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FROM OUR EDITORS—October 31, 2021 – 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

FROM OUR EDITORS—October 31, 2021 – 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Para la versión en español, haga clic aquí.

A young boy went to Mass with his parents on a sunny Sunday morning. He looked around at the many colorful stained-glass images of saints that adorned the walls of the church. The boy asked his mother who those people were. She whispered her answer and told him the names of the different saints pictured on the windows. Later in religion class, the boy’s teacher asked if anybody knew what a saint is. The excited boy raised his hand. When the teacher called on him to give his answer, he said, “A saint is someone the light shines through!”

While the young boy’s response shows the concrete nature of his thinking, his words reveal a truth about the nature of saints. Saints are people who let the light of Christ shine through their lives. This week, we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints and the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls). It’s good for us to remember that God calls every one of us to holiness in this life and eventual sainthood in Heaven. We can look to the saints as our role models of faithful and holy living. All you holy men and women, pray for us!

Every week in the GROW newsletter, you will find helpful tips for teaching your Gospel Weeklies lesson, a reflection on the Sunday Gospel, and links to many online resources.

Video of Sunday’s Gospel (Mark 12:28b–34)
Use this video as you discuss today’s Gospel. Please preview all videos you plan to share with your class:
     Holy Heroes
     Gospel Readings for Kids
     Mark 12:28b–34
     Heart, Soul, and Mind

Videos for All Saints’ Day and All Souls Day
     Saints—Catholic Central
     All Saints’ Day
     All Souls’ Day
     How Does the Catholic Church Declare Official Saints?

Seeds
Lesson Theme: Jesus tells us about God.
For this lesson, you will want to separate pages 1–2 from 3–4 in advance. You should also put together one booklet in advance.

This week we celebrate All Saints’ Day on November 2nd. Since this Seeds lesson will talk about Jesus’ Great Commandment, you can tell the children that saints are people that followed Jesus most important rule and now live with him forever in Heaven. Invite a child to point to All Saints’ Day (November 1) on your Church Year calendar.

Teaching Guide
Find a coloring page to accompany “Who Needs Rules? here.
Parent Teaching Pages
Extending Activities
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Word of the Week
Seasonal Resources
Videos
     Weekly Gospel Videos and Coloring Pages
     Bible Bag Gospel Lesson with Mrs. Cole

Promise
Lesson Theme: Jesus invites us to love.
For this lesson, you will want to separate pages 1–2 from 3–4 in advance. You should also put together one booklet in advance.

When you introduce or conclude the story of Saint Katharine Drexel (page 2), you may wish to ask the children if they remember which saint you talked about in last week’s lesson (Saint Francis of Assisi). Invite a child to point to All Saints’ Day (November 1) on your Church Year calendar. Explain that on this day, we celebrate all the saints in Heaven. You may also talk about All Souls’ Day (November 2). On this day, we remember all those who have died. Invite the children to offer the names of people in their families, neighborhoods, and parish who have died. You might lead the children in a prayer that these people be welcomed into Heaven by God. You’ll continue to talk about saints in the next lesson.

Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Extending Activities
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Online Assessment
Word of the Week
Seasonal Resources
Videos
     Weekly Gospel Videos and Coloring Pages
     Bible Bag Gospel Lesson with Mrs. Cole
Select one of these videos to share as you learn about Saint Katharine Drexel on page 2:
     St. Katharine Drexel
     Saint Katharine Drexel

Good News
Lesson Theme: Jesus’ law is love.
For this lesson, you will need a Bible, game markers, drawing paper, scissors, and envelopes in addition to crayons and a Church Year calendar. If your class time is limited, you may wish make copies of the Act of Love (see page 50 in the What the Church Believes and Teaches handbook) on drawing paper in advance.

You may wish to ask the children if they remember which saint you talked about in last week’s lesson (Saint Francis of Assisi). Invite a child to point to All Saints’ Day (November 1) on your Church Year calendar. Explain that on this day, we celebrate all the saints in Heaven. You may also talk about All Souls’ Day (November 2). On this day, we remember all those who have died. Invite the children to offer the names of people in their families, neighborhoods, and parish who have died. You might lead the children in a prayer that these people be welcomed into Heaven by God. You’ll talk more about saints toward the end of the program year.

Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Online Assessment
Seasonal Resources

Venture
Lesson Theme: Jesus asks us to love with all our hearts.
Children this age are surrounded by rules that guide nearly every aspect of their lives. Jesus reminds us that the most important rules can be boiled down to two—love for God and love for their neighbor. This week is Día de los Muertos—the Day of the Dead—in which we honor our beloved dead. You may wish to invite the children to bring an ofrenda—a photo or other memory—to honor a person in their lives who has died. Pray for these loved ones during class and remind the children that the Church celebrates All Saints’ Day on November 1.

Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Online Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Video
     Show this video as you learn about The Day of the Dead (page 6).

Visions
Lesson Theme: Jesus calls us to love.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11. This week’s story is about a firefighter who lived the Great Commandment to love God and neighbor. It is an opportunity for the young people to consider how well they show God’s love to others and to answer the question: who is my neighbor? If time permits, have the young people complete the Gospel review on page 8; you will need to have Bibles on hand for reference. Remind the students that the Church celebrates All Saints’ Day on November 1.

Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Online Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Video
     Show this video as you learn about Vincent Halloran and His Family (pages 2–3).

Image credit: Dan Shachar/Shutterstock.com

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Our Editors


David Dziena
Publisher

David Dziena is the Publisher of Pflaum Publishing Group. He has also served as Executive Editor and […]

Joan McKamey
Project Editor

Joan McKamey, project editor, joined the Gospel Weeklies editorial team in September 2016. […]

Erika De Urquidi
Bilingual Editor

Erika De Urquidi, bilingual editor, joined Bayard, Inc. in July 2018. During her 15 years as a professional translator […]