During the month of December, Christmas preparations often consume our time and thoughts, and we easily get caught up in the many "things to do" before the holiday approaches. Yet the very nature of the Advent season calls us to slow down and remember the gift of God in the form of a newborn child. Let us take the time this month, amid all of the shopping, decorating, and parties, to call to mind daily the amazing gift of God becoming one of us in Jesus. Emmanuel—God is truly with us.
This issue of To Teach offers suggestions for preparing for and celebrating the season of Advent and Christmas.
Plan and host a prayer vigil on November 30 or a service in your school on December 1 to remember those who have died from AIDS and for those still fighting HIV/AIDS. For more information on the World AIDS Day from the U.S. bishops.
Prepare a school-wide celebration to honor and thank the religious men and women who support your school now and those who have retired.
Host a “fair trade" fair at your school to build awareness about fair trade and to give your students a chance to buy fair trade Christmas gifts.
Use short portions of the DVDs The Face: Jesus in Art and Picturing Mary as the starting point for a discussion on how we picture Jesus and Mary and where we see the presence of God in our daily lives.
Pray with students the Prayer on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8 and the Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. Both prayers can be found in Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers.
Invite families to borrow a copy of The First Christmas an animated production that tells the traditional story of the birth of Jesus, beginning with Mary and Joseph's trip to Bethlehem and ending with the arrival of the Magi. Provide a list of discussion questions for families to share after the viewing.
Review the list of Classroom Advent Suggestions, and select a few to incorporate into your class throughout the Advent season.
Distribute copies of the World AIDS Dayprayer card which includes general intercessions that can be used at Mass on that day and concrete action steps your school or parish can take to combat HIV/AIDS.
Research and prepare with your students a monthly budget that reflects the typical costs of a retired person, especially one who lives in a nursing home or care facility. Use the materials from the National Religious Retirement Office on why we help or the fact sheet as resources for some of the typical cost information.
Take up a collection for retired religious men and women that equals a week’s worth of the cost of a favorite food, drink, or activity, and donate it to the Retirement Fund for Religious. Have your students design “thank you" cards for some of the retired religious men and women in your area. Contact your parish office or religious orders in your area to coordinate this activity. (Names of convents, monasteries, and religious homes in your area can be found in the Official Catholic Directory, a Catholic reference that is available at most libraries.)
Celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas with your students by sharing the story of his life and filling their shoes with “fair trade" candy.
Lead your students in a novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Start the novena on November 30, nine school days before the feast day on December 12.
Commit to one or two of the ideas found at An Adult Advent, as a way to model for your children the importance of prayer and reflection during the Advent season.
Obtain copies of the Novena for Peace and Justice, and gather your family members to pray the novena for nine days, during the Advent season.
Set aside time to explore the many signs and symbols of Advent and Christmas—including the Advent wreath, the nativity scene (commonly known as a crèche), and the Jesse tree—with your family, or to learn more about the life of Saint Nicholas.
At grace before meals on December 1, World AIDS Day, pray for those who have died from AIDS and for those still fighting HIV/AIDS.
During the week of December 3, share stories in your family about the religious men and women whom you know, especially those who made an impact on your life. With your children, decide on an amount to donate to the Retirement Fund for Religious. Base the amount on how much it would cost to feed a retired person for one week, to buy a month’s worth of medicine, or to cover one week’s housing cost in a nursing home or care facilitiy.
Make a commitment in your family to purchase only products that are “fair trade certified" during December, especially as you buy Christmas presents.
Include the intercessions on the Gospel of Life during family prayer on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8) and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 12).
"Forming Adult Faith" is an ongoing feature of To Teach. It includes suggestions from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults (USCCA) on how to promote ongoing faith formation among the adults in your school community.
The following chapters touch on different aspects of the themes of Advent and Christmas.
Chapter 2: God Comes to Meet Us
Chapter 7: The Good News: God Has Sent His Son
Chapter 12: Mary: The Church’s First and Most Perfect Member
"Compendium Corner" is provides a list of questions and answers in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church that are related to this month’s topic. (The number before the question is the question number in the Compendium.)
Review the questions and answers in preparation for your class.
Consider how to use appropriate questions and answers as part of your lesson plan.
Develop learning activities that help youth and young adults learn this information by heart (memorization).
85. Why did the Son of God become man?
86. What does the word “Incarnation” mean?
94. What is the meaning of the expression “conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit . . . ”?
95. “. . . Born of the Virgin Mary”: Why is Mary truly the Mother of God?
96. What does the “Immaculate Conception” mean?
97. How does Mary cooperate in the divine plan of salvation?
98. What does the virginal conception of Jesus mean?
99. In what sense is Mary “ever Virgin”?
103. What does the Gospel teach about the mysteries of the birth and infancy of Jesus?
During the month of December, Christmas preparations often consume our time and thoughts, and we easily get caught up in the many "things to do" before the holiday approaches. Yet the very nature of the Advent season calls us to slow down and remember the gift of God in the form of a newborn child. Let us take the time this month, amid all of the shopping, decorating, and parties, to call to mind daily the amazing gift of God becoming one of us in Jesus. Emmanuel—God is truly with us.
