Helping our children grow in their Catholic faith. April 2021 St. Anthony Religious Education Easter returns each Sunday Easter morning comes after six weeks television or video games, spend quiet of darkness and sacrice. In fact, the time together. joy of Easter is meant to last Rejoice in reconciliation. Jesus Start small throughout the year. “Sunday knew that while our intentions may be Concepts such as the Holy recalls the day of Christ’s good, our resolve isn’t always Trinity are difcult for Resurrection. It is Easter perfect. That’s why he anyone to which returns week by created the Sacrament of understand, let alone week, celebrating Reconciliation. Take children. That’s why Christ’s victory over your family to they are called, sin and death” Confession regularly. “mysteries.” That (Dies Domini, Pope Your children will learn doesn’t mean you shouldn’t John Paul II). Try that God is always introduce them, even when your these ideas to ready to forgive. children are young. As their celebrate Easter Rejoice in the cognitive abilities grow, they will each week: Resurrection. Before understand more, but you can Make ready you participate in plant seeds even as they are for Sunday. Sunday Mass, read the young. Acknowledging gospel selection out sin isn’t loud so that that comfortable, but it is everyone is familiar with it. Talk about God trusts you essential in order to experience the joy what the priest will do, the hymns you Do you ever feel overwhelmed by of Easter. Turn Fridays into penitential like to sing, or ask which prayers your the responsibility of parenting? days in your home during which you children like best. This helps all of you Sometimes it can feel as if we aren’t work to eliminate whatever keeps you to experience Mass, not just witness it. up to the task of doing the job from being best friends with God. Easter returns every Sunday. Don’t right and if we had to do it alone, Share meatless meals, fast from miss it. we might not be. Fortunately, God never intended to leave us on our own. When he gives us a child, he stays with us and guides us. If he Why do Catholics celebrate didn’t trust us, he wouldn’t have chosen us in the rst place. Divine Mercy Sunday? Experience counts In 1931, Jesus appeared words, “Jesus, I trust in you.” He “The glory of the to St. Faustina Kowalska, also asked that the Sunday after young is their a simple Polish nun, with Easter become the “Feast of strength, and his hand raised in Mercy,” and promised the dignity of blessing and two rays that anyone who the old is gray of light radiating from approaches him as the hair” (Proverbs his heart – a red and a King of Mercy would 20:29). pale one. He told her to receive special graces and paint the vision with the great mercy. © Copyright 2021 Success Publishing & Media, LLC April 2021 Page 2 Beautiful symbols of Easter Easter is the most important feast day in the again. The chick, hatching out of the egg, symbolizes Catholic liturgical calendar, celebrating the new life. Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We use popular Lamb: The lamb was a sacrice made during the symbols to represent truths about this holiday. Jewish Passover, celebrating when the “angel of Lily: Lilies grow in spring – the season of death” passed over the homes of those who had new life. They begin as a bulb or seed buried in lamb’s blood smeared on their doorposts, sparing the ground that bursts forth with new life. Jesus the rstborn sons. Jesus was crucied during was buried and then came forth with new, Passover week and was the ultimate sacricial lamb. glorious life on Easter morning. He is referred to in the Bible as the “Lamb of God” Eggs: The egg is a symbol of the rock tomb and “our Passover lamb.” During Easter, we out of which Christ emerged when he rose celebrate Jesus’ passover from death to life. John 10:1-10, The Good Shepherd This Gospel tells of our relationship Jesus is now the Good Shepherd with God. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, for everyone. As the Good The local paper carried an article we are his ock. A shepherd Shepherd, he gives his life about COVID patients in the hospital guards and guides his ock. A for his sheep. But he also who were sad because they wouldn’t ock of sheep knows its looked beyond the be home for Easter. Their families shepherd by voice. When he sheepfold of Israel. His were also upset calls, the sheep follow that hope is to have one ock because COVID voice but not any other. and one shepherd for the patients can’t have Society tells us today to whole world, the Church visitors. The story in follow our own voice. In which he founded. the paper touched my fact, we get the message What can a parent do? girls and we talked that it’s okay for us to The picture of Jesus as the about how we could each pursue our own desires Good Shepherd and us as the help. After a and look after ourselves. As a sheep he takes care of is discussion, we decided to make Easter result, when trouble strikes, we would appealing to children. We can baskets to bring to the hospital. I have no one to turn to for guidance and reinforce that picture by stressing reminded the girls that Jesus said comforting. that our children can trust in Jesus. when we show compassion to the sick, lonely, or the forgotten, we serve him. baptized natives, including the After a trip to the store, we chieftain’s son. He was martyred assembled brightly colored baskets by hostile warriors. The island with a prayer card, Mass card, a converted two years after his death. stuffed animal, and some candy. Each April 23 – St. Adalbert of Prague April 30 – Pope St. Pius V (1572). basket was tied with a pretty ribbon, (997). As Bishop of Prague, Adalbert Born to a poor family in Italy, and we brought them to the hospital spent his life spreading the Good Antonio Ghislieri became a across the street from the church. We News. His efforts to reform the clergy Dominican. After serving as an couldn’t deliver the gifts to the of Prague were met with opposition inquisitor during the Catholic patients directly but the nurses that forced him to leave for Rome. Reformation, he became Pope Pius V. assured the girls that everyone will While Adalbert was on a mission in He established truly appreciate them. Prussia, he was martyred by the pagan seminaries and priests. hospitals, and April 28 – St. Peter Chanel (1841). published the Roman To help parents raise faithful Catholic children Born to a peasant family in France, Catechism, Roman Success Publishing & Media, LLC Peter Chanel was ordained and Breviary, and the Publishers of Growing in Faith™ and Partners in Faith™ (540)662-7844 (540)662-7847 fax entered the Society of Mary. He was Missal. He is known for http://www.partnersinfaith.com sent to evangelize the Marshall efforts to implement the (Unless noted Bible quotes and references are from Islands. Despite adversities, he Council of Trent. the Revised Standard Version and the New American Bible.) © Copyright 2021 Success Publishing & Media, LLC.