Holy Buckets Week One Program Guide

1visit our site: www.OneFamilyInMission.org

WEEK ONELESSON

GRADES K-1

2visit our site: www.MCAKids.org

The Gospel of Mark (13:33-37) reminds us that no one knows when Jesus will return. We can prepare for His coming by praying, by being kind to others and by caring for those in need.

Materials and Preparations Needed

· Advent wreath and candles

· Crayons, enough for each student to have a few

· Blank sheets of paper, one for each student

· Mission story, “Floods of Hope” found at the end of this lesson. (Read the story in advance; retell it in an age appropriate manner.)

· Group Holy Bucket

· Newsprint and marker

· A globe or world map

· Internet access and a computer (optional)

Session Steps

1. Ask students: “How do you know that Christmas is coming?” Invite a few responses. Next, ask young people to imagine this time of year without all the preparations for Christmas. Prompt them to think about whether or not they would know that Christmas was coming if they didn’t experience all the usual preparations. Finally, invite additional responses to the question: “How does your family get ready for Christmas?”

2. Point out the Advent wreath. Provide a brief introduction noting its symbolism and significance to the Ad-vent Season. Then invite the students to gather around the wreath as you light the first purple candle and pray:

As we light this first candle for the first Sunday of Advent, let us give thanks for the Child Whom we await and prepare for this Advent Season. Let us also give thanks for all those who serve as missionaries, andwho teach us the importance of staying alert to the needs of others around us. Lord Jesus, help us to reflect Your love for all by loving and helping to take care of all we meet. Blessed are You, Lord Jesus, forever and ever. Amen.

OVERVIEW


3. Provide each student with a few crayons and a blank sheet of paper. Ask them to make a drawing of what their homes will look like as they prepare for Christmas. After a few minutes, have them share their drawings with one or two other students.

4. Introduce the Season of Advent to the group as the four weeks the Church sets aside to await and prepare for the important celebration of Jesus’ birth. Advent helps us look forward to the coming of Jesus with joy and hope. During the Advent season we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Holy In-fant and we look forward to the time when Jesus Christ will come again in glory. Throughout Advent we think about how Jesus came to be with us a long time ago and how He will come to be with us again. Explain that this is the first week of Advent.

5. Prepare to play a quick game. Ask everyone to close their eyes and put their heads down on their arms on top of their desks, as if they are sleeping. Ask for two volunteers. Tell the volunteers that their job is to walk around the room and lightly tap the head of one person each. After tapping a student’s head, the volunteer should go to the front of the room, making sure not to reveal whose head he/she touched.

Invite the two students who felt their heads being tapped to stand up and guess who tapped them. A correct guess enables that student to exchange places with that volunteer for the next round. An incorrect guess keeps the volunteer in the game for the next round.

Repeat this a few more times. Then, for the last round, let the students keep their eyes open and watch to see who taps their head.

6. Tell students that the Gospel reading for the first week of Advent comes from St. Mark. In this read-ing Jesus tells us that He is coming back, but nobody knows when it will happen. Jesus said to His disciples: “Be watchful! Be alert!” (Mark 13:33). Of course, sleeping is important to stay healthy. When Jesus tells us to keep watch and be ready, He does not mean we should not sleep. But He does want us to be pre-pared for His return by making Him the center of our lives. When you are riding your bike you must pay attention and stay alert or you may have an accident. During Advent, we pay special attention to opportunities to follow the will of God. It does not matter if we are in school, at home, playing with our friends, we must choose what is pleasing to God. When we do that, we are ready.

7. Next, do some imagining. Have students close their eyes and picture clouds floating in the sky. On one of those clouds is Jesus, the Son of God, coming down to earth with power and glory. The Gospel reminds us that we need to be alert to all that is happening in and around us, and to make Jesus the center of our lives. We are told, to be watchful, and be alert.

8. Ask students to name some things for which they are responsible (putting away toys, being polite to others, etc.). Help them to think beyond “the basics” and name other actions – loving others, pray-ing for others, having a kind heart, as examples. Record their responses on the newsprint. Encourage them to think less about themselves and more about others.

9. Ask the students if they have ever heard of the country of Pakistan. Locate the country on a globe or map, making sure to note the distance between the United States and Pakistan. Note that the story you will be sharing comes from the country of Pakistan. Using your own words, tell the “Floods of Hope” found at the end of this lesson. Then ask why it is important to pray and care for others who


face poverty and disasters. Invite a few responses.

10. Ask the students to identify ways they can offer their love and concern to people like the ones they heard about in the story. (If prayer is not mentioned – bring it up!) Again, allow for a few an-swers.

11. Introduce Holy Buckets:

· Throughout the four weeks of Advent, we will prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ at Christmas and also take the opportunity to “be watchful for” and “be alert to” the needs of others.

· We will do this by offering our time, talent and treasure to those in need of our prayers and our money. In this way, we are missionaries through our prayers and our sacrifices!

· Our class has received a special bucket. We call it a “holy bucket.”

· Each week, we will talk about ideas for staying alert and being responsive to the needs of the world through our prayers and actions.

· Each week, students and their families will be invited to donate to our “holy bucket” gifts of money, prayers and acts of goodness.

· At the end of the four weeks of Advent, all of our offerings will be gathered with those of other students from around the country and sent to the Missionary Childhood Association for children in the Missions. Be sure to check your group’s progress online at www.propfaith.net/MCAHolyBuckets.

12. Gather the students around the computer screen. Log on to www.MCAKids.org. Then click onto the page entitled, “What happens to my dollar?” Click through the interactive program that provides a fun way for students to learn how the money they collect can make a difference in the lives of others.

13. Ask students for ways they can collect money to place in the bucket. For example, they could give a portion of their weekly allowance or donate money saved by giving up treats, such as candy. Invite students to share their ideas with the class.


Mission Story

FLOODS OF HOPE: Catholics reach out in Pakistan

The world watched with profound sadness. First, raging waters; then terrorist attacks.

A few years ago, Pakistan suffered the worst flooding in decades, brought on by unprecedented rain-fall. Some 1,500 were killed; millions left homeless.

“The expanse of water seen covering the fields is unfathomable,” Father Mario Rodrigues, Pakistan’s national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, told the news agency FIDES. “Refugees are des-perately calling for help; mothers mourn their lost children. Given the lack of roads, reaching the victims is very difficult.”

And while government and other officials responded to the massive natural disaster, extremist groups staged numerous attacks in various parts of the country.

“There is great suffering,” observed Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore. “But we continue to work to care for displaced persons, to offer a word of hope, and to pray.”

Relief worker Samuel Clement knows about that firsthand. Indeed, he and Bishop Andrew Francis of Multan have been working to serve those affected by the flooding in their homeland. The local church, through the Pontifical Mission Societies partnership with the relief agency Caritas, , provided food, blankets, cooking materials and tents to more than 30,000 families. They also distributed medi-cal and health information to more than 60,000 people, and nutrition packs to some 48,000 children.

But material aid is not all that these local Catholics offered their brothers and sisters at home. “Through our actions,” explains Clement, “we have taken Jesus Christ to all. Our response to the flood emergency was a true sign of representing Christ’s Gospel and His love to the suffering.

“We have witnessed to the Lord with boldness and compassion,” he adds. “We even were caught up at one point in the flood waters, but our hope and trust in Jesus helped us overcome this incident.”

Father Rodrigues observes that this faith-filled outreach of Catholics in Pakistan is not new, nor is it limited to times of disaster or extreme suffering. “Christian hope is never lacking here,” says Father Rodrigues. “I see always so many hands involved in the solidarity effort, without placing limits and without borders.”

And now the world will continue to watch and see the hope that the Lord Himself gives. It rises up among the suffering, carried through every prayer and every outstretched helping hand.

Advent Acts of Prayer Goodness Chain

This week’s activity gives students an opportunity to create a paper chain that includes daily actions and prayers.


Instructions: Cut out each strip to create an Advent paper chain, linking the chains by date beginning with December 1. Each day, tear off the assigned link and com-plete the action noted on it.

November 30:

Read today’s Gospel, Mark 13:33-37. Then light the first candle on your Advent wreath and pray to-gether as a family.

December 1:

Create a family Advent wreath. You will need some greenery for the wreath, three purple candles and one pink candle. Place the wreath in a prominent location.

December 2:

Set a goal for money you would like to donate/collect this Advent Season for the Holy Buckets program.

December 3:

Conduct an “Advent cleaning” in your home. Identify items like clothes, household goods and toys you no longer use. Collect those items and donate them to a local group – maybe your parish’s thrift shop – that distributes them to people in need. Or, consider holding a yard sale, and donating the money to your Holy Bucket.

December 4:

Make a list of all of the things you like most about each of your family members. Share the list with them today. Thank God for the gift of family.

December 5:

Spend time as a family deciding one way that you can save some money each week, perhaps by giv-ing something up. Contribute those funds to your Holy Bucket.

December 6:

Today is the Feast Day of St. Nicholas. Learn more about this saint at the library, or through an Inter-net search with your parents’ help.


December 7:

Read today’s Gospel, Mark 1:1-8. Then light the first and second candle on your Advent wreath and pray together as a family.

December 8:

Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pray the World Mission Rosary, if possible with your family. Learn more at www.WorldMissionRosary.org

December 9:

Create your own good deed for today. In the space below, write down what you will do.

December 10:

Do an extra household chore today without being asked.

December 11:

Make or buy a Christmas card for a favorite teacher. Bring the card to school tomorrow and put it on his or her desk. Then pray for him or her. Pray also for all catechists who teach about Jesus in the Missions.

December 12:

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas. Do a library or Internet search with your parents’ help to find out why the day is so important. Learn about St. Juan Diego too!

December 13:

Ask your extended family members (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents) to consider donating to the Holy Buckets program. Remember even the smallest donation can make a difference!

December 14:

Read today’s Gospel, John 1:6-8 , 19-28. Then light the first two candles and the pink candle on your Advent wreath, then pray together as a family.

December 15:

At each meal today, say a prayer for all those who are hungry and in need of food and shelter. Pray also for missionaries who love and care for the poor.


December 16:

“Be an angel” for the Missions! Ask your pastor to hang some MCA angels on your parish Christmas tree, encouraging people to donate to the Missions!

December 17:


December 18:

Forgive someone who has hurt you. Pray for peace in places in the Missions where there is war or fighting.

December 19:

Today, smile at everyone you meet. Imagine your joy reaches your mission family across the globe.

December 20:

Ask friends of your family to consider donating to the Holy Buckets program. Be sure to explain why you are collecting the funds and how they will be used.

December 21:

Read today’s Gospel, Luke 1:26-38. Then light all four candles on your Advent wreath and pray to-gether as a family.

December 22:

Who are the people in your neighborhood, school, or community who are lonely, excluded, or a bit different? Take time today to offer a kind word to a few of them. If you are not able to reach out to someone, pray for him/her instead. Pray for missionaries who reach out this day to those who are alone or abandoned.

December 23:

Pope Francis reminds us to care and pray for the less fortunate---to be a missionary disciple. Pray for the Holy Father and his mission.


December 24

Read Matthew 1:18-25 with your family and then set up your Christmas crèche.

December 25

Celebrate the birth of the Christ Child by joyfully thanking God for the great gift He has given to you – the gift of Your faith – and the gift He has given to all the world – the gift of His Son. Pray for all in the Missions who may not know about Jesus’ birth – and for the missionaries who bring them this Good News!


Lesson Extensions

Collection Jar

Provide the students with an empty jar or some kind of container for them to decorate and then take home. Invite them to use the container for the safekeeping of all of the donations they make or collect for the group’s Holy Bucket.

Stocking for Jesus

Provide each student with a small Christmas stocking. Ask them to hang it with all the other family stockings in their homes. Suggest that whenever someone in their family does a good deed that they write it down on a small sheet of paper and place it in the stocking. They should continue to do this throughout the Advent Season. When Christmas comes around, the family can read aloud the notes placed inside, or they might save the stocking and its contents until next year and read the good deeds at the beginning of next Advent as a reminder of their good deeds from this year. Teachers can write these for younger children, or have them draw a picture.

Visiting Guest

At the start of the session, place an empty chair in the front of the room and tell the students that a special guest will join the group. Do not provide them with any additional information. A few min-utes before the class ends explain that the special guest was Jesus Who was there all along.

Watching Star

Provide each student with a large star-shaped cut out. Ask each to write “watching and waiting” in the middle of the star. On each point of the star, write a way to “watch and wait.” Think about how to prepare heart and mind for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. Looking out for others with good deeds is an excellent way to get ready for Jesus. Another is a contribution to the group’s Holy Bucket. Craft items, including ribbons, glitter, etc., may be used to decorate the stars. Again, teachers can write these for younger children, or have them draw a picture.


FAMILY RESOURCE

Praying with the Advent Wreath

Advent is a four-week period of prayer and preparation, and of looking forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus among us. We are filled with joy and love in the Lord, and compelled to share these with others. As we open our hearts in prayer during Advent, we pray that the “Good News” of Jesus is heard throughout the world so that hearts will turn to love and peace.

While Lent is fundamentally considered a time for repentance, Advent also offers the opportunity for re-newal. God invites us to let Jesus come into our hearts so that we can be more like Him. It is a season of quiet expectation. We live in the expectation of the fullness of joy to come. We strive to know and obey God’s will for us. We set out to love God each day and to live out our baptismal call by loving and serving others. This is the way Jesus wants us to make a straight way for Him in our hearts as we await His coming.

The symbolism of the Advent wreath is beautiful. The wreath is made of various evergreens, signifying continuous life. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul and the everlasting life found in Christ.

The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. The light signifies Christ, the Light of the world. Three candles are purple (or blue) and one is pink. The purple/blue candles symbolize the prayer, pen-ance and preparatory sacrifices and goods works undertaken during Advent. The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday. It symbolizes rejoicing at the midpoint of Advent when our preparation is half over and we are close to Christmas.

The progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord’s first coming into the world and the anticipation of His second coming to judge the living and the dead.


First Week of Advent

On the first Sunday of Advent, gather the family and bless and light the Advent wreath. Begin by making the sign of the cross.

Leader: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5 This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come, the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say: “Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!

Blessing of the Wreath

Invite everyone to extend a hand in blessing. Loving God, the time of Advent has arrived. Prepare our hearts for the promise of the Christ Child. As we bless this wreath, we ask You to bless us that we may seek to do Your will during the Advent Season.

Candle-lighting

Light the first purple/blue candle.

As we light these candles let us give thanks for the Child Whom we celebrate this Advent Season — the Child Who came to earth as an infant, died and rose as our Savior, and for Whose coming again we wait with anticipation and love.

Good and gracious God, instruct us in your ways. Help us to walk in the light of Your ways as we reach out to those in need. Help us to build a world where there is no cause for war again. Guide us Lord, as we walk in Your light. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.


WEEK ONELESSON

GRADES 2-3





· Two large T-shirts

· Two large pairs of socks

· Two large pairs of shoes or boots




· A globe or world map

· Internet access and a computer (optional)

Session Steps

1. Ask students: “How do you know that Christmas is coming?” Invite a few responses. Next, ask young people to imagine this time of year without all the preparations for Christmas. Prompt them to think about whether or not they would know that Christmas was coming if they didn’t experience all the usual preparations. Finally, invite additional responses to the question: “How does your family get ready for Christmas?”

2. Point out the Advent wreath. Provide a brief introduction noting its symbolism and significance to the Advent Season. Then invite the students to gather around the wreath as you light the first candle and pray:

As we light this first candle for the first Sunday of Advent, let us give thanks for the Child Whom we await and prepare for this Advent Season. Let us also give thanks for missionaries and all thosewho teach us the importance of staying alert to the needs of others around us. Lord Jesus, help us to reflect Your love for all by loving and helping to take care of all we meet. Blessed are You, Lord Jesus, forever and ever. Amen.

OVERVIEW


3. Introduce the Season of Advent to the group as the four weeks the Church sets aside to await and prepare for the important celebration of Jesus’ birth. Advent helps us look forward to the coming of Jesus with joy and hope. During these weeks we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Holy Infant. During Advent, we think about how Jesus came to be with us a long time ago and how He will come to be with us again. Explain that this is the first week of Advent.

4. Prepare to play a quick game. Divide students into two teams. Choose one student from each team to leave the room. Ask these two volunteers to count slowly to 60 before returning. Quickly provide each team with a T-shirt, and a pair of socks and shoes. Tell each team to select and then “dress” one member in the group in the T-shirt (over existing clothes), socks and shoes. All team members should participate in the exercise of “dressing” the chosen classmate. Award each team one point if its group member is “dressed” upon the return of their teammate. Then, choose two different volunteers from each team, and repeat the process until one team has five points.

5. Tell students that the Gospel reading for the first week of Advent comes from St. Mark. In this reading Jesus tells us that He is coming back, but nobody knows when it will happen. Jesus said to his disciples: “Be watchful! Be alert! (Mark 13:33) Of course, sleeping is important to stay healthy. When Jesus tells us to keep watch and be ready, He does not mean we should not sleep. But He does want us to be prepared for His return by making Him the center of our lives. When you are riding your bike you must pay attention and stay alert or you may have an accident. During Advent, we pay special attention to opportunities to follow the will of God. It does not matter if we are in school, at home, playing with our friends, we must choose what is pleasing to God. When we do that, we are ready.

6. Next, do some imagining. Have students close their eyes and picture clouds floating in the sky. On one of those clouds is Jesus, the Son of God, coming down to earth with power and glory. The Gospel reminds us that we need to stay awake to all that is happening in and around us, and to make Jesus the center of our lives. He tells us to keep watch and be ready. Of course, He also wants us to go to sleep each night so we are well rested for school!

7. Ask students to name some of the things for which they are responsible (putting away toys, being polite to others, etc.). Help them to think beyond “the basics” and name other actions – loving others, praying for others, having a kind heart, as examples. Record their responses on newsprint. Encourage them to think less about themselves and more about others.

8. Ask the students if they have ever heard of the country of Pakistan. Locate the country on a globe or map, making sure to note the distance between the United States and Pakistan. Then note that the story you will share comes from the country of Pakistan. Using your own words, tell the story entitled


“Floods of Hope” found at the end of this lesson. Then ask why it is important to pray and care for others who face poverty and disasters. Invite a few responses.

9. Ask the students to identify ways they can offer their love and concern to people like the ones they heard about in the story. (If prayer is not mentioned – bring it up). Again, allow for a few answers.


· Throughout the four weeks of Advent, we will prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ at Christmas and take the opportunity to “be alert” to the needs of others.

· We will do this by offering our time, talent and treasure to those in need of our prayers and our money. In this way, we are missionaries – through our prayers and our sacrifices!



· Each week, students and their families will be invited to donate gifts of money, prayers and acts of goodness to our “holy bucket.”


11. Gather the students around the computer screen. Log onto www.MCAKids.org. Then click onto the page entitled, “What happens to my dollar?” Click through the interactive program that provides a fun way for students to learn how the money they collect can make a difference in the lives of others.

12. Ask students for ways they can collect money to place in the bucket. For example, they could give up a portion of their weekly allowance or donate money saved by giving up treats, such as candy. Invite students to share their ideas with the class.


Mission Story



A few years ago, Pakistan suffered the worst flooding in decades, brought on by unprecedented rainfall. Some 1,500 were killed; millions left homeless.

“The expanse of water seen covering the fields is unfathomable,” Father Mario Rodrigues, Pakistan’s national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, told the news agency FIDES. “Refugees are desperately calling for help; mothers mourn their lost children. Given the lack of roads, reaching the victims is very difficult.”



Relief worker Samuel Clement knows about that firsthand. Indeed, he and Bishop Andrew Francis of Multan have been working to serve those affected by the flooding in their homeland. The local church, through the Pontifical Mission Societies partnership with the relief agency Caritas, , provided food, blankets, cooking materials and tents to more than 30,000 families. They also distributed medical and health information to more than 60,000 people, and nutrition packs to some 48,000 children.







This activity provides students with an opportunity to create a paper chain that includes daily actions and prayers.

Instructions: Cut out each strip to create an Advent paper chain, linking the chains by date beginning with December 1. Each day, tear off the assigned link and complete the action noted on it.

November 30:

Read today’s Gospel, Mark 13:33-37. Then light the first candle on your Advent wreath and pray together as a family.

December 1:


December 2:


December 3:


December 4:


December 5:

Spend time as a family deciding one way that you can save some money each week, perhaps by giving something up. Contribute those funds to your Holy Bucket.


December 6:

Today is the Feast Day of St. Nicholas. Learn more about this saint at the library, or through an Internet search with your parents’ help.

December 7:


December 8:


December 9:


December 10:


December 11:


December 12:


December 13:



December 14:


December 15:


December 16:


December 17:


December 18:


December 19:


December 20:


December 21:

Read today’s Gospel, Luke 1:26-38. Then light all four candles on your Advent wreath and pray together as a family.


December 22:


December 23:

Pope Francis reminds us to care and pray for the less fortunate---to be a missionary disciple. Pray for the Holy Father and the his mission.

December 24


December 25



Lesson Extensions

Collection Jar

Provide each child with an empty jar or some kind of container for them to decorate and then take home. Invite them to use the container for the safekeeping of all of the donations they make or collect for the group’s Holy Bucket.

Who Is Ready?

Begin by asking the students what they did to prepare for school (or church) today. Allow for a few responses. Then ask what they do to prepare for another event such as a birthday or vacation. Again, allow for some responses. Finally ask the students to brainstorm ideas on what they can do to prepare for the coming of Jesus.

Stocking for Jesus

Provide each student with a small Christmas stocking. Ask them to hang it with all the other family stockings in their homes. Suggest that whenever someone in their family does a good deed that they write it down on a small sheet of paper and place it in the stocking. They should continue to do this throughout Advent. When Christmas comes, they can read aloud the notes placed inside. Or they might save the stocking until next year and read the good deeds at the beginning of the next Advent Season as a reminder of this year’s good deeds.

Stay Awake

Ask everyone to close their eyes and put their heads down on their arms on top of their desks or laps, as if they are sleeping. Ask for two volunteers. Tell volunteers to walk around the room and lightly tap the head of one person each. After tapping a student’s head, the volunteer should go to the front of the room, making sure not to reveal whose head he/she touched.

Invite the two students who felt their heads being tapped to stand up and try to guess who tapped them. A correct guess enables that student to exchange places with that volunteer for the next round. An incorrect guess keeps the volunteer in the game for the next round.

Repeat this a few more times. Then, for the last round, let the students keep their eyes open and watch to see who taps their head. Discuss how this activity relates to the Gospel message of “staying awake.”


FAMILY RESOURCE



While Lent is fundamentally considered a time for repentance, Advent also offers the opportunity for renewal. God invites us to let Jesus come into our hearts so that we can be more like Him. It is a season of quiet expectation. We live in the expectation of the fullness of joy to come. We strive to know and obey God’s will for us. We set out to love God each day and to live out our baptismal call by loving and serving others. This is the way Jesus wants us to make a straight way for Him in our hearts as we await His coming.


The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. The light signifies Christ, the Light of the world. Three candles are purple (or blue) and one is pink. The purple/blue candles symbolize the prayer, penance and preparatory sacrifices and goods works undertaken during Advent. The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday. It symbolizes rejoicing at the midpoint of Advent when our preparation is half over and we are close to Christmas.









Invite everyone to extend a hand in blessing.

Loving God, the time of Advent has arrived. Prepare our hearts for the promise of the Christ Child. As we bless this wreath, we ask You to bless us that we may seek to do Your will during the Advent Season.

Candle-lighting





WEEK ONELESSON

GRADES 4-5





· Small sheets of paper, a few for each student

· Pens or pencils, one for each student

· Mission story, “Flood of Hope” found at the end of this lesson. (Read the story in advance; retell it in an age appropriate manner.)



Session Steps


2. Point out the Advent wreath. Provide a brief introduction noting its symbolism and significance to the Advent Season. Then gather all around the wreath as you light the first candle and pray:

As we light this first candle for the first Sunday of Advent,

let us give thanks for the Child Whom we await

and prepare for this Advent Season.

Let us also give thanks for missionaries and all those

who teach us the importance of staying alert

to the needs of others around us.

Lord Jesus, help us to reflect Your love for all by loving

and helping to take care of all we meet.

Blessed are You, Lord Jesus, forever and ever.

Amen

OVERVIEW


3. Propose the following scenario: Suppose you knew Christmas was coming, but you didn’t know when. In fact, nobody knew when it would occur. Each year, the date would remain a secret. The only thing about which you could be certain was that it would include parties, singing, gift-giving and delicious food. How would you prepare for such a day? Would your preparations differ from what you do now? Discuss.

4. Divide the students into groups of two or three. Provide each student with small sheets of paper, and a pen or pencil. Name an event for which people must prepare (first day of school, Thanksgiving, a birthday, vacation, summer camp, going to Mass, etc.). Ask each group member to write down what they think is the most important way to prepare for that event. Have group members compare lists – are there matches? differences? Discuss. Have the group choose a different event, and play again. Conclude the game by asking them what they would do to prepare for the coming of Christ. Take a few minutes to let the students share their responses.

5. Tell the students that the Gospel reading for the first week of Advent comes from St. Mark . Then read Mark 13:33-37, or invite a student to do so.

6. Ask what it means to “be alert, be watchful.” Allow for some responses. Note that the Gospel re-minds us that we need to be alert to all that is happening in and around us. Of course, sleeping is important to stay healthy. When Jesus tells us to keep watch and be ready, He does not mean we should not sleep. But He does want us to be prepared for His return by making Him the center of our lives. Jesus tells us to keep watch and be ready. He wants us to be prepared for His return by putting God and others first. When you are riding your bike you must pay attention and stay alert, or you may have an accident. During Advent, we pay special attention to opportunities to follow the will of God. It does not matter if we are in school, at home, playing with our friends, we must choose what is pleasing to God. When we do that, we are ready.

7. Ask the student what they know about the country of Pakistan. Allow for some responses. Then invite a student to locate the country on a globe or map, making sure to note the distance between the United States and Pakistan. Then note that the story you will share comes from the country of Pakistan. Using your own words, tell the story entitled “Floods of Hope” found at the end of this les-son. Then ask why it is important to pray and care for others who face poverty and disasters. Invite a few responses.

8. Ask the students to identify ways they could offer their love and concern to people like the ones they heard about in the story. Record responses on newsprint. (If prayer is not mentioned – bring it up!) Again, allow for a few answers.


· Throughout the four weeks of Advent, we will prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ at Christmas and take the opportunity to “stay awake” to the needs of others.







10. Ask students to for ways they can collect money to place in the bucket. For example, they could give up a portion of their weekly allowance or donate money saved by giving up treats, such as can-dy. Invite students to share their ideas with the class.


Mission Story



A few years ago, Pakistan suffered the worst flooding in decades, brought on by unprecedented rain-fall. Some 1,500 were killed; millions left homeless.

“The expanse of water seen covering the fields is unfathomable,” Father Mario Rodrigues, Pakistan’s national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, told the news agency FIDES. “Refugees are des-perately calling for help; mothers mourn their lost children. Given the lack of roads, reaching the victims is very difficult.”



Relief worker Samuel Clement knows about that firsthand. Indeed, he and Bishop Andrew Francis of Multan have been working to serve those affected by the flooding in their homeland. The local church, through the Pontifical Mission Societies partnership with the relief agency Caritas, , provided food, blankets, cooking materials and tents to more than 30,000 families. They also distributed medi-cal and health information to more than 60,000 people, and nutrition packs to some 48,000 children.







This week’s take-home activity provides students with an opportunity to create a paper chain that includes daily actions and prayers.

Instructions: Cut out each strip to create an Advent paper chain, linking the chains by date beginning with December 1. Each day, tear off the assigned link and complete the action noted on it.

November 30:

Read today’s Gospel, Mark 13:33-37. Then light the first candle on your Advent wreath and pray to-gether as a family.

December 1:


December 2:


December 3:


December 4:


December 5:

Spend time as a family deciding one way that you can save some money each week, perhaps by giv-ing something up. Contribute those funds to your Holy Bucket.


December 6:

Today is the Feast Day of St. Nicholas. Learn more about this saint at the library, or through an Internet search with your parents’ help.

December 7:


December 8:


December 9:


December 10:


December 11:


December 12:


December 13:



December 14:


December 15:


December 16:


December 17:


December 18:


December 19:


December 20:


December 21:

Read today’s Gospel, Luke 1:26-38. Then light all four candles on your Advent wreath and pray together as a family.

December 22:



December 23:


December 24


December 25



Lesson Extensions

Collection Jar

Provide each student with an empty jar or some kind of container for them to decorate and then take home. Invite them to use the container for the safekeeping of all of the donations they make or collect for the group’s Holy Bucket.

Let’s Get Ready!

Divide the students into groups of three or four. Provide each group with a few sheets of scrap paper. Tell them you will call out a specific event, and each team will have 30 seconds to make a list of the most important things they would need to do to prepare for that event. The events are as follows: vacation, test, birthday party, going to church, and a special dinner. After the 30 seconds have two groups compare lists. For each duplicate idea, each team gets a point. Continue through the list until you have called out each one. Then as a final step call out “preparing for the coming of Christ.”

Special Guest

Ask the students the names of some of their favorite heroes. Invite them to imagine that one of them is just outside the door waiting to enter the room. Discuss how they would feel if they actually were to meet their hero. Then ask them to imagine how they would react if Jesus had come into the room. Revisit the Gospel reading (Matthew 24:37-44) that reminds us that no one knows the day or time that Jesus will return. Start a list on newsprint with suggestions from students on getting ready for that day. What can we do to improve our relationship with God and others every day? Think about both Advent and mission in this discussion. Remember your relationship with and responsibility for our brothers and sisters half a world away.

Stocking for Jesus

Provide each student with a small Christmas stocking. Ask them to hang it with all the other family stockings in their homes. Suggest that whenever someone in their family does a good deed that they write it down on a small sheet of paper and place it in the stocking. They should continue to do this throughout Advent. When Christmas comes, they can read aloud the notes placed inside. Or they might save the stocking until next year and reading the good deeds at the beginning of the next Advent Season as a reminder of this year’s good deeds.


FAMILY RESOURCE



While Lent is fundamentally considered a time for repentance, Advent also offers the opportunity for re-newal. God invites us to let Jesus come into our hearts so that we can be more like Him. It is a season of quiet expectation. We live in the expectation of the fullness of joy to come. We strive to know and obey God’s will for us. We set out to love God each day and to live out our baptismal call by loving and serving others. This is the way Jesus wants us to make a straight way for Him in our hearts as we await His coming.


The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. The light signifies Christ, the Light of the world. Three candles are purple (or blue) and one is pink. The purple/blue candles symbolize the prayer, pen-ance and preparatory sacrifices and goods works undertaken during Advent. The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday. It symbolizes rejoicing at the midpoint of Advent when our preparation is half over and we are close to Christmas.









Invite everyone to extend a hand in blessing.

Loving God, the time of Advent has arrived. Prepare our hearts for the promise of the Christ Child. As we bless this wreath, we ask You to bless us that we may seek to do Your will during the Advent Season.

Candle-lighting





WEEK ONELESSON

GRADES 6-8


Overview

The Gospel of Mark (13:33-37) reminds us that no one knows when Jesus will return. We can prepare for His coming by praying, by being kind to others and by caring for those in need..



· One die

· Small wrapped gift box




· Globe or a world map

Session Steps


2. Point out the Advent wreath. Provide a brief introduction noting its symbolism and significance to the Advent Season. Then gather all around the wreath as you light the first candle and pray:

As we light this first candle for the first Sunday of Advent,

let us give thanks for the Child Whom we await

and prepare for this Advent Season.

Let us also give thanks for missionaries and all those

who teach us the importance of staying alert

to the needs of others around us.

Lord Jesus, help us to reflect Your love for all by loving

and helping to take care of all we meet.

Blessed are You, Lord Jesus, forever and ever.

Amen.

OVERVIEW


3. Prepare to play a quick game. Divide the group into two teams of equal players. If there is an odd number of students, select remaining student to roll the die. Ask teams to sit on the floor in semi-circles across from one another. Team “leaders” are those students sitting at the end of the semi-circles closest to the front of the room. Team “anchors” are those students sitting at the opposite end of the semi-circles closest to the back of the room. Instruct all students (except team leaders and anchors) to close their eyes. Place in the center area between the two semi-circles a small wrapped gift box.

Tell students to hold hands. Then roll the die in the center area between the two semi-circles. If an even number is rolled – and only an even number – each leader should squeeze the hand of the player next to him or her starting a chain reaction until the anchor’s hand is squeezed. Once his/her hand is squeezed, with the free hand, the anchor should grab for the gift on the floor in between the semi-circles.

The team that grabs the gift first during each round rotates players. The anchor becomes the leader, and everyone else moves down. When a gift is grabbed on a false start – when an odd number is rolled – players rotate in the opposite way; that is, the leader goes back to being the anchor. A winning team is named when that team’s original leader has rotated through each position until he or she is back in the leader’s spot.

The significance of this game is found in the next activity (#4).

4. Invite everyone back to their seats for the Gospel reading for the first week of Advent. Read Mark 13:33-37, or invite a student to do so.

What kinds of connections can be made between the game they played and this Gospel reading? Allow for a few responses. Then ask what it means to “stay alert.” Again, allow for some responses. Note that the Gospel reminds us that we need to stay awake to all that is happening in and around us. Of course, sleeping is important to stay healthy. When Jesus tells us to keep watch and be ready, He does not mean we should not sleep. But He does want us to be prepared for His return by making Him the center of our lives.

Hold up the wrapped gift box used during the earlier game. Ask the students to call out what could possibly be in the box. You will get a variety of responses. Then make the point that there is no way to know what is inside until the gift is open. Again make a connection to the Gospel reading.

5. Ask students to divide into groups of three to four people. Tell them that they are asked to participate in a special program during Advent. They can voluntarily give up various items they are accustomed to having as a sacrifice to help their brothers and sisters in the Missions.

Provide each student with an index card and a pen or pencil. Ask them to write down six to eight items or services they receive or buy on a daily or weekly basis. For example, fast food, a soda, video games, new clothes, etc.

Now ask them to flip their cards over and write down which items or services they can live without for the four weeks of Advent. Ask them to choose at least two of the items or services they listed on the front of their cards. Note that you are asking them to give up these things during Advent and donate the value of these items or services to a project called “Holy Buckets.” That financial help will be donated to the Missionary Childhood Association.


· Throughout the four weeks of Advent, we prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ at


Christmas and take the opportunity to “stay awake” to the needs of others.






7. Using your own words, tell the story of “Floods of Hope” found at the end of this lesson. Ask the students to identify ways they can offer their love and concern to people like the ones they heard about in the story (if prayer is not mentioned – bring it up). Again, allow for a few answers.

8. Before concluding, invite students to discuss other ways they can stay awake to the needs of others this Advent Season.


Mission Story



A few years ago, Pakistan suffered the worst flooding in decades, brought on by unprecedented rainfall. Some 1,500 were killed; millions left homeless.

“The expanse of water seen covering the fields is unfathomable,” Father Mario Rodrigues, Pakistan’s national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, told the news agency FIDES. “Refugees are desperately calling for help; mothers mourn their lost children. Given the lack of roads, reaching the victims is very difficult.”



Relief worker Samuel Clement knows about that firsthand. Indeed, he and Bishop Andrew Francis of Multan have been working to serve those affected by the flooding in their homeland. The local church, through the Pontifical Mission Societies partnership with the relief agency Caritas, , provided food, blankets, cooking materials and tents to more than 30,000 families. They also distributed medical and health information to more than 60,000 people, and nutrition packs to some 48,000 children.




And now the world will continue to watch and see the hope that the Lord Himself gives. It rises up among the suffering, carried through every prayer and every outstretched


Ways to Stay Awake

This week’s activity includes suggested ideas for staying awake and aware of the needs of others during the Advent Season. Some of the assigned days have been left blank so the students can insert their own ideas.

Post this listing in a place where you will see it each day. Then take on the challenge of completing the days’ assigned action. Some days, you will be asked to come up with your own action or prayer.

November 30:

Think about people who need hope during the Advent / Christmas Seasons. Write down the name(s) of one or a few of these people. Then think of some ways you can help them during Advent / at Christmas. Pray for your mission family who may face great poverty, persecution or hopelessness.

December 1:

Conduct an “Advent cleaning” in your home. Identify items like clothes, household goods and toys you no longer use. Collect those items and donate them to a local group – maybe your parish’s thrift shop – that distributes them to people in need. Or, consider holding a yard sale, and donating the money to your Holy Bucket, with your parents approval and help, of course.

December 2:


December 3:

Determine your own act of goodness for today. Write it down in the space provided below.

December 4:

Find out the name of a missionary from your parish or diocesan mission office. Commit to praying for that person from today through the Feast of the Epiphany.

December 5:

Today, talk with or have lunch with someone who is not popular in your school or among your friends. Think of someone in the Missions who might be lonely or isolated, and pray for that person and the missionaries who reach out to them.

December 6:

Do a “web quest” to learn more about a particular country in the Missions. See how many Catholics live there, who first brought the faith to that country, and what patron saints are honored there.


December 7:

Say good morning (or afternoon) to each person you meet today.

December 8:


December 9:

Decide your own act of goodness for today. Write it down in the space provided below.

December 10:

Do an extra household chore today, without being asked.

December 11:

Whenever you are in a line today, pray for the persons in front of and behind you. Pray for those in the Missions whom you don’t know, but who count on your prayers.

December 12:

Make or buy a Christmas card for a favorite teacher. Bring the card to school tomorrow, and put it on his or her desk.

December 13:

Ask your extended family members (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents) to consider donating to your Holy Bucket. Remember even the smallest donations can make a difference.

December 14:

Say a prayer for all those who are hungry and in need of food and shelter, right in your neighborhood and half a world away.

December 15:

Make a point to hug everyone in your family today. Say a prayer for a child in the Missions who may not feel loved. Pray for a missionary reaches him or her with God’s love this day.


December 16:


December 17:

Decide your own act of goodness for today. Write it down in the space provided below.

December 18:


December 19:

Today, smile at your teachers and classmates. Imagine your joy reaches your mission family across the globe.

December 20:

Ask friends of your family to consider donating to the Holy Buckets program. Be sure to explain why you are collecting the funds, and how they will be used.

December 21:


December 22:

Say something kind to every person you speak with today.

December 23



December 24:

Start a “Family Kindness” Journal. Think of the kind acts that were done for you during this Advent Season – and those you did for others in your family. Present this journal as a gift to your family tomorrow, Christmas Day.

December 25:

Choose one of the new gifts you received for Christmas and donate it to someone in need.

Don’t forget to visit www.propfaith.net/MCAHolyBuckets to track your progress and see how many prayers, actions and donations were contributed to the Missions – with YOUR help!


Lesson Extensions

Collection Jar

Provide each student with an empty jar or some kind of container for them to decorate and then take home. Invite them to use the container for the safekeeping of all of the donations they make or collect for the group’s Holy Bucket.

Advent Blessings

Invite the students to think about people in the community or elsewhere who need hope during the Advent / Christmas Seasons. Provide them with a few blank index cards to write down the names of a few of these people and then think of some ways the students can bless them during these times. Remind them to follow through on whatever they decide to do.

FAMILY RESOURCE




While Lent is fundamentally considered a time for repentance, Advent also offers the opportunity for renewal. God invites us to let Jesus come into our hearts so that we can be more like Him. It is a season of quiet expectation. We live in the expectation of the fullness of joy to come. We strive to know and obey God’s will for us. We set out to love God each day and to live out our baptismal call by loving and serving others. This is the way Jesus wants us to make a straight way for Him in our hearts as we await His coming.


The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. The light signifies Christ, the Light of the world. Three candles are purple (or blue) and one is pink. The purple/blue candles symbolize the prayer, penance and preparatory sacrifices and goods works undertaken during Advent. The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday. It symbolizes rejoicing at the midpoint of Advent when our preparation is half over and we are close to Christmas.









Invite everyone to extend a hand in blessing. Loving God, the time of Advent has arrived. Prepare our hearts for the promise of the Christ Child. As we bless this wreath, we ask You to bless us that we may seek to do Your will during the Advent Season.

Candle-lighting


As we light these candles let us give thanks for the Child Whom we celebrate this Advent Season — the Child Who came to earth as an infant, died and rose as our Savior, and for Whose coming again we wait with anticipation and love.t


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Holy Buckets Week One Program Guide

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