Visit this page every week during Lent to see new activities and information.
PALM SUNDAY
Palm Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent, the beginning of Holy Week, and commemorates the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem, days before he was crucified. In the Gospels, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a young donkey, and to the lavish praise of the townspeople who threw clothes, or possibly palms or small branches, in front of him as a sign of homage. This was a customary practice for people of great respect. Palm branches are widely recognised symbol of peace and victory. The use of a donkey instead of a horse is highly symbolic, it represents the humble arrival of someone in peace. You can make a palm cross yourself to remind you of what it symbolises!
FIFTH WEEK OF LENT
The readings for the 5th Sunday of Lent remind us that God sees us in our weakness and suffering and saves us. The first reading tells us to look at the past and see that a new way is possible. The psalm tells of sorrow turning to joy. In the second reading Paul explains that we must let go of what we valued to pursue life in Christ. And in the Gospel Jesus confronts the crowd who are about to stone the woman caught in adultery. Jesus is always ready to forgive us for the things which we do that are wrong. We just need to be sorry (repent) and ask for His forgiveness.
FOURTH WEEK OF LENT
This weeks parable is about the lost son. This story is also called the prodigal son. Prodigal means to spend a lot of money on things you don't need and being very wasteful with what you have. You will see that, that is exactly what this son does. In this parable the father in the story is just like God. This is how God would be if we ran away from him and we started doing things we shouldn't. He doesn't give up on us when we do things that are wrong, and he will always forgive us if we've truly changed and repent for what we've done. Now the older brother in this story just shows how most of us would act if this happened to us. We would all be upset if our younger brother or sister ran away for a long time and did a whole bunch of bad things and then came home and your parents threw a big party for him. The father who had been wronged, was forgiving. But the eldest son, who had not been wronged, was unforgiving. In this parable Jesus gives a clear picture of God and what God is like. He is truly kinder than us.
THIRD WEEK OF LENT
In Sunday’s Gospel we hear a parable about a fig tree. The owner waited 3 years for it to grow some fruit, but it still wasn’t producing any, so he told the gardener to cut it down. But the gardener said he would try just one more year to get it to bear fruit, and if it didn’t, then he would cut it down. The fig tree is like a person who can do good things but doesn’t. The owner shows the justice of God who has given us enough chances! But the gardener is like God’s mercy – he wants to help us to change and become good. Lent is a good time to look at our own life and see if we are doing all the good things we can. God is giving us a chance to become a better person this Lent!
Try some of the activities under the picture, and remember that on Friday 25th March it is the feast of the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel visited Mary and told her that, if she agreed, she would become the mother of Jesus.
THE TRANSFIGURATION - SECOND WEEK OF LENT
Transfiguration means a complete change of appearance to be more beautiful. The Bible tells us that Jesus took three of His disciples, Peter, James, and John, and went up on a mountain to pray. As Jesus prayed, His face was changed and His clothes became a dazzling white. What the disciples saw was the glory of God in the face of Jesus! Then the voice of God the Father was heard saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
This week, try and make a special effort to listen to Jesus. He encourages us to be kind to everybody, to be helpful to other people and our family. He also asks us to pray for all those who need His help.
You can download and print the colouring page and crossword if you wish.
DOING GOD'S WILL - FIRST WEEK OF LENT
On this first week of Lent we learn from the Gospel how Jesus resisted bad temptation through the help of the Holy Spirit and His love for God the Father. He did what His Father asked Him to do. We should remember that what we want is not always what God wants. God knows what is best for us. We may want more sweets or more money or other things for ourselves, but God wants us to love Him and to love others by helping them. This week, try and find ways to show that you love God by doing good things for other people. Also, don't forget to pray to Jesus for help - and to thank Him for His help.
ASH WEDNESDAY EXPLAINED
This year, Ash Wednesday is on 6th March.
On this day, the priest will bless the ashes and then bless us by dipping his thumb into ashes (collected from burnt palms of the previous year’s Palm Sunday), and marking the forehead of each of us with the sign of the cross, saying the words, "Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return" or “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”
By marking the sign of the cross with ashes on our foreheads, we are invited to understand that we have sinned, and to be sorry of our sins and return to our loving and forgiving God.
LENT EXPLAINED
Lent lasts for 40 days because that’s how long Jesus wandered in the desert, fasting, while he resisted Satan’s temptations. During the forty days of Lent, we all have a chance to be like Jesus. We can do this by trying to resist temptations and use this time to become closer to God.
Lent is a time of preparation for Easter, the Christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We think of the forty days of Lent as an opportunity to change ourdaily lives and become closer to God.
What you can do
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Try to focus on Jesus' love for you and what he has done for you.
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Try to do at least one act of kindness every day, because this is what Jesus would do.
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Be thankful to Jesus for all the blessings you have - for example, your family, friends, a home, your school and your teachers.
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Set aside a quiet time each day when you can pray to Jesus, tell him how sorry you are for anything you have done wrong, ask him to forgive you and thank him for forgiving you and loving you.
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Open and print the Lent Calendar by clicking here or here, or even here! Each day, write down one kind act you will do, or write a short prayer to Jesus.