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Family Faith Formation Lesson Three: November 3rd, 2024
Following Sunday’s Gospel: Mk 12:38-44 “The Widow’s Mite”
| Date | Scripture | Summary | Saint |
| November 3 | Mark 12:38-44 | “The Widow’s Mite” | St. Gertrude the Great |
Gospel Passage:
In the course of his teaching Jesus said to the crowds, “Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation.”
He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”
Gospel Summary:
Jesus contrasts the prideful attitude of the scribes with the humble attitude of the widow. While she only put in two coins, Jesus acknowledges what these coins “cost her” and therefore, praises her generosity. She gave a lot even though she had very little.
Lesson Bullet Points:
- The opposites in the passage are: those who take and those who give
- God sees our hearts when we give, not just the amount of what we give
- Sometimes we can give something “small” and it can make a big difference
- We should not be afraid to give something that feels small
Discussion Prompts/Questions:
- Do you remember a moment where you gave or did something small that made a big difference? (For example, saying something nice to someone else)
- What does it mean that Jesus “sees our hearts” and our intentions?
- Why is it important to be generous? What are some ways we can be generous?
Saint of the Month: Saint Gertrude the Great (November 16)
St. Gertrude was a Benedictine religious nun from Germany. She is well known for having a deep prayer life and for being very good at theology, Sacred Scripture and languages. She started having visions of Jesus and wrote down what she saw and what he told her. She wrote about Jesus’ Sacred Heart and his great love for all people.
Songs & Videos
Craft & Game Options
- Money Box: Make a small box (out of cardboard) to collect money for a cause (printable options here)
- Widow’s Mite Bookmark: here
- Widow’s Mite Story Strip: here
- Custom Coins: Use the blank coin templates and write onto them some things that we can “give” to God and our family
- Duct Tape Wallet: here. Put coins for Church inside or “custom coins”.
- Candy Demonstration: Give each child between two to ten pieces of candy, vary the amount. Tell your children that they must all now put one of their pieces of candy in a box that you will give to people that don’t have any candy. Pass the box around so that the children can place their candy in the box. When all the children have placed their candy in the box, ask them how they felt about doing it. Was it hard or easy? Do you think it was harder for the people who had lots of candy, or was it harder for the people who had little?
- Penny in the Offering Box Game: Place two buckets at one end of your room. Have two teams line up opposite the buckets at the other end of the room. Children take turns walking to the bucket with a penny on their foot. When a child gets to the bucket he drops the penny in without using his hands. When he gets back to the starting line, the next person in line goes. The team with the most pennies in their bucket after two minutes is the winner.
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