REACH Out! A Newsletter for St. Thomas More Families Gr. PreK-5

5th Sunday of Lent, Cycle C - March 13, 2016

“The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.” Psalm 126

Save the Date! : March 20th Afternoon Session Presents “Sorrowful Mysteries” Play Evening Session Attends “Passion” Play with EDGE ALL are Invited!

Re-Cap Last REACH Session we discussed the Prodigal Son, talked about Lent, and afternoon session practiced for our play.

Questions? Contact Debbie Fredette at 760-758-4100 x110 or [email protected] 1 Family Connection

Gospel Reading - John 8:1-11 does not condemn the woman caught in adultery.

There are few people that we know better than the members of our own family. We know one another's strengths and abilities. We also know one another's limitations and weaknesses. Like the Pharisees in today's Gospel, we may be tempted to focus on the faults and sins that familiarity with one another can reveal. As family members, however, we also have the ability to see one another's faults and sins within the context of the whole person. Family life presents us the opportunity

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/woman-of-the-well-glenda- to see one another as God sees us, not with judgment and condemnation for our weaknesses and failings, but with mercy and compassion. When we learn to withhold judgment for the faults we know are there and seek the best in one another, we help one another to experience the depths of God's compassion, mercy, and love. As you gather as a family, observe that at times, we can be tempted to focus on the faults we see in others. Discuss what your family life would be like if you always focused on one another's faults. In today's Gospel, Jesus refuses to focus on the sin of the woman brought to him for judgment. Read today's Gospel. -What did the people who focused on the woman's sin want to do? (stone the woman) -What does Jesus say to the people who accused the woman caught in adultery? (that the person with no sin should throw the first stone) -Are any of us without sin? (No.) -We can help each other to grow in God's love by refusing to focus on one another's faults and sins. Conclude by praying the Act of Contrition. http://www.loyolapress.com/sunday-connection.htm?sId=160761

Questions? Contact Debbie Fredette at 760-758-4100 x110 or [email protected] 2 of the Day

St. Macarius of Jerusalem (4th c.) was the of Jerusalem from 312-335. Little is known of his life before this time. He took part in the Council of Nicea in 325 and vigorously opposed the Arian heresy, which greatly threatened the early Church. It is believed that he was one of the who helped draft the . St. Athanasius, his contemporary, refers to Macarius as an example of "the honest and simple style of apostolical men." After the council, St. Macarius accompanied St. Helen, the queen mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, in her successful search for the that Jesus was crucified upon. It was he who suggested to St. Helen that she would identify the real Cross by touching all three of them that were found to a seriously ill woman, and seeing which one succeeded in healing her. Following the discovery of the True Cross in this miraculous manner, Constantine wrote to Bishop Macarius requesting that he oversee the construction of a magnificent church in Jerusalem, the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, to commemorate the sites of the Crucifixion and Burial of Christ, which still exists today as one of the most important Christian pilgrimage sites in the world. His feast day is March 10th. https://www.catholiccompany.com/morning-offering/2016-03-10/

Count Down to Easter

The Tomb is Still Empty!!

Watch Levi and Lia Recount the Story of Easter.

Questions? Contact Debbie Fredette at 760-758-4100 x110 or [email protected] 3 Kids Korner

“The Woman at the Well”

Click here for various Enrichment Activites.

Click here for Color Sheet/ Hidden Picture Search.

Click here for Maze.

For more information contact: Debbie Fredette, Director of Faith Formation 760-758-4100 x110 [email protected]

Questions? Contact Debbie Fredette at 760-758-4100 x110 or [email protected] 4