Corpus Christi

LSW children

Year B

Corpus Christi

Images

The four actions of the mass

Points to note

On the same feast day in Year A, we touched on the concept of the Body of Christ. This year we discuss what happens at mass.  The mass is laden with symbolisms that often escape us.  As Catholics, we often grow up not knowing what happens at mass. Perhaps, today, we share with the children about the little bit of the mass that they attend.  This is best done by preparing them to be alert at mass for some of the details that we share with them.  I will leave it up to you how you wish to explain.

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

I am the living bread which has come down from heaven, 

says the Lord.

Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Explain that this story happened at the night before Jesus was to be killed.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark

(Mk14: 12-16, 22-26)

On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover Lamb was sacrificed, his disciples said to Jesus, “Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?”  So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go into the city and you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water.  Follow him and say to the owner of the house which he enters, “The Master says: Where is the dining room in which I can eat the Passover with my disciples?”  He will show you a large upper room furnished with couches, all prepared.  Make the preparations for us there.”  The disciples set out and went to the city and found everything as he had told them, and prepared the Passover.

And as they were eating, he took some bread, and when he has said the blessing, he broke it and gave it to them.  “Take it,” he said, “this is my body.”  Then he took a cup, and when he had returned thanks he gave it to them, and all drank from it, and he said to them, “This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, which is to be poured out for many.  I tell you solemnly, I shall not drink any more wine until the day I drink the new wine in the kingdom of God.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Discussions

The mass has two parts.  We celebrate the first part of the mass, the Celebration (the proper word here would, of course, be Liturgy) of the Word, away from the rest of the church and we rejoin them for the Celebration of the Eucharist.  The word Eucharist here could refer to the bread to be eaten or it could refer to the mass itself.  The word comes from an ancient Greek word which means thanksgiving.

When we join in the Church for the mass, it is at the point of the presentation of gifts.  You may wish to use the accompanying guide for material on the mass to explain to the children.

Children need something more visual than doctrines and historical context, interesting though they may be.  I would suggest hanging your session on the

·           presentation of gifts: get them to imagine what it was like in the old days when people brought the produce of their farms for mass.  If you have time, discuss what kind of gifts would Jesus like us to bring to the altar.  Emphasise on spiritual gifts.

·           washing of hands:  we wash our hands before a meal.  The Eucharist is a meal, a spiritual meal. What kind of washing should we have before this spiritual meal?

·           four liturgical actions (v 22)

i.         take: Jesus took some bread and(the priest takes the bread at the presentation of gifts)

ii.        bless: when he has said the blessing,(the priest blesses the bread at the Eucharistic Prayer)

iii.       broke: he broke it and (the priest breaks the bread after the Lamb of God)

iv.       gave: gave it to them (the priest gives out communion to the ministers of the Eucharist)

Trinity Sunday

LSW children

Year B

Trinity Sunday

Images

Baptising in the name of the Holy Trinity

Points to note

Easter season has just finished and we are not back into the ordinary season of the liturgical year.  The readings will remain with the Gospel according to St Mark, with a few exceptions like in this week, until the end of the liturgical year.

If you do wish to go into the intricacies of the Trinity, this will be in the leaflet for Year A.

In this reading, the injunction from Jesus calls on the Apostles, the first bishops to baptise in the name of the Trinity.  Names are very important to the ancients.  That is why important people in the Bible had their names changed by God at critical times of their lives:  Abraham; Jacob; Peter.  The Bible also emphasises naming of persons and often gives the meaning of the names.  

In the ancient world, the authority to give or to change someone’s name confers a certain power and ownership of the namer (is this the right word?) over the named.  Therefore, to be baptised in the name of the Trinity would seal the Trinity’s ownership over us.

This would also be an opportunity to share everyone’s names in the group.  You may want to have a book of names to give meaning to names.

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit the God who is, who was, and who is to come.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Explain that this story took place after Jesus rose from the dead and just before he ascended into heaven.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew

(Mt28: 16-20)

The eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them.  When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated.  Jesus came up and spoke to them.  He said, “All authority has in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you.  And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Discussions

Does anyone remember their baptism?  Some of the children may have been baptism as children and not babies while some others may have witnessed a baptism.  Get them to talk about the more salient happenings during the baptism.

There is one point in the celebration where the baby is brought up to the priest for the baptism itself.  Before the baptism, the priest asks the parents for the name of the baby.  This will be a good opportunity to go through the room and ask every child what his or her parents said.  Do it slowly with respect and holiness when they say their names as the ritual of naming can be a solemn affair.

Point out that when their parents called out their names, it was the first time that the Christian community heard their name and the Christian community accepted that name by welcoming the baby into the Church through baptism.

Explain that the choice of names and their meanings are very important.  That is why in the ancient world, people chose the names of their children because of the meaning and not just because they sounded nice.  No one would have wanted their parents to name them Porky for instance!!  If you have a book of names, you may wish to go search out the meaning of names of each child.

Explain also that sometimes, people are named after someone famous, someone the parents like or respect a lot.  It could be a film star, a world leader, or a family member.  Ask if any of the children know if they have been named after someone.  

When parents named a child after someone, they hope that the child will take on the qualities of that person.  Guess what the parents would want their daughter to grow up to be if they have named her Britney?  Catholics like to name their children after saints in hope that they will grow up to be like the saint.

When we are baptised, we are all baptised with two names:  the name that our parents gave us and the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.  We are all baptised using the name of Christ.  After our baptism, people call us Christians and expect us to be like the person that we were named after:  Jesus.  So, being named and being baptised in the Catholic Church is a responsibility. Discuss how we should respond to this responsibility.

Pentecost

Year A, B, C

Pentecost Sunday

Image

Birthday of the Church

Points to note

For this Sunday, the Gospel is not used and the more vivid story of the descent of the Holy Spirit from the Acts of the Apostles is used instead.

The emphasis is on a beginning of the Church.  It is from the day of Pentecost that the mission of the Church began.  Armed with the Holy Spirit, the Church now had the courage to take Christ’s message to the world.  It is important to convey this to the children.

As such, this feastday is sometimes known as the birthday of the Church.  This may be something that can be played up as birthday is something that children identify with.  Discussions, I feel, should go beyond birthdays.

Stories of missionaries may be used.  Perhaps, the stories of the apostles as used in Easter 2 could kick off the story telling.

Liturgy

Reading

As the Gospel is not read, the Acclamation is omitted. Being the birthday of the Church, we could welcome the reading with a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ to the Church instead (make sure you get approval from your parish priest before hand).

The Lord be with you.

All:   And with your spirit.

A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles

(Ac2: 1-11)

When Pentecost day came round, the apostles had all met in one room, when suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them.  They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.

Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven, and at this sound they all assembled, each one bewildered to hear these men speaking his own language.  They were amazed and astonished.  “Surely”, they said, “all these men speaking are Galileans?  How is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Iranians and Syrians; people from Iraq, Israel, Jordan and Turkey, Egypt and Libya; as well as visitors from Rome - Jews and converts alike - Greeks and Arabs; we hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels of God.

This is the Word of the Lord

Discussion

Has anybody just celebrated a birthday?  Or been to a birthday party?  Discuss what is a birthday, and that it happens once a year and it celebrates an event that took place once before on the same day. Explain that that first birthday is a beginning of a life.

Do you know that the Church has a birthday?  Do you know which day?  Discuss that the Church also has a beginning. Discuss the story of Pentecost. Emphasise the fear the apostles had after the resurrection and contrast it with the courage they had after Pentecost. Explain that after Pentecost, the apostles went out to preach the Gospel to all people all over the world.  You may wish to revisit some of the stories of where the apostles went.  The following stories are not biblical:

The apostles drew lots to see where they would go.  Peter went to Rome and became the first bishop of Rome. Once, when he was running away to escape from soldiers, he saw Jesus walking the other direction.  When he asked Jesus where he was going, Jesus replied that he was going to Rome to be crucified again.  Peter was so ashamed of himself that he ran ahead of Jesus and was arrested.  He told the soldiers that he should be crucified upside-down as he was not worthy to be crucified upright like Jesus.

Thomas was chosen to go to India.  He didn’t want to because it was so far away.  Jesus visited him in a dream, but still he told Jesus, “Anywhere Lord but India”.  The next morning, Jesus was at the harbour and asked the captain of a ship if he needed a slave, pointing out to him Thomas.  The captain called Thomas over and asked him if Jesus was his master. When Thomas said yes, the captain said he had bought him and Thomas was going to India.  Thomas went and made many Christians there.

Of all the apostles, only John lived to an old age but in exile in the island of Patmos.  Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross in Greece.  James was martyred in Spain and Matthew in Ethiopia.  Philip was crucified in Turkey.  Bartholomew was whipped to death in Armenia.  Simon and Jude were killed for the faith in Persia.

St Paul, according to the Acts of the Apostles, made four missionary journeys.  He probably made more, one of which was to Rome where he was martyred. 

You may also wish to discuss stories of the great missionary saints. It is recommended that this be limited to the saints known to the children.  A good example would be St Francis Xavier, who brought the message of Christ to Goa in India, Melaka in Malaysia, to Japan, where he baptised thousands, and to Macau in China, where he eventually died waiting to enter China proper.

In addition there are thousands of other people who may not be canonised saints, but are devout nevertheless and have brought the Gospel to all the places of the world.   These people are called missionaries.  Discuss those who the children may know personally.

St Francis Xavier is famous in Asia and is the patron saint of missionaries.  He was a Spaniard, who left his family, home, country, and all things familiar to him to a faraway place to tell people about Jesus.  Get the children to imagine having to do that and go to a place where they did not know anyone, know the language, the costumes, the customs, the food, to do something which people could kill you for.  St Francis went to India, then Malaysia, and then Japan.  Along the way, he made many people Christians.  He wanted to teach the Chinese people about Jesus but he died near Macau, before he could set foot into China.

St Francis Xavier and many other missionaries made many sacrifices so that people could become Christians.  It was because of their sacrifices that we are now Christians.

It will be wonderful if you could research how Christianity came to your town, region our country or how your people and ancestors came to be converted.  That would be your story to tell.  I feel it is important for everyone to be able to tell the story of their people and I hope Christianity is an important enough a defining feature of your people (like for the Irish) that it becomes part of your folklore how your people became Christians.