Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules – Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules – Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules – Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules – Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules – Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Stage 1 Module (Draft) Year 2 Lent to Easter http://www.capuchinfranciscans.org
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Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter Religious Education Modules –Lent to Easter
The module focuses on the prayerful aspect of Lent and the opportunities the Lenten Season offers students to reflect upon prayer and places to pray. Students will be given a variety of experiences of both formal and informal prayer settings and will be encouraged to appreciate the value of silence in prayer, providing the students with opportunities to look for, know and find God within themselves. The module highlights a key aspect of prayer during the Lenten period; expressing sorrow for any ways in which we have failed to be all that we can be in relationship with God and others.
Students are encouraged to reflect upon Jesus’ prayer to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. They examine the prayerful aspect of Holy Week, focusing on the example of Jesus who was able to talk with God his Father about his feelings, fears and problems. The types of prayers explored in this module include, vocal, meditative and contemplative. Students will to given opportunities to explore and build upon their learning.
Students will explore the themes of Lent and Easter in a creative and integrated way. Through participation and involvement in the module as well as in whole school Lent and Easter activities and celebrations, students will gain an awareness of the stories, actions and symbols of Lent and Easter.
PS S1.4b Identifies the purpose of prayerJ S1.2 Sequences, records and communicates stories about Jesus.S S1.5: Identifies and recalls stories from Sacred Scripture through which God reveals himself
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PS S 1.4b the respective places of personal and communal prayer
prayers of praise, petition and thanks
different ways to pray
prayers traditional in Catholicism
JS 1.2 Jesus’ life
The last days of Jesus’ life The liturgical seasons The impact of Jesus’ death on his disciples
The change in Jesus’ disciples as a result of his resurrection.
Being a disciple of Jesus
S S1.5: the Bible as the Word of God
stories of the Bible revealing God’s love
stories important to the Catholic community
PS S 1.4b direct prayers to the Father pray spontaneously formulate simple oral and written prayers follow directions for a liturgical celebration participate fully, actively and consciously at an
age appropriate levelJS 1.2 identify key Lenten and Easter symbols and
practices. select Lenten practices to integrate into their
daily life summarise events leading up to and including
the birth of Jesus associate the celebration of Easter with the
resurrection of Jesus name actions appropriate to discipleship
S S1.5: retell specific Scripture stories in their own
words enact stories from the Scriptures ask questions to clarify meaning explain what these stories teach
DISCIPLESHIP CHALLENGE
Students are challenged to pray. Students are challenged to recognise the implication of Jesus’ words and actions. Students are challenged to show reverence and appreciation towards the Bible
Catholic Discipleship
Children will be more able to see prayer as an integral part of their lives if they are encouraged to pray often, and experience a variety of ways of praying. In the classroom, prayer can be modelled by the teacher, and become much more than a mere routine. Naturally, it has a much better chance of becoming part of a person’s life if time is set aside at home for prayer, and children are part of that prayer time. During this module students will have opportunities to further reflect on how time spent in conversation with God leads to a deepening and strengthening of one’s relationship with God. As students mature they are more able to grasp the opportunity to be in constant relationship with God through their interactions with others and seek to emphasise for students that even when they are feeling anxious, isolated or marginalised they are never truly alone for God is always with them. Students at this age are better able to understand the responsibilities of both parties involved in a relationship and in doing so to be encouraged to build a personal
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relationship with God where they are engaged very importantly in communal prayer but as importantly in personal prayer.
Students of this age have become relatively familiar with the key facts of the Easter Story. And so, this module aims to encourage the students to deepen their insights into the story, ultimately leading them to become more aware of Jesus’ presence in their lives at all times. Jesus reveals himself to all of us through others, and likewise Jesus is revealed to others through us. The implications of this belief demand that students are aware that their words and actions must be consistent with those of a disciple. Just as the events of the resurrection strengthened and transformed the lives of the disciples of the time, so to the recalling of these events today is to strengthen and transform both our belief and our desire to be disciple-like.
Prayer Focus
Prayer experiences through prayer'The church invites the faithful to regular prayer; daily prayer, the traditional daily prayer of the Church known as the Liturgy of the Hours, Sunday Eucharist, the feasts of the liturgical year. The Catechism of the Catholic Church lists vocal prayer, meditation and contemplative prayer as the three main expressions of prayer in the Christian tradition. Vocal prayer is an external expression of what is experienced in our heart. Jesus teaches his disciples a vocal prayer, the Our Father and expresses his personal prayer, ranging from blessings (cf Mt 11:25-26) to his agony of Gethsemane (cf Mk14:36). Meditation is prayer which engages 'thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. Its goal is to make our own in faith the subject considered, by confronting it with the reality of our own life.' (CCC 2723) Contemplation is the silent prayer of the heart. It is compared to being in the presence of a close friend. 'It is a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus, attentiveness to the Word of God, a silent love.' (CCC 2724)
Prayer is best explained as an expression of and a means of deepening our relationship with God. Teachers should seek to help students to understand and appreciate how prayer can help them in their daily life. The most effective means of achieving this is through the integration of prayer throughout the school day. For Stage 1 students, the role of meaningful communication within friendships will provide the framework for understanding the role of prayer in developing their relationship with God.
Teaching children about prayer through prayer
'Research in the field of children and prayer has revealed the following:- All children have the capacity and potential to pray- Children need mature adults who have a good understanding of their own faith development and of theology for
them to model different ways of praying and help them develop their understanding of God- Prayer experiences for children need to engage all five senses and include both verbal and non-verbal elements' The Catechism of the Catholic Church lists vocal prayer, meditation and contemplative prayer as the three main expressions of prayer in the Christian tradition.
Vocal prayer is an external expression of what is experienced in our heart. Jesus teaches his disciples a vocal prayer, the Our Father and expresses his personal prayer, ranging from blessings to his agony of Gethsemane (cf Mk 14:36).
Meditation is prayer which engages 'thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. Its goal is to make our own in faith the subject considered, by confronting it with the reality of our own life.' (CCC 2723) Contemplation is the silent prayer of the heart. It is compared to being in the presence of a close friend. 'It is a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus, attentiveness to the Word of God, a silent love.' (CCC 2724)
Within this module, the teacher should provide opportunities for students to experience these three expressions of prayer within the context of the Church's celebration of the passion and death of Jesus. Prayer is best explained as an expression of and a means of deepening our relationship with God. Teachers should seek to help students to understand and appreciate how prayer can help them in their daily life. The most effective means of achieving this is through the integration of prayer throughout the school day. For Year 2 students, the role of meaningful communication within friendships will provide the framework for understanding the role of prayer in developing their relationship with God.
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Student's Need to be Alone Many students have special places (in their back yard, a corner of their bedroom etc.), and value them greatly. Encourage the students to see the possibility for prayer in their special place so that they may grow in awareness of Jesus' presence in that experience of being alone.
Core Scripture
Mk 14:32-50; Mark 15: 33-34 Jesus prays in Gethsemane; Jesus calls to the FatherMK 16:1-7 Jesus is risen (also Mk 16:1-7, Lk 24:1-12, Jn 20:1-9)Jn 20:1931 Jesus appears to his disciples and Thomas
Scripture in Context
Mk 14:32-50 Jesus prays in Gethsemane
The story of Gethsemane gives us an example of people at prayer. Jesus goes to a quiet place to pray. He petitions the Father. He surrenders himself to the Father’s will. But there is also the very human side to the story: while Jesus turns to his Father in deep anxiety, his friends fall asleep, insensitive to Jesus’ needs. The story of Jesus in the desert also demonstrates the need to put aside time, and to find a quiet place, to gather ourselves and be conscious of God’s presence.
Even at this time when Jesus feels as if all his support has deserted him he is, nevertheless, conscious of the presence of God to whom he surrenders his life and will. The prayer in Gethsemane is not a despairing prayer, but an example of the need each of us has to be alone with our God. It also provides us with the knowledge that calling on God when we are at our most vulnerable is appropriate: that is when we are most conscious of our need; that is when we are most able to connect with the Divine Lord.
Mk 16:1-7 The Resurrection
The story of the resurrection must be seen in context of the whole story of Holy Week, and in fact of Jesus’ entire life and death. The resurrection brings to light our salvation in the midst of suffering. The cross and the resurrection are united, they cannot be seen alone. The mystery of new life comes from Jesus’ suffering.
The Paschal Mystery (the living, dying and rising of Jesus) is at work within us both individually and collectively as we embrace brokenness in our world, knowing that within the pain lives hope. Pope Benedict XVI says that the resurrection is a proclamation of life. “True life –our salvation- can only be found in the reconciliation, freedom and love which are God’s gracious gift. The resurrection holds a message of hope, of transformation and calls us like the people of Israel to “choose life” (Dt 30:19) Homily in USA, Apr 20, 2008 @ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/nyregion/20homily.html?ref=nationalspecial2
Jn 20:1931 Jesus appears to his disciples and Jesus and Thomas
Thomas’ unbelief is not just about Jesus’ resurrection. He also doubts his friends. The story has a message for all of us. We are the ones who have not seen, but have believed. It is important, therefore, that we are people others can trust, if we are to tell them about Jesus.
Catechism of the Catholic Church for teacher reference
nn. 1163-71 Lent/Easter – The Liturgical Year Lent to Easter Stage 1 Year 2 Page | 5
Compendium # 241 What is the centre of the liturgical season?
n. 612 Gethsemane n. 2600 Jesus prays nn. 2626-2642 Christian prayerCompendium # 550 What are the essential forms of Christian prayer?
nn. 599-605, 620 The Death of JesusCompendium # 118 Why was the death of Jesus part of God’s plan?
nn. 613-617, 622-623 Jesus’ sacrifice on the crossCompendium # 122 What are the results of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross?
nn.618 The cross of Jesus’ disciplesCompendium # 123 Why does Jesus call upon his disciples to take up their cross?
nn.651-655, 658 Jesus’ ResurrectionCompendium # 131 What is the saving meaning of Jesus’ resurrection?
Background for TeachersIntroduction
This module has several components:1. On Ash Wednesday, children will be introduced to the Season of Lent.
This will include: changing the colour of the Sacred Space to purple, and discussing why; celebrating an Ash Wednesday Mass or liturgy; introducing the actions of Lent i.e. prayer, almsgiving and fasting; and focusing prayer in Lent and raising money for Project Compassion (S1 children are too young to fast,
although the concept may be discussed with them). Whilst the Lenten theme runs in the classroom, teachers should complete teaching their first module of the year, and not begin the actual Lenten module until the third week of Lent (as they learn about Lent every year, it is important to give time to complete other modules).
2. In the fifth week of Lent and Holy Week, the focus will be on the Easter Triduum, through the story of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
3. For two weeks after Easter, children will continue by learning about the Easter Season. However, they must be aware that the Easter Season lasts for fifty days, and so class prayer should have the Easter theme for that period of time. As the “Alleluia” is returned, maybe, “Alleluia” banners could be prominent in the classroom or school. The sacred space might contain symbols such as flowers, butterflies or anything that represents new life.
Ash Wednesday is a special day which is the first day of Lent
The liturgical year is designed to express and celebrate the different aspects of our lives. There are times of great celebration and joy, times when we celebrate the ordinary things of our lives and times of preparation forgiveness and healing. Lent is a season of preparation for the great feast of Easter, a time during which we focus on how we can best be disciples of Jesus. Lent presents us with its challenge to take stock of our lives, to see more clearly what is in our hearts, and to discover what might be calling us out of our comfort zones. It is a time for personal as well as group reflection, a time for entering into 'the wilderness' and grappling with the mysteries of life, through which we prepare for Easter when we renew our baptismal vows and celebrate the greatest mysteries of our faith. Lent
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encourages us to find the sacred in the ordinary as we look at our everyday relationships with God, with others and with creation.
On Ash Wednesday Catholics all over the world come to church to receive ashes on their foreheads. The name of the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday, comes from the old custom of blessing ashes and marking the foreheads of the people with ashes on this day. The practice was adopted by early Christians from their Jewish heritage where ashes had been used as an expression of sorrow and humiliation. The custom was then often used privately by the early Christians. In medieval times, mourners and penitents often clothed themselves in sackcloth and sprinkled their hands and faces with dust and ashes. It was introduced into the liturgy and became a formal part of the Roman practice in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Today, the ashes are prepared by burning palms from the preceding Palm Sunday. It has become a public sign of communal faith through which Catholics express our connection in the Cross of Jesus, our connection with creation, our connections with those who are suffering and dying, and our place in the living, dying and rising of Jesus.
As these young children receive the ashes on Ash Wednesday they will learn that the special sign on their foreheads is to remind them to be good and kind to everyone during this time of waiting for Easter to come.
Our call to bring about the Kingdom of God ~ a focus in Lent
In Jesus' life and ministry, the Kingdom of God was the focus of everything that he said and did. Jesus shared his giftedness with all, especially the poor and became the model for unselfish, loving service based on the two great commandments, love of God and love of neighbour.
People who met Jesus were affected by the person he was: his actions and words through which he brought healing and forgiveness. Those who trusted and believed in him experienced a freedom to respond to God's love. Jesus excluded no one from his love and care. His example challenges the Christian community to reach out to all with the same love and care that he showed to others.
The Season of Lent is a time in which we focus on our call to bring about the kingdom of God in our own lives. The actions of almsgiving, fasting and prayer help to direct our minds to injustice in the world and our call to make a difference.
Symbols of Lent and Easter
Symbols: The liturgy of the church depends on the use of symbols. It is important to note the difference between symbols and signs. Signs convey a message or information. Symbols point beyond themselves to a deeper reality and can carry many meanings simultaneously, but there is always a level of unified meaning that the symbol possesses. Symbols gather layers of meaning over time and in a sense their meaning is inexhaustible.
Palms: The palm tree was significant in the Old Testament e.g. both Solomon and Jeremiah used the palm tree as a symbol of straight stature. In Leviticus, the Lord tells Moses to keep the festival of the Lord for seven days with rest on the first day and afterwards on the eighth. “ On the first day you shall take the fruit of majestic trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy willows of the brook and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days” (Lev 23:40). The city of Jericho, an oasis in the desert, was also known as the “City of palm trees”. Palms were considered as princely trees, were used to symbolise victory and were also an adornment in temples. Palms were a sign of welcome, of public homage and of journey’s end. They were a sign of public acceptance and were waved and strewn in triumphal processions. Palms also provided food and shade for desert travellers, and were probably the first sign of an oasis seen by these people. As such, they became a symbol of finding water by desert travellers.
Carrying palms is seen as a faithful symbol of Christ’s presence. Not only a sign of Jesus’ kingship, they are a connection with the gift of creation and a reminder of the humility of Jesus’ kinship. Displaying palms in our homes and school throughout Lent is a reminder that Jesus daily enters our lives.
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Cross: During Lent, Christians focus on the cross, one of the primary symbols of Christianity. From a tree which brought death, life sprung forth anew. Through the cross, Jesus made himself vulnerable and assumed the condition of a slave so that we may have life. Through his cross of death, Jesus’ majesty was revealed. Our journey as we pray the Stations of the Cross in Holy Week reminds us of our won journey to new life with Jesus.In a way, we sit at the foot of the cross every day. Suffering is a universal part of life, an inescapable part of human existence. However, it is through suffering that we are called beyond ourselves into God’s mystery of love, as expressed through Jesus. Children in a simple way may begin to understand that when we are hurt, sad, sorry or lonely, we grow in special ways. Often we come to feel love from someone who reaches out to us. Jesus knows how we feel and is there with us. Often we learn from our hurt and sadness new ways to behave e.g. we might come to learn how other people feel when they are in pain.
Alleluia: Symbols come to life when we participate in their reality. As the Alleluia is returned to the liturgy, after the Season of Lent we experience the joy and celebration of the Easter Season. “When a person experiences great joy, he/she cannot keep it to him/herself. He/ she has to express it, to pass it on. But what happens when a person is touched by the light of the resurrection, and thus comes into contact with Life itself, with Truth and Love? He/she cannot merely speak about it. Speech is no longer adequate. He/she has to sing. At the Easter Vigil, year after year, we Christians intone this song after the third reading, we sing it as our song, because we too, through God’s power, have been drawn forth from the water and liberated for true life.” Pope Benedict- Easter Vigil Homily, 2009
Other Symbols of Lenten and Easter Season: Whilst S1 children will not study all the symbols of these seasons, they will become aware of some symbols through their participation in school and parish liturgies. There may be occasions when they are discussed in a simple way in class. A brief theology of some of these is included here:
Water has two opposed meanings: In one sense it is a symbol of death. The destructive power of water has been seen in tsunamis. And so it becomes the symbolic representation of Jesus’ death on the Cross: Christ descended into the sea, into the waters of death, as Israel did into the Red Sea. Having risen from death, he gives us life. We are called by our baptism to rise again as new creatures. The other meaning of water is that of the fresh spring that gives life. Without water there is no life. Jesus, water of life gives us the meaning of true life.
Light “At the Easter Vigil, the Church represents the mystery of the light of Christ in the sign of the Paschal candle, whose flame is both light and heat. The symbolism of light is connected with that of fire: radiance and heat, radiance and the transforming energy contained in the fire — truth and love go together. The Paschal candle burns, and is thereby consumed: The cross and the resurrection are inseparable.”
Washing of the Feet “What does 'washing of the feet’, concretely mean? Every deed of goodness for our fellows, especially for the suffering and those held in low regard, is like the service of the washing of the feet. The Lord calls us to do this, step down [from our pedestal], learn to be humble, have the courage to be good and available to accept refusal, and yet trust goodness and persevere in it. http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/17/world/europe/pope-francis-washes-feet-of-disabled-people/
The Breaking of Bread Having given thanks and praise, the Lord then breaks the bread and gives it to the disciples. Breaking the bread is:
the act of the father of the family who looks after his children and gives them what they need for life. the act of hospitality with which the stranger, the guest, is received within the family and is given a share in
its life. Dividing and sharing brings about unity. Through sharing, communion is created. In the broken bread, the Lord distributes himself.
nourishment for the journey , as Christians we are nourished for our journey of mission representative of the broken body of the “lamb of God”.
“Giving thanks and praise, Jesus transforms the bread, he no longer gives earthly bread, but communion with himself. This transformation, though, seeks to be the start of the transformation of the world – into a world of resurrection, a world of God.”
Children will be familiar with common symbols such as eggs, butterflies, chickens and flowers etc. which are used commercially in the Easter Season. Teachers are challenged to demonstrate how these symbols are representative of the new life that we experience through Jesus’ resurrection. The symbols should therefore be used throughout the fifty days of the Easter Season, so that children come to know that Easter is much more than receiving Easter eggs.
The Liturgical Seasons
The whole mystery of Christ unfolds through the liturgical year. The Paschal Mystery is our core understanding of life ~ we live, die and rise with Jesus Christ every day. We live our lives experiencing many of the things that Jesus did, we die in our pain, worries and suffering and we rise in our hope that Christ is always with us. The liturgical year discloses God as a possibility NOW.
Jesus comes to tell us how to be fully present to God. God’s kingdom is about hungering for fragmented humanity to be brought into one life by the death and resurrection of Jesus. We live that hungering in the cycles of our lives. The Liturgical Year invites us into that hungering. The disclosure of God through Jesus offers a new quality of life.
We live out daily lives in chronos time (forward movement), but religious time is kairos time (time thick with power and meaning). Our liturgical time is fundamentally sacred. Time is itself a gift of grace.
The liturgical year in a way reflects our lives:
There are times of high celebration and joy (in our lives like weddings and birthdays). In the church they are captured in the colour white, Easter and Christmas Seasons and other solemnities.
There are times of preparation, healing and forgiveness. In the church, the colour purple is used in the seasons of Lent and Advent.
There are times of great sadness, but these times are always balanced against the hope of resurrection. In the church different colours are used e.g. red is used on Good Friday.
Most of our lives are lived in order, carrying out the things of day to day lives. Just like the colour of grass and trees, the liturgical colour for ordinary time is green. This is the time when we hear the God’s story as reflected in the stories of the Old Testament people, the stories of Jesus and the stories of those who carried on Jesus’ work in the days of the early church.
The Seasons of Lent and Easter
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Lent
EasterTriduum
EasterSeason
Christmas Season
Advent
OrdinaryTime
Solemnities, feasts and memorials
THE LITURGICAL YEARTHE LITURGICAL YEAR
In the present calendar, Lent lasts from Ash Wednesday to the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening. There are only two days that are set down by the Australian Conference of Bishops as strict days of fasting: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
While Sunday is the weekly celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection, there emerged over time an annual celebration of the events that made up the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. Today we call that annual commemoration the Easter Triduum.
The Easter Triduum is the culmination of the entire liturgical year. It begins with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil and closes with evening prayer on Easter Sunday. Although the events of the Lord’s Supper, the passion, death and resurrection are celebrated as distinct moments in the life of Jesus, they are essentially one event, the paschal mystery. We are not simply remembering past events, rather we are entering into the Paschal mystery of Christ, as we do in every Mass , in such a way that the unique saving of Christ’s death and resurrection becomes present to us now.
Lent as a Time for Repentance
Beginning with Ash Wednesday, Lent has a dominant theme of repentance. The prophets of the Old Testament repeatedly called for repentance before the people could walk closely with their God. So too did John the Baptist make repentance a prerequisite for baptism in the Jordan. Each of these figures called for repentance in the name of God. However, during his ministry, Jesus identified himself as the one who is able to forgive sins, and he did so freely, for anyone with an open heart. Jesus' message to all was to repent and hear the good news.
The Celebration of Easter Triduum
The structure of the Triduum as we know it has a long history. At first the early Church celebrated the total Easter event of the death and resurrection of Christ in the course of a single Easter vigil. Over the centuries the three day celebration emerged to include Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday commencing with the celebration of the Easter Vigil. For the purposes of this module the focus should be on the joyful resurrection of Jesus as a sign of God’s approval for Jesus’ life.
Holy Week and the Last Supper (Lord’s Supper)
The Easter Triduum of the passion and resurrection of the Lord begins with the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper, reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil, and closes with evening prayer on Easter Sunday, the Sunday of the Lord's Resurrection. (Roman Missal: Calendar nn.18-19)
The Last Supper on Holy Thursday evening was a special meal. Whether originally a Passover meal or a farewell meal, it was celebrated with a view to the coming of the Kingdom of God. By sharing broken bread and wine poured out as his flesh and blood, Jesus gave his disciples a share in the power of his death to make atonement for sins and to establish a new Covenant.
The Jewish people regard the Passover as the most important meal of the year. During this celebration families gather to remember and share the story of how Yahweh saved the Hebrews from slavery. A special plate of six different foods is prepared for this celebration. Each food reminds the family of a part of the story. An egg is symbolic of spring and new life. Watercress / parsley is symbolic of new foods in spring and thankfulness to God for new life. Salt water symbolic of the tears shed by the Hebrews under slavery in Egypt.. Morer / horseradish, a bitter herb symbolises the slavery and sorrow that the people experienced. Haroses (made by grinding apples, almonds and raisins) is symbolic of the mortar used to build clay bricks for the Egyptian masters. Roasted lamb shank eaten on the first Passover night is symbolic of the death of the oldest child in each of the Egyptian houses. As in the celebration of Eucharist unleavened bread and wine is also shared.Lent to Easter Stage 1 Year 2 Page | 10
The story of the Last Supper, and its links to the Eucharist, challenges the students to think symbolically and to recognise symbols, including words and images.
'Eucharist' is a Greek word that means Thanksgiving. The first Jewish Christians celebrated the Eucharist in small groups in their homes in the context of the customary ritual of a Jewish meal. Simple warmth and hospitality marked home worship in the early Church. The home atmosphere expressed the meaning of Eucharist as the sacred in the midst of everyday community life. Eucharist symbolised the unity of Christians gathered in the name of one Lord in a shared meal. The Jewish community called their home liturgies a meal of shalom which means a meal of peace and friendship.
Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane
The scene in the garden of Gethsemane shows Jesus at his most human. He is at the end of his journey where the consequences of his actions in fulfilling his mission are all too obvious. He is let down by his friends who fail to realise the seriousness of the situation. The exchange between Jesus and his disciples is one all too familiar to those in trouble: others – even close friends – cannot provide the support.
Following the Mass of the Lord’s Supper the congregation is invited to spend some time in private prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. In this devotion we are called to do what Jesus’ friends were unable to do: to stay awake with him.
Without the support of his friends Jesus turns back to the Father. The prayer of Jesus exhibits both his intimacy with the Father and his commitment to complete his work.
Jesus Prayed to his Father
Jesus begins his ministry in Matthew's and Luke's gospels by going into the desert. During his ministry he often goes into the wilderness. When faced with the greatest challenge of his ministry, his crucifixion, he needs to be alone in prayer. Further, the resurrection accounts emphasise the need for silence... Jesus on the shores of Lake Galilee cooking fish alone before he is joined by his disciples, Jesus alone on the way to Emmaus before he meets his two followers and Jesus' first appearance to Mary as she sits alone and mourns.
'Jesus often draws apart to pray in solitude, on a mountain, preferably at night. He includes all men in his prayer, for he has taken on humanity in his incarnation, and he offers them to the Father when he offers himself.' (CCC 2602)
The temptations of Jesus in the desert parallel the temptations of Israel in the desert on its journey to the Promised Land. In the temptation narratives Jesus is being portrayed as the One who remains faithful and obedient to his Father's will, unlike Israel's disobedience and unfaithfulness. This helps set the scene for Jesus' victory at the passion, the supreme act of obedience to the Father.
Jesus Prays on the Cross
The prayer in the garden is consistent with the last words of Jesus found in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. Here we find Jesus using the opening verse of Psalm 21 (22). The psalm is a prayer for help by one in great distress and a song of thanksgiving and praise for God's deliverance. (c.f. Harper Collins Study Bible Footnotes Lk 22:39-53)
The Easter Season
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Eastertide includes the whole period of fifty days starting with Easter Vigil and concluding at Pentecost. It commemorates Jesus' Resurrection, Ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
'The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ, a faith believed and lived as the central truth by the first Christian community; handed on as fundamental by Tradition; established by the documents of the New Testament; and preached as an essential part of the Paschal mystery along with the cross' (CCC 638)
A personal relationship with God (named Abba... Father), is a key theme of the gospels. Many qualities of the God of the Old Testament are revealed by Jesus (e.g. justice) so that Jesus presents us with a much more complete picture of the one we can call Abba, Father. 'When Jesus prays he is already teaching us how to pray. His prayer to his Father is the theological path (the path of faith, hope and charity) of our prayer to God. But the Gospel also gives us Jesus' explicit teaching on prayer. Like a wise teacher he takes hold of us where we are and leads us progressively toward the Father. Addressing the crowds following him, Jesus builds on what they already know of prayer from the Old Covenant and opens to them the newness of the coming Kingdom. Then he reveals this newness to them in parables. Finally he will speak openly of the Father and the Holy Spirit to his disciples who will be the teachers of prayer in his Church.' (CCC 2607)
A personal relationship with God, whom Jesus names as Abba, is a key theme of the Gospels. This word is best translated as “Daddy” and is indicative of the intimacy Jesus has with the Father. This personal relationship is grounded in the covenant relationship of God with his chosen people. Jesus reveals how we can relate to God as children in and through our relationships with others and in our prayer. Jesus, for example, reveals the merciful love of God as father in the parable of the Lost Son which explains why he eats with sinners. Jesus teaches us to address God in prayer as Abba, a child's privileged term of intimacy in addressing his or her father.
The Church's celebration of the season of Lent, challenges us to 'step aside', to 'come away' to a quiet place that invites us to penance and conversion of heart through fasting, prayer and works of charity. This dying and resurrection is patterned on the Paschal mystery celebrated in the liturgical year that culminates in the Easter Triduum.
Celebration and the Celebration of Easter
The word 'celebrate' has strong images of festivity and happy partying. Catholics use the word in its more original sense: to mark an important event with a solemn ritual. Hence Catholics 'celebrate' a funeral as well as a wedding. The Church marks important occasions in the life of the community and its members with various celebrations. The most significant sign of Jesus' presence is the gathering together of his followers in his name (Mt 18: 20).
During the first centuries of Christianity there was much debate about the dating of the Easter feast. In 190 CE, Pope Victor 1 taught that Easter must be celebrated on a Sunday, since this was the day that Jesus rose from the dead. In 325 CE the Council of Nicea declared that Easter must be celebrated on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox. It was not until the Seventh century that all Catholic communities accepted this method of dating Easter.
Following the great solemnity of Easter, the cycle of readings recalls the events following Christ's Resurrection. 'The fifty days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost are celebrated as one feast day, sometimes called "the great Sunday". The singing of the alleluia is a characteristic of these days.' (The Sacramentary)
Jesus celebrated special times with others Jesus, like us, enjoyed the company of his friends and celebrated important events with special meals. In Luke's Gospel, Jesus' celebration of meals is presented as a significant and distinguishing feature of his ministry. In Lk 5:27-30, Jesus shares a meal with Levi; a tax collector. He uses the occasion of the woman washing and anointing his feet while he is sharing a meal in the house of Simon the Pharisee, to teach about love and forgiveness (cf. Lk 7:36-50). He fed the hungry crowd 'with five loaves and two fish' (Lk 22:12-17). The setting for teaching the parable of the Wedding Banquet and for teaching about curing on the Sabbath, was 'on one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal'. (Lk 22:1-24). And when 'all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him' 'the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them"'. (Lk 15:1-
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2) Luke presents Jesus countering these complaints with the parable of the Lost Sheep, where 'there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (Lk 15:10)
At the Last Supper, he shared his final meal with his closest friends. He took bread and wine; He blessed and broke the bread and gave it to them to eat, saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' (Lk 22:19) He blessed and shared the cup of wine saying, 'This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.' The structure or 'shape' of the Liturgy of the Eucharist is inspired by each of these actions of Jesus.
After the death of Jesus, the tomb was found to be empty. Jesus then appeared to various individuals and groups. In the story of the road to Emmaus, the disciples recognised Jesus when he was at table with them, when 'he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.' Later they reflected, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the Scriptures to us? (Lk 24:30-32, 35).
Jesus' appearance to Thomas has no parallels in the other Gospels.
Jesus' appearance to the disciples makes it clear that the Jesus who has been raised up is also the Jesus who was crucified; that is why he shows the disciples his hands and side.
John 21:1-14 narrates an appearance of Jesus to some of the disciples in Galilee. It combines a wondrous catch of fish with a meal on the shore.
Ways in which we encounter the Risen Christ in our lives
Through relationships with others as members of the Church
As people of faith we cannot live in isolation from Jesus present in the community of his disciples. One can be a follower of Jesus only with others and one can be a Christian only within the Body of Christ. It is through our relationships that we develop self-understanding, appreciation of others and of the world, and our knowledge and love of God. Relationships achieve their potential only when they include characteristics of the relationships that exist among persons of the Trinitarian God.
When seeking to develop their human capacities, people come to realise they cannot succeed alone. This insight gives rise to new concerns, questionings, hopes, fears, reflections and judgements. They need others to help them learn and to share the broader human experience. Experience teaches that many human needs and problems can be solved only by cooperation between people, and that society can advance only if those within, work in cooperation with one another.
Through the Liturgy of the Church
- The Eucharistic celebration The Eucharistic meal of bread and wine (the body and blood of Christ) shared by the people, commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus, and His Resurrection. Each Sunday mass is a 'little Easter' in itself.
- The celebration of the sacraments 'Sacraments are "powers that come forth" from the Body of Christ, which is ever-living and life-giving. They are actions of the Holy Spirit in work in his Body, the Church' (CCC 1116)
The Liturgy of the Hours
Otherwise known as the Divine Office, the Liturgy of the Hours is the official prayer of the Church which fulfils the Lord's command to pray without ceasing (Lk 18:1; Tim 5:17). Every hour of every day, someone around the world is praying the Liturgy of the Hours.
Student ContextPlease cater for the student context of your class in your planning of this module.Lent to Easter Stage 1 Year 2 Page | 13
Developing the PartnershipPlease make connections between the learning in this module and parents and the wider community.
Curriculum LinksPlease note connections with other KLAS and cross curricular perspectives in your planning.
Planning a Quality Learning Sequence for your classQuality religious education will be achieved only by deep thinking about where you are going and how you plan the learning journey to get there. Begin with the end in mind and then consider how you will build field to meet your goals. Remember that you cannot expect children to develop deep knowledge and understanding, unless you as teacher have deep knowledge and understanding yourself. According to the Quality Teaching Framework, quality teaching will occur when you ask yourself four questions:
What do you want the students to learn? Why does the learning matter? What are you going to get the students to do (or produce)? How well do you expect them to do it?The suggested learning sequence has been planned through such a process. However, it cannot be written with the understanding of the student context of each class and relationship to other learning that is happening in the class. It is therefore necessary for you as teacher to plan your own unit, using this module as a support. Doing so is part of your role as an “activist professional” (a teacher who actively works to improve their professionalism).
Suggested Teaching, Learning and Assessment Experiences
These are suggested teaching and learning experiences. The essential part of teaching this module is that you, as teacher have deep knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. Reading in depth the “Background for the Teacher” and “Scripture in Context” will give you the basic understanding you need.
It is essential to use the whole module to plan your own unit. You might like to change the questions to suit your class. Your unit should be written in acknowledgement of the student context of your class. The suggested learning experiences are meant to be adapted for this purpose. You should design learning experiences for the purpose of formative and summative assessment. When designing quality learning experiences and assessments, they must address the outcomes, learning intentions and success criteria based on the enduring understandings of the module.
Key Concepts
Lent Easter Ash Wednesday Almsgiving Prayerful
Prayer Praying Meditation Symbols Season
Caritas Project Compassion Kingdom of God Holy Week Holy Thursday
During Lent prayer prepares us to celebrate Holy Week and the Season of Easter
What is important for Students to Know and Do
The church celebrates different seasons, just like there are seasons in our year.
The season of Lent lasts for 40 days.
In Lent, we pray, we give to people in need and sometimes fast as a sign of our change of heart.
The liturgical colour of Lent is purple.
On Holy Thursday we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper
The Mass of the Lord’s Supper is the beginning of three special days called the Easter Triduum.
In Holy Week, we remember the journey to Jesus’ death on the Cross and celebrate his resurrection.
We celebrate the Easter Season for fifty days.
The liturgical colour of the Easter Season is white (the church’s colour for celebration).
The joyful word, “Alleluia” is not used in Lent, but is used with great joy during Eastertime.
Participate in the actions of Lent.
Pray with a Lenten and then an Easter focus.
Support Project Compassion
Enduring Understandings
We are called, as disciples of Jesus, to pray during Lent as we prepare for Easter.
Jesus showed us how to pray to his Father
Jesus showed us that no matter how alone we feel we can talk to God about our problems and feelings
Jesus as a faithful Jew celebrated a Passover meal as his last supper with his friends before his death.
Sunday is a special day for our family to gather and celebrate together that Jesus died and rose from the dead.
Jesus is present with us when we celebrate the Eucharist, pray and help others.
We celebrate Jesus’ resurrection with great joy for 50 days.
The Easter season reminds us that Jesus is with us now.
Jesus’ resurrection shows Christians that there is always hope
Suggested Big Question
How can prayer help us be disciples of Jesus during the Lent and Easter seasons?
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Suggested Essential Questions
What are the liturgical seasons of Lent and Easter?How do we pray with Jesus during Lent and Holy Week?How do we pray with Jesus during the Easter Season?
Suggested Teaching, Learning and Assessment Experiences
What are the Liturgical seasons of Lent and Easter?
***The teaching of this module will include 3 days preparation in the week of Ash Wednesday. This will allow children to complete their first module. As Lenten modules are taught every year, K-6, it is not necessary to spend a full 6 weeks on Lent and Holy Week. However, it will be necessary to celebrate Ash Wednesday, change the liturgical colour to purple, introduce Project Compassion and have a Lenten prayer theme throughout the season.***
On Monday:
Change the liturgical cloth on prayer table to purple. Set up the Project Compassion box. Discuss how things will change in Lent:
We will focus on getting ready to remember in a special way how Jesus died on the cross for us and then rose again to life, letting us know that we have hope even when things worry us.
During Lent we do three special things: prayer, fasting and helping others.
On Shrove Tuesday:
Children may cook pancakes, perhaps to support Caritas, as a celebration before Lent begins (KLA link- English: Procedure).Discuss the history of Shrove Tuesday: The day before Lent begins is called Shrove Tuesday. “Shrove” means being forgiven. Long ago this was a day for feasting and having a good time. People went to church to confess the bad things they had done and would be “shriven” or forgiven before the start of Lent. As rich foods such as eggs were forbidden during Lent, one way of using them up would be to make pancakes. (www.topmarks.co.uk/easter/ShroveTuesday.aspx)
Ask children to consider how they will undertake prayer, fasting and helping others within their Lenten promise. (This may include a class component e.g. saying an extra prayer at some time throughout the day). Ask them to write a commitment to do so. These can be:
A Commitment Box placed in the Prayer Space. Placed on a roadway made with pebbles, as a journey towards Easter.
The Examen can be used throughout Lent for the children to reflect on how they are carrying out their commitment.
On Ash Wednesday:
Students attend Ash Wednesday liturgy. Change the liturgical cloth on prayer table to purple. Set up the Project Compassion box. Put the Commitment Box in the Prayer Space.
After the Ash Wednesday liturgy, develop a timeline or calendar to plan out the Lenten/Easter Season in relation to prayer, fasting and helping others e.g. Ash Wednesday Mass, a special prayer, Project Compassion fundraising day, Holy Week Liturgies. This may be added to throughout the Lenten Season.
Third Week of Lent, begin teaching the module
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How do we pray with Jesus during Lent and Holy Week?
Brainstorm activities students like to do on their own. List words to describe positive feelings associated with solitude. Create and display a class Wordle or Tagxedo. Design a rating scale listing the things that would make you feel safe when you are by yourself. Place them in order of importance.
Participate in a guided meditation, which focuses on an experience of solitude.
Discussion 'How does prayer, fasting and helping others prepare us to celebrate Easter?
Students decorate a booklet which will be used as their journal for the duration of the module. A central part of this module is the maintenance of this journal in which students can record their thoughts and feelings (in written or drawing form) or they may record prayers. (KLA Link - English)
Collect data about times when Jesus was alone. Shared reading of “Jesus prays in Gethsemane”. Report on key aspects of 'Jesus prays in Gethsemane’, Mk 14:32-50. (useful link - http://www.ainglkiss.com/stories/prays.htm Jesus Prays in the Garden)
Students work in groups to reconstruct text and illustrate a group Big Book based on Mk 14: 32-50.
Draw a diagrammatic representation of the events of Jesus in the garden (e.g. as a sociogram, showing Jesus' relationship to the apostles and to the Father).
Perform liquid pictures of suggested Scripture. During preparation facilitate students' understanding of 'Jesus goes to the desert' (Mt 4:12) through questioning.
In groups research, using the Gold and Honey Bible or the Dramatised Bible, a scene involving Jesus praying to His Father. The group dramatises this scene and afterwards presents a brief statement to the class describing how Jesus prayed, e.g. 'he trusted his father; he was very worried; he was teaching his disciples how to pray'.
Students are asked to recognise ideas in suggested Scripture passages. This would be evident when students identify key information from ' The Garden of Gethsemane' e.g. characters, settings and events.
Present a display of scenic photos/pictures to the class and place on the noticeboard. Read excerpt from The Garden and discuss the favourite places of the students. Question students to discover if they enjoy sharing these favourite places alone or with others.
Guided meditation on 'Personal Prayer’. Teacher prepares a visualisation exercise on his/her special place. If a student does not have a special place, time could be given to picturing an imaginary place, which is as valid as a physically real place.
Guide students in a meditation, Jesus in the Garden. Afterwards students are questioned about this experience: 'How did Jesus get the strength to live through that experience? Do you think Jesus prayed? Do you think prayer helped him? How?'
Using Mt 4:1-2 students prepare liquid pictures. In groups they discuss the story and the characters and determine the main symbolic action which best reflects each character. Students repeat the action as part of each tableau scene, whilst at the same time, repeating a key word or phrase based on the Scriptural text. (CREATIVE ARTS-Drama) Homelink and part of the school Holy Week liturgy
Ongoing class reflection on how well students have fulfilled their Lenten commitment.
Liturgy Definition: “work of the people” (in this case - the children)
A liturgy to celebrate module learning usually has four parts of which these can contain all or some one of the suggestions.
Before you begin some other considerations!! Where will the liturgy be celebrated? Does not have to be celebrated in the church or the classroom. Outdoors is a possibility - weather permitting. Consider the placement of chairs and sacred space. Who to invite? (parents, staff, priest etc)
WE GATHER: Setting the scene Sacred Space (cloth, candle, Bible, icons etc) to be created in this part. Procession Hymn or songs of welcome Welcome and introduction to celebration Opening prayer
WE LISTEN: Stories From the Bible Outline of what has been learnt Multimedia presentations Dramatisation/ dialogue of story Hymns Liturgical Movement of story Stories of their life and families Related narratives (eg Dreamtime story)
WE RESPOND:Responding to the stories Hymn or songs Liturgical movement Prayers of Intercession Prayer Multimedia presentations Sharing work from module (eg artwork)
WE GO FORTH:Sending Forth Recessional hymn or songs Liturgical movement Prayer Thank you statement
Liturgy can be followed by offer of hospitalityResources
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Children’s Liturgy of
Note: The resources indicated below are recommended but not essential to assist with the teaching of this module. Please locate those available in your school and add to those below.
Hari, A. & Singer, C. 1993. Experience Jesus today. Strasbourg, France: OCP Publications.
Leninger, J. 1989. The beginner's Bible. Oregon: Questar.
O’Brien, Kate & White, Dan. 2001. The Thinking Platform. Strategies to foster Whole Brain Thinking in the Cooperative Classroom. Marayong: K.D.Publications.
O’Brien, Kate & White, Dan. 2003. Into the Deep. Marayong: K.D.Publications.
Reehorst, Jane. 1986. Guided meditations for children. Dubuque, Iowa: Brown.
Treston, Kevin. 2000. Stories and Seasons. Saints and Feasts for Catholic Schools and Parishes. Brisbane: Creation Enterprises.
Wintour, R. 1999. Sacred Celebrations for Lent. Brisbane: Mountjoy Enterprises
Wintour, R. 2000. Just Imagine. Brisbane: Mountjoy Enterprises
Wintour, R. 2002. Just Imagine 2. Brisbane: Mountjoy Enterprises
Wintour, R. 2004. Just Imagine 3. Brisbane: Mountjoy Enterprises
LabOra Worship
Audio Visual
Literature
Beginners Bible
To Know Love and Worship Big Book- Stories About Jesus
Music
Mangan, Michael & Hehir, Paul. 1995. 'Out of ashes' in Renew and rejoice. Albany Creek: Litmus Productions.
Walker, Christopher. 1992. 'We hear God's word', 'The good news of God's salvation' and 'Jesus you love us' in Calling the children. Portland, Oregon: OCP Publications.
Willow Connection. 2002. As One Voice For Children. Adelaide: Openbook Publishers
Internet
Mission and Religious Education (Lighthouse) http://missionandreligiouseducation.dbbcso.org/
