The great Fifty Days of rejoicing in the Risen Lord begins at the Great Vigil of Easter and leads us to the great feast of Pentecost. During this season, the Paschal Candle is lit at all worship services and "Alleluia" is sung on every possible occasion. It is a time of great festivity, especially after the simplicity and austerity of Lent and quiet solemnity of Holy Week. There is no fasting - and usually no kneeling since standing is the symbolic posture of living the risen life.  The liturgical color is white, except for the day of Pentecost when red dominates as a reminder of the flame of faith brought by the Holy Spirit. Some other notable features of this season:
  • All through Eastertide, we read from the Acts of the Apostles, the story of the beginnings of the Church.
  • We focus on the post resurrection appearances of Jesus to the first disciples - a way of strengthening their faith until the coming of the Holy Spirit.
  • We acknowledge the coming of Spring in the celebration of Rogation Days in the Sixth Week of Easter - asking for God's blessing on the new life growing after winter sleep. This is also a time to focus our attention on our stewardship of Creation.
  • We reflect on how Jesus remains among God's people in the Holy Spirit. 

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we cannot yet gather as a group until conditions are safer. As we enter this joyous season, we are given the opportunity to give thanks to God and our express hopes for the future by making time to grow more deeply in our faith. 
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.

THE FOurth SUNDAY OF SUNDAY - APRIL 25

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​The Fourth Sunday of Easter is known as "Good Shepherd Sunday." The Good Shepherd knows us by name, protects us from evil, and lays down his life for his sheep. This shepherd seeks out the lost and restores them to their community.

​READINGS FOR THIS SUNDAY

GODLY PLAY ONLINE!
The readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter: 
​(Click on the link for the text of each reading for this Sunday.) ​
  • Acts 4:5-12 (Theme: The message of acceptance, of new life, of hope in and through Jesus Christ is one that needs to be heard in the midst of all the other messages out there.)
  • 1 John 3:16-24 (True love is manifested in action, modeled upon the experience of Jesus' love for us.)
  • John 10:11-18 (The intimacy that exists between a shepherd and his flock parallels that between the Father and the Son. This mutual knowledge is to bring Jesus' followers into union with him and with one another.) 

​RESOURCE CORNER

Cartoonist Ron Wheeler illustrates the story of Jesus as the Good Shepherd ​
​Douglas learns how Jesus is like our shepherd and we are like his sheep. Douglas' grandma let him borrow a little sheep stuffed animal so he could help explain to kids how we are kind of like sheep and Jesus is our Good Shepherd.
Family Activity
The Good Shepherd makes sacrifices for the sheep not because it is required, but because it is a choice. That sounds a lot like parenting and the dynamics of a healthy family life. Parents choose to make sacrifices for their children out of love, not obligation. Christian parents model and invite their children to choose to make sacrifices for other family members and for other people, acting out of love rather than obligation.

When you gather as a family, invite each family member to consider the attitude that permeates their participation in family life. Read a common examen, such as any of the following: Do we do family chores cheerfully and without having to be asked multiple times? Do we gladly share with others? Do we willingly contribute to the family good when asked? Read aloud today’s Gospel, John 10:11-18. Discuss together how the example of the Good Shepherd might inspire your family life. Invite each family member to make a renewed commitment to one action/attitude to focus on in the upcoming week that show that we will choose to follow the example of the Good Shepherd. Pray together that we will be able to honor our commitment. Pray together Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s Prayer for Generosity.
Mother Mary Kisner leads us through this week's Godly Play Online lesson . . .

COMING SOON!​
​​Activities for Children
Click on the file below to download "The Sunday Paper and "The Sunday Paper - Junior" for this week.

COMING SOON!
​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.)
  • Shepherd. Sheep are useful, but they need a shepherd to survive. They follow the herd even if the herd is going in a bad direction and they can't do much to defend themselves. A Shepherd shows his sheep where it's safe to eat or drink, he protects them from predators, and he finds little lost sheep that have wandered off and gotten lost. Who are those whose trusted voices that show us the way?
  • Foundation. Every building needs a foundation. Without a foundation, the building can sink into the ground or even just fall down when the ground moves just a little bit. Peter tells us that Jesus in the foundation of our faith and our life. With Jesus as our foundation, we will have a strong building throughout our lives. 
​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
Prayer for Generosity
Eternal Word, only begotten Son of God,
Teach me true generosity.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve.
To give without counting the cost,
To fight heedless of wounds,
To labor without seeking rest,
To sacrifice myself without thought of any reward
Save the knowledge that I have done your will.
Amen.

tHE tHIRD sUNDAY OF Sunday - April 18

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Today we hear about the living power of Jesus to pen new life to all. Our prayers and action can reflect God's desire to reconcile all things to himself. We ask this day, "Open our eyes of faith, that we may behold Christ in all his redeeming work." This reminds us that the actions of the Church and of individual Christians must be judges as to whether they are redeeming works or demeaning works. We are all called to heal bodies and souls both of individuals and our society. 

Readings for this Sunday

The readings for the Third Sunday of Easter: 
​(Click on the link for the text of each reading for this Sunday.) ​
  • Acts 3:12-19 (Theme: We read again from the Acts of Apostle to remind us of the history of the early church. This includes "the teachings of the Apostles" which we promise to follow in our baptismal covenant.) 
  • 1 John 3:1-7 (Theme: Can Christians sin? Seems like a silly question, but we need to understand that our life as disciples is a daily, gradual incorporation into the life of Christ. We will see everything clearly only when we see Christ face to face. This is a wonderful promise about eternal life.)  
  • Luke 24:36b-48 (Theme: Jesus, risen from the dead, is "really real" - he is not a ghost or a figment of the imagination. Our bodies really matter to God. So they should really matter to us. It is only in our bodies that we can experience God's creation - and the creator who made it all.)​

Godly Play online!

Mother Mary Kisner leads us through this week's Godly Play Online lesson . . . 
After Jesus walks to Emmaus with two disciples, that same evening he appears to the others in Jerusalem.  Only, Thomas was not there.  He meets Jesus one week later in a stunning encounter

Resource Corner

The video below describes how Jesus appeared to the disciples after the resurrection from the dead. (Please note that the phrase "for fear of the Jews" is about the political leaders of Jerusalem at the time and not all people who held Jewish beliefs.)
Here is a video presentation using Legos to tell the story of Jesus' appearance to the disciples.
Family Activity
Family life is strengthened through storytelling and shared meal times. In a similar way, Christian life is sustained by God’s word in Scripture and by Christ’s presence in the Eucharist. We are especially sustained in our faith through our weekly celebration of Mass. Today’s Gospel reading reminds us that the Scripture and the Eucharist are given to us so that our acts of bearing witness to Christ might be strengthened.

As you gather as a family, ask each person to share their favorite story about your family. Talk about the importance of these memories about your family life and the importance of the meals you have shared together as a family. Recall that these stories and meals strengthen the love you share. In a similar way, our Christian life is strengthened by sharing God’s Word and the Eucharist at the Church's liturgy.

Read together today’s Gospel, Luke 24:36b-48. Discuss the mission that Jesus gave to his disciples after their shared meal. The Eucharist also sends us to be Christ’s witnesses in the world today. Conclude by praying together that we will be strengthened by God’s word and by Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist to be witnesses to Christ. 

​Activities for Children
Click on the file below to download "The Sunday Paper and "The Sunday Paper - Junior" for this week.
sunday_paper_-_3rd_sunday_of_easter.pdf
File Size: 134 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
sunday_paper_jr_-_3rd_sunday_of_easter.pdf
File Size: 145 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
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.)​​​
  • Fish. Fish became a significant Christina symbol in the early days of the Church - maybe because several of Jesus' closest disciples were fishermen, but perhaps because there is a Jewish poetic tradition that sees fish as the main course served at the banquet celebrating the coming of the Messiah. In this context. eating fish may symbolize the defeat of the great sea monster (Leviathan). It is also interesting to note that in Greek, the acronym for Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior  is ICHTHUS - the word for fish! We must remember that in ancient cultures, names meant everything. One's name told you something about the person it belonged to, not unlike the Native American practice of naming children.   
  • Peace. Whenever Jesus appears to his disciples, he greets them with "Peace be with you." The GReek word for peace is Eirene. This word can mean harmony between two or more people. It can mean a balance in the relationship of a person and a thing. In Greek mythology, Eirene was the goddess of peace and wealth. She had two sisters, Eunomia, the goddess of law and legislation, and Dike, the goddess of moral justice. Like the middle sister keeping the balance between the two, Eirene's peace and wealth are the product when the other two are in good and right relationship. 
​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 Of Easter - April 11

This Sunday is often called "Thomas Sunday" because the gospel lesson focuses on Thomas, whose name means twin, stands alone in the gospel. Perhaps we are his twin, each of us standing in his shoes, asking to touch the wounds in which life became unsustainable, more inclined toward knowing the power that fascinates us, than the power that liberates us. Perhaps we need to focus less on Thomas' doubts and more on the fact that he believed.

Readings for this Sunday

The readings for The Second Sunday after Christmas are: 
​(Click on the link for the text of each reading from this Sunday.) ​
  • Acts 4:32-35 (Theme: They were not of one heart and soul because they tried really hard. They did not sell their possessions because it was the right thing to do. Instead, everything they did was because of their belief in the resurrection.)
  • ​1 John 1:1-2:2 (Theme: We have for our advocate, someone who is not a mean person, but a person of whom it was said, "This is my beloved son." Not a guilty person, who stands in need of pardon for himself; but Jesus Christ himself the righteous one; not a mere petitioner, who relies upon the good graces of another, but someone that has "walked the talk.")
  • John 20:19-31 (Theme: Thomas comes to faith because he first has the chance to voice his doubt and questions and then experiences Jesus for himself.)

Resource Corner

IN this video, children tell and reflect on the story of Thomas from today's gospel lesson.
Here's the same story with a little different approach.
Peace Prayer 
attributed to St. Francis (BCP p.810)

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
​

Godly Play Online!

Two people on the way home to Emmaus invite a stranger to share a meal.  It turns out this person is none other than the risen Jesus.​
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.)
  • Doubts. Doubts are in important part of learning in life. Asking questions is as important (and sometimes more so) than having an answer. It is through these kinds of doubts that science advances. Skepticism about the answers someone gives us can spur us on to discoveries that we never thought possible before.  Doubts/questions about faith are an important step in deepening our knowledge and love of God.​​​​​
  • Sharing. Sharing possessions becomes a mark of our personal generosity. It is a form of graciousness. We are taught from the time we a little to share what we have with our siblings and our friends. As we grow older, this kind of sharing can extend to more important things than toys or clothes. 
​Activities for Children
Click on the file below to download The "Sunday Papers" for this week.​
sunday_paper_-_easter_2.pdf
File Size: 140 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
sunday_paper_jr_-_easter_2.pdf
File Size: 123 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Family Activity

Within normal family life, there are many opportunities for conflict. Jesus did not promise us the absence of conflict in our lives. Instead, he gave us the gifts of peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation so that we could reduce conflict. The measure of Christian family life is not the absence of conflict, but the manner in which conflict is resolved. Filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit, we ask Jesus to help us to bring peace and forgiveness to situations of conflict in our families.

​As your family gathers, take this opportunity to examine how your family resolves conflict. Recall a recent argument or disagreement and discuss how the conflict was resolved. Consider whether the conflict was resolved peacefully, in the spirit of Jesus. If not, discuss alternatives that might be tried in the future. 

Read together today’s Gospel, John 20:19-31. Recall that we have each received Jesus’ gift of the Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit helps us to be people who forgive others and seek peace. Pray together the Prayer to the Holy Spirit or the Peace Prayer of Saint Francis.
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
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