CATECHESIS

According to the liturgical time

Christmas - cycle/A

  •  

En ESPAñOL
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 En  PORTUGUES  
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En INGLES
Director: P.Celerino Anciano o.p.
Text and design : Sister Teresa Castaño m.a.r.

Translated by: Ana María Diaz y Eleazar González

Christmas celebration

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Baptism of Jesus
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Christmas celebration

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS, JESUS IS BORN IN OUR HEARTS!

 

  • Objective: 

That children experiment and understand that the coming of Jesus is the greatest event of mankind.

  • Environment: 

Prepare the Christmas setting.  Show the day and the time of the celebration. Distribute the characters of the story and rehearse before hand. Prepare christmas carols. The children should bring something to share.  Mothers and fathers can be invited according to the size of the room.

  • Celebration:

There should be a light near the creche.

  • 1)   All standing. 

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

      We are gathered today to celebrate in our group this great mystery and gift of God for mankind: the coming of Jesus, our saviour and Lord. Let us offer up our pray to the Father saying: “help us Lord to know and love Jesus more each day so that our lives would be a gift to others giving hope and joy to those near us” Amen.

  • 2)   Sing a carol.

  • 3)   Reading of the Word of God.  Gospel of Saint Luke:2, 1-14.

  • 4)   Sing a salm or a carol.  Reflect on the reading of the gospel.

  • 5)   Read the following story and prepare a play to be presented after.

Story: “THE DREAM OF THE TRAVELLER”

Once upon a time there was a man called Josue whose job was to sell lace, needles and thread for sewing. He went from door to door and had a good business going but he was not happy. In his heart, there was a wish that grew day after day: in his long journey he wanted to meet the Messiah. After walking very much and feeling very tired, one day he came to his house. In a dream an angel came to him and said “Josue your wish will be granted. Tomorrow you are going to meet the Messiah”. Josue woke up very happy he had a bath, got dressed and went out, he was so happy that he saw no one. He stubbled over a blind man, gave him his walking stick and continued on.  Later on he saw a man who had fallen on the street, he helped the man and continued walking.  Then he met a woman who had a baby in her arms begging, he gave her money but without looking at her he continued on.

At the corner, a child with crutches asked him to help him cross the street and Josue helped him. He bought a candle from an old man who was selling candles and matches, and he continued his way. He was so tied that night that he went to bed without even thinking that he didn’t meet the Messiah, that he had been a victim of an illusion.  He fell asleep quickly and in a dream, he saw the angel again who told him: Why are you sad and complaining? Didn’t you meet the Messiah? You are absent minded, you did many things, you helped in your way, the Messiah was in your heart but you didn’t let him come out, you went near your brother like a robut, they needed your smile, your attention, your warmth..... they needed the Messiah hidden in your heart and you were looking for Him outside of your heart.

  • 6)   In the play,

the child who acts as Josue, gives out to those present hearts with the words: “peace, help, love, give, attention, kindness, greeting, happiness, smile”. Each person should make a petition or a pray with each word.

  • 7)   Read the prays out loud and sing a carol.

  • 8)   To end, holding hand and standing around the creche, say or sing the Our Father.

  • 9)   Each one shares what he or she has brought and everyone says goodbye with:

HAPPY CHRISTMAS, JESUS IS BORN IN OUR HEARTS!

We are already in the christmas season....and?

Did Jesus come to your heart or was it just a party with gifts and afterwards, complaints about debts, instead of filling your heart with God? Friend, it is never late. God can come to your heart right now. Christmas is a special gift, a wonderful manifestation of how much God our father loves us. He sent his son to save us from all the stupid things that we do,all our faults, all our sins. There is always time to open up to God’s frindship.  Less noise and more pray. It would be great for us to celebrate Christmas in a big way! 

In each tabernacle there is an everlasting Christmas and in your family’s creche with the sherperds, the donkey and the cow you are united to a happy mother  and the humble Joseph and you put your heart and the heart of everyone of your family in the hands of baby Jesus who will always bless you and teach you.  How good it is to feel a happy christmas without anyone having to say it!

 

The Baptism

of Jesus

 

 

Objective:

 Understand that the sacrament of Baptism makes us children of God.

  • 1)     Setting: 

Use a jug and a towel. Also the word Epiphany written in big.

 Today we are celebrating an important feast and with this feast we are ending the Christmas season. How did you all spend this week? Happy?

  • 3)  Prayer:

To start our meeting let us hold hands,close our eyes and repeat these words: we give you thanks dear Father because you have revealed Jesus to us as your beloved son, we beg you to make us capable of understanding what you came to teach us and give us a big heart to love our neighbor just as he loved everyone, amen.

  • 4)  Activity

Today we are going to play a game: Crossing the river Jordan.

Divide the children into two groups: A and B. The two groups should make two lines.

The frist person of each line should have two pieces of cardboard, the size of a foot. These pieces of cardboard represent stones that are in the river.

On the ground mark off a place with chalk which represent the river.

Each group should cross the river one by one forth and back. The group that finishes first wins the game.

At the end of the game we ask ourselves :

-Did Jesus play any games? How did he play?

-Jesus grew up and became a man. Where did he live when he returned from Egipt?

-Jesus had a cousin who baptized people in the river Jordan. Who was Jesus’ cousin?

  • 5)    THE WORD OF GOD

Let us listen to what the gospel of Saint Matthew tells us.

Matthew 3, 13-17

 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

  • 6)   Meditation

Let us remember what was read. Let us look at the drawing.

Now we ask ourselves:

-Why did Jesus want to be baptized?

-What did Jesus say to John that would come true?

-What happened when Jesus came out of the water?

 

Jesus did not need the penitential baptism which John gave to those who showed repentance for their sins because Jesus did not have any sins. John said that it is he who needed Jesus to baptize him. The conversation ended when Jesus said to John: It is good that we do what God want us to do. These words summarize the mision of Jesus in the world :do God ‘s will. Jesus was baptized because God wanted it that way nd when he came out of the water the Father made it known that Jesus was his beloved son. At the same time, the Holy Spirit was seen in the form of a dove.

Because of the obedience and humility of Jesus, God made himself known to John in the Jordan. And to us also. We must remember always that God wants the best for us and if we do his will, we will be happy even if we have problems.

Our Father,God loves us with a devine love, more than anyone in the world.

  • 8)   Celebration: 

Let us give thanks to God for our Baptism. On that day we were called God’s children. Jesus acepted us as his brothers and sisters and the Holy Spirit came to live in our heart.Let us pray also for so many people who have received the sacrament of Baptism and are very far from God, they have forgotten that God loves them.

  • 9) Commitment:

-Make a list of all the things that God expects of us.

-Every night ask our Father God to get to know him more and to do his will, just like Jesus.

Homework: 

-Write in the note book ten things that a child who is missionary should do.

-Of these things, circle the things that you have done during this week.

 

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