This Week’s Mass Warm-Up!
These free lessons help you prepare for the upcoming Mass readings.
You will find every Sunday for all three liturgical years below. While we are reconstructing the web site, these may become temporarily unavailable. Please contact us if you need help or a PDF of a particular Sunday.
A Thousand Generations
Does God give us a clue here when the end of time will happen?
Is this when Jesus’ Second Coming will occur, when He will come to “judge the living and the dead”?
This Great Gift
This weekend you may hear a lot about Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, and how Jesus represents the fulfillment of the Prophets and the Law as represented in Elijah and Moses, respectively.
So, in This Week’s Mass Warm-Up, we are going to talk about Peter, and how he just steps in it and misses the whole point.
Appeal to God for a Clear Conscience
When someone asks “What have you given up for Lent?”, the right answer, in whatever way you might put it, is:
“None of your business.”
The prudent and conscientious Catholic won’t ask the question in the first place.
When we consider what we are “giving up” for Lent, let’s be more focused on asking God what He wants us to give up. What does he want us to repent of? To repent means to change, to turn away from. What do we need to change?
Ripple Effects
Ripples in the water…
This week’s Gospel reading is supposedly about Jesus healing the leper.
Look again:
It is really about disobedience and how disobeying God is far from being a personal, “I’m not hurting anybody else” thing.
Take five minutes to enjoy This Week’s Mass Warm-up, and you will permanently change your children’s behavior, and yours, with the fun – and wet! – activity!
Rising Very Early
The purpose of prayer is to get us in line with God’s will;
to have an open and hope-filled heart that God knows what He is doing and that He loves us, so even though He permits “punishment and scourges, accept them, because He acts for our welfare in whatever He allows to befall us.”
This week we learn how to be in God’s will in just five minutes..
A Prophet Like You
All Baptized Christians share in Christ’s prophetic office.
What does that mean?
How are we to carry out that mission?
This week’s readings tell us the origins of this teaching of the Church, and we explore how to live it out in our discussion and activity this week.
Repent, and Believe in the Gospel
Why do we find it so difficult to repent?
What is repentance anyway?
And why is it a prerequisite for believing in the Gospel?
This week we hear about Jonah and the repentance of the Ninevites.
What would it be like if our whole city repented of its evil-doing?
How about if it’s just within our own family?
What healing and hope would that engender?
Here I Am
Here I am, Lord…Can you hear the Lord speaking to you?
Do you seek Him?
Do you answer Him when He calls?
Sometimes we are ready to hear God, other times, we need someone to point out God to us…who in your life is that someone?
The Feast of the Epiphany of The Lord
The Feast of the Epiphany of The Lord is the celebration of the revelation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles (non-Jews).
Learn more about what this means to us Catholics and other Christians, and what we should do to evangelize the Good News to our neighbors – hint, it doesn’t require words!
It’s as simple as leaving the lights on for them…
Have an epiphany, and be an epiphany! And watch a really cool video with ALL of the verses of “We Three Kings.” We provide the lyrics, too!
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
The Family is so important that the Church made the first Sunday after Christmas the Feast of the Holy Family. This week we have a fun video and an easy activity you can do anytime. Learn some things about the people around you, and maybe start a new tradition or two! Bet you can’t get the song we start off with out of your head…
Christmas Day
Jesus came on Christmas Day as the fulfillment of the promises of God, to show His glory to all people, to be the light in the darkness, to redeem us from sin and death.
Do we realize the connections Christmas Day has with the prophesies of the Old Testament?
Or with our own personal journey of faith today?
It is the connection point between both!
Fourth Week of Advent – Promises Fulfilled!
Christ Jesus fulfills the promises the Lord made to our forebears in the Old Covenants. He is the New Covenant who brings us the greatest gift of all – Eternal Life!
Third Week of Advent – Rejoice!
“My soul rejoices in God my Savior!” – This week learn about Joy – what it is and how to have it.
Second Week of Advent – Prepare!
St. John the Baptist preaches to the people – Prepare the way of the Lord! How can we prepare our homes and hearts for Jesus this Advent? Read on to find out some practical ways to do so!
Transfiguration of Christ
The Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ our Lord is an annual feast in its own right.
We also hear this Gospel account on the Second Sunday of every Lent.
So twice a year we are given an opportunity to reflect on Jesus’ Divine nature that He invites us to share in.
How can we respond to this invitation?
What does that mean to us?
Holy Owned and Operated has several reflections to help answer these questions and more!
Understanding
King Solomon asked the Lord for an understanding heart, that he might govern his people wisely.
When we pray, are we asking the Lord for understanding?
Most of us want to understand the Lord, we certainly ask for Him to tell us what we want to know…but do we seek to UNDERSTAND?
Can we answer as the Apostles do to Christ’s question, “Do you understand all these things?”
Kind Justice
Kind Justice can be summed up pretty easily in the Golden Rule.
How well do we practice it?
What can we do better?
How is Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross connected to the Golden Rule?
When God forgives us out of love, He shows the ultimate kind justice.
Can we do similarly?
Good Soil
Jesus loves to teach in parables.
When we hear this week’s parable, we also get to hear Jesus explain it to the Apostles.
Let’s all learn how to become the good soil that allows the Word of God to grow and produce fruit!
Jesus’ Yoke Is Easy
If Jesus’ yoke is easy, why is life so hard?
This week, we explore that with a little help from Father Richard Simon – The reverend Know-It-All – and dig into the details of this passage that we hear three times this month (this is the second time).
So, it must be important!
We take a walk through the readings for this week’s Mass, focusing not on ourselves, but on Jesus’ yoke that others are carrying.
And we discover why ours is harder than it needs to be in the process.
Receive
This week we hear that in order to receive our reward, we must receive His apostles, Himself and His Father, His prophets, and righteous people. What does that look like today?
Invite someone in ministry over for dinner or lunch or just to hang out for a while. Thank them for their answer to God’s call to be an Apostle. Invite them to tell their vocation story.
God’s Answer is Jesus
This week’s readings are mostly prayers and answers.
“Lord, in your great love, answer me” (Psalm 69:14).
Think of how we pray and ask for God’s power to take away our fears and hardships.
Do we pray with confidence and praise?
Or pitiful pleading and anxiousness?
Let’s take a page from Scripture and pray with trust and confidence in God’s goodness and answers.
Priesthood
Have you ever contemplated your baptismal priesthood?
What is it, from where does it come?
How does it make a difference in our lives?
And how is it different from the Ministerial Priesthood – those men who are ordained to the priesthood in the Sacrament of Holy Orders?
This week let’s dive into these questions as God calls each of us to the priesthood.
Celebrating The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist
Jesus Christ is real.
And He gave us the Eucharist so that we could be with Him physically, because He knows we, as human beings, need to feel His presence.
There is no better or real presence of Jesus Christ in our lives than receiving His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity at Mass.
This week, we celebrate an entire Solemnity – the highest form of celebration in the Catholic faith – at Mass to give glory to God for this miracle of the real presence of Our Lord at every Mass.
Read and learn about it, and the special celebration that you just might see walking down Main Street this weekend!
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Each Liturgical Year on the Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, also known as “Trinity Sunday”.
This lesson teaches why we celebrate this feast and the significance of it.
Pentecost Sunday – Receive the Holy Spirit
On Pentecost Sunday two thousand years ago, the Apostles received an amazing gift – the Holy Spirit.
Jesus kept His promise and sent the Advocate and amazing works have been done ever since through Him.
How He works in our lives is just as important as how He worked in the lives of the Apostles.
And the gift and work is all connected to the Sacraments.
Divine Mercy Sunday
The Second Sunday of Easter is also called Divine Mercy Sunday. We reflect on and ask for Jesus’ Divine Mercy which poured forth from Him as He died on the Cross, symbolized in the blood and water that came out of His side when it was pierced with a spear. His sacrifice made the mercy of God complete. We are able, through the saving work of Jesus Christ, to receive the ultimate in mercy – God’s Divine Life in us.
Palm Sunday of the LORD’s Passion – Year A
Palm leaves, red vestments, processions, and the story of Christ’s Passion and death.
This is what awaits us this Sunday at Mass.
How can we take it all in and be present for all the messages that God has for us in the liturgy?
Many of us that have heard this story every year can tune out and forget what the whole point is.
We allow ourselves to be distracted or bored, missing the essential beauty and love that Jesus offers us in His Passion.
Let us all be mindful of what’s going on this week at Mass, allowing ourselves to be transformed by Jesus’ suffering and the salvation He brings about through it.
The Glory of God: If You Believe You Will See It
The glory of God is real, and all around us every day, and is manifest in our own resurrection as promised by Him and shown in the resurrection of Jesus.
All of that is shared with us this week in each reading during Mass.
So why do we still fail to fully believe?
The Israelites did, and so did the early Christians.
Even the Apostles failed in their belief.
So, we are in good company.
And God knows that…
He Sees Us
How close to being “perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5:48) would we be if we saw ourselves and others the way He sees us?
This week God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit get in on the lessons from the readings, showing us how He, God, sees us and how He desperately wants us to see others the same way.
Living Water
The Living Water that Jesus offers is so much more than just a drink to quench our thirst.
Our encounter with Jesus Christ, son of the Living God, who takes away the sins of the world is at the heart of this week’s message.
How do we respond to His invitation to drink the Living Water He provides?
What is it that we must do to live the life He desires for us?
As we continue through Lent, let us reflect on the merciful love and salvation that Christ brings to each of us.
God’s Own Design
Have you ever contemplated what God’s design is for your life?
This week we are invited to reflect on His Divine Plan, and how we can accept and become part of it.
It’s more than just believing, though that is a start.
Let us take time to dive in and find out what it means to live “according to his own design”.
Tempted
Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
It is also a time to reflect on our spiritual health and journey.
The readings for the first Sunday tell us the stories of the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and the temptation of Jesus in the desert.
Adam and Eve were tempted in their abundance. Jesus was tempted in his need.
They responded very differently,
Read on to learn why and how we can be like Jesus and resist temptation.
Perfection
Perfection is a tall order for us – or is it?
This week, Jesus is wrapping up the Sermon on the Mount, and He sums it up, well, perfectly.
He is not calling us to an impossible task, and in this week’s TWMWU, we discuss that and offer some tips on how to discuss it with your family.
Keep the Commandments
The Ten Commandments we may not know by heart, but they are on our heart.
They are naturally known to us; instinctive.
Yet we can legalize them to the point of thinking they do not apply to us.
After all, very few of us will murder somebody.
And looking at inappropriate pictures is not adultery, right; or using a computer at work to check our social media account or read the news is not really stealing…is it?
Well, Jesus tells us differently.
He tells us what we already know.
This week it is hard lessons learned in a loving way as Our Lord continues His Sermon on the Mount, preparing us for Lent by helping us bare our innermost sinful nature so that we may be true Christians.
Light Shines in the Darkness
Have you ever been in the dark and turned on a small light?
Light shines in the darkness.
And it’s not a candle or flashlight – it is us, the believers and faithful of God:
Christians following our call to holiness.
Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus is quite clear about who will go to heaven, so we explore what it means to be poor in spirit, and it has nothing to do with our bank accounts!
God provides through Scripture the exact meaning of what it is to be poor in spirit, and the encouragement we all need to have that attitude as we grow closer to Jesus and learn, from Him, who the Father is.
United
This week we think about how our families, parishes, communities, and world would be different if we all lived up to our baptismal vocation.
If all of us lived the Gospel and witnessed to Christ crucified, what would change?
Would the divisions among us be healed?
Would we be more understanding of one another?
Would we be able to live a life of virtue more easily?
Not Just a Servant
When we think of servants, we typically picture people who are oppressed or in positions that powerful people take advantage of.
God has a different idea of what a servant is, and He calls us to this way of life and shows us through His only Son, how being a servant is actually one of the most honorable positions one can take.
He uses His servants to bring His light and message of Salvation to all the nations.
Dive deeper into this idea of sharing God’s light and salvation as His servant…
Mother of God
Mary had a little lamb…
Though this rhyme refers to St. Mary, this does not mean she is a sheep.
Mary gave birth to the Lamb. This means she is the Mother of God.
As confusing as that is to our non-Catholic brethren, we as Catholics understand it and accept it.
Just as Mary and Joseph accepted this great honor and responsibility.
How do we share in Mary’s motherhood?
This week, we explore her example and how it blesses and encourages us to be Brothers and Sisters of and in Christ.
Fourth Sunday of Advent – God is With Us
How often do we ignore or take for granted the signs that God places in our paths that show God is with us?
In this time of waiting for Christ to come at Christmas, there are signs everywhere! T
he sign of the coming of Christ was foretold hundreds of years before He came, in order for the Chosen People to know how to identify Him.
Are we looking? What do we see?
Third Sunday of Advent – He Comes to Save Us
How often do we truly think about how we are saved through the blood of Jesus Christ?
And how does the promise of the kingdom of heaven bear on our current lives and choices?
The Church calls us to contemplate how He comes to save us this week as we continue our Advent journey up the mountain and along the Way of Christ Jesus.
Second Sunday of Advent – Preparing the Way of the Lord
“Prepare the Way of The Lord” is an urgent call not unfamiliar to us. But how do we do that? What exactly is “the Way”? Is this something we do on our own?
We look into this familiar yet mysterious calling we all receive from John the Baptist in this week’s Mass readings, and we recognize the call in the first reading from Baruch, Psalm 126, and Paul’s letter to the Philippians – so it must be important!
And it is most appropriate to look into this as Advent gears up. The Lord is coming, and amidst the hustle and bustle of getting ready for Christmas, this is the time for a gut-check to learn how to prepare the way of The Lord all year, and to kickstart that renewed effort now.
First Sunday of Advent – Climbing the Mountain
Life is a journey.
That’s nothing new.
But why and how do mountains give us such clarity in what that journey is like?
As we constantly strive for heaven, that summit is clear, but the valleys, hills, and crooked paths and steep cliffs stand between us and the goal.
The One on the mountain is also with us.
This week as we begin a new liturgical year at Advent, we explore these challenging readings and discover something about ourselves:
Heaven is no hill, at least for a climber!
Christ Our Superhero
How does our view of superheroes affect our relationship with Christ?
Do we want Jesus to swoop in and “save the day”?
Or do we even ask Him for help when we need it?
Or rather looking to our own self-reliance, or escaping from the problems at hand in some unhealthy way?
Jesus came to save us, but it takes more than just passive reception to receive the Salvation He offers.
The Second Coming
Jesus is Coming!
This week the readings are all about that; like blazing headlines!
So, we discuss when he is coming, and how we know it is happening.
The Second Coming is in process as we speak!
That’s no surprise to Catholics when we understand what the end times are, and our role in them.
This day has been anticipated since before Jesus came the first time, and we get to be in on the VIP pre-party!
And hopefully the eternal after-party…
God of the Living
“He is not God of the dead, but of the living!”
Our witness to God’s life in us is what sets us apart, it is what makes us a target, and also a magnet.
The life we live on earth either takes us closer to God or further from Him.
Choices we make now have eternal consequences.
This week, let us learn from the witnesses who went before us – the saints – how to witness to others and live the life God created us to live!
Constant Love and Mercy
God’s constant love and mercy abounds!
They are present everywhere and every time, every place and every moment.
This week’s readings are all about seeing, recognizing, and experiencing His constant love and mercy.
Our discussion helps us see that, and our activity gives us the opportunity to knowingly, actively participate in it!
The Jesus Prayer
Sometimes the simplest is the most effective, and the Jesus Prayer helps us understand that.
This week, we learn about humility and self-righteousness, and that we all have the capacity to grow in the former and eliminate the latter.
Learning how to apply the readings of Mass to our lives – they are the Word of God, after all! – is integral to growing in our quest for perfection, in relationship with the Lord.
This week, we get a terrific example of how to do that, and a simple one we can apply every day!
Sacred Scripture
What is Sacred Scripture? What makes it so special?
This week we get it from the horse’s mouth: Paul, while writing Sacred Scripture which he does not know will be Sacred Scripture, provides Timothy with the reasons and purposes for Sacred Scripture.
At that time Paul could only be referring to Old Testament scripture. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote a lot of the New testament, unknowingly. But can it be denied as Sacred?
The Holy Spirit guides the Catholic Church, and has since Pentecost, before Paul came into the picture – so He was guiding and inspiring Paul.
Understanding and applying Sacred Scripture is simple, but is not something to be done alone. The Holy Spirit has led the Catholic Church through 2000 years of first writing the last Sacred Scripture and then understanding it.
This week we explore how to understand Sacred Scripture, what’s so important about it, why we should know it, and how we can know it. It’s pretty simple!
Give Thanks
“Thank you, Lord, for a good day.” Our family ends the day with this prayer, without fail.
Some days it is VERY hard to give thanks to God for that, after everything that happened that day:
Death. Sickness. Pain. Broken hearts. Unruly children, and hurt that our children suffer that we cannot do much to salve.
Recognizing God’s infinite Goodness and thanking Him for it is also very hard to remember to do. In our fallen state, we tend to think how wonderful we are when we accomplish or experience something good.
How often do we thank God for this stuff?
Maybe one in ten times, like the lepers in the Gospel. Maybe it takes seven experiences like Naaman in the Jordan.
Shouldn’t we always be thankful, even in our suffering?
This week we read of these and Paul’s suffering, and learn why bad things happen to good people.
And there’s some wisdom in here that deals with that question directly Why does a Good God make bad things happen?
See if you know the answer…
Increase Our Faith
This week we hear a familiar psalm and a familiar analogy from Jesus.
Does that familiarity breed content or contempt?
Does it increase our faith?
We may be so used to the words of healing from Our Lord that we inadvertently block them from being more than words. Jesus has the words of everlasting life, but we often choose to be deaf to them.
Too busy? Too distracted? Too turned on by politics, news, social media, 15-second videos, even being helpful? Too worried and concerning ourselves about things happening in the world that we can do nothing about? Then our heart is hard.
The mustard seed is all the Lord encourages us to have and give, yet He knows we might only attain a faith the size of a crumb of salt of the earth.
And yet do we aspire to give him even that because of the hardness of our hearts?
This week is all about re-setting, refocusing, and recommitting. Let’s stay focused at Mass, and go forth, living the Gospel by our life!
This allows us to welcome Jesus into our hearts, soften them, and rely on him when we cry out for help – and hear His answer and see His help!
Complacency Kills
This week the message in the Mass readings is all about complacency and selfishness..and what it means to be selfless.
Each of the readings continues the message from last week, that we can’t allow the material world to become our idol.
We have to be purposeful in living our faith, focused on God and His Way.
God and Mammon
Who do we serve?
God and Mammon are our two choices.
There is no third choice, no in-between, and no sitting this one out.
We need to know who and what Mammon is so we can be sure not to choose that.
This week, Amos tells us about cheaters, Paul talks about kings, and Jesus tells us about untrustworthy servants.
it can be a little confusing if we do not know how to connect all of these to each other and our lives.
So, we connect them.
Dive in and get help serving the Right Master!
Sin, Repentance, Forgiveness, and Mercy
God our loving Father offers us forgiveness and mercy.
But why?
We are sinners, we fail, we fall. Then, we seek forgiveness.
In all humility, we repent and beg for the mercy and forgiveness that only God can provide.
It is an unfathomable truth of our faith that we cling to, just as the forgiving Father in the story of the Prodigal Son clings to his son who returns.
He clings to the hope that his son will return.
We cling to the hope that the Father will take us back.
And He does – every time.
He offers that Forgiveness and Mercy when we repent of our sins.
Counting the Cost
Jesus and Grandma have a lot in common – wisdom.
We can learn how to count the cost of discipleship by applying a sound principle found in Grandma’s kitchen!
Ensuring the gift of the Holy Spirit is understood and used properly, we have instructions from Jesus using real-world examples.
Don’t let the Gift of Wisdom languish – practice using it and grow in it and pass it on to the next generation…just like Grandmas have been doing for millennia.
The Virtue of Humility
Humility is a virtue that is highly praised.
How does one keep from becoming “proud” of their humility?
The readings this week give us ample opportunity to reflect on and learn more about this virtue of humility that is so elusive, especially in the current culture of “look at me” – and everybody looking!.
How DO we remain humble when we are constantly bombarded by the message that we need to always be in front, showing off our talents, or bodies?
Thinking of ourselves less while not thinking less of ourselves is a start…
He Gathers All Nations
It’s always more fun to eat a meal with others. The Heavenly Feast awaits us, and those we bring. Jesus gathers all nations for the Feast through us, the Church.
We can’t just broadcast to the world the Good News – if that worked, everybody would be Catholic by now!
Inviting someone to dinner is a personal, one-on-one proposition. So how do we reach the person in front of us?
The answer is really simple, and we offer it this week!
Keeping Our Eyes Fixed on Jesus
It is difficult to follow someone if we cannot see them. Keeping our eyes on the goal makes the race easier to finish.
When we lose sight of our purpose or do not have a clear focus on the goal, we get lost, frustrated, and may even give up.
This week, we are exhorted to keep our eyes on Jesus, so we can accomplish all He has planned for us.
Read more to find out how to focus – or re-focus! – in order to reach the goal that we are all created for:
Heaven!
Faith in the Seen and Unseen
Faith is the realization of things hoped for, evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
Our God is invisible, yet, we believe anyway.
He offers hope of eternal life, something intangible in this life, yet, we believe anyway.
Faith in the seen and unseen is part of who we are as followers of God.
Let’s be aware of God’s presence even though we can’t see Him.
Recognizing Him in the visible, seen world around us, we can more fully embrace the unseen, invisible hope that He offers.
The Important Things
Who among us do not have a special, most precious item?
It would devastate us to lose it.
This week, Jesus challenges our perception of what is important.
How can we rise to this challenge and bring others to also better understand the importance of things is less than the importance of our relationship with God?
Prayer and openness to God is a good start!
Read on to find out a little more about what the important thing is from Jesus, and how we can attain it.
Intercessory Prayer
Pray for us.
We ask for your prayers and we also pray for you.
This week’s readings explore the origins and meaning behind intercessory prayer.
Following the example of Abraham in seeking to save innocent life, we pray for those who have no one to speak for them.
And when asked how to pray, Jesus reveals the ultimately perfect prayer – The Lord’s Prayer.
How can we pray with all sincerity, “thy will be done”?
Answer: When we take the focus off of ourselves and pay attention to the needs of others.
Patience Leads to Justice
Jesus patiently explains to Martha that her work, though good, is not the most important thing at the moment.
Abraham and Sarah’s patience is rewarded by the promise of their son, Isaac.
The Lord’s infinite patience leads to justice in all His dealings with us, His very impatient and unjust children.
This week we reflect and work on the virtues of patience and justice in how we relate to one another.
With God’s help our patience can lead to justice, too.
Heed the Voice of the Lord!
The Voice of the Lord sometimes can be hard to hear.
And at other times, we hear it and ignore it.
At all times, though, His Voice is constant and consistent.
When we heed the voice of the Lord, we can be sure He will lead us to greater love, mercy, and eternal life!
The Lord Has a Place for Us
What do we rejoice about?
Our accomplishments and those of others whom we love.
This week, Jesus gives us a different perspective – God’s perspective:
We should be most joy-filled because our names are written in heaven.
The Lord has a place for us, ready and waiting!
Our work for Him here prepares us to live eternally with Him in heaven.
That’s worth laboring for!
Follow Christ!
Following Christ can be difficult, but with His help, it becomes easy.
We place many things and people – obstacles – between us and the Lord.
This week we explore how we can remove the obstacles we put up so we can become better disciples and follow Christ to heaven.
The Lord Feeds Us – Feast of Corpus Christi
The Lord feeds us with the Word and His Most Holy Body and Blood.
How is this nourishment meant to affect us?
How often do we REALLY pay attention at Mass to this mystery and miracle?
This week let’s feast…
…in more ways than one!
Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday gives us a chance to reflect on how we relate with and pray to God.
How do we address Him?
Do we relate better with the Father, or Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit?
When we pray, do we focus on one more than another Person of the Trinity?
This week we explore those questions and pray to the Trinity in a more intentional way.
The Ascension of The Lord – Why Are You Looking at the Sky?
The wonder of the Ascension of the Lord is sometimes overlooked. This week we dive into that wonderment.
How did the Apostles feel? How do we feel? And how can we talk to God about those feelings?
Is the wonder of the miracle of the Ascension of the Lord lost on us because of the cynicism of the world?
Let’s remember what it’s like to believe like children and recall the wonder of heaven as we profess our faith this Sunday!
Sixth Sunday of Easter – The Holy Spirit, Our Advocate
Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit as our Advocate. And the first reading helps to illustrate what that means and how it “works”.
Reflecting on the role of the Holy Spirit, our Advocate in our faith and in our Church increases our understanding of the gifts we receive at Baptism and Confirmation.
This points us to the practical ways we are called to advocate for others in response to these gifts.
Fifth Sunday of Easter – The Lord Makes All Things New
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord proclaims that He makes all things new.
New life in Christ is the promise He makes to us and is fulfilled in the love He bears for us through the Cross and Resurrection.
And He calls us to love one another as He loves us.
New life through love – the basics of the Christian life.
Read on to find out how we can embrace and imitate this love and new life!
Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Fourth Sunday of Easter – Good Shepherd Sunday
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ is the Good Shepherd. We are his people, the flock He shepherds.
What does it mean to be a sheep?
How can we be better sheep to the best Shepherd?
We reflect on the meaning of the love of God for us in our relationship with Him. This relationship is a gift for us to be active participants.
Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Third Sunday of Easter – Feed My Sheep
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
“Do you love me?” Jesus asks. We reply with Peter, “Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus gives us a job to do – feed the sheep. We are addressed in this week’s Gospel as much as Peter is. How do we feed the sheep? What are we to do with this mandate?
Read on and get some insights into how we are shepherds and what we can do to learn how to be a better one!
Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Divine Mercy Sunday – Witness and Bear Fruit
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
And He comes to offer His Divine Mercy!
The work of Jesus, through His Apostles down to us is mercy. The unconditional love He has for each of us is a gift of mercy.
We are not worthy that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ should come to us, to heal and forgive us, yet He does! In His Church, His ministers, His people – you and me.
Learn more about how we can allow Jesus to work His Divine Mercy through us. Read on and be ready to be changed!
Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Easter Sunday – Eyewitness Accounts
Our life in Christ, through His Resurrection is what we celebrate at Easter. This gift of salvation is something we are commanded to share!
The readings for Easter this year include several eyewitness accounts of what happened that day. The first reading is Peter’s testimony in Acts; the Gospel is Mary Magdalene’s witness to the Apostles; and the Psalmist declares his own witness.
And if the Psalmist is true, then we will declare the gift of salvation because we are excited about it! Our witness to Christ’s work in our lives is part of being a member of Christ’s Church.
When Mary, Peter, John, and all the other disciples shared their eyewitness accounts, they invited their listeners into relationship with Jesus, so everyone who hears has the opportunity to the new life in Christ. It is too good to keep to ourselves…it is too good not to share with others.
Our Discussion section invites us to remember those who witnessed to us, and our activity rises to the occasion!
Palm Sunday of the Passion of The LORD – Year C
Palm Sunday Mass is pretty long, just getting out of the gate! The Gospel reading gives all of us an opportunity to participate, and being ready for that is what this week’s TWMWU is all about.
Who are you in this narrative? Who are the people you know? Who do we want to be?
As we enter into Holy Week, kids may be anticipating eggs and candy and a bunny – but making it through the passion-play we all re-enact can be distracting and even boring for the best of us if we aren’t focused. Getting children focused, and helping them understand what is going on as the congregation says “Crucify Him!” is a breeze with the aids and coloring book we have for free download.
And, yes, we encourage these to accompany little ones to Mass!
Not only will you be better prepared for Mass with this week’s Warm-Up, so will children you help, and this will make for a much more profound, meaningful, and convicting Holy Week.
Do we dare something different this year, or are we just glad Lent is over? Your choice is in This Week’s Mass Warm-Up…
5th Week of Lent – The Adulteress
Most likely, you do not want to talk about adultery with your children.
Well, St. John talks about Jesus dealing with it in this week’s Mass Gospel reading, so we figure a little help in explaining things to children would be a good Warm-Up.
The story of Jesus, the Adulteress, and the Crowd lends itself to an inappropriate joke about Mary you have probably heard, and it gives us an opportunity for a hard look at our own sins, let alone the ones we condemn in others.
Jesus gives a matter-of-fact lesson in hating the sin, loving the sinner, and our activity gives you the opportunity for that.
Chances are, you won’t like it, though.
4th Week of Lent – The Prodigal Son
We know this parable forwards and backwards, so why is it every time we hear Jesus’ lesson about the Prodigal Son, it seems we hear something different?
Are we the Prodigal Son? Are we the Faithful Son?
Or are we the Forgiving Father?
This week in a short TWMWU (We are all sick so production is at a standstill!) we explore each of the characters in this story to discover who we are at this point in our lives and to prepare ourselves for who we will be tomorrow.
3rd Week of Lent – God’s Mercy Brings Life
Who in the history of the world has ever asked for more work, except the Gardener, who knows that God’s mercy brings life to the world – to us.
We are the fig trees deserving to be uprooted because we steal nutrients from the paradise God has given us. In thought, word, what we have done or failed to do, we deserve to be removed and yet Jesus fertilized our life with His blood, and tends to us always.
This week we ask ourselves a hard question: Can we do this with an invisible Gardener – or is He really there, nurturing us and helping us bear fruit, fruit that we never get to see nourishing others? Are we okay with that?
You may be doing the activity already. If not, we give you reason and permission to, so that the family doesn’t look at you funny when you bring it home.
2nd Week of Lent – The Lord Is My Light
The Lord is my Light and my Salvation – or at least that’s what we say. And we say it a lot with this week’s Mass readings!
But do we think about what that means? And do we ever stop to realize how much that concept is truly expressed in the Old Testament, prefiguring and foreshadowing Our Lord?
St. Paul and the Psalmist conspire with the reading from Genesis to set us up for the Transfiguration as shared by Luke this week.
It is a powerful calling for us to see the Great Light and be imitators. But to do so, the Light must first shine in us!
Some helpful questions for discussion around the dinner table or at donuts after Mass, followed by an activity that you already know – or at least you’ll remember!
1st Week of Lent – 40 Days In The Desert
Jesus spent 40 days in the desert, and that is our model for Lent. Can we spend 40 days there? Yes – and here’s everything you need to do it!
Just add one thing: Jesus!
Whether your first Lent or you want to make this the most meaningful yet; or want to help your loved ones really get into it, this short message gets you going and sticks with you.
The short reflection, discussion, and activity for all ages gives simple yet powerful guidance on not just starting our Lenten journey, but finishing it.
And really check out the activity. We guarantee you’ve never done it before, and we’re pretty sure you’ll recognize how powerful this simple thing can be for this and every Lent!
TWMWU Bonus: Ash Wednesday Fun Facts
Fun facts about Ash Wednesday, because Jesus tells us to “not look gloomy like the hypocrites.”
So “wash your face” with a smile from these little tidbits.
We wish you a blessed and happy Lent!
Words Matter
While we know they do not do what sticks and stones do, words matter a lot because they do much more.
Why else would the God of the Universe, Jesus, be The Word?
This week is a great opportunity to have some frank discussions as a family with the words of Jesus as the backdrop and discussion starter.
Spread the word that words matter! Starting with your loved ones…
Ash Wednesday: Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving
This year, Ash Wednesday is taught to us by Jesus Himself!
Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are important parts of Catholic life, and they are the three pillars of Lent. But how do we DO them?
And how do we remain accountable and lead our family on this wonderful day that kicks off forty amazing days of life-changing observance, celebration, and growth?
In this special addition to our TWMWU for Year C, we dive in deep with one short page of reflection, discussion, and activity.
Can you spare five minutes for making this a meaningful Ash Wednesday? C’mon…give it a shot!
Love Your Enemies
As Catholics, we talk a lot about loving our neighbor. But there is a group of neighbors we only give lip-service to when it comes to that love. This week, Jesus calls us on it: Love your enemies.
Enemies. We all have them. Presumed, known, and unknown. Worse yet and more in our control – we are others’ enemy.
This week it’s all about the uncomfortable – Jesus specifically commanding us to love and pray for our enemies. Take a moment with this simple and short Mass Warm-Up to reflect on how less-stressed and joy-filled your life would be if you genuinely forgave your enemies. It’s a peculiar sensation.
How different would our lives and those of our children and future generations be if we did that? How different would the world be if the entire Church forgave our enemies in our Universal Prayer every week?
Jesus calls us to forgive our enemies this week, and tells us what happens if we do…and if we don’t. When was the last time we did?
A short reflection, some deep discussion questions, and a simple activity for our hearts and minds are This Week’s Mass Warm-Up offering. Plus, a bonus activity involving your priest – if you have the guts.
Blessed Are We
How blessed are we? Jesus uses his stump speech this week in the lesser known Sermon on the Plain to tell us.
This week, we learn a little history and a little more than we might like when Jesus starts talking about the woe we may be in for!
The discussion questions are a bit more probing than may be comfortable, and our activity gets us out into the neighborhood for a little soul-searching.
As a bonus: We have some free Valentine Cards for you to download if you get far enough down the page!
Fishers of Men
What does it mean to be a Fisher of Men?
It’s a great analogy…or is it? Jesus calls all of us to cast a wide net and be great bait.
What? Bait?
This week we dive into the fishing waters of Catholicism based on the Gospel reading coming up.
Are you a good fisher? What kind of bait are you?
These and other questions are addressed and the activity is one that take courage – and Love!
Are you up to the challenge? Grab your fishing pole!
Love is Patient
“Love is Patient, Love is Kind…”
We’ve heard that a million times! But have we reflected on it?
Who or what is Love, actually? Are we any of those things?
This week we reflect on Jesus’ profound love for the people of Nazareth who want to throw him off a hill, and explore St. Paul’s famous description of Love.
And the activity gives you an opportunity to meet Love face-to-face!
One Body in Christ
We are One Body in Christ – One body, many parts. Okay, so we understand that because we hear it all the time, and we even sing hymns about it.
But what does that really mean? And what does it mean to us individually?
This week we warm-up for Mass by digging in and getting to know ourselves better by coming at our roles and vocations – which are different things! – from a different perspective.
And we give you permission to stop doing what you are doing in the Church, because it may actually be a bad thing for you right now!
Our activity is pretty straightforward. But if you don’t get through the discussion, you won’t even look at the activity.
Are you up to the challenge of this week’s Mass warm-up?
We dare you. Beware: It might change you!
Glory to God
Glory to God in the highest! Glory be to God! Glory Hallelujah! Good glory…what is all this “glory”?
In English, we use this one word so much, while the original languages of the Bible use many different words for different types of glory. In this week’s readings, we see the glory of God manifested in Jesus, who shows us how to glorify the Lord – give glory to Him – by His example, which glorifies Him. Wow!
Wrapping up this week’s TWMWU, we look at how we can “glorify The Lord by our lives.” That’s a familiar phrase, isn’t it? This week, find out where it comes from and what to do about it.
Grace Revealed, Grace Received
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord gives us the opportunity to learn about our own Baptism and the sanctifying grace we receive.
But what is sanctifying grace? And what is actual grace?
This week we explore these very important topics through the Mass readings, and learn to understand more about the indelible mark on our soul that reveals us as chosen by God and never abandoned by Him.
We look at the Sacraments and how they continually offer and provide for us that grace to be in union and communion with God – and each other!
The activity gives us an opportunity to practice that communion, and includes a free, downloadable wallet card suitable for all ages.
Honor Your Father and Mother
How do we honor our father and mother, and our children? How do we treat one another? And if I honor my father and mother, what’s in it for me? What are the benefits of an attitude of love and respect for my father and mother? Well, the first paragraph of the first reading lists a treasure trove!
The Christmas season we began on Christmas Day is a time for family. We know that because the first time it was celebrated was by the Holy Family. If you are Catholic, you are commanded to “Honor Your Father and Mother”. As children and adults, sometimes that is hard! As our global, universal, Catholic Family continues the celebrating and feasting of the Christmas season, the Church gives us the gift of this wonderful feast to reflect on our individual, personal, unique part in our families.
Spoiler: Our activity this week sets you up for all those goodies in that first reading!
Luckily, we have some great role models to help us out: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, pray for us!
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas! We hope and pray that your preparations for this wonderful season celebrating the birth of Our Lord have been fruitful.
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, we reflect on His humble beginnings, and our hearts. Can we make our hearts a comfortable and desirable place for Jesus to dwell?
This week’s activity is perfect, and we bet you are already doing it!
May the love of Christ be with you and your loved ones today and always! Merry Christmas!
God’s Will Be Done
When we say, “Thy will be done,” do we really mean it? Do we recognize how dangerous that is to our daily routine and lives? Do we see that we are asking for the disruption and then fight against it as we insist upon our will the rest of the week? God’s Will, is our key to joy and happiness, and our path to holiness. There is no more futile effort than to fight against God, and no reason to do so.
God knows what is best for us, and for all of creation. This week, we learn that from Mary’s acceptance that God’s Will be done in her life, for the benefit of all of mankind. Was she the first to say, “Thy Will be done”?
The activity may be something you do already, with a slight twist.
And there is an infographic of the Our Father!
Rejoice in The Lord
Rejoice in The Lord always! Again, I say rejoice! This third week of Advent is more than just priests wearing pink…it’s about the coming of The Lord and His birth is nearly upon us!
So this week’s readings lead us to The Lord in a unique way, and they give us a sense of salvation – the cross – while we anticipate an innocent baby being born.
Our activity is a simple but not easy moment or two each evening with our family. Do you dare approach The Lord and anticipate His arrival with such a small sacrifice?
Prepare The Way Of The Lord
“Prepare the Way of The Lord” is an urgent call not unfamiliar to us. But how do we do that? What exactly is “the Way”? Is this something we do on our own?
We look into this familiar yet mysterious calling we all receive from John the Baptist in this week’s Mass readings, and we recognize the call in the first reading from Baruch, Psalm 126, and Paul’s letter to the Philippians – so it must be important!
And it is most appropriate to look into this as Advent gears up. The Lord is coming, and amidst the hustle and bustle of getting ready for Christmas, this is the time for a gut-check to learn how to prepare the way of The Lord all year, and to kickstart that renewed effort now.
There’s a fun activity the kids can help setup, and some discussion questions perfect for donuts after Mass or Sunday dinner as you plan your holiday season!
Saint Joseph
This is the beginning of the new liturgical year, and what better way to celebrate the New Year than with a reflection on the last year, where we honored, explored, and celebrated the life of the most obscure yet obvious saint we know: Saint Joseph.
Saint Joseph is perhaps the most anonymous of all the saints. Everybody knows about him…but do we really know him?
We explore how Saint Joseph leads us to Christ and how Christ honors him and makes Saint Joseph Holy…without this humble Man, Husband, and Dad being immaculately conceived.
A simple yet divine and humble prayer awaits you and your loved ones in our activity, and if you want to dig deeper, there are a few more prayer options.
Alpha and Omega
The humorous or uninformed might call it “Catholic Aerobics,” but we were doing it 2000 years before Jane Fonda put on leg warmers! But why?
As the end of our Liturgical Year is upon us, Catholics are having a big year-end party: The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe!
We honor and worship Our Lord with our bodies at every Mass, and this end of our Liturgical Year is a great time to understand that, so we can move into the New Year at Advent fully giving of ourselves in Mass to The Lord.
He gives entirely of Himself to us – Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity – in the Eucharist, and this week we reflect on that, on how He is everywhere and in everything good always, and a fun game that can be played all week without taking any extra time at all!
We Believe In The Resurrection
Why do Catholics believe in the resurrection of their bodies? Aside from it being as true as the day is long, so it’s a simple thing to believe in, there is scriptural, natural, and traditional evidence.
This week, we explore resurrection – ours, not Jesus’ – and Purgatory. This is sort of a hint or taste of things to come this month as we delve into Purgatory as the whole month of November is dedicated by The Church to focusing on prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
Without Purgatory, there would be a LOT of empty rooms in Our Father’s mansion!
So, start this month’s reflection with this TWMWU that is a lot shorter than the last couple of weeks and opens the door to a better understanding of what we know about and mean by eternal life!
Stewardship: Give to God First
It seems this is the time of year every priest and bishop is asking for your money. Maybe you should read This Week’s Mass Warm-Up first.
In the TWMWU this week: Game of Thrones! Downton Abbey! Podcasts! Video! Bishops! St. John Bosco! Distributism! Subsidiarity!
It’s all in the Mass readings if you know where to look for it! HOO knew!
Seriously. Jesus visits the idea of Stewardship this week, as does Elijah and even the writer of Hebrews and the Psalmist slyly give hints of the First Fruits as a gift to God. We know the HOO (That’s you!) But what, how, where, when, and why Stewardship? Those answers and explorations are in this week’s TWMWU, without an agenda that you might get from some pulpits.
Just saying…
This week there is a deeper conversation than usual, and a rather demanding activity. Do you dare define stewardship by giving to God first?
The Greatest Commandment, Hear O Israel
Hear O Israel the Greatest Commandment in this week’s TWMWU…and hear the commandment we give God without even thinking about it.
Watch out!
We share insights into the Commandments, particularly the Greatest, and show how all of them fall under these two.
And the activity is so short you won’t remember it, but the effects will last through eternity!
Jesus Died For Us
This week the Sons of Thunder ask Jesus a peculiar question, while first practically demanding He grant what they ask. Jesus died for us and in this exchange foretells the Apostles’ – and our – opportunity to serve with Him – to die for others.
Are we ready for that? Do we know what that means? How can we help ourselves and our loved ones recognize that and be who we are supposed to be and do what we are supposed to do?
That’s what we explore this week.
All these questions in one of our shortest TWMWUs ever. But still with lots of resources and a simple activity.
Jesus Heals the Blind Man
With a personal reflection on his own blindness and miraculous healing, Kristofer and Beth explore this week’s readings with a perspective nearly twenty years in the making.
Do we see Jesus healing countless blind people nine times in the Gospels as just causing them to see again? There has to be more to it. The promised Messiah would be known for healing the blind, and Jesus is the only One Who does it. And Who continues to do it.
An activity that will open your eyes awaits, if you dare do it, and resources galore – including a perennial hit from the United States Marine Band!
And as always, a freely downloadable PDF is yours for the taking.
All Things are Possible For God
This week Jesus has his famous encounter with the rich young man. And that story is so misunderstood it would take a book – so we only touch on it rather matter-of-factly below. In the context of the idea that all things are possible for God, one would think that if Jesus wanted the young man to follow Him, he would just command it.
But Love is the reason why He does not. In fact, His love for us and our refusal to let Him and to follow Him, is the reason that, while God can do anything, He doesn’t.
Annoying? Perhaps. Which is why in the dig deeper section there’s a fun activity that will annoy any of your kids or other people you want to drive the message home to.
All this and over a dozen free supporting resources, including the free download of the entire lesson, videos, podcasts, articles, and previous similar TWMWUs.
What is Marriage?
This week Jesus deals with the Pharisees who, once again, are trying to trap him – this time by using Moses against Him. They ask about divorce and Jesus takes this opportunity to answer the real question – What is Marriage?
This is a controversial topic nowadays, but it is one the Church will never waver from because she can’t. Jesus defines marriage quite specifically in this answer to the rather foolish looking Pharisees. Much like many look today when they try to define Holy Matrimony with the laws of the state. There are two meanings to Marriage, and the one the Church teaches is God’s meaning. Let Caesar have what is Caesar’s – man’s law.
We answer to a higher power, and this discussion and activity explain that, and help anyone truly interested (and not just looking for a fight) learn what Marriage is, what Catholics understand it to mean, and why it is Holy Matrimony.
There is a great activity that will prove Marriage is from God, which includes some storytelling, and lots of resources including a podcast episode we did about Marriage and Marriage Preparation.
Whoever Is Not Against Us Is For Us
This week, Jesus sounds like a cowboy out of the Ol’ West, making sure no bandits try to get any of the good stuff. Or is He?
“If you ain’t with us, yer agin’ us” is an old adage made famous by cowboys, presidents, and even ancient Romans. Jesus, in his usual style of humor and relatability, flips it over and uses it to teach us something very important: Whoever is not against us is for us.
The Truth of Jesus and the Good News of the Gospel is not ours to keep, withhold, or deny to or from others who may not have the fullness of it as we do. Many a lesson can be learned from the ignorant, unlearned, and even impious. An atheist might stumble across Truth and share it, too!
In fact, you and I are not fully versed in the Truth, no matter how much we know or how much we share. So, are we agin’ Him, or for Him?
This week’s Mass warm-up gets your thoughts and feelings flowing with things to talk about and think about, as well as our family-friendly podcast episode covering this topic. We end with a couple of prayers to join with Jesus and the whole world in praying for what Jesus is talking about in Sunday’s Mass Readings.
So, git yer boots on and saddle up, pilgrim! There’s some Truth to be rustled up!
What is Humility? Overcoming our Passions
What is Humility? That is the BIG QUESTION raised in this coming Sunday’s Mass Readings.
It’s hard to be humble when you are from Texas – but that’s not what God is talking about this week. Even though we are from Texas, we submit to the Highest Power.
Humility is granted to us in Baptism, but we only manifest it when we practice it. And perfect practice makes perfect, in the words of Vince Lombardi.
So how do we do that?
This week we have some fun questions and a calming prayer to download as we take up the fight against the several vices Satan uses against us when we are seeking Humility. And we have a free prayer card and bookmark for you, too! As a special bonus, you can listen to our podcast episode #38 from this past winter all about humility, right from the lesson!
Take Up Our Cross!
Wow! Here’s where we take up our cross and go deep into suffering – and why and how we should handle it!
This week’s lesson is chock full of ideas prompted by the prophetic writings of Isiah about the Suffering Servant. It’s Jesus talking to the disciples, and that famous moment where he calls Peter, “Satan.”
How do we take up our cross? Why would we want to? Didn’t Jesus do that for us?
We have links galore and resources at your fingertips for this simple subject – simple once you’ve read this and shared it with your family. It just makes sense!
Video, infographic, podcasts, downloadable prayers – everything is in the week’s lesson because Holy Owned and Operated teaches about suffering and taking up our cross all the time.
C’mon – grab some wood! Let’s take up our crosses and change the world! And share some cross-bearing in the comments so we can carry your cross with you in our prayers!
What Does Ephphatha Mean? Be Opened!
Open up! This week’s readings point to the absolute Truth of Jesus being the Messiah. And this is the only place it happens in Scripture! Well, at least it is the icing on a pretty big cake of that Truth…
Jesus does something this week He does not do anywhere else in the Gospels. You gotta hear it to believe it!
This week we answer the question, “What does “ephphatha mean?” and so much more. In fact, you get to know how to pronounce it, why it is so important to our Catholic faith, and what it means to all of us!
Be opened by thes scripture readings that are so entwined we can’t help but know they are from God!
And learn a bit about Old and New Testament geography while you are at it!
Our activity this week is simple yet profound, and the follow-up activity really places us in the moment we should always be in: Open.
Be Doers of the Word
Being Catholic is a good start. Doing Catholic is where the supernatural happens.
This week’s readings call us to be Christ-like, which is the very essence of being a Saint.
This Sunday at Mass we are called to DO more than just HEAR the Word. It seems we can get into a habit of hearing the readings and listening to the nice homily and then go about our business. But when we are at donuts after Mass, are we even talking about the good things that we heard – let alone doing something about it?
The last words we hear at Mass are the deacon or priest telling us, “Hey, Mass is over. Go do something with what you just heard!” Okay, maybe not exactly in those words – but certainly with that meaning!
This week’s activity is a deeper discussion maybe you can have at the donut shop after Mass. And if you want to go deeper, there’s a follow-up activity that defines what a word we use all the time really means, and a couple of Saints who were great Doers of the Word.
When we are Doers of the Word we are authentic Catholics.
To Whom Shall I Go? Making God The Priority
Making God the priority in our lives is tough these days. But what are we comparing it to?
When was the last time we needed to organize a nation and fight those who would stand between us and God?
A little perspective is needed, and Joshua and Peter give it to us this coming Sunday.
But the readings are all about that “submission” thing, so we don’t cover it (because your homilist will) except for a brief (but important) definition.
Instead, this week our disccussion is much more personal. Do you dare read? And after that, do you dare bring it up with those who are closest to you?
Our activity – and we invite you to do it while we do it – is as simple as gathering pen and paper together (remember those?!).
And then what will you do with what you wrote down?
God Keeps His Promises
God keeps his promises in everything. The Assumption of the Virgin Mary is a great example of that! The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is this Sunday.
This week we discuss God fulfilling His promises to Adam and Eve all through to the New Covenant – all of His promises kept while we continue to break ours to Him.
But God knows we are weak, and He promises to help us be and do better. And the Assumption of Mary is part of that promise – showing us that a real human being can be and do what they are supposed to be and do!
Mary’s assumption gives us hope, and we present reasons for that hope this week that you can share, along with many Mary resources, including a Hail Mary infographic, just a click away!
Now is a wonderful time, with the resources this week, to share with children and remind ourselves how we do not worship Mary, but honor her as the mother of our Best Friend, as she is constantly pointing us to Jesus and all He does for us – constantly keeping His promise!
The activity is a prayer direct from the Bible, and an ongoing easy discussion for follow-up about Mary wherever you are.
The Bread That Came Down From Heaven
The Bread of Life that came down from heaven is…Jesus!
But you knew that, right?
Or do we? To know something is to be someone who lives in concert with that knowledge. If we know, we are, and we do.
To simply receive the Eucharist because we are told to, or that it’s something we have always been taught, means we are missing the undeniable reality – or perhaps denying it!
This week, we discuss in the Mass readings that reality with our families, dig into it, and watch as Jesus makes the Jews squirm – and perhaps realize we should be squirming too, in our ignorance.
The activity is fun, fruitful, and easy-peasy to do. So easy you can do it on the way to work or school, on the way home, or at lunch! Or all three! And everyone in the family can do it whenever – and wherever – your travels take you Trust us…
The Wonders That God Has Wrought
“What hath God wrought?”
The famous first words of Samuel Morse, sending the question across the telegraph wires more than 40 miles and ushering in the communications age we are using now to share this lesson across the planet. Those words, suggested to Morse from the young daughter of a friend, quote Numbers 23:23 in the King James Version of the Bible.
This week we explore what God truly has wrought, as we experience the Bread of Life discourses over the next few weeks.
The people following Jesus have just been fed by Him, and He has left so they won’t make Him king. How quickly they forget, challenging Him this week to feed them as God fed Moses’ people, who were stiff-necked, too, after their miraculous escape.
What God has wrought is all around us, and the perfect miracle is available every day at Mass. So what are we looking for?
This week’s activity helps us see what God has wrought. We simply need to open our eyes…
Jesus Feeds Us From Our Offerings
When we do our part, God multiplies it beyond our imagination.
Jesus feeds us from our offerings by taking what is our gift to Him and giving it to others.
This week we explore the multiplying of the loaves and fishes, seeing how it is foretold in the 2 Kings and discussing Paul’s teaching on how to live like Jesus.
Our activity this week is a Lord’s Day Celebration. A perfect way to prepare for Mass, and making mealtime so much more meaningful and drawing the family closer together.
Lord’s Day Celebration
The Lord’s Day Celebration is a great way to add Jesus to your family meal once a week, in preparation for Mass.
This simple celebration brings the family closer to God and each other in a short ritual that gives parents a way to integrate faithful living into a time when all the family is gathered and ready, and provides opportunity for everyone to participate.
Give your family and yourself this gift and watch their and your faith life grow quickly and your relationships get closer.
As a bonus, there’s a quick and easy bread recipe included.
Come Away And Rest A While
By Order of The King: You need a break!
Everybody knows about shepherds in the Bible – you cannot avoid them!
Why does God use these humble servants as examples, and what about the bad shepherds?
More importantly, why don’t we ever think of ourselves as shepherds of the little flock He has given us?
This week, we get sheepish on you, And give you a great, simple, yet powerful activity to do as The Lord says in his teaching this week: Come away and rest awhile.
Start by taking a three-minute break and reading up on the Mass lesson this week – then drive the flock somewhere. You’ll see…
Are You Prepared?
Are we prepared to be Disciples and Prophets?
This week we discuss Amos and his hesitation, Paul and the Kerygma, and how ready were the Apostles when Jesus sent him out for a little practice?
All of the readings point to preparation for evangelization, and how we should prepare not just for that but for everything in our lives by first relying on Our Lord.
And, or course, He is always preparing us. In the activity, which is a brief prayer, we get that opportunity to really see how He is preparing us.
Which makes the answer to the question a positive, resounding: Yes!
Faith, Hope, and Love
Wisdom is hard to come by. It requires practicing the three Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love.
This week we dive into these virtues as we join Jesus in his ministry, healing the hemorrhaging woman and raising a girl from the dead.
These are touching stories that we can all relate to, and they show us Jesus’ humanity and his divinity, something the Apostles struggled with, and we still have trouble understanding.
We explore these concepts, these virtues, and wisdom, and have a fun family activity to help us remember these things throughout the week.
We are Called to be Prophets
You are a Prophet!
What? Don’t you wish you could tell the future! But to be a prophet is not about telling the future. Somewhere we all lost that definition of “prophet” and “prophecy”.
If you are a baptized Christian, you are a prophet – believe it or not!
In this week’s lesson, we see Ezekiel and Paul as they sacrifice to share the Truth. And we see Jesus fail to convert others, though He is sharing the Truth. He is sharing himself and some still do not believe!
Sound familiar?
The activity is a short discussion idea that is perfect for the dinner table. Or the car. And we learn a new word:
Kerygma.
Quiet! Be Still!
In Mass this week, Jesus rebukes a storm, teaching the frightened, suffering Apostles how to rebuke the storms in their lives by being quiet, being still.
This week, the lesson is all about understanding our suffering and how to deal with it. Job, probably the most well-known suffering servant in the Bible after Jesus, gets us started in the readings, and we learn from Paul that better days await us.
Our discussion helps us know everyone suffers, and our activity helps us put our suffering in God’s hands, and see it from His perspective.
The activity gives us an excuse to get outside with each other. Take advantage of it!
Jesus Saves: The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
The source and summit of our Catholic Faith is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. He is actually present – physically – in the Eucharist. Finding God is easy as a Catholic – He comes to Mass every day and leaves inside us.
This week we talk about the Institution Narrative in the Gospel of Mark that we will hear in the Gospel Reading at Mass on Sunday.
We discuss the mystery and reality of Jesus being present at Mass with us and in us, and our activity is a solemn one we should do every Sunday – at least!
Plus, links to several Spiritual Communions and a link to the Code of Canon Law to see if you are able to receive Communion in the Catholic Church.
That’s a lot packed into 459 words and less than three minutes of your time!
The Central Mystery: Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
What is the Most Holy Trinity?
Well, that is the mystery – the central mystery – of our faith. In this lesson, we discuss the meanings of both, the basic justification for the understanding we have, and how this and other mysteries have been revealed to us, the Church.
And there is a simple activity that perhaps we should all be doing anyway…
Receive The Holy Spirit
FINALLY! The Apostles receive the Holy Spirit in this long and glorious story leading up to the birth of The Church.
Wait…what? Didn’t Jesus give them the Holy Spirit already?
Aha! There’s the rub. There is a big difference between being given something and receiving it.
In this lesson for this coming Sunday’s Mass readings. Beth explores that strange but true fact and shares its connection with our Baptism and our entire life.
The activity is simple and fun, and a little exasperating probably, especially if you like fruit or sweets…
Consecrated In Truth
Are we “Consecrated in Truth”? What does that mean, anyway?
Most likely, you are already consecrated in truth, but maybe do not know it. And this week we discuss this intense prayer Jesus asked for us moments before He was arrested and killed.
Are we living a life consecrated in truth to honor His desire and sacrifice for us?
The activity in this lesson gives everybody in the family something to do that is simple and humbling, and puts everybody on the same team with Jesus.
The Lord Worked With Them
Ascension Thursday is an important and necessary part of Salvation History – without it, The Catholic Church would not exist. Jesus tells us He has to leave – to go to The Father – so the the Advocate can come. And He promises – and delivers – to work with the Apostles and us as we struggle in our exile.
The Lord worked with them. Are we letting Him work with us?
This Week’s Free Thing Bonus lesson has a simple discussion and activity for the dinner table. Make this a Holy Thursday!
The LORD Has Revealed to the Nations His Saving Power
Worms in Heaven? WHAT?!?!
How did it feel to have God break up with you, sorta? What did Jews feel, or did they consider, when Jesus opened up Heaven for those who “fear him and act uprightly,” as Peter says in the first reading this week?
This week, we try to understand that feeling so that we can understand the precious gift we have in our relationship with God and His presence in the Eucharist – and how easily we can find ourselves feeling abandoned by God when it is us who are abandoning Him constantly in this world of exile.
Maybe we are the worms…
Oh! And May the Fourth be with you!
Glorify The Lord By Your Life
This week we learn about the three parts of being a Disciple. These are simple to explain to children, and practice ourselves.
It doesn’t require anything of us that we aren’t already. Being a Disciple is us being and doing who and what we are, and glorifying The Lord by that life which He gave us.
Also this week, we have a podcast episode connected with this week’s readings that is fun and interactive that the whole family can listen to as a refresher on How to Be a Disciple.
Filled With The Holy Spirit
How does the man who denied Jesus three times at the hour of Our Lord’s greatest need for a friend have the guts to stand up to the same people who killed his Master?
The Holy Spirit.
Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the Apostles after His resurrection and – WOW! – they could not be stopped! When once they cowered, they now speak to power with convicted Truth, eventually bringing down the mighty and evil Roman Empire.
Why don’t we? Jesus has sent this same Advocate to us.
TWFT is all about us having the same – the exact same – power that Peter uses in this week’s first reading. There is a pretty hefty activity for the family, mostly because it involves honesty and leadership on the parents’ part, and there is even a handy wall poster for bedrooms and the refrigerator – just as a reminder!
All of us are filled with the Holy Spirit. See This Week’s Free Thing to learn what to do with Him!
Are We Sure We Know Jesus?
Whoa!
St. John, the Beloved Disciple, says we are liars if we say we love Jesus but do not act according to His commandments.
How does that work with our sinful nature, our fallen state?
This week we explore a part of the readings your homilist may skip – which gives parents a great opportunity to minister to their children. And..ahem…themselves!
To Each According to Need
The first reading can be a bit confusing. Are we supposed to sell everything we have and give it to the Church so that the bishops can distribute it evenly among everybody?
That sounds a bit like a failed economic system, so what does St. Luke mean when he writes that people sold their homes and property and gave the money to the apostles, who distributed it according to need?
This Week’s Free Thing is a great, easy primer on early Church socio-economics, with an easy activity to explain it to the kids – and a great way to show how God wants us to share!
Plus, some handy links to Stewardship, and for the curious, there are some resources on that great Catholic Idea, Distributism, which developed in part from the Acts of the Apostles.
This Is the Day the Lord Has Made
Readings, Discussion, Activities for 50 days, Video, and even a Podcast Episode are in This Week’s Free Thing. Must be EASTER!
The Psalmist proclaims: “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!” (Psalm 118:24) Are you glad it’s Easter? Are you glad it’s Springtime? Are you glad for your life, health, family and friends? Are you glad we are beginning to see an end to the COVID pandemic?
This Easter season, we have much to rejoice about. But, the singular thing we should rejoice about each and every day is the Salvation that we celebrate on Easter – the Resurrection!
PLUS: Easter Story Cookies – A recipe and story in one! Help your children learn the story as you make special cookies that resemble the empty tomb! Resurrection Rolls – Yummy, easy, fun Easter morning breakfast with a message! And an Easter Coloring Book!
Get hold of this free Easter Mass and Season resource and don’t let go!
It Is Enough
Did Jesus actually tell us, in one of His last moments on earth, to be lazy? Woohoo!
Not so fast. Palm Sunday’s Mass Readings are full of lessons, and this is one that is often overlooked, or unexplored, yet it is simple for kids to understand and even simple enough for us adults, too!
The activity is something that will change your life – and make it and each of us who does it better, more perfected. And it’s pretty simple, too!
May your Holy Week be just that, and thank you for letting This Week’s Free Thing help you and your family make it as Holy as possible!
He Was Made Perfect
The simple activity of whispering is in This Week’s Free Thing. Are you up to it?
When Jesus died on the Cross, his last words were, as we see them in English, “It is finished.” In the original Greek as they were written down, it is translated as “It is perfected.”
We are in the second part of Lent, now, and the Catholic Church gives us Lent as a time of sacrifice, prayer, and almsgiving to help us perfect ourselves, getting ready for the Perfect Christ who died on Good Friday and rose on Easter, showing us what we will do if we are perfect: Do what we are supposed to do – Love.
Faith, Works, Light, Darkness, and Eternal Life
This week’s activity requires a flashlight. Or your phone’s light. And it may require some hand-holding during the scary parts…
The gifts of faith and salvation are not dependent upon our works – God gives them freely, but if we are truly faithful and desire to receive the gift of salvation, we will do good works, because that is the will of God (James 2:14-26). In order to receive the salvation that Jesus offers us through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection, then we are to follow Him and the path that He lights for us. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6) – He is the Light in the darkness (John 1:5). We are in exile here upon this earth and Jesus offers us a way Home.
The ending video is a perfect sing-along for families.
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
“This is my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.” God said this about Jesus at His baptism. He also says it about you at your baptism. Learn about why this is so and remember what the grace of Baptism does for us and our journey of faith.
Second Week of Advent – Prepare!
Prepare the way of the Lord! Sometimes we get so excited thtat we can hardly wait – and making preparations is a good way to keep us occupied and focused. This week we explore all the things we do to get ready for The Big Day, and we help parents lead it right back to the reason for everything: Jesus!
First Week of Advent – Watch!
Happy New Year! The first week of advent is the first week of the new Liturgical Year and we begin the season of Advent, which means “coming”. Advent is marked by the color violet and we bring out the Advent wreath at church and in our homes. In this season we await the coming of Jesus – both at His birth and at the end of time. It is a time of watchful waiting and preparation. The readings this Sunday all follow the theme of the last word of the Gospel – “Watch!” Discussion topics and activities to start the new year are part of TWMWU.
Get Connected
Community is an essential, basic part of the Catholic faith. Click here to get to our community area of the web site, which we are building and set to fully launch on April 10. Or you can get on our general contact list with the form on the right and we will personally let you know when it is ready. This will be perfect for parents, catechists, and religious educators to engage, learn from each other, ask questions, and realize the wonderful universal nature of our Church!