Aim (What you want the students to learn): Mary lived her whole life without sin. Mary is Queen of Heaven. Jesus gave Mary to all men to be their mother. Material Pictures of Mary (Attached to the end of the lesson) Key Words Immaculate Conception, full of grace Explanation Opening Prayer: Hail Mary pg 155 of the Student Text Jesus, thank you for sharing your Mother with us. I will never feel alone if I realize how close Mary is to us. Thank you for making her an example of a true Christian life. Begin/Opening Activity/Question/Story/The Attention Getter(1-5 minutes) Pg 14 Ask the students: If you could create your own mother, how would you create her? God created His mother; He created her to be perfect, without sin, even Original Sin. Show the students different photos of Mary, share with them that some photos show Mary as a mother, while others show her as the Queen of Heaven. Develop/ Explanation /Activity Read the student text pages 140-143 Jesus Gives us His Mother Explain that God loves us very much. He is our Father and He sent His only Son to suffer and die for us. He also sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in us. He knows that we needed that love of a mother. His mother was so perfect that He wanted to share her with us. When Jesus gave Mary to John, the beloved disciple, at the foot of His Cross, He gave Mary to all his disciples - and to all of us - to be our mother. Mary is also the mother of all people in the order of grace. Just as Eve was the mother of all the living because she and Adam were our first parents, so Mary was mother of all the living in grace since she was the first to have the fullness of grace. Because she gave us her Son, we can all have the grace that He won for us on the Cross. Immaculate Conception Reread paragraph 3 with the children. Help them to understand the difference between the Immaculate Conception (Mary being conceived without Original Sin) and the Virginal Conception (Jesus conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit). Review the words of Gabriel, Hail Mary, full of grace, in the story of the Annunciation. Review the Immaculate Conception and remind them that she was conceived without Original Sin. Also tell the children that death and corruption of the body are consequences of Original Sin. Because Mary was sinless - she never had Original Sin - God gave her a special grace. When her time on earth was finished, God took Mary to Heaven body and soul. This mystery is called the Assumption of Mary. You may show the children a picture of the Assumption.
Wedding of Cana Read the story of the wedding at Cana from the children s Bible in John 2:1-11. You may also have the children act the story out. Ask the children what role Mary had in this story. Explain that to ask on behalf of another is to intercede. Did Jesus answer her prayer? Why? What did Mary tell the servants to do? Was this good advice? Praying with Mary Explain that Mary will pray for us and with us if we ask her to. Ask the children what Marian prayers they know. Remind them that in the Hail Mary we are asking Mary to pray for us. Surely her prayers must be very powerful before the throne of God. Just as Jesus answered Mary s petition at Cana, He will surely answer the prayer which she will offer to Him on our behalf. The Daily Life of Mary What does your mother do while she is at home? What do you think Mary did at her home in Nazareth? Discuss the daily life of Mary in Nazareth. She kept house for Joseph and Jesus. She prepared their meals, made clothes, did handiwork, spent time in prayer, and was obedient to the will of God. As the children what sorts of things they think Mary did. Tell them that she did these things joyfully and obediently. Virtues of Mary Ask the children about the different virtues of Mary. List them in a chart; cite some examples of how to keep these virtues, as well as examples of how not to keep them. Have the students name as many different virtues as possible. You may refer to the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary used in Lesson One for help. Ex: Humility, Charity/Love, Faith, Hope, Obedience, Patience, Courage/Fortitude, Kindness, Purity, etc. Queen of Heaven Show the pictures of Mary being crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth. Mary holds the highest place in Heaven after her Son. God elevated Mary to such a high level because of her life of virtue and as a reward for her faithfulness and love of God. Mary was crowned Queen of Heaven and earth. This mystery is called the Coronation. Have the children ever seen the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II or other royalty? It is a great ceremony and a great honor. Jesus is the King of Heaven and earth, and Mary is His Queen. In the Old Testament, the mother of the king was made queen (see 1 Kings 2:19). You may read Revelations 12:1 so they can visualize the great beauty and royalty of Mary. Application: Think of Mary as our spiritual mother. How does Mary care for your soul? Teach someone you know why we honor Mary. Ask Mary to lead you both closer to Jesus her Son. Workbook Choose one of the work book pages 110-113 Have the students do them on their own and go over together in class.
Assessment/Evaluation/ Review Game (1-10 minutes) Go over the CCC questions at the end of the chapter. Provide a quiz or do some sort of review of the material covered during class, especially the Aim (see above). Closing Prayer Homework: Send one workbook page home from Pg 110-113. Lead the students into the chapel/church. Remind them that they are in the presence of God and need to be respectful and quite. If you have something you would like to tell a friend, save it for outside the chapel. Have the students practice genuflecting and making the sign of the cross before entering the pews. Lead the students in praying a decade of the rosary. Honoring Mary (Optional Activity) o We too should honor Mary as our Queen. Have a Crowning of Mary ceremony. They may have a procession with the Mary statue, pray a decade of the rosary, bring her fresh flowers, crown Mary as Queen, pray the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and sing Hail, holy Queen enthroned above, Adoremus Hymnal, #530.