The Blind Man Of Jericho

AIM: To teach our children to see that Jesus does many wonderful things through the power of the spirit in him. Jesus is the healer of those who are sick in their bodies too. What is most important,is not to be afraid but to believe that God helps us even when we are blind and helpless.


THE BLIND MAN OF JERICHO

              As Jesus was coming near Jericho, there was a blind man sitting by the road begging. When he heard the crowd passing by, he asked "what was happening?". 

"Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." they told him. He cried out, "Jesus Son of David! Take pity on me!"
The people in front scolded him and told him to be quiet. But he shouted even more loudly. "Son of David! Take pity on me!"


Jesus stopped and ordered the blind man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?"

"Sir", he answered, "I want to see again". Jesus said to him, "Then see! Your faith has made you well".

At once he could see, and he followed Jesus, giving thanks to God. When the crowd saw it, they all praised God.

Prayer:
Dear God we thank you for giving us the gift of sight to see and to do all things to worship and praise you. We also pray for all the people who are not able to see because of some sickness or disease. We ask you to guide and protect them along the way everyday. We thank you Jesus and we love you Jesus.

Amen.

Hail Mary

One of the most common prayer for us Catholics is the Hail Mary.
Hail Mary is a beautiful Prayer where we ask Mary, Our heavenly Mother who is also the mother of Jesus to pray for us.
Mary is a very loving Mother and she always prays for us and our needs to Jesus.
We show our love for Jesus's mother in this prayer.
Please remember we DO NOT WORSHIP to Mother Mary.
We worship only God.

Remember , we say Holy Mary, Mother of God - "pray for us" , 
We do not say  , " Grant us our wishes"   Prayers can be granted by God alone. 

We only respect and love the Mother of Jesus.
We ask her to pray to Jesus for us.
We can pray to Jesus directly - and we always do that.
Like little children who first ask their mommies for something they need from daddy - we too sometimes got our heavenly Mommy first.


Video downloaded from here  and here

Image Courtesy from Mary Pages



For Parents:

Please encourage the Daily Rosary at home. Encourage reverence and fear of God in your kids at a very young age.
It helps leading by example. Our kids learn from us. If they see us taking recourse to prayer, they too will do likewise when they become adults.
There are many attached blessings to family prayers and in particular the Holy Rosary.

The Rosary also offers promises attached to it. They are as follows:

1.	Whosoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces.
2.	I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.
3.	The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies.
4.	It will cause good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire for Eternal Things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
5.	The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish.
6.	Whosoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of Eternal Life.
7.	Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.
8.	Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the Light of God and the plenitude of His Graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the Merits of the Saints in Paradise.
9.	I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
10.	The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of Glory in Heaven.
11.	You shall obtain all you ask of me by recitation of the Rosary.
12.	All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
13.	I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death.
14.	All who recite the Rosary are my Sons, and brothers of my Only Son Jesus Christ.
15.	Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

Reminder: these promises mean that, by faithfully and devoutly praying the Rosary, Our Lady will obtain for us the necessary Graces to obtain said promises. It is still up to each individual soul to respond to those Graces in order to obtain salvation.

For more information on promises, click here

How to pray the Rosary, click here

About the origins of the Holy Rosary, click here

Parable of Dives and Lazarus

AIM: The aim in this parable is to make children sensitive to the sufferings of others, even though we enjoy many pleasures and good things. God wants us to share and care. Sharing is Caring.

















Jesus told a parable to his followers:

"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' But Abraham said, " Remember  when you were alive- you had lot of luxuries and comforts while Lazarus suffered, but now in this life he is comforted but you are suffering" 

It is not wrong to have a comfortable life.It is not wrong to have food , a house , clothes. But anything, that is excess and without a care or thought for those who have nothing is not right. Like us, even the poor and suffering are God's children.  God gave us these comforts - but at the same time- we must remember that God gave us all this not for us to hoard for ourselves but to care for those who are less fortunate than us. 

Prayer: 

Dear God, I love you. I love you with my whole heart. Help me to love you more and more. 

Thank-you dear Lord for blessing me and my family. Help dear Lord to have a caring heart. 

Teach me love and compassion.Help me help those in need. 

Bless all  the children around the world today who need help and care. 

Amen. 

Action Song: 

 This little guiding Light of mine. 

This little Guiding light of mine, 

I'm gonna let it shine, 
This little Guiding light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine, 
This little Guiding light of mine, 
I'm gonna let it shine, 
Let it shine all the time, 
Let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel, oh no. 

I am gonna let it shine. 

Hide it under a bushel, oh no. 
I am gonna let it shine. 

Hide it under a bushel, oh no. 
I am gonna let it shine. 

Let it shine all the time, 
Let it shine.

Sharing With Friends

AIM:   To encourage the Christian Virtue of Sharing in little children. 

When we make new friends, we also like to share our things with them like our toys, colors,our lunch at school and even maybe a pencil.Even though some of us don't like to share our things,as good Christians we should practice good manners and courtesy towards each other.

Teacher: How many of you made new friends last class?
(All hands go up).
Teacher: What do you like to do with your new friends?
(some of them raise their hands to answer and they answer play with their friends, help them with homework and share their things with them).
Teacher:Who is our best friend? that one friend who never fights with us and even talks to us when we are angry or sad?
(All the children shout in a chorus saying JESUS).

Small Story: 

Perry Porcupine had no friends.People were all afraid of him.He was very sad. Fury Fred came by. "Oh, my! what beautiful needles! May I have two? I want to make a sweater."

"Take my needles!" Perry said. "And will you be my friend?"
Furry Fred hopped up to Perry. "Sure! I like you! I'll be your friend."
Like Fury Fred, We need friends.

Song: 

Sharing, if we would all keep sharing, 

Sharing all the things we have, 

Oh what joy, what peace and contentment , 

If we would keep sharing all we have. 

(Repeat above again)

Activity/ Handout: 

Jesus , Our Friend

Jesus Christ was truly God. He was also truly man. He thought with a human mind, acted with a human will and loved with a human heart. 

Jesus, the Son of God, wants to be our FRIEND.

Action song:

**Since Jesus came to me and washed away my sins

(Point to sky, then towards yourself and then act as if your washing some clothes)

I am inwards, outwards,upwards,downwards
(Both thumbs pointing towards chest,towards the front,towards the sky and then towards the floor)

Happy all the time.
(Put two fingers on cheeks and smile)

I am inwards, outwards,upwards,downwards
(Both thumbs pointing towards chest,towards the front,towards the sky and then towards the floor)

Happy all the time.
(Put two fingers on cheeks and smile)

**Since Jesus came to me and washed away my sins
(Point to sky and then act as if your washing some clothes)

I am forwards, backwards, rightwards, leftwards
(Take a step forward then backwards then towards the right and then towards the left)

Happy all the time.
(Put two fingers on cheeks and smile)

I am forwards, backwards, rightwards, leftwards
(Take a step forward then backwards then towards the right and then towards the left)

Happy all the time.
(Put two fingers on cheeks and smile)

**Since Jesus came to me and washed away my sins
(Point to sky and then act as if your washing some clothes)

I am inwards, outwards,upwards,downwards, forwards, backwards, rightwards, leftwards
(Repeat all the actions together)

Happy all the time.
(Put two fingers on cheeks and smile)

(Repeat many times and faster).

Our Father - Prayer

AIM:   To teach children the importance of prayer, what Jesus thought of prayer and to teach the the "Perfect prayer ever taught"

Video obtained from LIVING SCRIPTURES

The Our Father is the PERFECT prayer. It was taught to us by God Himself - Jesus Christ.

Our Father 

When we say Our Father - we call out to Our Father who made us.
He knows us, sees us and understands our  very thoughts.

Who are in Heaven 

When we say Heaven - it does not mean that God lives far away from us - it means God is Perfect - He loves us very much - He abides in Heaven up above - but lives in our hearts especially when we love Him more and more and call out to Him.

Hallowed be Thy Name

No name in the earth, sky or universe is as beautiful, more profound, more powerful than God's Holy Name.
We exalt God's Holiness.

Thy Kingdom Come

God's kingdom is a kingdom of Love, Peace, Joy and Happiness. God's world is pure and we are also waiting for God to come again.

Thy Will be done

In all things we see God's decision or Will in our life.
Mother Mary said "Let it be done unto me according to They Holy Will"  - thereby accepting God's plan in her life.
We too must make this our life's path, our life's mantra - so to speak - Thy will be done.

On Earth as it is in Heaven

We ask God's will to be manifested in our life, our family's life, in every part of the world - the same way it is in God's perfect Heaven


Give us this day our Daily Bread

(Mathew 6: 8 ) Your father knows what you need , even before you ask Him. 

God knows what we need. He knows if we need food, money, more marks, better memory. We ask God in humble supplication to provide us what we need for today. Not tomorrow- not the day after tomorrow.

Example:

Forgive us our trespasses

We all are sinners - sometimes we sin knowingly , sometimes we sin unknowingly.
At all times we need God to love us and forgive us. He is a kind, loving and merciful God.
We prayerfully ask God to forgive us our sins.

As we forgive those who tresspass against us. 

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If we ask God to forgive us and we depend on Hid Mercy , Should we not also forgive our friends / brothers - who have hurt us?
Jesus told his disciples to forgive 70 times 7 - or in other words - any number of times. Just as God does not keep count, we too must not keep count.

Example: Somebody said something that has made me very sad - should I hit him? NO - I must ask God for strength and courage to be the better person - I MUST forgive him and love him.


Do not bring us to the test

God NEVER EVER tempts- it is our need that makes us sin. We ask God to help us in these moments. We ask Him to give us strength to say no.

Example: I have not studied and teacher has given us a surprise test. My friend is busy wrting the answer , but i can see the answer - should I copy? NO - i must ask God to give me strength and courage to NOT copy and be better prepared next time.
Somebody said something that has made me very sad - should I hit him? NO - I must ask God for strength and courage to be the better person.

But deliver us from all Evil

We ask God to protect us from things (bad) that we cannot see.

AMEN 

Image Courtesy Reproduced (with thanks) from
 http://www.catholictradition.org/Children/our-father.htm

The Great Teacher

AIM:  To teach children that they can rely on an All Knowing God, and that Jesus is available t us at all times - whenever we pray. To introduce the concept of Bible Studies, the importance of Parables and an introduction to such life lessons.

There are various phases in a child's life wherein different people hold great importance to them.

Needless to say, the greatest influences in a child's life is the parent themselves. However, about the time a child begins school one of the most important person(s)  in their life invariably becomes their teacher. 

Teachers have an immense capacity and responsibility in these little minds. 

Like Spiderman says " With great Power comes Great responsibility" 

Hence, we as teachers try our best to be extra careful and encouraging to our kids. 

This section of my class began like this: 

( I began writing on the "White Board" . ) 

Teacher: Who does this all the time? 

Kids: TEACHER

Teacher : Good- do you like your teachers? 

Kids: YES!!

Teacher: Can you tell me some of your favourite Teacher's names? 

Teacher: Thats great!! Do you know you have ONE Great Teacher who can teach you every lesson in the world? 

He is Always Right!

Never has the wrong answer and can teach you so beautifully that you will understand verything He teaches immediately? 

He is so Great that he has taught me, your parents, your grandparents and everyone you can ever think of!!!

(Kids look on in awe!!) 

Teacher: Can anyone tell me who This Great Teacher is? 

(Silence) 

Teacher: This teacher did not teach in classrooms but wherever He met anyone who would listen. 

(Silence) 

Teacher: He taught in Temples or in a boat or in mountains and hills .......and He loved Children 

(recognition lights up a few faces. Some hands go up ) 

Kids: JESUS

Teacher: That is right - Jesus is the greatest teacher!!!

Do you know how he taught? He did not use notebooks, pens, Blackboards- so how did He teach? 

He taught us with stories!! Jesus loved to tell stories - His stories are called PARABLES!!

Parables are stories that Jesus told with examples to teach us special lessons. Parables were short and simple but had very good (read deep, moral and spiritual )  lessons behind them. 

We wound up with a short Prayer to The Greatest Teacher ever asking Him to help us Love Him more and more!!

Hello - to new friends.

AIM:   To encourage social development in young children.

Friends.

We all need friends. Children need them even more!!
Especially when they come to a new environment like a Classroom , making friends helps them break the ice and cheer up! It also makes class more interesting & fun!!

One of our first classes was

"Hello to New Friends" 

A friend is someone who accepts you just the way you are, believes in you and encourages you. Someone who is trustworthy, who never forsakes you, who forgives your mistakes, who enjoys being with you, and who makes you laugh.

We started off by introducing ourselves and teaching kids the importance of friends.

Teacher: How many of y ou have friends? 

(Lots of hands go up) 

Teacher: How many of you have Best Friends? 

(Hands go up) 

Teacher: How many of you love making New friends?   

(Hands go up) 

Teacher: So, how do we make a friend? 

(Silence) 

Then the teachers have a little activity with the help of volunteers and basically teach the kids to say "Hello" and introduce themselves. 

We then proceeded to explain to the kids who a friend really is. 

Kids were encouraged to learn the names of other kids in class. 

As an activity we gave them handouts to fill and paste it on their notebooks. 
It was more of a checklist. 

Following this we encouraged kids to think of a Friend - who has all the best qualities and more. 


With a little prodding our young geniuses came up with the Correct Answers on their own: 

JESUS!!

Yes, Jesus can be our Very Best Friends and He Loves to talk to us. 
Prayer is one of the nicest things because the second we say a small "Hello" / "what's up Jesus? " Our Best Friend Jesus is ready and around to talk to us!!!

Action Song: 

Jesus Loves me: 

Jesus Loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong
He is great and we are small. 

Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so!!!

The Sign of the Cross

The Sign of the Cross is one of the Most Basic Prayers. 

Yes, I call it a prayer – because I use it often ( and am very sure most of you do) when I need God’s help and don’t have the most eloquent words to express it.  

Example: When I am driving and have just escaped something pretty unfortunate , or when I don’t know how to deal with a particular situation , it’s my quick 911 to God.

The Sign of the Cross is one of the most fundamental signs of us catholics- in it we proclaim our belief in the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son & God the Holy Spirit. 

We also show the world we are Christian. We wear our religion with pride. 

It is important to teach our children the proper way to make the Sign of the Cross, I do it as follows: 

THE SIGN OF THE CROSS: 

First you place your Left Hand on the Chest. 

In the name of the Father…

Start with the your right hand, and touch your head.  

When you touch your head you are also asking God to clean your mind from thoughts He does not want you  to have. Thoughts of sadness, thoughts of Anger, thoughts that “ I am not good enough, or, I am not special, or , I don’t like that boy or girl, “ etc. You also ask Him to clean your minds to listen to His Word better, to open your mind to understand and remember what you learn .

You say Our Father – because God is our Father. He made me. He lives in Heaven up above,  so move your hand to the highest part of your head, your forehead.

…and of the Son…

Next say “and of the Son.”

When you touch your chest you are also asking God to clean your heart from feelings He does not want you  to have. Feelings  of sadness, feelings of Anger, feelings of revenge

Jesus is Love and Love is felt in our hearts – He wants us to love everyone. So we need to ask Jesus to live in our Hearts. With Jesus in your heart, you can love everybody, especially those who make you sad.

…and of the Holy Spirit…

When you touch your shoulders you are also asking God to clean the work of your hands, be it your games, your fun activities, your studies etc.  You ask him to touch your hands when you do good to someone or something. Through your hands the whole will feel God’s love.

The Holy Spirit is God. God the Holy Spirit fills the world with Jesus’s love.

Amen

Amen  means “it is so.”  or "I agree" When you say “Amen” at the end of the Sign of the Cross—or any prayer—you agree with what was just said. This is a way of Praising God.

We distribute this hand-out in Class. Children are to colour these and stick it on their note books.

(For Parents) 

WHY MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS:  

Catholics, worldwide make the Sign of the Cross, millions of times through their livs. 

Why do we make the Sign of the Cross? 

The first, most simple reason is it a Prayer. It is a Prayer we say - when words fail us (example in times of an emergency - and i need a result - quick!!). It is a prayer to God and He knows exactly what we need. 

It is a public acknowledgement to the world that we are Christ's disciples. We tell the world we belong to Jesus.

We use it to protect our entire selves, our entire being. When we Sign ourselves with the Cross - the Devil is scared and stays away from us!. Our body has been protected by a very simple Cross. The Cross that gave us Victory over death and hell. 

When we are faced with a moment of temptation like  - anger building up etc. - all it takes is the Sign of the Cross (taken with faith) 

Whn taken with faith - the Sign of the Cross is very powerful and can protect us from many evils. 

Take faith- Be proud of being Catholic!!

Take the Sign of the Cross!

Amen!