Happy New Year,
Faith Formation Families!
I hope your Christmas Break was full of family, Christmas cookies, and the love of Jesus! Last week, we learned a little bit about the Epiphany with a craft, a blessing, and some fun facts to go along with the Children's Liturgy of the Word video.
In this week's Flocknote, we'll begin our lessons about the Corporal Work of Mercy for January, "Visit the Prisoner." I'm also including a couple of resources to help you address Wednesday's events at the Capitol with your children.
All of the materials you'll need for this month's lessons will be printable or accessible online, so there's no need to pick up a packet in the Parish Center.
"Visit the Prisoner "
Family Lesson #16
Let's begin our lesson as we begin all things, with the Sign of the Cross.
"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen."
Then pray the Guardian Angel Prayer:
"Angel of God, My Guardian Dear,
To whom God's love commits me here,
Ever this day be at my side,
To light and guard, to rule and guide.
Amen."
Here's a printable version of this prayer along with the opening prayers from October-December. Consider putting them all together in a prayer book!
Activity: Scripture Discussion
Today's activity is to dig a little deeper into the scripture passage from the introduction video. Pull out your family Bible and look it up: Acts 12: 5-11. Here's how...
First, find where the Acts of the Apostles begins in your Bible. It's the fifth book of the New Testament, after the four gospels, and tells about the events that happened to the early church after Jesus returned to heaven. It was written by Luke and is a continuation of his gospel.
Then, find Chapter 12. In some Bibles, the chapters are marked by big numbers at the beginning of each section, like the one in my example. In other Bibles, you'll find them as headings like "Chapter 12."
Next, find verse 5. The verse numbers are the little numbers at the beginning of each phrase or sentence. This is where you'll begin to read.
Then, find verse 11. This is the last verse you'll read in this passage.
Read Acts 12:5-11 together and then discuss it with your family.
What does this Bible passage teach us about God?
What does it teach us about ourselves, human beings?
What does it teach us about how God wants us to live?
Special Bible Verse
As a family, read this Bible verse a few times slowly. Take a quiet moment to think about what Jesus is telling us.
"Peter was being kept in prison, but prayer by the church was fervently being made to God on his behalf."
If you wish, you could also write out this Bible verse in fancy letters, or even try to memorize all or part of it!
God Sightings
My God Sighting for this week is the smell of this fresh bread I baked with my mom, and the joy of trying something new together.
Remember to share your own God Sightings in the "Share your faith work" section below!
Share Your "Faith Work"
A few words about Wednesday...
The events at the Capitol on Wednesday were difficult to watch. During times like these, I think it's important to remember the wise words of Mister Rogers: "Look for the helpers...There are always people helping." God is always with us in difficult times, and he sends the helpers, just like he sent his angel to Peter when he was in prison. And of course, it's important to pray for peace.
Prayer from peace-education.org.uk
Talking with kids about Wednesday...
Parents, if you're looking for the right words to talk about these events with your kids, these two articles are a good resource. This Washington Post article tells about how to talk about it with kids of all ages, and there's a good little part about "looking for the helpers." The second article from wemu.org has some great words to use with really little kids. Don't forget to pray together for our country and its leaders!
Happy New Year, Faith Formation Families! Have a blessed day!
Yours in Christ,
Corinne
