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.”

CLICK for this lesson at YouTube.


Let’s begin with the Sign of the Cross:

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 Church’s 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.

We’re 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. Let’s read the story in
your special children’s 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 we’ve 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. It’s 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 we’ll 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, let’s 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. Here’s 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, we’ll 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 we’ll be saying. In addition to the Our Father and the Hail Mary, you’ll need to learn the Glory Be. It’s easy; you’ll 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.

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The angel at the door,
when the children arrive for religion class.