Third Sunday of Advent
Welcome to the Third Week of Advent. We're getting so much closer to Christmas!
Watch the video with your family to get started.
Reflection
“I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming... He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit..." Luke 3:16
In the Gospel today, we hear about John the Baptist and how he is preparing the way for the coming of Jesus. People were asking John if he was the Messiah, but John told them that someone much mightier was coming. Someone was coming who would baptize them with the Holy Spirit.
Who was John the Baptist preparing the people for ? Jesus! Did you know that John and Jesus were cousins?
In the Gospel, John reminds us how important it is to be free from sin so that our hearts can be ready for the coming of Jesus. John's message was important for the people he was speaking to, but it's also very important for us today. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus, but we are also preparing for the day when he will come again. Jesus told us that he would come back to earth, and no one knows the day or the time that he will come. So Advent teaches us in a special way how to prepare not only for Christmas, but also for the day when Jesus comes again.
This week, we're going to be learning more about what it means to prepare our hearts and our homes for the coming of the Lord. Be sure to watch the Cat.Chat Challenge video to hear what we need to do to prepare our hearts and homes for Jesus.
Discussion Question:
1. How would you prepare if you heard that the Queen or the Pope was going to come and visit your home in a couple of weeks?
Note for parents: If you are welcoming anyone into your home this week, remind your kids what it means to prepare for guests and how important it is that they are made to feel welcome. How much more are we called to prepare for the coming of Jesus and making sure that he is welcome in our hearts?
Activity: Make a Card for Your Parish Priest
Parish priests work very hard during the Advent season to help prepare us for the coming of Christ. Christmas is a very busy time for them, and we want our priests to know how grateful we are. They are a gift to us and to the church, and giving them a thank you card is a great way to show them how much we appreciate their work and their vocation. You can bring it to them when you go to Mass or to confession.
Click here to download two awesome thank you cards, or you can make your own. Either way, we'd love to see a picture of your finished product. Send us a picture of your card so we can see your beautiful work!
Click Here to Download Two Awesome Cards
NEW Activity: Priest Peg Doll
When the priest celebrates the Mass, he wears different colored vestments depending on the liturgical season in the Church. Every color has a special meaning. The main color used during Advent is purple (with pink on the third Sunday). Change the vestments on your priest peg doll depending on the different liturgical season in the church.
If you get a set with multiple peg doll sizes, you can also use them to make a Nativity/Holy Family set.
Click Here to View the Activity
P.S. If you didn't get a chance to do the Gratitude Ornaments from last week, it's not too late. You can still print them off!
Game Activity: Imagine This!
Here's a fun game activity that you can do with your kids or students! The pink candle in the Advent wreath represents JOY! Using our imagination can bring us a lot of joy. Did you know that your imagination is a special gift from God? You can use it to bring joy to others! This will help us to practice using our imagination in a fun way. Click on the picture to see the game activity!
Click Here to Print Imagine This!
Christmas Audio Drama - Part 3
Every week your family can listen to a section from Cat.Chat's Christmas audio drama in the video below.
In A Christmas to Remember Papa, Josh, Hannah and Moses 'The Amazing Talking Cat', visit Grandma and Grandpa on the farm for the holidays. Moses meets Sneak 'The House Mouse' and together they discover the true meaning of Advent and Christmas! Tune in next week to listen to what happens next :)
P.S. You can play this while you're making a thank you card for your priest!
Vital Verse
The Vital Verse today is from the Gospel of Luke. Watch the video and download the coloring page.
“I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming.” - Luke 3:16
Click the Vital Verse Coloring Page to Download
Cat.Chat Challenge
This week, we're focusing on keeping our hearts clean for the coming of Jesus. What do we do when we are preparing for an important guest to come? We clean our home and make sure that we look presentable. It's the same way at Christmas time. Jesus is the most important guest of all, and we need to make sure that we prepare a beautiful clean space for him to feel welcome. Our challenge today is to clean our heart as well as our room, because both are important to welcome a guest.
Click here for an Act of Contrition for Kids
Click Here to Download Examination of Conscience for Kids
Thank you for joining us this week for Cat.Chat's Advent Activities. We'll see you next week. Happy Advent!
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