This year I have the pleasure of teacher Grade 2 Religion. The program we follow is
relatively new and called ‘Growing in Faith, Growing in Christ’. The programs share a homily by Pope Francis on March 5, 2014:
Lord, help me to get ready for Lent in a meaningful way. Help me to be open to renewal and to transform the world around me. Help me to use this time to create something new in myself and in the world around me. Help me to teach my students to embrace the true meaning of Lent and so grow closer to you.
Pope Francis challenged us to make a Lenten promise to create something new in ourselves and in the world around us. That is a lot harder than our usual Lenten promises.
Lent can be a challenging concept; it is definitely a hard idea for grade 2 students to grasp. The program begins the Lenten journey with the temptation of Christ in the desert (Matthew 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–12). It tells the students of three types of temptations: hunger, hopelessness, and power. In hunger, we are tempted to want things we do not really need, or want because others have them. In hopelessness, we stop trusting that God loves us and wants others to love us. Lastly, in power, we seek control without doing what is right and fair. |
During Lent, we remember and relive Jesus’ time in the desert during the 40 days of Lent. We need to face our own temptations of hunger, hopelessness, and power. Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we turn to Jesus who. We ask Jesus to send the Holy Spirit. Just as it helped Jesus, it will help us in our Lenten journey.
Lenten blessings,
Greg Kostiuk
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