Sunday Connection

Gospel Reading
Mark 1:12-15
Jesus is tempted in the desert by Satan.

Making the Connection (Grades 1, 2, and 3)

During Lent, we renew our promises to reject sin and live more holy lives. Invite younger children to commit on this first Sunday of Lent to making good, loving choices.

Materials Needed

• pictures of young children (printed from the internet) of making good and bad choices; notecards with the words I promise on them

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Show children the pictures and ask whether the children in the images are making good or poor choices. Invite children to explain their responses. Then say: Sometimes we might be tempted to do something that we know is wrong. We can rely on God to help us resist temptation and make a good choice instead. What are some good choices you have made in the last week? (Accept all reasonable responses.)
2. Say: This is the first Sunday of Lent. During Lent, we prepare to celebrate Easter. We make promises to resist temptation and make good, loving choices that will bring us closer to God.
3. Say: After Jesus was baptized, he spent 40 days in the desert. He was tempted by Satan. Let’s listen to what happened.
4. Read aloud today’s Gospel, Mark 1:12–15.
5. Say: Jesus resisted Satan’s temptations. He chose to obey his Father. Jesus relied on God to help him make good choices.
6. Say: Lent is 40 days long. That’s the same amount of time that Jesus spent in the desert. Let’s each think of something we will to during Lent to show God that we love and obey him just as his Son, Jesus, did. Either write or draw a picture of the thing you will do on this promise card. Put it somewhere special to remind you of your Lenten promise. (Give children suggestions if needed.)
7. Allow children time to draw or write and then invite volunteers to share their cards with the group.
8. Close by praying that Jesus will help you keep your promises to resist temptation and make good, loving choices during Lent and always. Then pray the Glory Be to the Father.

Gospel Reading
Mark 1:12-15
Jesus is tempted in the desert by Satan.

Making the Connection (Grades 4, 5, and 6)

Older children are developing the capacity to reflect upon temptation and sin. We can encourage this positive development in their lives by assuring them that God helps us. The season of Lent provides us with an opportunity to recommit ourselves to this lifelong challenge.

Materials Needed

• Paper and pencils
• A basket

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Ask: What are some temptations that young people face? Together make a list of some of these temptations.

2. Distribute paper and pencils to the group. Invite them to pray about this question: What is one thing that regularly tempts you? Then ask them to write their temptation on the paper and to fold the paper in half.

3. Invite one or more volunteers to read aloud today’s Gospel, Mark 1:12-15.

4. Say: In Mark’s Gospel, we don't hear details about how Satan tempted Jesus, nor do we hear how Jesus succeeded in resisting temptation. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ battle with Satan continues throughout his life, to be concluded only at his death on the cross.

5. Say: During Lent, we focus on resisting temptation in our lives. We renew our commitment to resist certain temptations, but our efforts during Lent are only the beginning. We pray that what we begin during each Lent will continue long after.

6. Allow some time for prayer and reflection. Ask children to think about the following questions: How will you try to resist the temptation you wrote down? What help will you need to do this? Say: Remember, no one succeeds in resisting temptation alone. God helps us!

7. Lead the children in a prayer for God’s help to resist temptation. When you have finished, invite the children to tear up the paper on which they wrote their temptation and to place the pieces in the basket. Pray the Act of Contrition.

Gospel Reading
Mark 1:12-15
Jesus is tempted in the desert by Satan.

Making the Connection (Grades 7 and 8)

Young people will continue to depend on others in important ways throughout their lives. Even as we assist their increasing independence, we can encourage them to remember that depending on God is a source of strength in their lives.

Materials Needed

• Packaging from various items indicating where the item was made
• cell phone

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Prepare in advance by collecting packaging for several items that indicates where the item was made. Distribute this packaging to several young people and begin by asking them to find the detail that tells where the item was made. Observe that sometimes this information is written in fine print and is difficult to find. Allow others in the group to help as needed until this information is found.

2. Next, display a cell phone. Ask how a cell phone can increase a young person’s independence. Observe that even as we use items that expand our independence, we depend on many other people to produce these items, deliver them to us, and keep them operating properly. Help the group identify jobs people have that contribute to the manufacturing, distribution, and sales of a cell phone.

3. Introduce this Sunday’s Gospel: On this first Sunday of Lent, we hear a short reading from the Gospel of Saint Mark, which gives a brief account of Jesus’ forty days in the desert. Within this account is an important reminder for us as we begin this Lenten season. Let’s pay close attention as this Gospel is read.

4. Invite a volunteer to read aloud this Sunday’s Gospel, Mark 1:12–15.

5. Ask: What details about Jesus’ temptation in the desert are described in this Gospel? (The Spirit led Jesus to the desert; Jesus stayed there for forty days; Jesus was tempted by Satan.) Who is with Jesus in the desert? (wild beasts, angels) What does this Gospel tell us about the angels? (The angels ministered to Jesus during his forty days in the desert.)

6. Say: During Lent, we seek to strengthen our resolve to resist temptation. However, God does not expect us to do this on our own. God helps us, giving us the Holy Spirit in Baptism. God also gives us the community of the Church to help us. What can we do during Lent to accept the help God gives us to resist temptation? (Accept all reasonable answers.)

7. Conclude in prayer, asking God to strengthen our resolve to resist temptations. Pray together the psalm for this Sunday, Psalm 25.

Gospel Reading
Mark 1:12-15
Jesus is tempted in the desert by Satan.

Family Connection

The announcement that Jesus makes as he begins his preaching in today’s Gospel is recalled on Ash Wednesday at the signing with ashes: “Repent and believe in the gospel.” This is our challenge for Lent; indeed, it is the challenge of our entire life. During Lent, we are invited to strengthen and to renew the promises that we made at our Baptism, to reject Satan and sin so as to live as children of God. Through the grace of God that we received at Baptism, we follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit and know that with Jesus’ help, we will be victorious over sin.

As you gather as a family, talk about the importance of Baptism. At our Baptism, our sins were forgiven, and we promised to live as children of God. As part of the Rite of Baptism, we rejected sin and Satan. Read today’s Gospel, Mark 1:12-15. During Lent, we renew the promises of our Baptism, turning again from sin and promising to follow God. Light a candle, perhaps a candle used at one of your family member’s Baptisms, and pray together the Act of Contrition.