent. 4. Prepare to play a quick game. Divide students into two teams. Choose one student from each team to leave the room. Ask these two volunteers to count slowly to 60 before returning. Quickly provide each team with a T-shirt, and a pair of socks and shoes. Tell each team to select and then dress one member in the group in the T-shirt (over existing clothes), socks and shoes. All team members should participate in the exercise of dressing the chosen classmate. Award each team one point if its group member is dressed upon the return of their teammate. Then, choose two different volunteers from each team, and repeat the process until one team has five points. 5. Tell students that the Gospel reading for the first week of Advent comes from St. Mark. In this reading Jesus tells us that He is coming back, but nobody knows when it will happen. Jesus said to his disciples: Be watchful! Be alert! (Mark 13:33) Of course, sleeping is important to stay healthy. When Jesus tells us to keep watch and be ready, He does not mean we should not sleep. But He does want us to be prepared for His return by making Him the center of our lives. When you are riding your bike you must pay attention and stay alert or you may have an accident. During Advent, we pay special attention to opportunities to follow the will of God. It does not matter if we are in school, at home, playing with our friends, we must choose what is pleasing to God. When we do that, we are ready. 6. Next, do some imagining. Have students close their eyes and picture clouds floating in the sky. On one of those clouds is Jesus, the Son of God, coming down to earth with power and glory. The Gospel reminds us that we need to stay awake to all that is happening in and around us, and to make Jesus the center of our lives. He tells us to keep watch and be ready. Of course, He also wants us to go to sleep each night so we are well rested for school! 7. Ask students to name some of the things for which they are responsible (putting away toys, being polite to others, etc.). Help them to think beyond the basics and name other actions loving others, praying for others, having a kind heart, as examples. Record their responses on newsprint. Encourage them to think less about themselves and more about others. 8. Ask the students if they have ever heard of the country of Pakistan. Locate the country on a globe or map, making sure to note the distance between the United States and Pakistan. Then note that the story you will share comes from the country of Pakistan. Using your own words, tell the story entitled visit our site: 3

16 Floods of Hope found at the end of this lesson. Then ask why it is important to pray and care for others who face poverty and disasters. Invite a few responses. 9. Ask the students to identify ways they can offer their love and concern to people like the ones they heard about in the story. (If prayer is not mentioned bring it up). Again, allow for a few answers. 10. Introduce Holy Buckets: Throughout the four weeks of Advent, we will prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ at Christmas and take the opportunity to be alert to the needs of others. We will do this by offering our time, talent and treasure to those in need of our prayers and our money. In this way, we are missionaries through our prayers and our sacrifices! Our class has received a special bucket. We call it a holy bucket. Each week, we will talk about ideas for staying alert and being responsive to the needs of the world through our prayers and actions. Each week, students and their families will be invited to donate gifts of money, prayers and acts of goodness to our holy bucket. At the end of the four weeks of Advent, all of our offerings will be gathered with those of other students from around the country and sent to the Missionary Childhood Association for children in the Missions. Be sure to check your group s progress online at MCAHolyBuckets. 11. Gather the students around the computer screen. Log onto Then click onto the page entitled, What happens to my dollar? Click through the interactive program that provides a fun way for students to learn how the money they collect can make a difference in the lives of others. 12. Ask students for ways they can collect money to place in the bucket. For example, they could give up a portion of their weekly allowance or donate money saved by giving up treats, such as candy. Invite students to share their ideas with the class. visit our site: 4

17 Mission Story FLOODS OF HOPE: Catholics reach out in Pakistan The world watched with profound sadness. First, raging waters; then terrorist attacks. A few years ago, Pakistan suffered the worst flooding in decades, brought on by unprecedented rainfall. Some 1,500 were killed; millions left homeless. The expanse of water seen covering the fields is unfathomable, Father Mario Rodrigues, Pakistan s national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, told the news agency FIDES. Refugees are desperately calling for help; mothers mourn their lost children. Given the lack of roads, reaching the victims is very difficult. And while government and other officials responded to the massive natural disaster, extremist groups staged numerous attacks in various parts of the country. There is great suffering, observed Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore. But we continue to work to care for displaced persons, to offer a word of hope, and to pray. Relief worker Samuel Clement knows about that firsthand. Indeed, he and Bishop Andrew Francis of Multan have been working to serve those affected by the flooding in their homeland. The local church, through the Pontifical Mission Societies partnership with the relief agency Caritas,, provided food, blankets, cooking materials and tents to more than 30,000 families. They also distributed medical and health information to more than 60,000 people, and nutrition packs to some 48,000 children. But material aid is not all that these local Catholics offered their brothers and sisters at home. Through our actions, explains Clement, we have taken Jesus Christ to all. Our response to the flood emergency was a true sign of representing Christ s Gospel and His love to the suffering. We have witnessed to the Lord with boldness and compassion, he adds. We even were caught up at one point in the flood waters, but our hope and trust in Jesus helped us overcome this incident. Father Rodrigues observes that this faith-filled outreach of Catholics in Pakistan is not new, nor is it limited to times of disaster or extreme suffering. Christian hope is never lacking here, says Father Rodrigues. I see always so many hands involved in the solidarity effort, without placing limits and without borders. And now the world will continue to watch and see the hope that the Lord Himself gives. It rises up among the suffering, carried through every prayer and every outstretched helping hand. visit our site: 5

18 Advent Acts of Prayer Goodness Chain This activity provides students with an opportunity to create a paper chain that includes daily actions and prayers. Instructions: Cut out each strip to create an Advent paper chain, linking the chains by date beginning with December 1. Each day, tear off the assigned link and complete the action noted on it. November 30: Read today s Gospel, Mark 13: Then light the first candle on your Advent wreath and pray together as a family. December 1: Create a family Advent wreath. You will need some greenery for the wreath, three purple candles and one pink candle. Place the wreath in a prominent location. December 2: Set a goal for money you would like to donate/collect this Advent Season for the Holy Buckets program. December 3: Conduct an Advent cleaning in your home. Identify items like clothes, household goods and toys you no longer use. Collect those items and donate them to a local group maybe your parish s thrift shop that distributes them to people in need. Or, consider holding a yard sale, and donating the money to your Holy Bucket. December 4: Make a list of all of the things you like most about each of your family members. Share the list with them today. Thank God for the gift of family. December 5: Spend time as a family deciding one way that you can save some money each week, perhaps by giving something up. Contribute those funds to your Holy Bucket. visit our site: 6

19 December 6: Today is the Feast Day of St. Nicholas. Learn more about this saint at the library, or through an Internet search with your parents help. December 7: Read today s Gospel, Mark 1:1-8. Then light the first and second candle on your Advent wreath and pray together as a family. December 8: Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pray the World Mission Rosary, if possible with your family. Learn more at December 9: Create your own good deed for today. In the space below, write down what you will do. December 10: Do an extra household chore today without being asked. December 11: Make or buy a Christmas card for a favorite teacher. Bring the card to school tomorrow and put it on his or her desk. Then pray for him or her. Pray also for all catechists who teach about Jesus in the Missions. December 12: Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas. Do a library or Internet search with your parents help to find out why the day is so important. Learn about St. Juan Diego too! December 13: Ask your extended family members (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents) to consider donating to the Holy Buckets program. Remember even the smallest donation can make a difference! visit our site: 7

20 December 14: Read today s Gospel, John 1:6-8, Then light the first two candles and the pink candle on your Advent wreath, then pray together as a family. December 15: At each meal today, say a prayer for all those who are hungry and in need of food and shelter. Pray also for missionaries who love and care for the poor. December 16: Be an angel for the Missions! Ask your pastor to hang some MCA angels on your parish Christmas tree, encouraging people to donate to the Missions! December 17: Create your own good deed for today. In the space below, write down what you will do. December 18: Forgive someone who has hurt you. Pray for peace in places in the Missions where there is war or fighting. December 19: Today, smile at everyone you meet. Imagine your joy reaches your mission family across the globe. December 20: Ask friends of your family to consider donating to the Holy Buckets program. Be sure to explain why you are collecting the funds and how they will be used. December 21: Read today s Gospel, Luke 1: Then light all four candles on your Advent wreath and pray together as a family. visit our site: 8

21 December 22: Who are the people in your neighborhood, school, or community who are lonely, excluded, or a bit different? Take time today to offer a kind word to a few of them. If you are not able to reach out to someone, pray for him/her instead. Pray for missionaries who reach out this day to those who are alone or abandoned. December 23: Pope Francis reminds us to care and pray for the less fortunate---to be a missionary disciple. Pray for the Holy Father and the his mission. December 24 Read Matthew 1:18-25 with your family and then set up your Christmas crèche. December 25 Celebrate the birth of the Christ Child by joyfully thanking God for the great gift He has given to you the gift of Your faith and the gift He has given to all the world the gift of His Son. Pray for all in the Missions who may not know about Jesus birth and for the missionaries who bring them this Good News! visit our site: 9

22 Lesson Extensions Collection Jar Provide each child with an empty jar or some kind of container for them to decorate and then take home. Invite them to use the container for the safekeeping of all of the donations they make or collect for the group s Holy Bucket. Who Is Ready? Begin by asking the students what they did to prepare for school (or church) today. Allow for a few responses. Then ask what they do to prepare for another event such as a birthday or vacation. Again, allow for some responses. Finally ask the students to brainstorm ideas on what they can do to prepare for the coming of Jesus. Stocking for Jesus Provide each student with a small Christmas stocking. Ask them to hang it with all the other family stockings in their homes. Suggest that whenever someone in their family does a good deed that they write it down on a small sheet of paper and place it in the stocking. They should continue to do this throughout Advent. When Christmas comes, they can read aloud the notes placed inside. Or they might save the stocking until next year and read the good deeds at the beginning of the next Advent Season as a reminder of this year s good deeds. Stay Awake Ask everyone to close their eyes and put their heads down on their arms on top of their desks or laps, as if they are sleeping. Ask for two volunteers. Tell volunteers to walk around the room and lightly tap the head of one person each. After tapping a student s head, the volunteer should go to the front of the room, making sure not to reveal whose head he/she touched. Invite the two students who felt their heads being tapped to stand up and try to guess who tapped them. A correct guess enables that student to exchange places with that volunteer for the next round. An incorrect guess keeps the volunteer in the game for the next round. Repeat this a few more times. Then, for the last round, let the students keep their eyes open and watch to see who taps their head. Discuss how this activity relates to the Gospel message of staying awake. visit our site: 10

23 FAMILY RESOURCE Praying with the Advent Wreath Advent is a four-week period of prayer and preparation, and of looking forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus among us. We are filled with joy and love in the Lord, and compelled to share these with others. As we open our hearts in prayer during Advent, we pray that the Good News of Jesus is heard throughout the world so that hearts will turn to love and peace. While Lent is fundamentally considered a time for repentance, Advent also offers the opportunity for renewal. God invites us to let Jesus come into our hearts so that we can be more like Him. It is a season of quiet expectation. We live in the expectation of the fullness of joy to come. We strive to know and obey God s will for us. We set out to love God each day and to live out our baptismal call by loving and serving others. This is the way Jesus wants us to make a straight way for Him in our hearts as we await His coming. The symbolism of the Advent wreath is beautiful. The wreath is made of various evergreens, signifying continuous life. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul and the everlasting life found in Christ. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. The light signifies Christ, the Light of the world. Three candles are purple (or blue) and one is pink. The purple/blue candles symbolize the prayer, penance and preparatory sacrifices and goods works undertaken during Advent. The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday. It symbolizes rejoicing at the midpoint of Advent when our preparation is half over and we are close to Christmas. The progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord s first coming into the world and the anticipation of His second coming to judge the living and the dead. visit our site: 11

24 First Week of Advent On the first Sunday of Advent, gather the family and bless and light the Advent wreath. Begin by making the sign of the cross. Leader: Our help is in the name of the Lord. All: Who made heaven and earth. Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5 This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come, the mountain of the LORD s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say: Come, let us climb the LORD s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths. For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord! Blessing of the Wreath Invite everyone to extend a hand in blessing. Loving God, the time of Advent has arrived. Prepare our hearts for the promise of the Christ Child. As we bless this wreath, we ask You to bless us that we may seek to do Your will during the Advent Season. Candle-lighting Light the first purple/blue candle. As we light these candles let us give thanks for the Child Whom we celebrate this Advent Season the Child Who came to earth as an infant, died and rose as our Savior, and for Whose coming again we wait with anticipation and love. Good and gracious God, instruct us in your ways. Help us to walk in the light of Your ways as we reach out to those in need. Help us to build a world where there is no cause for war again. Guide us Lord, as we walk in Your light. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. visit our site: 12

25 WEEK ONE LESSON GRADES 4-5 visit our site: 1

26 OVERVIEW The Gospel of Mark (13:33-37) reminds us that no one knows when Jesus will return. We can prepare for His coming by praying, by being kind to others and by caring for those in need. Materials and Preparations Needed Advent wreath and candles Small sheets of paper, a few for each student Pens or pencils, one for each student Mission story, Flood of Hope found at the end of this lesson. (Read the story in advance; retell it in an age appropriate manner.) Group Holy Bucket Newsprint and marker Session Steps 1. Introduce the Season of Advent to the group as the four weeks the Church sets aside to await and prepare for the important celebration of Jesus birth. Advent helps us look forward to the coming of Jesus with joy and hope. During these weeks we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Holy Infant. During Advent, we think about how Jesus came to be with us a long time ago and how He will come to be with us again. Explain that this is the first week of Advent. 2. Point out the Advent wreath. Provide a brief introduction noting its symbolism and significance to the Advent Season. Then gather all around the wreath as you light the first candle and pray: As we light this first candle for the first Sunday of Advent, let us give thanks for the Child Whom we await and prepare for this Advent Season. Let us also give thanks for missionaries and all those who teach us the importance of staying alert to the needs of others around us. Lord Jesus, help us to reflect Your love for all by loving and helping to take care of all we meet. Blessed are You, Lord Jesus, forever and ever. Amen visit our site: 2

27 3. Propose the following scenario: Suppose you knew Christmas was coming, but you didn t know when. In fact, nobody knew when it would occur. Each year, the date would remain a secret. The only thing about which you could be certain was that it would include parties, singing, gift-giving and delicious food. How would you prepare for such a day? Would your preparations differ from what you do now? Discuss. 4. Divide the students into groups of two or three. Provide each student with small sheets of paper, and a pen or pencil. Name an event for which people must prepare (first day of school, Thanksgiving, a birthday, vacation, summer camp, going to Mass, etc.). Ask each group member to write down what they think is the most important way to prepare for that event. Have group members compare lists are there matches? differences? Discuss. Have the group choose a different event, and play again. Conclude the game by asking them what they would do to prepare for the coming of Christ. Take a few minutes to let the students share their responses. 5. Tell the students that the Gospel reading for the first week of Advent comes from St. Mark. Then read Mark 13:33-37, or invite a student to do so. 6. Ask what it means to be alert, be watchful. Allow for some responses. Note that the Gospel reminds us that we need to be alert to all that is happening in and around us. Of course, sleeping is important to stay healthy. When Jesus tells us to keep watch and be ready, He does not mean we should not sleep. But He does want us to be prepared for His return by making Him the center of our lives. Jesus tells us to keep watch and be ready. He wants us to be prepared for His return by putting God and others first. When you are riding your bike you must pay attention and stay alert, or you may have an accident. During Advent, we pay special attention to opportunities to follow the will of God. It does not matter if we are in school, at home, playing with our friends, we must choose what is pleasing to God. When we do that, we are ready. 7. Ask the student what they know about the country of Pakistan. Allow for some responses. Then invite a student to locate the country on a globe or map, making sure to note the distance between the United States and Pakistan. Then note that the story you will share comes from the country of Pakistan. Using your own words, tell the story entitled Floods of Hope found at the end of this lesson. Then ask why it is important to pray and care for others who face poverty and disasters. Invite a few responses. 8. Ask the students to identify ways they could offer their love and concern to people like the ones they heard about in the story. Record responses on newsprint. (If prayer is not mentioned bring it up!) Again, allow for a few answers. 9. Introduce Holy Buckets: Throughout the four weeks of Advent, we will prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ at Christmas and take the opportunity to stay awake to the needs of others. We will do this by offering our time, talent and treasure to those in need of our prayers and our money. In this way, we are missionaries through our prayers and our sacrifices! Our class has received a special bucket. We call it a holy bucket. Each week, we will talk about ideas for staying alert and being responsive to the needs of the world through our prayers and actions. visit our site: 3

28 Each week, students and their families will be invited to donate gifts of money, prayers and acts of goodness to our holy bucket. At the end of the four weeks of Advent, all of our offerings will be gathered with those of other students from around the country and sent to the Missionary Childhood Association for children in the Missions. Be sure to check your group s progress online at MCAHolyBuckets. 10. Ask students to for ways they can collect money to place in the bucket. For example, they could give up a portion of their weekly allowance or donate money saved by giving up treats, such as candy. Invite students to share their ideas with the class. visit our site: 4

29 Mission Story FLOODS OF HOPE: Catholics reach out in Pakistan The world watched with profound sadness. First, raging waters; then terrorist attacks. A few years ago, Pakistan suffered the worst flooding in decades, brought on by unprecedented rainfall. Some 1,500 were killed; millions left homeless. The expanse of water seen covering the fields is unfathomable, Father Mario Rodrigues, Pakistan s national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, told the news agency FIDES. Refugees are desperately calling for help; mothers mourn their lost children. Given the lack of roads, reaching the victims is very difficult. And while government and other officials responded to the massive natural disaster, extremist groups staged numerous attacks in various parts of the country. There is great suffering, observed Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore. But we continue to work to care for displaced persons, to offer a word of hope, and to pray. Relief worker Samuel Clement knows about that firsthand. Indeed, he and Bishop Andrew Francis of Multan have been working to serve those affected by the flooding in their homeland. The local church, through the Pontifical Mission Societies partnership with the relief agency Caritas,, provided food, blankets, cooking materials and tents to more than 30,000 families. They also distributed medical and health information to more than 60,000 people, and nutrition packs to some 48,000 children. But material aid is not all that these local Catholics offered their brothers and sisters at home. Through our actions, explains Clement, we have taken Jesus Christ to all. Our response to the flood emergency was a true sign of representing Christ s Gospel and His love to the suffering. We have witnessed to the Lord with boldness and compassion, he adds. We even were caught up at one point in the flood waters, but our hope and trust in Jesus helped us overcome this incident. Father Rodrigues observes that this faith-filled outreach of Catholics in Pakistan is not new, nor is it limited to times of disaster or extreme suffering. Christian hope is never lacking here, says Father Rodrigues. I see always so many hands involved in the solidarity effort, without placing limits and without borders. And now the world will continue to watch and see the hope that the Lord Himself gives. It rises up among the suffering, carried through every prayer and every outstretched helping hand. visit our site: 5

30 Advent Acts of Prayer Goodness Chain This week s take-home activity provides students with an opportunity to create a paper chain that includes daily actions and prayers. Instructions: Cut out each strip to create an Advent paper chain, linking the chains by date beginning with December 1. Each day, tear off the assigned link and complete the action noted on it. November 30: Read today s Gospel, Mark 13: Then light the first candle on your Advent wreath and pray together as a family. December 1: Create a family Advent wreath. You will need some greenery for the wreath, three purple candles and one pink candle. Place the wreath in a prominent location. December 2: Set a goal for money you would like to donate/collect this Advent Season for the Holy Buckets program. December 3: Conduct an Advent cleaning in your home. Identify items like clothes, household goods and toys you no longer use. Collect those items and donate them to a local group maybe your parish s thrift shop that distributes them to people in need. Or, consider holding a yard sale, and donating the money to your Holy Bucket. December 4: Make a list of all of the things you like most about each of your family members. Share the list with them today. Thank God for the gift of family. December 5: Spend time as a family deciding one way that you can save some money each week, perhaps by giving something up. Contribute those funds to your Holy Bucket. visit our site: 6