Sunday School–Week Fifteen–“Water to Wine”

“God has called us through the Gospel
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Source: USCCB.Org 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2:14

“To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.”

Source: USCCB.Org First Corinthians, chapter 12:7

 

Sunday, January 20, 2019, The Wedding at Cana

“There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,
and the mother of Jesus was there.
Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.
When the wine ran short,
the mother of Jesus said to him,
‘They have no wine.’
And Jesus said to her,
‘Woman, how does your concern affect me?
My hour has not yet come.'”

Source: USCCB.Org John, chapter 2:1-4

 

For Parents to Teach to Their Children

We Learn Through Reading

The Gospel of John, chapter 2:1-11 USCCB.Org

“There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,
and the mother of Jesus was there.
Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.
When the wine ran short,
the mother of Jesus said to him,
‘They have no wine.’
And Jesus said to her,
‘Woman, how does your concern affect me?
My hour has not yet come.’
His mother said to the servers,
‘Do whatever he tells you.’
Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings,
each holding twenty to thirty gallons.
Jesus told the them,
‘Fill the jars with water.’
So they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them,
‘Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.’
So they took it.
And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,
without knowing where it came from
— although the servers who had drawn the water knew —,
the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him,
‘Everyone serves good wine first,
and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;
but you have kept the good wine until now.’
Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee
and so revealed his glory,
and his disciples began to believe in him.”

A Dramatization of The Wedding at Cana from IgnatiusPress

An Excerpt from Jesus of Nazareth The Story of His Life Written For Children

Literature-Jesus of Nazareth Written for Children

“The Wedding at Cana”

Note to Parents: Mother Mary Loyola published her book in 1907. The language may sound odd to children today. The book uses Holy Scripture combined with the author’s love, knowledge and imagination to bring Jesus, and Bible stories to life for children.

“Jesus saith to them: ‘Fill them up with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim.” (John 2:7) Page 140

“St. John, who was present and gives us an account, says: ‘This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and He manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.’ Day by day the disciples were growing in the knowledge of their Divine Master. From His words to Peter and to Nathaniel they had seen that He could read the future and the secrets of hearts. This splendid miracle at Cana showed that He had power over nature.”  “Galilee” Page 143

“The author reminds us that more miracles are to come: ‘The other Evangelists tell us later of another and still greater miracle than this of Cana, a more stupendous change, and one that was to be wrought not only once, but thousands of times daily, all the world over, wherever Holy Mass is said by a Catholic Priest.'”

Preparation for First Holy Communion–

Transubstantiation and Real Presence for Children

Parents, this story is excellent for preparing children for First Holy Communion, and for laying the groundwork of the introduction of the meanings of the words: Transubstantiation” and “Real Presence.Talk about what these two words mean with your child or children. Talk with them before and after Mass, in the car or at home, to find out what they understand. These conversations will help you know what the children are actually thinking, and help them have better comprehension.

Transubstantiation and Real Presence for Grown-Ups

This whole mystery is preserved in the Most Holy Eucharist and the Sacrifice of the Mass. We too take unleavened bread and wine, two sources of nourishment. By the will of the Father, the work of the Holy Spirit, and priesthood of Jesus entrusted to His ordained priests, and through the words of consecration, that bread and wine is transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus. Yes, the bread and wine do not change in characteristics they still look the same, taste and smell the same, and hold the same shape. However, the reality, “the what it is,” the substance does change. We do not receive bread and wine; we receive the Body and Blood of Christ. We call this “change of substance” transubstantiation, a term used at the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) and asserted again by our Holy Father in Ecclesia de Eucharistia (#15). Therefore, each time we celebrate Mass, we are plunged into the whole ever present, everlasting mystery of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter, and share intimately in life of our Lord through Holy Eucharist.”

“Moreover, in and through the Holy Eucharist, our late Holy Father taught that we can contemplate the face of Christ because He is truly present: ‘To contemplate Christ involves being able to recognize Him wherever He manifests Himself, in His many forms of presence, but above all in the living sacrament of His Body and Blood. The Church draws her life from Christ in the Eucharist; by Him she is fed and by Him she is enlightened. The Eucharist is both a mystery of faith and a mystery of light. Whenever the Church celebrates the Eucharist, the faithful can in some way relive the experience of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.'” (#6).

We Learn Through Travel

This photo is of the church chapel where the wedding miracle is commemorated and honored. I took this photo in June 2017, of a painting in the chapel, which perfectly illustrates the story of the miracle at Cana, in Galilee, Israel. I never thought that I’d actually be able to visit Israel, but it happened! My husband and I traveled to Rome, Italy in June 2017 to be present at the ceremony of the Doctoral Defense of our Son, Father William Goldin. Since we knew we’d be in Rome already, our son suggested that I visit Israel with him afterwards for ten days. My husband had work to return to, so off I went with my son for a trip I’ll always cherish.

We Learn Through Prayer

How to Pray the Rosary Source: Catholic Child’s Prayer Book  By Rev. Thomas J. Donaghy St. Joseph Junior Books, Page 15

“We begin the Rosary with the sign of the Cross (for this is the way that we begin all of our prayers.)

After this, we pray the Apostles’ Creed. This is a very ancient prayer that proclaims the important truths of our faith.

After the Apostle’s Creed, we pray one Our Father, three Hail Marys and one Glory Be.

Now we come to the most important reason we pray the Rosary: to meditate on the Mysteries of our Faith. We proclaim each of the five Mysteries, followed by one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

Remember, the reason for praying the Rosary is not to tally how many prayers we can say. It is to meditate on God’s love as shown in the lives of Jesus and Mary. This is why we hold the Rosary while we pray, so that we can keep track of the number of prayers we have said.”

For the Wedding at Cana on Sunday, January 20, let’s recite the Five Luminous Mysteries

We Recite the Mysteries

Beginning with The Joyful Mysteries ( Recited on Monday and Saturday.)

    1. The Annunciation“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to you word.” (Luke 1:38)
    2. The Visitation “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. (Luke 1:46-47)
    3. The Nativity “For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.” (Luke 2:11)
    4. The Presentation “My eyes have seen your salvation.” (Luke 2:30)
    5. The Finding in the Temple “Did you not know that I needed to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:41-52)
  1.        
  2.      Add the Five Luminous Mysteries (Recited on Thursday.)
    1. The Baptism of the Lord“I have baptized you with water, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:8)
    2. The Wedding of Cana “What would you have Me do? My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4)
    3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2)
    4. The Transfiguration“His face became as dazzling as the sun, his clothes as radiant as light.” (Matthew 17:1-2)
    5. The Institution of the Eucharist “Jesus took bread, blessed it: ‘Take and eat, this is My Body.'” (Mark 14:22)
  3. Source: Rosary- Center.Org

We Celebrate Through Art

This is a fun printing experience for children of all ages.

I bought 10 inch squares of plastic mesh on amazon.com that are intended for allowing drainage in potted plants. When I saw them, I immediately thought, “Art Project!”

Use any type of children’s washable poster or tempera paint. Use watercolor paper for sturdiness. Put any type of scrap paper on the workspace cover it with the mesh. I recommend putting something under the scrap paper if you want to keep the table clean. Invite the children to paint the mesh with a big brush, sponge or fingers, putting a thick coat of washable paint using two colors to represent water and wine. Take a piece of watercolor paper and press it on top of the painted plastic mesh. Carefully peel off the top paper now printed with the paint. Let the painting dry. You can stop at that point, or cut out shapes to create a collage of the “Wedding at Cana.” Take a piece of larger watercolor paper to glue the cut outs onto it. Liquid school glue works better than glue sticks. I cover my collage with a plastic cutting board topped with a couple of books to help the glued pieces dry flat without curling.

Our Materials

Materials for Printing

Suggested Homework Activities

Do some research with your children about the life and times of Jesus. For the art project, I wanted to see how the water jars looked that would have been used at the wedding at Cana. I read, “The Marriage Feast of Cana” from The Children’s Illustrated Bible which offers “side panels” on different aspects of life at the time of Christ. This story has drawings of water jars from the region, information on the town of Cana, and shows musical instruments that might have been played at a wedding long ago.

Please read from a Catholic Children’s Bible the story of “Jesus Calls His Disciples.” The Catholic Children’s Bible is an excellent book for a family’s library. Also, “The First Disciples” John, chapter 1:35-51 is available on USCCB.Org.