level 2: grades 1 & 2 Growing Through Prayer in Lent

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1 Background Notes for Teacher Reflection and Preparation STRAND VALUES AND PURPOSES CHURCH: Body of Christ, Community of disciples, Witness to Unity and Justice. Making Connections Growing to Fullness of Life Being a Person of Mission Participation in the Prayerful, Liturgical and Sacramental Life of the Faith Community ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS Students focus on Lent as a time of prayer and their growing relationship with God. Jesus prayed often and gives followers an example. People are changed through prayer which enables them to be more like Jesus. Lent is an important season in the Church year. It calls us to pray and do good works.. Strand Core Doctrinal Concepts Catechism Reference Jesus Christ 6. Jesus shows us the way God wants us to live God 2. God is always present. 220 Scripture 2. The Gospels tell us about Jesus life and the people who believed in him Christian Life 3. Jesus shows us how to live. 460 Christian Prayer 1. I am with God in prayer. 2. I can pray at any time, anywhere in different ways. 3. Prayer involves rituals, symbols, celebrations and silence. 4. Prayer is a loving way of thanking and praising God for life and creation, asking for forgiveness and expressing sorrow. 5. I can ask for help and guidance in prayer for myself and others ,

2 Strand Core Doctrinal Concepts Catechism Reference Church 1. Jesus invites people into community. 2. The Church is a community that celebrates and shares the life and work of Jesus. 3. Baptism welcomes people into the Church LINKING WITH OTHER RESOURCE BANKS Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Lent and Easter Holy Week and Easter Living and Growing in Lent How Do We Prepare for Easter? 2 STUDENT CONTEXT As Level Two students develop they learn to separate fantasy from reality and to understand the meaning behind symbols. In their intellectual development they are developing the ability to think symbolically and to use symbols, including words and images, in communicating ideas with others. They are beginning to be able to describe their feelings in a more reflective and insightful way. Possessing a vivid imagination, Level Two students respond well to stories and re-enactments of exciting events, which gives rise to lifelong religious images and concepts. THEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND FOR TEACHERS Lent is a season of the liturgical year. It begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes with the beginning of the Triduum (the evening of Holy Thursday). Lent is a time for repentance, spiritual renewal, and metanoia (i.e., conversion or re-conversion to an authentic Christian way of life). Lent is a time to respond to the gospel and to experience a change of heart in preparation for the celebration of Easter. The forty days of Lent from Ash Wednesday to the beginning of the Triduum, do not include the Sundays of Lent and St Patrick s Day. In Christian history, Lent has been a time dedicated to remembrance of the forty days that Jesus spent fasting and praying in the desert to prepare for his ministry. Pope John Paul II called Christians worldwide to make the most of this season through the practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The works of Lent- prayer, fasting and almsgivingdo not have value in themselves, as the scriptures proclaimed on Ash Wednesday clearly remind us. The Christian practice of fasting and almsgiving is not an ascetical performance or some form of self-imposed penitential punishment but aims at leading us to interior conversion. Fasting at certain times helps us to keep, or to rediscover, mastery over our instincts. We fast in order to share our time and our treasure with an attitude of love towards God and others. (The Joyful Season of Lent; Liturgy Lines; The Liturgical Commission, Brisbane 17/2/ 02 Elizabeth Harrington)

3 3 Prayer is communication with God and an awareness of the Creator s powerful and loving presence. Prayer can be silent or verbal, formal or informal, private or communal. The gospels point out that Jesus prayed to God frequently and that he went off to quiet, deserted places to pray before crucial events in his life and ministry. Prayer is a response to God: a basic openness to and communication with God, within a dialogue initiated by the Creator. Thus many Christians see prayer as a gift from God and a powerful, effective way to deepen the covenant relationship between a loving God and humankind. The prayerful person is one who freely responds to God s offer of relationship and open communication. Ekstrom, R. (1995), The New Concise Catholic Dictionary. pp , 206-7, Zanzig, T. & Allaire, B. (1997). Understanding Catholic Christianity. pp Saints are people of prayer. Research the patron saint of your school to find examples of this person s life of prayer. SCRIPTURE Psalms (Jesus knew the psalms well and prayed them often) Psalm 5:5-8 A Prayer For Help Because of your great mercy, I come to your house, Lord, and I am filled with wonder as I bow down to worship at your holy temple. You do what is right, and I ask you to guide me. Psalm 8 The Wonderful Name of the Lord Our Lord and Ruler, your name is wonderful everywhere on earth! You let your glory be seen in the heavens above. With praises from children and from tiny infants, you have built a fortress. It makes your enemies silent, and all who turn against you are left speechless. I often think of the heavens your hands have made, and of the moon and stars you put in place. I ask, Why do you care about us humans? Why are you concerned for us weaklings? You made us a little lower than you yourself, Or the angels or the beings in heaven. and you have crowned us with glory and honour. You let us rule everything your hands have made. And you put all of it under our power the sheep and the cattle, and every wild animal, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and all ocean creatures. Our Lord and Ruler, your name is wonderful everywhere on earth!

4 4 Psalm 23 The Good Shepherd You, Lord, are my shepherd. I will never be in need. You let me rest in fields of green grass. You lead me to streams of peaceful water, and you refresh my life. You are true to your name, and you lead me along the right paths. I may walk through valleys as dark as death, but I won t be afraid. You are with me, and your shepherd s rod makes me feel safe. You treat me to a feast, while my enemies watch. You honour me as your guest, and you fill my cup until it overflows. Your kindness and love will always be with me each day of my life, and I will live forever in your house, Lord. Mark 14:32-50 Jesus Prays They went to a place called Gethsemane and he said to his disciples, Sit here while I pray. He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. And he said to them, I am deeply grieved, even to death: remain here and keep awake. And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. He said, Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want. He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him. He came a third time and said to them, Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand. Matthew 6:5-13 The Our Father When you pray, don t be like those show-offs who love to stand up and pray in the meeting places and on the street corners. They do this just to look good. I can assure you that they already have their reward. When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private, and he will reward you. When you pray, don t talk on and on as people do who don t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Don t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask. You should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, help us to honour your name. Come and set up your kingdom, so that everyone on earth will obey you, as you are obeyed in heaven. Give us our food for today. Forgive us for doing wrong, as we forgive others. Keep us from being tempted and protect us from evil. The kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours forever. Amen. Luke 18:15-17 Jesus Blesses Little Children Some people brought their little children for Jesus to bless. But when his disciples saw them doing this, they told the people to stop bothering him. So Jesus called the children over to him and said, Let the children come to me! Don t try to stop them. People who are like these children belong to God s kingdom. You will never get into God s kingdom unless you enter it like a child!

5 5 John 13 John s discourses from The last Supper. (Use appropriate excerpts) My children, I will be with you for a little while longer. Then you will look for me, but you won t find me. I tell you just as I told the people, You cannot go where I am going. I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples. Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me. If you don t stay joined to me, you will be thrown away. You will be like dry branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire. Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered. When you become fruitful disciples of mine, my Father will be honoured. I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you. If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him. I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am. Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them. And you are my friends, if you obey me. Servants don t know what their master is doing, and so I don t speak to you as my servants. I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything that my Father has told me. You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name. Planning a Learning Sequence Level Focus Prayer is an expression of our relationship with God. Overarching Goal That the students will develop their understanding of Jesus as a person of prayer and come to value prayer in their own lives. Focus Question Example: In what way does prayer help people to grow and change? Understanding Goals On Ash Wednesday Catholics are signed with a cross of ashes. The ashes are a sign of turning away from sin and returning to the Gospel. The cross is the sign of God s great love for all people. Lent is the Church s time between Ash Wednesday and Holy Thursday when followers of Jesus reflect on how they can follow him more closely. Jesus prayed to his Father. In prayer, people listen to and talk to God. Indicators of Learning Demonstrated when students: 1. Articulate the meaning of the symbols and rituals of Ash Wednesday. 2. Describe Lent as an opportunity for change through prayer and good works Suggest and take part in good works. Identify how followers of Jesus pray. Participate in opportunities for prayer and reflection. Suggested Assessment Tasks Students individually or in small groups contribute to a big book depicting ways in which people can show sorrow for inappropriate actions. List possible times, places, ways to pray during Lent. Articulate why and how we pray. Make a banner Jesus is with us when Arrange and lead times of prayer. So I command you to love each other.

6 Suggested Learning and Teaching Experiences Focussing Activities Perform role plays about people displaying inappropriate behaviours and then appropriate behaviours which show how to be a better person. Students receive the cross of ashes on their foreheads as part of a school or class Mass or prayer service on Ash Wednesday. Write a prayer about when God felt near to you. Attend the distribution of the ashes on Ash Wednesday and then bring some into the class. Make a large cross and place the ashes and the cross in a place of respect. Teach the children that the cross is the great sign of God s love. They could compose small prayers and place them close to the Cross. Use Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge. Talk about memories, ways we remember things. Imagine you are a disciple who was present at The Last Supper and write down all your memories about Jesus. Use the Big Book Holy Week and Easter. Discuss and wonder. Focus on how the Mass is like the Last Supper. 6 Discuss the cross as the sign of Jesus great love for us. Learning Strategies Brainstorm ways of being an even better person during this Lent. Students write down special promises, roll them up and hang the scrolls on a class mobile. In groups students paint poster sized pictures sequencing the story of Jesus Goes into the Desert based on Matthew 4:1-2 When Jesus was about 30 years old he was ready to begin God s work. He decided to go away to a place where he could be quiet. So Jesus went into the desert where he could be very close to God because he loved him so much. While he was in this quiet place, Jesus listened to and spoke to God. For many days and nights Jesus stayed in the desert. He thought about ways of helping people to love God and love one another. Then after forty days, Jesus was ready to go back to Galilee and begin God s work. Have a variety of prayer experiences both inside and outside the classroom. Include music and symbols. Students complete Y Charts to share impressions of the prayer experiences. Teach the children about Project Compassion and have a box in the classroom. Teach them what it means at their age to fast during Lent. They could make some Lenten promises (to be kept private) eg when they will pray, what junk food they will not eat, how they will share the TV or their game boy at home, how they will share some of their pocket money with those who are in need by contributing to Project Compassion. Prepare a brief ritual about these promises eg 1. Introduction about Lent. 2. Silence - time to think about the promises that they made. 3. Place the promises in a dish. 4. Short prayer. 5. Song. 6 Blessing. Have a procession when you change the clothe on your Prayer Table at the beginning of Lent from Green to Purple. Remind the students about the Church s Year and the various colours. Tell the story of the Last Supper based on one of the gospels, eg Matthew 26;17 30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:7-22. Use Godly Play for this and then invite the students to wonder with you about the Last Supper eg I wonder why Jesus used bread and wine. I wonder what Jesus wanted his disciples to remember. Find some well known paintings of the Last Supper. Discuss the way the artist has represented Jesus, the disciples, their feelings, what they are doing and what is on the table. Discuss Jesus journey from the Last Supper to his death and burial. Arrange for different groups to illustrate aspects of this story (perhaps some of the Stations of the Cross). Students tehn tell the story as they show their illustrations. Compose a prayer about Jesus Last Supper and his journey to his death and burial.

7 Resources NB: OP means Out of Print Highly Recommended Resources Bretherton, B.A. (1995). Praying with children: A resource book for primary children. Katoomba, N.S.W.: Social Science Press. Bretherton, B. A. (1997). You and me God: Prayer themes and guided meditation for children. Katoomba, N.S.W.: Social Science Press. Costello, G. (1997). Classroom prayer services for the days of advent and lent. Mystic, C.T.: Twenty-Third Publications. Garth, M. (1997). Earthlight: New meditations for children. Pymble, N.S.W.: Harper Collins. 7 Teacher Resources Bretherton, B.A. (1995). Praying with children: A resource book for primary children. Katoomba, N.S.W.: Social Science Press. Bretherton, B. A. (1997). You and me God: Prayer themes and guided meditation for children. Katoomba, N.S.W.: Social Science Press. Costello, G. (1997). Classroom prayer services for the days of advent and lent. Mystic, C.T.: Twenty-Third Publications. Garth, M. (1997). Earthlight: New meditations for children. Pymble, N.S.W.: Harper Collins. Nolen, B. (1999). Prayer strategies: A teacher s manual. East Melbourne: Harper Collins. [OP] Tansey, G. (1996). Memories thoughts and prayers: Blackline masters for young people. Victoria: Harper Collins. Student Resources Batchelor, Mary. (2000). The lion book of children s prayers. Oxford: Lion Publishing. Carter, Sydney & Morris, Jackie. (illustrator). (1998). Lord of the dance. Oxford: Lion Publishing. Literature Amery, H. (1998). The easter story: Usborne Bible tales. London: Usborne. Graham, B. (1992). Rose meets Mr Wintergarten. Ringwood, Vic.:Penguin. Hathorn, L. (1988). Looking out for Sampson. Oxford:Oxford University Press. Hunter, Elrose. (Ed.). (1999). A child s book of prayers: 70 simple prayers for the very young. London: Dorling Kindersley. [OP] Marshall, Val. & Teter, Bronwyn. (1988). Bernard was a bikie. Sydney: Ashton Scholastic. McBratney, Sam. (1994). Guess how much I love you. London: Walker Books. Munsch, Robert. (2000). Love you forever. London: Hutchinson.. Peguero, Leone. Ragged old bear. Flinders Park, S.A.: Keystone. Pfister M. (1997). Milo and the magical stones. New York: North South Books. Pfister, M. (1992). The rainbow fish. New York: North South Books. Pfister, M. (1998). Rainbow fish and the big blue whale. New York: North South Books. Pfister, M. (1995). Rainbow fish to the rescue. New York: North South Books. Silverstein, Sl. (1964). The giving tree. London: Jonathan Cape. Wild, M. (1990). Mr Nick s knitting. Sydney: Hodder & Stoughton. Wild, M. (1990). Remember me. Sydney: Margaret Hamilton. Wildsmith, B. (1993). The Easter story. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Williams, M. The velveteen rabbit. (Various publications available).

8 8 Music Brown, Monica.(1982). Let the children come. Northcote: Good Samaritan Life Productions. Brown, Monica. (1986). Our God is good. Thornleigh: Emmaus Production. Chin. A (2000) A Lenten Gospel Acclamation These Hands [CD]. Butterfly Music Flack, Jennie. (1984). Talk to God: Snookles. Ivanhoe, Vic: Just Life. Freidman, M. (1995). O God we are your children. God Shines on You. [CD]. USA: OCP Publications Halloran, D. & Millward, M. (1998). A Child s Prayer. As one voice for kids disc 5. [CD]. Australia: Willow Landry, Carey. (1973). Hi God. Phoenix: North American Liturgy Resources. Landry, Carey.(1974). Hi God 1. Phoenix: North American Liturgy Resources. Landry, Carey.(1977). What God is like: Hi God 2. Phoenix: North American Liturgy Resources. Landry, Carey. (1979). Bloom where you re planted. Phoenix: North American Liturgy Resources. MacGregor, D,. (1993). Sorry. As one voice for kids disc 6. [CD]. Australia: Willow. Mangan, Michael. & Hehir, Peter. (1993). Renew and rejoice. Albany creek: Litmus Productions. Newton, L. (1996). Turn our sadness upside down. As one voice for kids disc 6. [CD]. Australia: Willow Smith, Robert. (1987). Isn t it good? Homebush: Group media Productions. Zaragonza, Rufino. (1988). Light of Christ. Kansas City: Credence Cassettes. World Wide Web / Internet Treasures New and Old. Scripture: a search engine for the NRSV translation. The Vatican: includes a detailed index for the Catechism of the Catholic Church.