In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Come, Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of your
faithful. Light the fire of your love in them.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created,
and you will renew the face of the earth. We ask
this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and
reigns forever and ever. Amen.
Liturgical Calendar: We are in the season of Lent now. This past
Sunday was the 4th Sunday of Lent. We call the 4th Sunday
of Lent “Laetere Sunday.” On Laetere Sunday,
some priests wear pink chasubles. They also call the
color “rose.” Fr. Hammond was wearing a pink
chasuble. However, the chasuble that Fr. Giese wore was
the usual color of Lent -- purple. If you saw a pink
chasuble wherever you were at Mass this weekend, it is
because it was Laetere Sunday, the 4th Sunday of the
season of Lent. It reminds us that we are close to Easter
Sunday, and we can be happy about that. In Latin, the
word “laetere” means “rejoice.”
(Click on the picture to hear Fr. Giese talking.)
GOSPEL READING:
At Mass this weekend, the Gospel reading was from the
Gospel of Luke. The story is called “The Parable of
the Lost Son.” Sometimes the story is called
“The Parable of the Prodigal Son.” The word
"prodigal" means wasteful, spending money
foolishly.
The story is in your special children’s
bulletin, and there’s only
one little puzzle in it. That will make the reading more
pleasant. Now, we’ll read it together:
The Parable of the Lost
Son
Some people complained
that Jesus welcomed sinners.
In response, Jesus told the Parable of the Lost
Son:
A man had two sons.
The younger son asked him
for his share of the inheritance.
The son wasted his wealth
in wild living in a distant country.
After the son had spent everything,
he began to be in need!
What did the son do?
The son hired himself out
to a citizen of that country.
The citizen sent him to the fields to feed pigs.
The son longed to fill his
stomach
with the pods that the pigs were eating,
but no one gave him anything.
The son decided to go back to his father and
tell him he was not worthy to be called his son.
What did his father say?
“Let’s have a feast and celebrate.
For this son of mine was dead and is alive again;
he was lost and is found.”
When the older brother found out,
he became angry.
What did his father say to him?
“My son,” the father said,
“you are always with me,
and everything I have is yours.
But we had to celebrate and be glad,
because this brother of yours
was dead and is alive again;
he was lost and is found.”
ASK: What
do you think? How do you feel about the story?
ART: Many artists have
made pictures based on the story that Jesus told, the
Parable of the Lost Son. We looked at some in class.
Below, you can click on any picture to see a bigger
picture.
SNACK: Remember our
prayer before meals?
Bless us, O Lord, and these gifts that we are about to
receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen. [muffins and clementines]
VIDEO LESSON: At formed.org, quick
series on Lent (total time: 8
min, 38 sec):
“A Time to Repent”
“A Time to Give Things Up”
“A Time to Wash Someone’s Feet”
“A Time to Cry” Note: Formed.org is free to de Chantal
parishoners. There is info at the site about how to
sign-in.
COLORING:
The coloring sheet is based on the # 6
painting above, the painting by James Tissot.
CLOSING PRAYERS: Time
to say goodbye. :-) We'll begin with the Our Father.
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy
Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Saint Michael the Archangel, please defend us in
battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and
snares of the devil.
May God rebuke the devil, we humbly pray.
And do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by
the Power of God, cast into hell Satan and all
the evil spirits,
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of
souls. Amen.
