Christmas celebrates the birth of our Lord and the incarnation of the Divine Word. Its principal Gospel Lesson is John 1:1-14, not the account of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem that we hear in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:1-14). During the brief liturgical season of Christmas, we take time to reflect on:
- how Christmas extends well beyond the stories told on Christmas Eve to the mystery of how God came to us to share our life in the person of Jesus of Nazareth
- how God is known in the flesh and blood of real human experience
- how God is not a far away creative power
- how we come to know God more deeply by our relationship with Jesus
- how we are made in the image of God which is where we recognize our true calling and dignity.
Scroll down this page to the current Sunday to find resources and suggestions for each week. Since you know your family's needs better than anyone, you will be able to use these resources and suggestions in ways uniquely appropriate to your family.
Did you see St. Luke's Virtual Christmas Pageant. If you missed it or you would like to watch it again, click on the video at right.
The children of St. Luke's and their families worked with Mother Mary Kisner to create this virtual pageant in the time of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Merry Christmas!! |
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The First Sunday after Christmas - December 27
The possibility that God might actually care about our smallest distractions and pain, and walk within us in the most extreme joy and sorrow that life has to offer, seems far more believable when we recall the reality of Jesus' humanity. The Word made flesh. Meat. Carne de Dios. For many Christians the most compelling aspect of the story of Jesus is was that he was fully human. That he walked on our earth, had dirt in his sandals, ate food, went hungry, bled, ran and walked, cried and suffered. Immanuel. God is with us. The fact confronts us that our God really knows how these things feel. Having parents, getting angry, feeling abandoned. All very human experiences.
Readings for this SundayThe readings for The First Sunday after Christmas are:
(Click on the link for the text of each reading from this Sunday.) |
Godly Play online!Enrichment Story
This week our enrichment story deepens our appreciation of the mystery of Christmas. |
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Resource CornerThe video below introduces the sometimes mysterious Gospel of John.
Family Activity
So much of Christmas seems to revolve around family and the importance of family in our religious life. We know that Mary and Joseph’s faithfulness to God enabled them to cooperate in God’s plan for our salvation by accepting the responsibility to raise God’s Son, Jesus. From his parents, Jesus learned how to be a faithful believer in his Jewish tradition. In Luke's gospel, Simeon’s prophecy about Mary’s sorrow alerts us to the importance of a family’s commitment to one another, a commitment that is expressed in both good times and bad. Gather as a family and recall times when your family showed its commitment to one another in good times and in bad. Recall times when your immediate family was supported by members of your extended family. We see in the family of Jesus an example for our own family life. Read together Luke 2:22-40. Joseph and Mary expressed their faithfulness to God through their observance of the Law of Moses. Simeon prophesied the grief that Mary would experience at the foot of Jesus’ cross. One of the blessings of family life is our commitment to one another, sharing good times and supporting one another through difficult times. Conclude in prayer together thanking God for the grace expressed in your family’s commitment to another. Write a prayer together, thanking God for your family life and asking God to strengthen your family’s commitment to one another. Pray this prayer together. |
Activities for Children Click on the file below to download "The Sunday Paper and "The Sunday Paper - Junior" for this week. ![]()
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Putting faith into practice (Use examples from everyday life to teach a vital truth about the faith. They don't need to be structured into a lesson plan but are part of how we live out our faith.)
Facebook discussion group
Also available for parents is a special Facebook Group where parents can support one another, ask questions, offer advice, share ideas and insights as we work together to strengthen the faith of our children. For permission to participate in this discussion forum, please contact Mother Mary at youth@stlukeslebanon.org |
The Second sunday after Christmas - January 3
Today's gospel lesson tells us of the Holy Family's flight to Egypt. In this account they become refugees in Egypt as they run from King Herod's threats of death to the child Jesus. Have we ever run away when danger threatens - even into the security and safety of our own homes as in the current pandemic? Sometimes running away is the only solution to preserve life. But God will always being us back like he brought back the exiles from Babylon (first lesson), and the Holy Family from Egypt (gospel lesson) all because we are truly God's children (epistle Lesson).
Readings for this SundayThe readings for The Second Sunday after Christmas are:
(Click on the link for the text of each reading from this Sunday.)
Resource CornerAn animated telling of the escape into Egypt by Joseph, Mary and the child Jesus.
Activities for Children
Click on the file below to download The "Sunday Paper" for this week.
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Family Activity
The Feast of the Epiphany is this Wednesday, January 6th. The tradition of giving gifts at Christmas is thought by some to be rooted in the gift giving of the Magi. In many cultures, gifts are not exchanged at Christmas, but rather on the feast of the Epiphany. Whenever you exchange your gifts, take some time to reflect on this tradition of gift giving at Christmas. Here is an activity to help explore the meaning of gift giving.
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Godly Play Online!The Greatest Parable
Part 2 is split into two sections (A & B) so that you can pause in the middle and reflect as indicated.
Part 2 A
Part 2 B
Putting faith into practice
(Use examples from everyday life to teach a vital truth about the faith. They don't need to be structured into a lesson plan but are part of how we live out our faith.)
Facebook discussion group
Also available for parents is a special Facebook Group where parents can support one another, ask questions, offer advice, share ideas and insights as we work together to strengthen the faith of our children. For permission to participate in this discussion forum, please contact Mother Mary at youth@stlukeslebanon.org |