April 26, 2022; class # 27 (John 20:19-31) Put your finger here
and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my
side. Do
not doubt, but believe.
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: Sunday was the 2nd Sunday of the Churchs season
of Easter. Father Giese was wearing a white chasuble on
Sunday. We are in the Easter season of the Church
calendar now, and the color of the Easter season is
white.
(Click on the picture to hear Fr. Giese reading the
Gospel.)
Since we were last
together, many things happened in the Church: Palm
Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil
Mass on Holy Saturday. We call that entire week the
Holy Week. And then there was Easter Sunday.
Were going to listen
to Brother Francis for a quick review:
What Is Holy Week and Easter? (video # 34)
The week before
Easter is called Holy Week.
It begins on Palm
Sunday. We remember when Jesus rode a donkey into
Jerusalem, and people waved palm leaves and
shouted, "Hosanna. Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord." That is why there
are palm leaves at Mass on Palm Sunday. Leftover
palm leaves are burned, and the ashes are used
for Ash Wednesday the next year.
Four days later,
at the Last Supper, Jesus gave us the Eucharist,
washed the feet of His 12 Apostles, and said that
one of them would betray him. We call that day
Holy Thursday. In memory of what Jesus did, at
Mass on Holy Thursday, the priest washes the feet
of 12 parishioners. After the communion, the main
altar is cleared. It represents the time when
Jesus was arrested and taken away.
On Good Friday,
Jesus was forced to carry a cross to a high hill,
and he was crucified. On Good Friday, there is no
Mass. Instead, we gather to read from the Bible
and to think of the price that Jesus paid for our
sins.
On Holy Saturday,
in the evening, there is the Easter Vigil. At the
Easter Vigil, there is a fire outside the church,
and a priest carries a large candle into the
church. The people in the congregation light
small candles from the large candle, and the
light spreads. This represents the light of
Christ, spreading throughout the world.
On Easter Sunday,
we celebrate Jesus' resurrection. We celebrate
Easter for the next 50 days.
GOSPEL: At Mass this weekend, the gospel reading was from the
Gospel of John. The reading tells the Doubting
Thomas story. Thomas was one of Jesus 12
Apostles. Lets read the story in your special
childrens bulletin:
Jesus Appears to His
Disciples
After Jesus died, His
disciples were
together in a room. The doors were locked.
Suddenly, Jesus stood among them.
Jesus said,
Peace be with you.
Jesus said, Receive
the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive anyone their sins,
they are forgiven.
If you do not forgive them,
they are not forgiven.
Thomas was not with the other
disciples when
Jesus appeared. What did Thomas say?
Unless I see the nail
marks and put my finger
where the nails were, and
put my hand into His side,
I will not believe it.
When Jesus later appeared
to Thomas, Thomas believed.
What did Jesus say to him?
Jesus said, Because you have
seen me,
you have believed.
Blessed are those who have not seen
and yet have believed?
ASK: What
do you think? What does it mean if someone believes even
without seeing? Do you understand the word
"faith"?
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. [graham crackers and orange
juice]
ART: (While
snacking.)
This painting (above) is
part of the giant-sized piece of art that weve
looked at before, the Maestą. If you look at
the Maestą, this painting is at the top, 2nd from the
left. How many of the Apostles are there in the painting?
Which one for sure would not have been there? What do you
like most about this painting?
This painting (above) was
made about 500 years ago, by an Italian artist. The
artist painted Thomas putting his finger inside the hole
in Jesus chest, or side, where a Roman soldier had
pushed a spear into Jesus when he was on the cross. What
do you see first? The artist made parts of the painting
light, and parts dark. You look at the light parts first.
This painting (above) is
between two other paintings. Its as if the two
people in the paintings on either side of the painting
are looking at the painting in the middle. What is Jesus
doing in the painting? Do you see many wounds on Jesus?
What do you think of this
painting (above)? If you were describing it to someone
who could not see it, how would you describe it?
Which painting do you like
the most? Is there one of the paintings that you do not
like at all?
TEXTBOOK: This week well do Lesson # 3. It begins on page
35. The lesson is called, Why did God make
us? The biggest message is that God made us in his
own image. Now, lets begin on page 35.
FEATURED SAINTS: Saint Jacinta Marto and Saint Francisco Marto were
young children who lived in the country of Portugal. The
textbook mentions them on page 41. Francisco and Jancita
were brother and sister. Francisco was older. One hundred
and five years ago, they were shepherding a flock of
sheep in the countryside, along with their cousin named
Lucy. The Virgin Mary appeared to the
children and asked the children to pray to ask God to
help the world. That appearance of Mary is called
Our Lady of Fatima. There is a coloring sheet
for them in the coloring sheets that you got for
Christmas. Heres what it looks like.
COLORING: The coloring sheet is based on the second painting
above. (The painting is by the artist known as
Caravaggio, whose full name was Michelangelo Merisi da
Caravaggio. He was
born in 1571 and died in 1610.)
CLOSING PRAYERS: Time to say goodbye. :-) As always, well begin
with the Our Father. Read the words as we all say them,
and listen to others as we all say them. We have a new
prayer that well be saying. In addition to the Our
Father and the Hail Mary, youll need to learn the
Glory Be. Its easy; youll do fine. :-)
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.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to
the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world without end. 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.