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November 2022 Ten Ten Resources Parent Newsletter

November is the month of praying for and remembering the dead, heralded by All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day on 1st and 2nd of November. As we draw to the end of the Liturgical Year, the Gospels begin to look forward to Jesus’ return and culminate with the Feast of Christ the King. Then we begin the new Liturgical Year with the season of Advent. It’s a busy month in the Church calendar, and no doubt in the school calendar too!

This newsletter shares some of the content children will experience in school throughout November and suggests ways for you to engage with them about it. We hope and pray that, in this month of remembrance, you and your family will find comfort in remembering God’s love.

Children of the King

The assembly for the week commencing 21st November, the last of the Liturgical Year, celebrates the feast of Christ the King. On this Feast Day, we celebrate Jesus as our King and Saviour.

Children watched a film drawing on royal events they will have been aware of this year to help them understand that they are children of a different King – Jesus! Why not watch the video with your child/ren:

The Gospel for the Feast of Christ the King is when Jesus is on the cross. Why don’t you read it again with your child/ren:

Luke 23: 35 - 43 (paraphrased)

They put Jesus on a cross along with two criminals, one on His right and one on His left. A group of people stayed there, watching Jesus, waiting to see what would happen. Some of those watching were Jesus’ friends.

But the soldiers and the ones in charge made fun of Jesus. They laughed and joked shouting things like: “If you’re the Messiah, the Saviour – save yourself!” and “So…you’re a king are you? Yeah…that’s it…King of the Jews!” They even made a sign above Him saying, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’

One of the criminals next to Jesus joined in with their jeering, saying, “Yeah…what kind of a Saviour are you? Save yourself… and save us too!”

But the other criminal spoke up. “Have you no fear of God at all?” he said. “We are paying for the bad things we have done. But this man hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Then he turned to Jesus and said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

Jesus looked at the man kindly and said, “Don’t worry. I will. Today you will join me in paradise.”

In this assembly, children learned that Jesus is King – but He is not how we usually think of a king! He doesn’t live in a palace or wear a crown like Queen Elizabeth II or King Charles III.

Children learned that the truth that Jesus is King can only be seen by those who believe and have eyes of faith. Jesus is the King of Kings because by His death He brought salvation to everyone making Him a King to all people, everywhere!

In the Gospel, only the good thief had the faith needed to recognise Jesus as his king and saviour and Jesus rewarded him. Jesus offers us the same reward. Children learned that we are the children of the King and Jesus is our friend. We only need to show that we believe in Him and accept Him as our King!

Children explored how just like children of King Charles have special responsibilities to serve their country, children of King Jesus have a special responsibility to love others.

Why not…

Pray with your child/ren, recognising Jesus as King and asking Him to crown you with His heavenly wisdom. Invite the Holy Spirit to help you to share His love through your words and actions
Discuss the differences between earthly royalty and Jesus’ kingship, for example:
  • We sing the National Anthem ‘God save the king’…but we don’t worship King Charles like we worship Jesus.
  • Politicians swear an oath of loyalty to the king…but we are loyal to Jesus, and we follow Him.
  • When the queen died, her son Charles became king. One day, when King Charles dies, his son William will become king…but no one will ever take Jesus’ place as King – because Jesus is God and His Kingdom has no end!
  • We might not live in royal palaces like King Charles…but we have been given gifts by King Jesus and called to a special job to do in serving God’s Kingdom.
  • Our king or queen can never be perfect because they are only human…but Jesus is our perfect role model – we can always look to Him.
  • When the Queen was crowned 70 years ago, she asked for God to help her in her work…we too can ask for God’s help and trust that God will always be there to guide us.

Our Pilgrimage to the Manger

Throughout the Ten Ten Year of Pilgrimage, children have undertaken virtual pilgrimages of Santiago de Compostela, Rome, local pilgrimage sites, Lourdes and Walsingham. The final stopping place on our Ten Ten Year of Pilgrimage is Bethlehem, reached via a three-part mini-series called Our Pilgrimage to the Manger.

This mini-series takes place during Advent, a time of preparation to welcome Jesus at Christmas and be ready for when He comes again. To find out more about preparing for Advent, you might like to read this article.

Why not watch the Pilgrimage Guides introduce the assembly:

Children heard a real-life story about a child called Ravi, who was rescued by the RNLI after being washed out to sea. Thankfully, he remembered some water safety advice he had heard and spread out his arms and legs, floated and waited for help. His story had a happy ending because he followed what he had been taught and because the lifeboat volunteers were ready for action.

In the Gospel for the first week of Advent, Jesus tells us to be ready for the return of Son of Man:

Matthew 24: 37- 44 (paraphrased)

Jesus said to His disciples:

“One day the Lord - the Son of Man - will come again in glory, and you need to be ready! You won’t know the exact time, or even the exact day! Nobody will know. That’s why you need to be ready. So, stay awake - keep watch for the Lord!”

Advent is exciting time of getting ready: for Jesus’ birthday at Christmas, and also for when Jesus will come again! In the Gospel, Jesus said that we do not know exactly when He will come again, so children learned that the time to act and get ready is NOW!

Like Ravi’s story had a happy ending because he followed what he had been taught and because the lifeboat volunteers were ready for action, children learned that there are things we can do to get our hearts ready for God’s coming reign:

  1. Following Jesus’ teachings.
  2. Reaching out to help others, as Jesus taught us.
  3. Welcoming Jesus into our hearts through prayer.

Watch what the Pilgrimage Guides had to say at the end of this assembly:

Why not...

Discuss ways to get ready during Advent by following Jesus, reaching out to others and praying:
  • Following Jesus’ teaching helps us to be ready. Discuss your child/ren’s favourite Gospel story. This week, how could they put into practise what it teaches them?
  • Reaching out to others helps us to be ready. Jesus reached out to help the people He met. Discuss how your child/ren could reach out to help their family, friends, or people in their community this week.
  • Praying helps us to be ready. Jesus showed us how to pray. Discuss how your child/ren could listen more carefully when they talk to God.
Recap the whole of the Ten Ten Year of Pilgrimage so far:
Sing together the Pilgrimage Song:
Prayer

Prayer

As mentioned in the introduction, November is the month when we pray for and remember the dead. In the assembly for the week commencing 7th November, children learned that all is made new through Jesus’ Resurrection. Inspired by transformations in nature, children learned that when we die, our life is not ended but changed. After our time on earth ends, we are made for a new life with God in heaven!

Children took part in a reflection which uses this refrain from Mass: ‘Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus come in Glory.’ In your prayer times with your child/ren this month, why not take time to listen to this guided meditation together:

To finish your family prayer time, why not say together the words below:

Watch This Space!

For Advent 2022, we are creating our very own Jesse Tree resource which will be used in schools, and also available for you to use with your family at home. We’re very excited about it – read more here!

Credits:

Created with images by perlphoto - "Lord Jesus colorful stained glass" • 4Max - "Woman hands praying with a bible in a dark over wooden table"