ST. STEPHEN CHURCH Children’s Liturgy of the Word At Home! Palm Sunday April 5, 2020 Fo For questions, email: ke kellie@ssparish.org
Welcome, Families! ➢ HELLO, PARENTS: ➢ We are glad you are joining us to celebrate our Children’s Liturgy with your family today! Although we cannot be together in church, we are one in prayer. We encourage you to share these slides with your children, read aloud where noted, lead them in the prayers, and proclaim the Gospel passage to them. After the reading there are a few questions you can ask them to help their understanding. ➢ You’ll also find ideas for family activities and activity sheets appropriate in the 3+ and 7+ age groups. ➢ All of us at St. Stephen miss seeing you at church and in the classroom during these difficult days. Please remember that your family is always in our prayers!
Prepare to Celebrate PARENTS: Since we cannot gather at church and receive palms, you may want to instead cut a few branches from some of the blooming trees and shrubs in your garden. Ask your children to help you gather them, and either hold them as you celebrate the Children’s Liturgy, or tie them together with string or ribbon and hang them on your door. It’s a beautiful way to show that we are entering Holy Week.
Introduction READ ALOUD: Palm Sunday marks the start of Holy Week, the most important week in the year for our Catholic Church. During it we will remember the events leading up to Jesus’ death on the cross. Special days include Holy Thursday when Jesus washed the feet of his apostles and shared his final meal with them at the Last Supper. Jesus was crucified and died on Good Friday. The period from Holy Thursday through Easter -- the Triduum – are the Holiest Days of the Church year. During this week, let us remember Jesus’ suffering for us and pray for each other.
Opening Prayer MAKE the Sign of the Cross. SAY TOGETHER the Our Father prayer. READ ALOUD: God of joy, we welcome you into our lives as the people of Jerusalem welcomed Jesus, with respect, love, and happiness. Help us to remember that you are in all people and to try to make them feel welcome. Amen.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 21:1-11 READ ALOUD: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord. As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives. There Jesus sent two of the disciples on ahead with these instructions: “Go to the village there ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied up with her colt beside her. Untie them and bring them to me. And if anyone says anything, tell him, ‘The Master needs them’; and then he will let them go at once.” This happened in order to make what the prophet had said come true: “Tell the city of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you! He is humble and rides on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (continued on next slide)
Gospel Reading: Matthew 21:1-11 So the disciples went and did what Jesus had told them to do: they brought the donkey and the colt, threw their cloaks over them, and Jesus got on. A large crowd of people spread their cloaks on the road while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds walking in front of Jesus and those walking behind began to shout, “Praise to David's Son! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise be to God!” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was thrown into an uproar. “Who is he?” the people asked. “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee,” the crowds answered.
Reflection (3 slides) PARENTS: Please take a few minutes to discuss these questions with your children. Today is a special day, called Palm Sunday. Today there are two gospel readings. The second gospel reading is called the Passion and tells the story of how Jesus was arrested, tried, crucified and buried. What do you remember from the first gospel reading? In the first gospel reading we heard how Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey. The donkey was a very humble animal – not very special for such an important person like Jesus. Why do you think he chose a donkey? If Jesus were to arrive here today, do you think he would ride on a donkey? What would he ride or drive?
Reflection All of the people were so happy to see Jesus that they laid their cloaks on the floor and cut branches from palm trees to lay before him to show their respect. This is why today is called Palm Sunday. They shouted to show their joy and praise for God. Why do you think the crowds were so full of happiness and praise for Jesus? What would you have done if you were in the crowd? Think again about what it would be like if Jesus arrived here today. What would you do to welcome Jesus if he arrived here today? God made all of us, no matter where in the world that we come from. Jesus is in all of us. So every time we meet someone and we welcome them, we are welcoming Jesus.
Reflection Jesus is in all people, so we should treat all people with the respect, love and kindness that we would show to Jesus. We should try to welcome all people into our lives and treat them as we would like to be treated. Can you think of a time you welcomed someone else, into your home, your class, your game? What did you do? Or have you ever been welcomed by others? What did they do to make you feel special and welcome?
Prayer Intentions (2 slides) PARENTS: Please read each intention and ask your children to respond “LORD, HEAR OUR PRAYER”. READ ALOUD: As we welcome Jesus into our lives, we pray: For God’s protection for the health and safety of all people during these difficult days… We pray to the Lord… For all medical workers, that they will have the supplies, strength, and courage to care for the ill… We pray to the Lord…
Prayer Intentions (continued) For our families, that we will continue to support each other with love and hope, while we must remain separated from our friends and relatives… We pray to the Lord… For our medical and government leaders, that they will wisely lead our country through our struggles, find treatment and cures, and provide help to all our citizens… We pray to the Lord… For ourselves, that we continue to pray throughout Holy Week, remembering how Jesus suffered and died for us… We pray to the Lord… For our own special silent prayers… (pause) We pray to the Lord...
Closing Prayer SAY TOGETHER: the Hail Mary. READ ALOUD: God of truth, we thank you for sending us your Son Jesus. Open our hearts so that we may see him in other people and do what we can to make the world a more caring place. AMEN.
Activity Sheets For ages 3+ or 7+: see ages indicated on following 4 slides and print as needed Palm Sunday coloring page: http://www.getcoloringpages.com/coloring/ 61038
Thank You for Joining Us! Thank you for sharing in our Children’s Liturgy of the Word. We look forward to having you join us next week. Praying for blessings that all will stay safe and be well!
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