1st Grade Week 14: Lent Unit: Lent

Catechist PreparationAlive in Christ Catechist Edition- Lent- pp. 27A-31Bible verses: Matthew 28:5-6 Luke 23-24Objectives-Lent is a time to turn to God by showing our love for others

Lent is a season of 40 days during which we get ready for Easter Adam and Eve chose to bring sin into the world and we all sin. Recognize Jesus as our Savior, He died for our sins. God loves us even when we sin. Connect Lent/Last Supper/Resurrection and Easter/The Eucharist

Lesson Plan: Lent Stations of the CrossWelcome The Road to Easter is through Lent coloring page: Have students date the sections of the “road.”

Lent is always 40 days (not counting the Sundays), but it is not the same 40 days from year to year.OR Unit 5 Review pages 213-215

InvitePrayer Space

Let Us Pray p. 27What do you wonder?“My God” SongReview sacraments learned. Today we will talk about Anointing of the Sick

Discover Important: Talk about Lent/The Last Supper/Jesus’ death/Easter in sequence, and what it means for us today (Jesus died for our sins, then He rose to give us new life, now we have Him with us always in the Eucharist)

The liturgical color for Lent is purple, or violet. It represents the agony Jesus suffered as well as our penance and solemnity. In Jesus’ day, purple clothing was very expensive. Only the very rich could afford to wear this color. When Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified, He was clothed in a purple robe. How do we turn away from God? (sin) Tell children that Jesus died for our sins and then rose again to give us new life. Talk about how Jesus “saved us” from our sins. What does it mean to be saved? Act our several situations where you might need to be saved. (i.e. you fall down and need help getting up, you are swimming and can’t reach the shore, you are stuck in the mud with your bike, you can’t open a door because it’s too heavy, etc.) Relate to Jesus….He saves us and helps us get to heaven.Explain the importance of sharing the good news, and being kind to others during Lent.Adam & Eve brought sin into the world when they disobeyed God. We are all born with that sin, original sin. And we all make choices to sin as we grow up. Jesus saved us from our sins. He died for our sins and then rose again to give us new life - a life with Him in Heaven. Explain the importance of sharing the good news, and being kind to others during Lent.Play “Good deeds fishing” provided by CRE

Live

Song of PraiseMy God

40 days of Lent - Talk about Ash Wednesday (see below). Talk about the ashes.Lent begins on Ash Wednesday & ends on the Saturday before Easter (Holy Saturday). Count all the days using a calendar. You will get to Palm Sunday. Remind the students that we are to keep holy the Lord’s Day which means we do not count the Sundays when we count the 40 days of Lent.Mini field trip to the Chapel to view and read the Stations of the Cross (or around the courtyard under the cover). Use Stations of the Cross Booklets

People of Faith Blessed Pope John XX111Sending Forth Closing prayer: and/or Let us Pray Celebrate Lent on page 31

Materials: Green = provided by CRE / Blue = on website / Purple = Optional, catechists provide

Faith Words:LentAshes

Why do we receive ashes on Ash Wednesday? (For Catechists)

On Ash Wednesday small children are thrilled to receive ashes. We can tell them simply that ashes are placed on our foreheads to remind us that someday we will die and go home to heaven. For older children we need to go more deeply into the origin and significance of the day.

The season of holy Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, a solemn day of fast and abstinence. The day receives its special name from the blessing and imposition of ashes in the form of a cross on our foreheads. "Remember man that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Ashes, made by burning palms blessed the previous Palm Sunday, symbolize the transience of our earthly status. The body must fall temporarily into dust. This fact should serve as a challenge to spiritual accomplishments. Through grace we were "buried" in Christ that we may rise with him and "live unto God." We explain ashes with the "seed" idea. "They are not a sign of death," Fr. Merton says, "but a promise of life."

Ashes are a sacramental. Their reception with humility is a sign of penance. We wear them publicly to acknowledge our need to atone for our sins. "God desires not the death of the sinner." He is moved by our humiliation, and his justice is appeased by satisfaction.

The rite for the blessing and imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday follows the homily at Mass. It begins with an invitation to prayer, whereupon the priest continues with the Blessing of Ashes in which he asks God in his mercy to hear us because of his love for us; to bless the ashes which will mark our foreheads to remind us that we are only dust and will someday return to dust. He asks that we be faithful to the Lenten observance and thus be able to celebrate with clean hearts the paschal mystery.

The priest sprinkles the ashes with holy water in silence. He then imposes the ashes on those who come forward and stand in front of him. To each he says:

"Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel." (Mark 1:15) or "Remember, man, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return." (Cf. Gen. 3:19)

This solemn blessing and sprinkling with holy water obviously is more than a reminder of death — it is rather a pledge and reminder of resurrection.

From CatholicCulture.org

Good Deeds Fishing

Materials: 3 x 5 cards, paper clips, white bucket, fishing poles Cross cut-out and yarn. Crayons or colored pencil Hole punch

During Lent we try to do more good deeds to make up for our sins so that when we die we can go straight to heaven. What are some good deeds that you could do during Lent?

Examples:

Make my bed without being toldClean up my roomTake out the trashObey my mom, dad, teacher… the FIRST time they tell me do somethingDon’t grumbleSay thank youGive my money to the poorShare my candy

As children name good deeds, write each phrase on a 3x5 card and attach a paper clip.Put all the cards in a bucket.Have children fish one at a time to see what good deed he/she will do during the coming week.

Have children cut out their cross. They should write the good deed that they are supposed to do on the cross.Punch hole at top of cross and make a yarn loop. Ask children to hang the cross somewhere at home to remind them what they will do during Lent.

My God by Go Fish

ChorusMy God Draw R hand down center of faceIs so big and Thrust hands up and outward over headso strong Strong arm on rightand so mighty Strong arm on leftThere’s nothing R arm slices down & across;my God L arm slices down & acrosscannot do uncross hands with a slice X4In the beginning Open the BibleGod made everything Everything = R hand makes circle in air, ends palm up L

palmGod simply spoke Speak= R hand gestures up throat and out mouthand the world came to be “W” with both hands, R hand on top moves forward &

around L hand and taps back on topHe sent a flood Flood/rains= water fingers coming downand made everything new Slide R hand up Left forearm to elbow = baby in armHe parted the sea standard backs of hands together drawn apartand let His people walk through walk in placeHe helped a boy bring a giant right down

Slingshot motion + gesture to ground after follow through

Joshua marched March in place +the walls fell to the ground Palms outward & draw apart as feeling a wall + flip downThese acts of power muscle flexare worthy of praise Index finger from lips & way + clap 2x with raise handsBut if you want to question my God and His waysI’ll look you in the eye

Simple hands out shrug

ChorusThough we are sinners pointers hip level pointing up circle toward midline & out

2x + both hands palms facing swing down crisplyHe still gave us worth Both hands in “O” at hip height move out, up and

together at shoulder heightGod sent God = Draw R hand down center of faceHis Son R middle finger to L palm and L middle finger to R palmto live here on the earth Open hands palms up each make circlesHe healed the sick, Made strong = flex arms

He made blind men see Cover eyes + remove blindersHe let the lame walk Walk in placeand He set the world free Free= “s” with both hands crossed palms toward you

turn 180 degrees & separateHe died on a cross Big cross with armsand He rose from the grave Raise both armsHe conquered sin Conquered = R elbow sits on L fist and swings downHe is mighty to save Crossed fists, palms toward self + open outward and turn

palms away from selfHe went to heaven, both hands point upand He’s coming back Both hands point down sharplyGod’s Word is true pointer to lips & then away from body – like speaking

the truth.but if it is attacked R fist strikes L pointer

I’ll look you in the eye and say

ChorusGod the Spirit, Both hands “O” and together; R “O” swirls up and awayGod the Father, Thumb of the open hand taps the side of the foreheadGod the Son R hand vertical salute then cradled on left forearm1 + 1 + 1 = 1 1 + 1+ 1 Trinity 3 fingers brought together and L hand

encircles themRepeatI want the world Extend hands palms up & draw elbows back to self while

drawing fingers to palmsto know about my God Know= tap temple with open R hand x2

Extend arms up toward heavenI want to live Live= 2 L’s move upwards in front of chestso the whole world can see Gesture everyoneThat my heart is changed, Heart = middle finger thumps over heart x2

Changed = Wrists together R on top rotate to L of topI’m forgiven and new Forgiven= R hand wipes the left hand downward x2-

like wiping off or cleaningIf people need proof Proof = R hand palm up placed into L upward palmmay they see it in me See + meLet’s look the world in the eye,Let’s look ‘em in the eye and say

2 fingers of R hand toward eyes and then away

Chorus