Background Notes for Parents/Carers

About the theme – Lent/EasterIn this theme the children learn about the seasons of Lent and Easter and how Christians live their lives because of the beliefs held.

Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday, a day of fasting, is the first day of Lent. According to the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he was tempted by Satan. Lent began as a mirroring of this, fasting 40 days as preparation for Easter. Ash Wednesday gets its name from the practice of blessing ashes made from palm branches blessed on the previous year’s Palm Sunday, and placing them in the sign of the cross on the heads of people to the accompaniment of the words "Repent, and believe in the Gospel" or "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return". Catholics believe that they are called to continuously ‘turn back’ to God and live a holy life. The symbol is a reminder that this life is short and our real lives will begin when we are raised to New Life in the Communion of Saints.

LentThe three traditional practices of Lent are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Prayer: Catholics believe that more time given to prayer during Lent will draw them closer to the Lord. Fasting: Fasting is not just about developing self-control. It is often an aid to prayer, as the pangs of hunger remind Catholics of their hunger for God. Fasting should be linked to concern for those who are forced to fast by their poverty, those who suffer from injustice and those who are in need for any reason. It is linked to living out baptismal promises. By Baptism, Catholics are given the responsibility of showing Christ's love to the world, especially to those in need. Abstaining from meat traditionally also linked Christians to the poor, who could seldom afford meat for their meals. Almsgiving: This is a sign of care for those in need and an expression of gratitude for all that God has given to us. Works of charity and the promotion of justice are integral elements of the Christian way of life which is begun at Baptism.

Holy WeekFor the Church, Holy Week is the ‘greatest week’ during which the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus is remembered in special celebrations. On Passion Sunday which is sometimes called Palm Sunday (because palms are blessed and Christians hear the reading of the passion of Jesus), Christians celebrate Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem to face his suffering and death.

The Paschal or Easter Triduum (pronounced Trid-oo-um) begins on Holy Thursday when Jesus washes the disciples’ feet and ends on Easter Sunday in the evening.When Lent ends, Catholics stand in the centre of the Christian year. On the night between Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, Catholics keep the Easter Vigil. They gather to light a fire and a towering candle, to listen to their most treasured scriptures, to sing psalms and other songs. Then they go to the waters and baptise those who have been preparing for new life in Christ. The newly baptised are then anointed with fragrant oil and, at last, with these newly baptised, they celebrate the Eucharist.Catholics prepare for this Vigil in the washing of feet on Holy Thursday and in the veneration of the cross on Good Friday. They also prepare by fasting. The Church fasts – from food, from

entertainment, from chatter, from work – so that they have time to ponder deeply the death and resurrection of the Lord, the mystery of faith that they will celebrate in the Vigil.

Easter SeasonBegins on Easter Sunday and ends 50 days later on Pentecost Sunday.Easter Sunday is the beginning of the Easter Season which lasts for 50 days ending on Pentecost Sunday. The Easter season is to the year what Sunday is to the week. It is the heart of the Christian faith. St. Paul writes that without a strong, unswerving belief in the resurrection of Christ, then, “empty too is our preaching; empty too your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14.) Catholics are an ‘Easter People’ and make "Alleluia" their song because they delight to praise the Lord who is raised from the dead and now shares his new life. The Paschal candle, the giant candle that is lighted during this season whenever Catholics celebrate in church, shows that Jesus lives.

Key Vocabulary YEAR 3Giving All

LENT/EASTER THEME

Overview

Year 3

self-giving

courage

Ash Wednesday

Holy Week

prayer

fasting

almsgiving

Beatitudes

Gethsemane

Crucifixion

Easter – New Life

Resurrection

Lent and Holy Week is a time of giving in different ways and remembering the total giving of Jesus.Children will know and understand:• How people give themselves• Lent, a time to remember Jesus’ total givingSee Background Notes for Parents and CarersWeek 1: Children learn about the bravery and self-giving of a disaster survivor and think of others who give of themselves. They learn that Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, a time of prayer, fasting and giving to others (almsgiving).Week 2: Children will read the parable of the king’s judgement and think about what they can do to help others. They will look at the Beatitudes, a new way of living given by Jesus.Week 3: Children will know some of the stories of Holy Week, in particular the Garden of Gethsemane and the Crucifixion.Week 4: Children will know that Jesus’ death is not the end of the story. They will learn about the Resurrection on Easter Sunday and know the story of the women who visited the tomb.At the end of this topic look at the key vocabulary and use it to remember all we have learnt aboutCelebrate with a simple Act of Worship (see below).

In Year 3 the children learn about how to be giving especially during this season of Lent and that Lent gives Christians the chance to think about how they are living their daily lives. Lent and Holy Week are times of giving in different ways and remembering the total giving of Jesus. Lent is the season when Christians practise both giving and giving-up, to identify with the complete self-offering of Jesus which is remembered in the liturgy of Holy Week and the Easter Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil).

Week 1: Lesson 1Share this story: The man who was a bridge

In 1987 a ferry set sail from Zeebrugge in Belgium. All the people and cars were loaded. The men on the bridge guided the huge vessel carefully out of port. The restaurant opened for service and people settled down for the voyage. The workers on the car deck were making a last check of the fittings that held the cars and lorries in place. But the giant mouth of the entrance to the deck was still gaping open, revealing a huge swell of sea. The doors should have been closing. Instead, in an awful moment, the sea flooded in. The ferry lurched under the extra weight. The cars and lorries shifted. The vessel began to list heavily to one side.

Some passengers out on deck were rescued very quickly. t was a time for cool heads and bravery to save and rescue as many as possible. One group of people escaping from the cafeteria came face to face with a gaping hole which they could not cross. Beyond it was their only way out. Among them was Andrew Parker, a strapping man of more than six foot. He laid himself across the gap and the water that was rising fast. People climbed across his body to safety. Mums, dads and children, more than twenty people in all, were saved by the man who made himself a bridge.

Andrew Parker was awarded the George Medal for his bravery. Afterwards he said he was not trying to be a hero, he just did was he thought was right. A total of 31 people received awards for their bravery and courage on that day.

Q How does the story describe Andrew?

Q How do you think of Andrew?

Q How did Andrew give himself for others?

Q Do you know anyone who gives themselves for others, perhaps in small but important ways? What do they do?

Q Why do you think people are brave and give themselves to others?

Task: Make lists of people who work in dangerous situations, at difficult tasks in unpleasant places, at unsocial times. In present times it is easy to think of all the key workers, especially nurses and doctors. These people give generously of themselves, their time, their skills to help others. Make a card thanking them for their giving.

Week 1: Lesson 2

(You may have spoken to your children about Ash Wednesday when it was celebrated, during the half term holidays. If so, a recap of how Lent begins, a reminder of any Lenten promises or a look at the Lenten calendar is sufficient.)Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, the day when Christians go to church and receive ashes in the shape of a Cross on their foreheads. As the ashes are given, the priest/deacon says:Repent, and believe in the Gospel. Or: Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. These words remind Christians that they are beginning a time when they are making a new start by giving themselves to God and others, through prayer, giving up things and doing good for others. During Lent, the Church uses the colour purple, to symbolise repentance and does not use the word Alleluia until Easter. Lent is a time when Christians stop and think about following the example of Jesus. It is a time to grow in goodness.Lent lasts for 40 days, remembering that Jesus spent 40 days in prayer in the desert before he started his ministry. It was a time of preparation for him. Lent is a time of preparation for us too as we prepare to remember Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Task: Make a Lenten promise using the template below showing how we can give of ourselves to others: e.g. I promise to … during Lent because…

Week 2: Lesson 1Jesus was always trying to help his friends understand how they should live their lives. He told a parable (that is a story with more than one meaning) about a king passing judgement on his people. This parable can help people change their lives. Read the story based on Matthew 25: 31-40 below and key questions.

Task: Think of those who are in need: e.g. refugees, the sick, homeless, etc. Write six new lines to show how we can live out these actions today, for example:When you were hungry, I brought in food for the foodbank. Add further details about how and why you would help.

Week 2: Lesson 2Lent gives Christians the chance to think about how they are living their daily lives. Through praying and thinking about the needs of other people, they may want to change something in their lives. Jesus calls all people to a new way of living. He explains this in his teaching called ‘The Beatitudes’ (that is another way of saying blessed). Read A new way of living based on Matthew 5: 1-17 below and the key questions. Highlight the key words in the text generous, gentle, kindness, patience, forgive, peacemaker, living God’s way etc.

Task: Choose one of the Beatitudes. Write a short story showing how someone is living and giving of themselves in this way. Give reasons for their actions.Week 3: Lesson 1

The greatest week of the year for Christians is Holy Week, when the Church remembers the suffering, Death and Resurrection of Jesus.

After Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples he suggested they all went to the nearby olive garden called Gethsemane, to pray. Read the story of Gethsemane below, based on Mark 14:26-31, 32-46 and key questions.

Task: Imagine you are Jesus in the garden at Gethsemane. Write a prayer to God, your Father, using ideas from the scripture text to help you.

Week 3: Lesson 2

After Jesus was taken prisoner in the garden of Gethsemane, he was treated badly and then taken to be crucified.

When Jesus was crucified on the Cross, he gave his life for us because he loved us so much. This was Jesus’ total giving of himself. On Good Friday, Christians go to church to recall how Jesus gave of himself in dying for us. Read the story On the way to Calvary based on Mark 15: 21-27 and key questions.

Task: Reflect on your own acts of self-giving: for example, giving love when it is hard, looking after a younger brother or sister, giving time to visit a relative, showing forgiveness, having patience etc. record these on a template of a cross and give reasons for your actions.

Week 4: Lesson 1

The friends of Jesus got permission to take his body down from the cross. They buried him in a grave cut out of a rock and put a huge stone over the entrance.

Jesus’ death was not the end of the story. Luke tells us what happened next. Read Luke’s Story below, based on Luke 24: 1-12. Jesus had risen from the dead, as he told his disciples that he would. Jesus appeared many times to them and promised to send his Holy Spirit to help them spread the Good News of his love.

Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday and every Sunday of the year. ‘Alleluia’ is sung because everyone is so happy.

Task: Write an article for the ‘Jerusalem Times’, interviewing one of the women who went to the tomb. Ask her to describe how she felt, what she saw and heard, what she did next and why. Make links to the scripture source used.

Week 4: Lesson 2

Look at the key vocabulary for this topic and use it to remember all we have learnt about Celebrate with a simple Act of Worship. (see below)

Resources

Week 1 Lesson 2

This Lent I promise to __________________________________________________________

I will do this by ________________________________________________________________

Week 2: Lesson 1

Q Why do you think the people on the king’s right are called good people?Q How had these people helped the king?Q Discuss what it might mean to be hungry, thirsty, a stranger, without proper

clothing, ill and in prison today and how can people in these situations be helped?

Week 2: Lesson 1

Q What do you think a generous heart is? Q What does it mean to be gentle?Q Why is it important to forgive?Q Why are peacemakers important? Q What new way of living and giving have you thought of this Lent?

Week 3: Lesson 1:

(Rabbi means teacher)

Q How did Jesus feel when he got to the garden of Gethsemane?

Q What did he do?

Q What does this story tell you about Jesus’ generosity?

Q Why do you think Jesus took his disciples with him and why did he ask them to stay awake?

Q What do you think about how the disciples behaved and why?

Q How do you think Jesus felt when his betrayer arrived with the soldiers?

Week 3: Lesson 2

Q How did Simon of Cyrene give of himself?

Q Why did Jesus give his life for us?

Q Why do Christians go to church on Good Friday?

How do I give of myself?

Week 4: Lesson 1

Q Why do you think the women went to the tomb?

Q What did the two men tell the women?

Q What do you think the women thought about this?

Q Why did the disciples not believe the women?

Q How do we celebrate the Resurrection today?

Week 4: Lesson 2

Act of Worship‘GIVING ALL’

Year 3‘Lent, a time to remember Jesus’ total giving’

You might like to set up a Focal table with some of the following:Candle, Bible (if possible), a cross.

Let us make the Sign of the Cross with special care today as we remember Jesus total giving when he died on a Cross for us In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

We have been reflecting on the importance of giving of ourselves and how some people are prepared to give themselves totally for others.

Lent is the beginning of a time in the Church’s year when the Christian family tries to make a new start by giving themselves to God and others, through prayer, giving up things and doing good for others. Lent is a time when Christians stop and think about following the example of Jesus. It is a time to grow in goodness.

After Jesus was taken prisoner in the garden of Gethsemane, he was treated badly and then taken to be crucified.

In this Gospel reading we hear how Jesus was ready to give himself completely:

A reading from the Holy Gospel According to MarkGlory to You, O Lord

We make the sign of the cross on our forehead, lips and heart, in preparation to hear the Good News of the Gospel. We make the sign of the cross on our foreheads to show we believe in God’s Word, on our lips to show we try to speak God’s Word to others, and on our hearts to show we love God’s Word and will try to live a good life.

On the way they met a man named Simon, from Cyrene. He was the father of Alexander and Rufus. He was coming into the city from the country and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. They took Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means the place of the skull. There they tried to give him wine, mixed with myrrh, but Jesus would not drink it. Then they crucified him and divided his clothes among themselves. They threw dice to decide what each should get. It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. The notice above his head said, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ Two thieves were crucified at the same time. One was on his right side, and the other on his left.

The Gospel of the LordPraise to You Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus gave his life for us, because he loved us so much. On Good Friday, Christians go to church to recall again how Jesus died for us.

Gathering Together

The Word of God

Response to the Word

In order to help us remember that Jesus died because he loved us so much let us adore the cross – just as Christians throughout the world do every Good Friday.

We know that Jesus’ death was not the end and that Easter is a celebration of Jesus’ rising to New Life. During Lent and Easter we think about how we can ‘walk in the light’ of Christ, die to selfishness and live a life of selfless love of others.

Let us pause for a moment and think about how we can be like Christ and bring the light of love to others…..

You may like to recite these words from a Lenten song:

Lent’s a time for new beginnings,death to our selfishness, sadness and greed.Let there be born in us new hope and kindness,then we’ll be ready for Easter indeed.

Jesus on the first Good Friday,died to all bitterness, hate and despair,only to rise in the splendour of Easterto life eternal and gives us a share.

Sr. Oswin

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Going Forth