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Hospitality is a virtue that catechists and teachers naturally exhibit at the beginning of a school or program year. Welcoming the children, getting to know them by name, introducing new children, and making every person feel included and valued are all ways that we express hospitality.
True hospitality extends beyond the people of our classroom, parish, school, Church, race, ethnic group, and nation. This Sunday is the World Day of Migrants and Refugees—a good time to consider the strangers and visitors we may encounter personally or learn about in the news. Learn more here about the Catholic Church response to migrants, refugees, and travelers in the U.S. May Christ say to all of us at our judgment, “I was a stranger, and you welcomed me” (see Matthew 25:35).
Every week in the GROW newsletter, you will find a helpful tip for teaching your Gospel Weeklies lesson, a reflection on the Sunday Gospel, and information about our online resources and seasonal activities. Here are tips for teaching the Gospel Weeklies lessons this week:
Seeds
Lesson Theme: Jesus teaches us.
Prepare in advance of the lesson the items you will use for the Choosing Activity on TG1-10. Also, remember to make enough copies of the coloring page for this week’s story. Find a story coloring page for “Michael Makes Choices” here.
Promise
Lesson Theme: God gives us choices.
Make name tags for the children in advance of your class session. Download and make copies of the story coloring page for “Just Five More Minutes!” You can find it here.
Good News
Lesson Theme: God makes us free to choose.
Make name tags for the children in advance of your class session. Bring a ball to your session to play a Name Game at the beginning of your class session to help the children (and you!) learn everyone’s names. If the children are preparing to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, this lesson about being free to choose will support their preparation.
Venture
Lesson Theme: Our words have power.
Plan ahead to have enough Bibles (one for every two children) for the young people to get some practice in locating Sunday’s First Reading and Gospel in their Bibles. You will also need copies of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (one for every two children) and a Lectionary for this class session.
Visions
Lesson Theme: Jesus calls us to do his work.
When reading the story “Saying yes, saying no” on pages 2–3, make sure you pause after reading the question in the green box on page three. After reading the question, talk about what Tony, the main character should do; then finish the story.
In preparation for the Catholic Leaders feature on page 8, it is a good idea to be familiar with the way your parish dealt with being closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 this spring. If your parish took any actions to share the Gospel and to help people in need while being closed for public worship, don’t forget to mention them to the young people when you read together “We Are Still the Church” on page 8.
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