Sunday School–Week Thirty–Mary and the Apostles

“God raised up this Jesus, and of that we are all witnesses.”(Acts 2:32)

Source: USCCB.org

“Peter explained, ‘Jesus came and served the people. He taught God’s laws. He performed miracles. He was crucified and died, all with God’s Knowledge. Then God, the Father, raised his only Son, Jesus Christ, to sit at his right hand. Jesus promised not to forget us, and so he poured the Holy Spirit upon us. God made Jesus both Lord and Messiah.'”

Source: Catholic Book of Bible Stories, “The Coming of the Holy Spirit” Page 198

Catholic Book of Bible Stories

For Parents to Teach to Their Children

This is the last “post” of the school year 2018-2019 for the “Curriculum” segment of SundaySchoolUpdates.com for families with a child making their First Holy Communion. I intended to provide enrichment materials for homeschooling families or for families who wanted additional information. We focused on the Mysteries of the Rosary to learn about the life of Jesus.  The new school year SSU curriculum will re-start in mid-August, and will be for families with children of pre-confirmation ages (12-13) and will emphasize the importance of God, the Holy Spirit. Have a beautiful summer!

We Learn Through Reading

“The First Community in Jerusalem”

Source: USCCB.Org “Acts, chapter 1:6-14”

“After Jesus had been taken up to heaven,
the Apostles returned to Jerusalem
from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,
a sabbath day’s journey away.

When they entered the city
they went to the upper room where they were staying,
Peter and John and James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,
James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,
and Judas son of James.
All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,
together with some women,
and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.”

We Celebrate Mary Through the Mysteries of the Rosary

Source: RosaryCenter.org

The Rosary– Fourth Glorious Mystery–“Mary is taken up into Heaven”

Mary is Taken Up to Heaven

The “Assumption of Mary” and the “Crowning of Mary, Queen of Heaven” are not stories found in Children’s Bibles or elaborated upon in Holy Scripture. However, they have been part of Catholic Dogmatic Tradition for many centuries. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

“965 After her Son’s Ascension, Mary ‘aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers.’506 In her association with the apostles and several women, ‘we also see Mary by her prayers imploring the gift of the Spirit, who had already overshadowed her in the Annunciation.'”507

. . . also in her Assumption

“966 Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.”508 

969 ‘This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation . . . . Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.'”512

The Rosary–Fifth Glorious Mystery–“Mary is Crowned QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH”

“A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman* clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.”aRevelation, chapter 12:1

 

Mary is Crowned Queen of Heaven

Note about the Paintings:

Invite your children to use watercolors on watercolor paper to paint their vision of these two Mysteries–“The Assumption of Mary” and “The Crowning of Mary, Queen of Heaven.” When dry, cut into strips or geometric shapes then lay out on a sturdy piece of poster paper. Glue down in a manner that creates a mosaic effect. I used the materials shown below for the Chi Rho art project.

The Last Apostle is Added

Since Judas betrayed Jesus and died, the apostles needed to chose a replacement for him.

“Without Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, there were now only eleven apostles left. ‘There must be twelve of us, as before,’ said Peter. They all prayed together and then chose Matthias, who had been a follower of Jesus from the start.'”

Source: The Catholic Bible for Children “The Ascension and the Choosing of Matthias” Page 209

Deciding How to Spread the Good News

The word “apostle” comes from the “Greek word apostello  ‘to send forth, ‘to dispatch.'” We drop off a letter at the post office to be sent off or mailed. When I finish writing this article, I will post it onto the Sunday School Updates website.

The apostles were “sent out” by Jesus to share the “Good News,” to baptize new Christians, and to forgive sins. Peter realized in a vision, ‘Jesus had come to save all men!'”  “Peter and Cornelius” Page 219

“Paul, wanted to preach about Jesus to people everywhere. Peter, too, agreed to proclaim Jesus to men of every race. They prayed with the other apostles, asking God to help them find the best way to announce the good news.” “The Great Council of Jerusalem”  Page 220

Source: The Catholic Bible for Children

The Catholic Bible for Children

We Learn by Listening: A Family Conversation

Imaging being a simple fisherman, carpenter, or farmer from Galilee who was a follower of Christ from the beginning and saw all the miracles and wonders that Jesus performed. These men became His disciples and learned about the Kingdom of God, how to treat others, and the Commandments by listening to Jesus’ preaching on The Beatitudes, Mercy, and the Great Commandment. How profoundly sad it must have been to see Jesus crucified, and then how mystifying and awesome to hear the news of the resurrection. What could they have possibly have thought when Jesus returned to talk and eat with them for forty days. Then, to see him rise and disappear into the sky. All of the apostles did as Jesus instructed them to do…to go out and spread the Gospel. This is remarkable. Only something as extraordinary and incomprehensible as the wonders of Christ, empowered the apostles to leave everything behind and to bring Christ’s message and promise to other parts of the world. Let’s think ways we can bring the message of Christ to those in our lives.

We Learn Through Song: Learning About the Apostles

Here is an easy-to-remember way to learn the names of the apostles from MountainOfGraceHomeschool.com 

Sung to the tune “Jesus Loves Me”
“Jesus called them one by one,
Peter, Andrew, James, and John
Next came Philip, Thomas too
Matthew and Bartholomew
Yes, Jesus called them,
Yes, Jesus called them,
Yes, Jesus called them,
He called them one by one.
James, the one they called the less,
Simon also Thaddeus
Twelve apostles Judas made
Jesus was betrayed by him.
Yes, Jesus called them,
Yes, Jesus called them,
Yes, Jesus called them,
Yes, Jesus called them, He called them one by one.”

We Learn Through Prayer: The Apostle’s Creed–A Profession of Faith

Perhaps your child can work on memorizing this over the summer!

 

We Celebrate through Art–The Chi Rho

“The Alpha and the Omega: the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Rev 22:13 the same words occur together with the expressions ‘the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End’”; cf. Rev 1:172:821:6Is 41:444:6.” Source: USCCB.Org

“’I am the Alpha and the Omega,’”* says the Lord God, “’the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.’”g Revelation, Chapter 1

 

 

Method for Using Tape on Watercolor Paper

This is a fun and easy art project. Invite your child to enjoy the process. You need drying time for two steps:

  1. Paint a piece of watercolor paper in a color or colors your child chooses.
  2. Paint a rough drawing of a Chi Rho on the painted paper. Let Dry.
  3. Use thin painters’ tape to create a Chi Rho on top of the one first painted.
  4. Cover over in a color or colors. Anything goes! Let dry.
  5. Now, peel off the tape carefully to reveal the Chi Rho in the first color painted.
  6. Glue or tape down on a bright color of poster paper to create a Chi Rho banner for your child’s room.