As a Lenten project, provide twelve-to fourteen-inch wooden crosses from a craft story to each student. Have the students design their crosses in the following way (share directions with students):
At the bottom of the vertical beam, engrave a passage from the Passion narrative in Mark 14—16.
At the top of the vertical beam, draw an image or affix an image you have collected of Jesus, the Suffering Servant.
On the horizontal beam, depict with an image or quotation that extends across the beam some of the sufferings of the contemporary world that Christ has redeemed.
Print the following Scripture passages on 1.5 x 11 strips of paper (one passage per strip):
John 2:1-12
Matthew 15:32-39; 16:5-11
John 6:1-14
John 6:22-71
John 15:1-11
Give each students a Bible and a set of all five strips.
Tell them that in each passage, Jesus offers some explanation for the Eucharist, which he will reveal, finally at the Last Supper.
Ask the students to go to a place where they can be by themselves and reach each passage. On the back of each strip, have them write one sentence that expresses an insight they have about the Eucharist based on the particular passage.
Play some instrumental background music. Allow at least twenty minutes for the students to read, reflect, and write.
When the time is complete, gather the class together, preferably in a large circle. Go around and ask each student to share one or two insights on the Eucharist.
Conclude with a dramatic reading of the Emmaus story (Luke 24:13-35) or the meal with fish (John 21:1-14).
Here is a simple Lenten prayer service.
Have three Bibles (mark one at Matthew 91:27-30, the second at Mark 8:22-25, and the third at Luke 18:35:43). Choose three readers and hand each one of the Bibles.
Gather in a chapel if possible. The classroom will also work as a prayer setting.
Turn off the lights and darken the windows. Tell the students to close their eyes and sit quietly for a few minutes. Say:
Imagine that you are blind. Try to put yourself back into the time of Jesus and think what it would have been like to have him cure you of your blindness. Keep your eyes closed while you listen to three Gospel accounts of Jesus curing the blind man.
Call on the readers to read their passage one at a time. Allow some quiet time between each reading.
After all the readings are finished say:
Keep your eyes closed. Hear Jesus saying now in your heart, “What do you want me to do for you?” Answer him. What do you need from Jesus? Maybe you have a blindness that needs healing, a blindness that keeps you from believing and trusting in him, or from seeing your own goodness. Or from finding a way out of a problem you are entangled with. (Pause.)
In the reading from Mark’s Gospel, the blind man was brought to Jesus by his friends. Maybe you, too, have friends or family members who need Jesus to touch them. Maybe people you love are being blinded by anger, jealousy, selfishness, drugs, or some other problem. Bring them to Jesus. Ask him to touch the blind spot in their lives and heal them. (Pause.)
I will now walk around among you touch each of you with a healing touch of Jesus. When you have been touched, open your eyes while remaining quiet. (Walk among the group, prayerfully touching each person on the shoulder. As you do this play some meditative instrumental music.)
After the song, say:
In each of the Gospel stories, those who had been healed praised God for the new gift of sight.
Project the words from Psalm 100 so that the class can see them or duplicate them on handout and pray them together:
Sing to the Lord, all the world!
Worship the Lord with joy;
come before him with happy songs!
Acknowledge that the Lord is God.
He made us and we belong to him;
we are his people, we are his flock
Enter the Temple gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise him.
`` The Lord is good;
his love is eternal
and his faithfulness lasts forever.
Life is union and junction of mind, soul, and body; death is the disruption of their union; God preserves it all even after this disruption.
St. Anthony the Great
For it is for him to fear death who is not willing to go to Christ.
St. Cyprian
The root of all good works is the hope of the resurrection; for the expectation of reward moves the soul to good works.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
To the good person to die is to gain. The foolish fear death as the greatest evils, the wise desire it as a rest after labors and the end of ills.
St. Ambrose
Eternity, eternity, when shall I come to you at last . . . in eternity where we will love with a glance of the soul.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Life is uncertain and, in fact, may be very brief. If we compare it with eternity, we will clearly realize that it cannot be more than an instant.
St. Junipero Serra
This I declare, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in an instant in a blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For that which is corruptible must clothe itself with incorruptibility, and that which is mortal must clothe itself with immortality. And when this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality, then the word that is written shall come about:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:50-55
On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed. He said to them, “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here.”
Mark 16:5-6
Here's a Catholic quiz courtesy of the National Catholic Register. With 32 total questions, you might wish to divide the questions into groups of four or eight and use them to as seat work, extra credit, or as a class icebreaker. The answers to the questions and the complete quiz and credit can be found at this link.
What Pope declared himself a prisoner of the Vatican?
What two symbolic pieces of heraldic regalia are found in all basilicas?
Who was the first non-martyr to be named a saint (pace Mary, St. John the Evangelist and of course, St. Joseph)?
In Italy, which saint is so famous she is simply known as “THE Saint”?
What were (are) the four “minor orders”?
What was the name of the cave David took shelter in?
During the singing of the Exultet at the Easter Vigil, what insect is extolled?
During his papal installation, Pope Benedict wore what garment in an Eastern Catholic tradition?
What two 20th-century British authors, both of whom were converts to Catholicism, soured on the liturgical changes of the Second Vatican Council?
A crosier with two horizontal bars on it is called what kind of cross?
Leon Bloy wrote a famous work on which Marian apparition?
What cardinal died suddenly and immediately before the conclave of 1958?
An atheist does not believe in God. An agnostic is unsure. But what is the technical term for someone who actively hates God?
Which 20th-century saint wrote an autobiography entitled Journal of a Soul?
What Doctor of the Church is literally named “Golden-Word”?
What Renaissance artist practiced the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola?
What epic English poet not only served in World War I, but went on to decorate many churches with his engravings and paintings?
In a church what are bobaches used for?
Who is the patron saint of editors?
In the West, what are the tradition names given to the Magi (the “three kings”)?
A priest with “O.A.R.” for a suffix belongs to which religious order?
The “Miraculous Medal” was manifested to which saint?
During the Sacrament of Baptism, the priest asks the godparent or the catechumen “What do you ask of The Church of God?” What is the answer?
Who is “The Second Apostle to Germany” (the first being St. Boniface)?
There are two arch-abbeys in the United States: what are their names and where are they located?
Although he is always depicted in art as being shot through with many arrows, St. Sebastian did not die from arrow wounds: how was he finally martyred?
What famous Lebanese-American actor had a public and strong devotion to St. Jude?
Most tourists think that the Cathedral of Venice has always been the famed St. Mark’s Basilica—but from 1450 to 1805 the Cathedral of Venice was which other church?
What are four different names for the Sunday following Easter?
What Catholic writer and painter also invented—according to his own history—color and underwater photography (though he died broken and penniless in Venice)?
What famous philosopher wrote books taking titles from the New Testament such as The Sickness Unto Death and Fear and Trembling?
On the Feast of Saint Agnes, lambs are blest then shorn to fashion what ecclesiastical garment?
Here’s an activity for your students when they return to school after Easter. Make copies of the Scripture Spiral. You can also make copies of the questions below to give to each student or read the questions one at a time as the students work to fill in the answers around the spiral. The last letter of one answer is also the first letter of the next answer.
Questions
What did the women take to Jesus’ tomb? (Lk 24:1)
In Matthew’s Gospel, what was the angel doing on the stone? (Mt 28:3)
Who did Mary Magdalene think Jesus was? (Jn 20:15)
How did Peter get to the tomb? (Lk 24:12)
In Mark’s original ending, what did the women say to Peter and the disciples about the message given to them by the angel at the empty tomb? (Mt 28:16)
Where did the risen Jesus meet with his disciples? (Mt 28:16)
What natural disaster accompanied the angel’s descent? (Mt 28:2)
What was the village seven miles from Jerusalem where the two disciples were traveling when they met Jesus? (Lk 24:13)
What day of the week was the empty tomb discovered? (Mk 16:2)
How did Peter answer Jesus’ question “Do you love me?” (Jn 21:16)
Jesus breathed on his disciples and promised he would send the Holy ______. (Jn 20:22)
In Luke’s Gospel, who appeared to the women inside the empty tomb? (Lk 24:4)
What did the women’s story of the empty tomb seem like to the Apostles? (Lk 24:11)
What did the risen Jesus want to do when he met with his disciples in Jerusalem? (Lk 24:41)
What was the name of the sea where Jesus revealed himself to seven disciples? (Jn 21:1)
After the students have completed the Scripture Spiral tell them to use the circled letters on the spiral to answer the following question: What is the most important feast day in the Church Year?
Answers: 1) spices; 2) sitting; 3) gardener; 4) ran; 5) nothing; 6) Galilee; 7) earthquake; 8) Emmaus; 9) Sunday; 10; Yes; 11) Spirit; 12) two men; 13) nonsense; 14) eat; 15) Tiberias; Bonus) Easter.
The Jewish Pasch (Passover) is celebrated this year from April 22-30. You may wish to share this information on the Passover as it compares with the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist. The material is taken from The Old Testament: Our Call to Faith and Justice (Ave Maria Press, 2013).
At the center of the Gospel is Christ’s Paschal Mystery. The word paschal is taken from the Jewish word for Passover, pasch. The Exodus, the occasion in which God spared the firstborn children of Israel and allowed Moses to lead his people from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land, is remembered at Passover. Jesus in the New Testament redefined this experience.
The Gospels suggest that Jesus was celebrating a Passover meal in the upper room with his disciples at the Last Supper (Mt 26:18, Mk 14:22–23, Lk 22:7–13, 1 Cor 11:24–25). At the time that Jesus celebrated this feast, the Passover meal probably included unleavened bread, wine, some herbs, and an unblemished lamb. Their ceremony would have consisted of a blessing (berakah) of both the cup and the bread. These elements are described in the New Testament. Yet, there is no sign of the lamb. In its place, Jesus is the Lamb of God, the unblemished paschal lamb (Ex 12:4–5) who is led to slaughter (Is 53:7). Jesus gave the Passover a new meaning. The Eucharist “fulfills the Jewish Passover” through the Paschal Mystery (CCC, 1340). Christ’s Suffering, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension are a passing over from slavery to sin to ultimate freedom in the Resurrection of humanity.
Passover Meal
Eucharist
Bread and wine (Ex 12:15, Nm 9:11–12)
Jesus shared bread and wine with his disciples (Mt Lk 22:19–20)
Unblemished Lamb (Ex 12:4–5)
Jesus is the Paschal Lamb, the Lamb of God (Jn 19:36, 1 Cor 5:7, 1 Pt 1:19)
None of the lamb’s bones should be broken (Nm 9:12)
The soldiers did not break Jesus’ bones on the Cross (Jn 19:33, 36)
Berekah (“blessing”)
Jesus took the bread and said a blessing (Mt 26:26, Mk 14:22, Lk 22:19–20)
Celebrates the Hebrews passing from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land (Ex 12)
Celebrates the passing from slavery to sin to freedom in the Resurrection, from death to new life (1 Cor 5:7–8)
Moses poured blood on the people at the establishment of the Covenant (Ex 24:8, Zec 9:11)
Jesus poured out his blood at the establishment of the New Covenant (Jer 31:31, Lk 22:20)
Guest Speaker
If possible, arrange for a Jewish person in your neighboring community to speak with the students about the traditions, practice, and meanings of Passover.
Resources
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 608, 1334, 1340, 1362–1367, 1382
The Resurrection is the central mystery of the Christian faith. As St. Paul wrote, if we do not believe in the Resurrection wholeheartedly, then “empty is our preaching; empty, too our faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14).
Your students have heard the details of some of the key incidents that are included in the Easter Gospel stories. Have them work in small groups and try to recreate the details of the key incidents of these accounts.
Hand out a printed resource with the eight headings and Gospel references listed below. Have the students form groups of eight in order to tell the entire story in as much detail as possible. Each person should be responsible for one of the headings. He or she should tell begin telling the story (again, in as much detail as possible). The other students in the group can add details as necessary. Continue in the same format for the eight headings.
Allow about fifteen or twenty minutes of sharing for the eight headings. Then have the group choose two of the headings for further study. Have them look up and read the Gospel passage referenced for those stories. Have them note any of the details they missed in their own sharing.
Easter Headlines
An Amazing Discovery on Sunrise (Mark 16:1-14)
An Earthquake, An Angel, and a Guard’s Tale (Matthew 18:1-15)
Peter, John, and the Holy Shroud (John 20:1-10
The Mysterious Gardener (John 20:11-16)
The Third Traveler on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:113-35)
Can a Ghost Eat (Luke 24:36-49)
Thomas the Doubter (John 20:19-29)
Fish Fry on the Shore (John 21:1-14)
This activity is adapted from Time Out: Resources for Teen Retreats (Ave Maria Press, 1998) by Sr. Kieran Sawyer, SSND.
