“Lord, I am ready to welcome your kingdom.”
Source: Magnifikid!, November 12 , 2017 Vol. 14. Part 12. Section 4. Pages 12, 13
“Then the King will say to the people on his right, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the creation of the world.’ ” Source: Catholic Children’s Bible Page 1509
“Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Source: USCCB.org Matthew chapter 25:13
Matthew 18: 2 – 6 Source: Prayers for Children CatholicPrayers.com
“He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, ‘Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.'”
For Families to Share Together:
Pray the Rosary with your children. Use the Rosary crucifix to cross yourselves:
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.”
Learn the five Luminous Mysteries, “Mysteries of Light: THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD, THE WEDDING OF CANA, THE PROCLAMATION OF THE KINGDOM, THE TRANSFIGURATION, and THE INSTITUTION OF THE EUCHARIST.” The Apostles’ Creed from Catholic Online
Happening This Week
November 7 Saint Didicus, Spain (1400-November 12, 1463) Source: FranciscanMedia.org
Saint Didicus is also called “San Diego.”
Our beautiful Mission, San Diego (Didacus) de Alcalá, is named in his honor.
“Didacus is a saint because he used his life to serve God and God’s people.”
“San Diego, California, is named for this Franciscan, who was canonized in 1588.”
“As a young man in Spain, Didacus joined the Secular Franciscan Order and lived for some time as a hermit. After Didacus became a Franciscan brother, he developed a reputation for great insight into God’s ways. His penances were heroic. He was so generous with the poor that the friars sometimes grew uneasy about his charity.”
November 9 “Feast Day: The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome” Source: Magnifikid! Prayers for Schools Page 93
“The Lateran Basilica is a cathedral in Rome, Italy. It is the pope’s church. Because the pope is our holy father on earth, his church–the Lateran Basilica–is the parish church of all Catholics.”
Photo of Famous Huge Doors of the Lateran Basilica, Which I took in April, 2015
We Learn Through Storytelling
Two Weddings–Jesus Teaches Through Parables and Miracles
“The Wise and Foolish Maidens” Source: The Children’s Illustrated Bible Pages 252-253
“TO EXPLAIN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, Jesus told the following story:
“There were ten young women at a wedding feast who went one evening to wait for the bridegroom’s procession to arrive, all of them carrying lamps. Ten maidens fall asleep while waiting for the bridegroom…Five wise maidens have extra oil for their lamps…Five foolish maidens have nothing. The five foolish maidens go to buy oil. While they are gone, the bridegroom arrives and takes the wise maidens to the wedding.
When the foolish maidens returned, they beat with their fists on the closed door–‘Sir, sir, please let us in!’
But the bridegroom answered, ‘I do not know you, therefore I cannot let you inside.’
‘So,’ said Jesus, ‘always be prepared, for you do not know know when the son of God will come.’ “
This story is called, “The Parable of the Ten Virgins.” Source: Matthew, chapter 25 on USCCB.org.
A parable is “a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels.” Source: OxfordDictionaries.com
Jesus taught his followers using parables to help them learn important concepts. He also taught and listened to them in various locations:
“Jesus taught in people’s homes, in boats, and in places of worship, the synagogues. Sometimes, when the crowds were so big the people could not fit into a building, Jesus taught along the seashore, or in a field. He healed many who were sick. He listened to those who were sad and lonely. More and more people heard the stories of Jesus, and huge crowds began to follow him wherever he went.” Source: Stories from the Bible Page 85
“The Wedding at Cana” Source: John, chapter 2:1-11
A Paraphrased Excerpt from My First Communion Bible Page 25
Soon after after Jesus had chosen his twelve apostles, he performed his first miracle at a wedding in Cana, which is very close to Nazareth in the Galilee region. Mary, Jesus’ mother, was at the wedding, as were Jesus and his apostles. Here is the story:
Mary says to her adult son, Jesus, “They have no wine.” Jesus is about thirty years old at this point and he tells his mother, “Woman, what is that to me and you? My hour has not yet come.” (What do you think this means?) Mary tells the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Jesus asks the servants to fill six large clay jars with water, then to take them to the steward of the party, and pour the steward a taste. The steward tastes it and tells the bridegroom, “Everyone serves the best wine first then saves the cheaper wine for until the guests have drunk too much. But you have served your best wine last.”
This miracle, “… revealed his glory, and the apostles began to believe in him.”
Parents, please discuss these three words, “divine,” “parable,” and “miracle” with your children. According to OxfordDictionaries.com:
A miracle is: “An extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore attributed to a divine agency.”
Divine means, “Of or like God.” “Devoted to God; sacred.” Source: OxfordDictionaries.com
Here is a photo of the church chapel where the wedding miracle is commemorated and honored. I took this photo, of a painting in the chapel, which perfectly illustrates the story of the miracle at Cana.
We Learn Through Reading
Christ Gives Us “The Corporal Works of Mercy”
“The Judgment of the Nations.*31f “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne,32g and all the nations* will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.33He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.34Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.35h For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,36naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’37Then the righteous* will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?38When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?39When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’40i And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’” Source: USCCB.org Matthew 25:31-40
Here is a version from the Catholic Children’s Bible Page 1509:
“The Final Judgement”
“I was hungry and you fed me,
thirsty and you gave me a drink;
I was a stranger and you received me in your homes,
naked and you clothed me,
in prison and you visited me.”
“‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’”
We Learn Through Writing
More on the Corporal Works of Mercy Poster on SundaySchoolUpdates.com
“To Live in the Kingdom of God on Earth”
We Celebrate Through Song
The Kingdom of God is Justice and Joy
“1 The kingdom of God is justice and joy;
for Jesus restores
what sin would destroy.
God’s power and glory
in Jesus we know
and here and hereafter
the kingdom shall grow.
2 The kingdom of God
is mercy and grace;
the captives are freed,
the sinners find place,
the outcast are welcomed
God’s banquet to share;
and hope is awakened
in place of despair.
3 The kingdom of God
is challenge and choice:
believe the good news,
repent and rejoice!
His love for us sinners
brought Christ to his cross:
our crisis of judgement
for gain or for loss.
4 God’s kingdom is come,
the gift and the goal;
in Jesus begun,
in heaven made whole.
The heirs of the kingdom
shall answer his call
and all things cry ‘Glory!’
to God all in all.”
Source: Peak.me.uk/public/Hymns
Hear the Tune The Community Choir of Notre Dame University
We Celebrate Through Art
Symbols for the Wedding at Cana
These quick pen drawings are of the water pitcher used to fill the jars, a cross with six squares to represent the six large jars, and an earthen jar filled with water that is transformed into wine through Christ’s miracle. I found a simple hand-drawn template on Pinterest for the jar and the pitcher. Mom or Dad can draw the outline if the child wants some help. Then I filled them in with water soluble pastels. The final touch is turning pastels into watercolors–not a miracle, but lots of fun. Wet a finger and liquify the pastels. The result is so pretty.
The Materials
