Page 6 - Lessons and Activities on What Makes Us Catholic

1
ADVENT
Objective
To prepare for the season of Advent by making Family Envelopes of Activities
Background for Catechists
The liturgical year begins four weeks before Christmas. Advent means “coming”; we celebrate the three comings of Jesus: into our world some two thousand years ago, the Second Coming in the future, and how Jesus comes each day into our lives. Advent calls us to slow down and re ect on the gift of Jesus in our lives. Yet, in many ways, with all the events and preparations surround- ing us, this is probably the busiest, most rushed time of the year. e church invites us to take the slower time, to nd ways to live in the present mo- ment, deepening and understanding the gift we have been given.
Materials
□ 24 (or so) envelopes for each child/youth □ Copies of the handout
□ Blank slips of paper
□ Scissors
□ Pencils, markers
Lesson Starter
Ask: What did your family do during the days before Christmas last year, the days of Advent?
Acknowledge the busy schedules of the season; then share with your learners the church’s invitation to make Advent a slower time, a time of rituals that bring us closer to Jesus and to one another, including our family.
Share with the children/youth that many families have rituals during the Advent season to celebrate the meaning of the season and
to spend time with each other. Ask: What are some things that families might do during the Advent season?
Activity
Invite the children/youth to think of and choose what they would like their family to do during this Advent season to remember Jesus. ey can cut out ideas from the handout, or write down ideas that were suggested by the group or other ideas that come to them.
Place each one in a separate envelope, dating the outside of the envelope. A few of the activi- ties are designed for a speci c date; the others can be determined by the children/youth. ey might want to decorate the envelopes.
Invite the children/youth to take the en- velopes home. Suggest placing them on their family dinner table, opening one each evening and discussing as a family how they might do the suggested activity.
Prayer Together
Emmanuel, God with us in every moment, during this Advent season slow us down. As we celebrate the coming of your Son, Jesus, deepen our caring within our families and our reaching out to all in our human family.
Options
▪ Prior to this session communicate with the parents, asking for activities their families have done in the past and what they might like to do this year. Add these into your discussion with your learners.
▪ Instead of envelopes, these ideas might be placed on an Advent Chain. One
of the advantages of the envelopes
is the experience of waiting—an Advent theme—to discover what suggestion is in each envelope.
6
Twenty-Third Publications Sample