focus

God reveals
his love for us
in the Sacred
Scriptures.

Refl e c t i on : P a r e n t s / C ate c h i sts

: : L I STE N I N G : :

“In the sacred books the Father who is in

heaven comes lovingly to meet his children,
and talks with them.”
(Intro to the “Rite of Penance #7”)

Excerpt from The Rites © 1983.

:: R E FL ECTI N G : :
The council fathers at the
Second Vatican Council
(11 October 1962 -
08 December 1965)
encouraged all Catholics to
direct their journey toward the
kingdom of God by reading,
knowing, understanding and
loving the Sacred Scriptures.
As parents and catechists, we
have the privilege and duty of
leading our children along the
way, but we can do this only if
we are travelling it ourselves.
We should not only read and
study the Bible as the Word
of God, but we should use it
for prayerful meditation. In
this way it becomes for us a
source of inspiration as well as
of spiritual nourishment. As St
Paul said to Timothy:
“Everything in the Scriptures is
God’s Word. All of it is useful for
teaching and helping them how
to live.”
(2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Thus nourished and sustained,
we can share with others the
life-giving Word of God and
encourage in them a love and
respect for the Scriptures. The
words of St Paul give wise
counsel to us as well as to our
children.
“Keep on being faithful to what
you were taught and to what
you believed. After all, you
know who taught you these
things. Since childhood you
have known the Holy Scriptures
that are able to make you wise
enough to have faith in Christ
Jesus and be saved.”
(2 Timothy 3:14-15)
What a powerful tool we have
for forming us in holiness!
Materials needed
for this lesson: : : PAG E 1 ::
The Big Word
for Kids

To be co n scio us th at Baptism imparts

power to h ear Go d’s wo rd an d
spread h is wo rd to oth ers.

Read the story of the cure of
the deaf man from the page.
Discuss the man’s new power
of hearing and speaking.
How did Jesus help the deaf
man to hear?
What do you think were the
first sounds the man heard?
What do you think were the
most wonderful things the
man could hear?
(He could hear Jesus speak to
him. He could listen to Jesus’
words and think about his
message. He could hear others
speak about Jesus, too.)
to listen to God’s Word and to
believe it.
They touch the person’s mouth
and pray that it will speak
about God’s goodness. This is
something like what Jesus did
to the deaf man.
Where do we hear God’s
Word?
(In the Bible; in Church.)
Find John, chapter 6, verse 68
and copy down Peter’s reply
to Jesus when Jesus asked the
twelve disciples if they were
going to leave him. Just copy
the second half of the verse.
(Your words give eternal life.)
You might like to write it in a
special way.

What else did Jesus do to help

this man?

What do you think he spoke

about to everyone he met?

Compare the cure to our

Baptism by asking this
question: When did God open
your heart to hear his Word?
(When we were baptised.)

When priests baptise they may

touch the ears of the person
and pray that they will be open

To p ra c t i s e us i ng sacred scripture fo r prayer.
Read this email with your child.
Begin by telling him/her that
it is an email from a father who
has been away from home for
a few days attending a work
meeting. His children look
forward to his emails each day
after they come home from
school:
Hi everyone!
Miss you. I’m looking forward
to coming home on Friday.
I’ve just got back from my
meeting and I’ve some great
news for us all!!!!! You know
how we often talk about a
family holiday away but it
never seems to happen. Well,
now we can go away .Mike,
the new guy at work, has a
caravan he’s happy for us to
have! Great eh?
:: PAG ES 2 & 3 ::
Can’t wait to see you all on
Friday. We can start planning
our holiday.
Love you lots.
Daddy.
Encourage your child to talk
about some special texts or
emails he/she has received.
Have you ever received an
email or text from someone
who is very special to you?
Who was it from?
What did it tell you?
Why did the person who texted
or emailed seem closer to you?
Read the words next to the
picture.
‘Try This’ on Page 2 on how
to pray using the Sacred
Scriptures.
Now try doing it.
Make sure your child
is comfortable and not
distracted. Begin with the
prayer. Have your child or
yourself read the Good
Shepherd verses. Lead them
with the questions. Allow for
silences.
Encourage your child to
do this during the coming
week. He/she could use the
Scriptures on Page 3.

To be g ui d e d by t he te a ch in gs fo u n d in th e Sacred Scriptures.
Have you ever thought of
being an astronaut and taking
a trip to the moon?
What would you need to do to
learn how to live on the moon?
(You would need to be healthy.
You would need to learn about
living on the moon.
It would be good to speak with
those who have been there.
A book about “How to live on
the moon” would be great.)
God has given us a book which
teaches us how to live as
Christians. It is a guide book,
the Bible.
“God blesses those who
make _____”
(Matthew 5:9)
“Children ____
your parents”
(Ephesians 6:1)
Acknowledgement:
The Rites of The Catholic Church. Copyright ©1983. All rights reserved.
:: PAG E 4 ::
Copy down the missing words
from verses 16 and 17 from
St Paul’s second letter to
Timothy, chapter 3.
(Everything in the Scriptures is
God’s Word. All of it is useful for
teaching and helping people
and for correcting them and
showing them how to live.)
Look up the readings written
under the sheep on Page 4
and encourage your child to
fill in the blank spaces. Each
saying is a guideline about
how to live. The sayings can
also be used as short prayers.
“Treat others as you want “Love is ____
them to _____ you” and _______”
(Matthew 7:12) (1 Corinthians 13:4)
“Don’t _____
others”
(Luke 6:37)
Read the first one: Matthew,
chapter 5, verse 9.
Now read Matthew, chapter 7,
verse 12.
Next read First Corinthians,
chapter 13, verse 4.
Next read Ephesians, chapter
6, verse 1.
Lastly read Luke, chapter 6,
verse 37.
Possible responses...
Sheep 1: God blesses those
who make peace.
Sheep 2: Treat others as you
want them to treat
you.
Sheep 3: Love is kind and
patient.
Sheep 4: Children obey your
parents.
Sheep 5: Don’t judge others.
Encourage your child to
memorise the WE REMEMBER
at the bottom of Page 4.
we
remember...
Whenever I listen to or
read the Bible, I remember
that God is speaking to me
because he loves me.