For Parents To Teach To Their Children
We last see the Holy Family when they are in Bethlehem and the Angel of the Lord says to Joseph, “Get up, Joseph, and take the mother and child to Egypt. King Herod is looking for all the young baby boys to kill them.” Joseph bravely responds and they trio leave under cover of darkness for Egypt. Egypt is about eighty miles from Bethlehem. The desert night is cold and Mary is carrying her precious baby tightly as she sits upon the donkey.
We don’t know what happened in Egypt, or what sustained the family while they were there. Then the Angel of the Lord again comes to Joseph. This time it is to tell Joseph that King Herod is dead and that they can return. Again, the angel of the Lord comes to Joseph to tell him to go to Nazareth, to avoid Herod’s evil son. This is where the family’s story begins again, and young Jesus captivates the rabbis in the Temple after leaving the caravan his family was in, heading from Jerusalem to Nazareth.
Mary and Joseph spent three days frantically looking for him until they find him in the temple teaching the rabbis to their amazement. Jesus says:
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Jesus Grows Up
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Our Readings
“The Return to Nazareth”
“When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.” Luke, Chapter 2:39-40 USCCB.org
“The Boy Jesus in the Temple.”
“Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, ‘on, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.’
And he said to them, ‘Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
And Jesus advanced [in] wisdom and age and favor before God and man.” Luke, Chapter 2:41-52 USCCB.org
The Baptism of Jesus.
“After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened
and the holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove.
And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.'”
Our Art Project–“The River Jordan”
Invite your child to paint or draw the River Jordan where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Children can used watercolors, watercolor crayons, markers, crayons and/or colored pencils. Whatever you have on hand is fine. Think about the colors of the desert, the river bank, the green vegetation and the river. Here are two samples for your child to look at.
Week Two–Suggested Homework Activities
Please read the following passage from MagnifiKid! Page 8, September 12, 2021, Vol. 18. Part 10. Section 3 with your child and help him or her understand the concept and vocabulary words that might be challenging.
“Carrying your cross”
“Jesus insists that his followers take up their crosses and follow him. In his great love for us, Jesus carried his own cross all the way to the end. He warns us that being a disciple won’t be easy. Jesus doesn’t expect us to literally carry a piece of wood on our back, but rather to accept the hardships of daily life. ‘Carrying your cross’ means fighting selfishness and discouragement, and accepting with patience and love the difficulties that God allows us to suffer.”
