Children’s Liturgy of the Word Guide: The Creed

This post is part of a series on doing Liturgy of the Word with Children.

After the explanation of the Scriptures (homily) the entire gathering of children responds to God’s Revelation to us by praying the Creed as one Body of Christ. As the General Instructions of the Roman Mission explain:

The purpose of the Creed or Profession of Faith is that the whole gathered people may respond to the Word of God proclaimed in the readings taken from Sacred Scripture and explained in the Homily and that they may also honor and confess the great mysteries of the faith 

GIRM, para. 67

For younger children, especially those who are not yet of reading age to be able to follow words of a prayer, I use a shorter version of the Apostle’s Creed that incorporates elements of American Sign Language (ASL) to help communicate these great truths. I sometimes give a quick pause after each “I believe” (Father, Son, Spirit) to verbally connect that to the message of the Scripture explanation for the day.

Thank you to two members of my parish, Don Kopinski (who is named in the YouTube account) and one who is an ASL interpreter (pictured in the video, but not named, so preserving her anonimity), for creating this resource.

Pray the Liturgy of the Hours (aka “Divine Office”) with Your Family

Praying as a family is hard. Lots of opinions to manage, not so much time, and it can seem like just one more thing to add to your list of parental challenges. 

All of us who are parents know that Jesus told his disciples to pray.

We are his disciples.

Therefore, we should teach our children to pray too–if we want them to be Jesus’ disciples. 

When we start to think about the wealth of ways to pray that are all part of Catholic spirituality, not to mention the latest and greatest suggestions we can find on the internet and social media, it can seem overwhelming. We start off already feeling like we’re not doing it right, not doing it well enough, or not trying hard enough. I shared a few years ago, how I mostly dislike family prayer time (!!).

So here’s a suggestion that sounds hard, but is actually a freeing framework. 

I recommend making the Liturgy of the Hours framework the structure for at least one family prayer time.

Background Note: For our family, in this phase of life, we pray together for an extended (meaning more than just the length of praying before a meal) time once a day. 

First, what is the Liturgy of the Hours (also called the “Divine Office”)?

The Liturgy of the Hours is the public, liturgical prayer of the Church. While there are many wonderful devotions (i.e. rosary, chaplets, etc.) from across the world and centuries of our Catholic faith, only the Liturgy of the Hours is the Church’s liturgy. 

So why not use the framework of the public, liturgical prayer of the Church for your domestic church?

If your family has multiple prayer sessions a day–great, make one for the rosary, angelus, or whatever. But, if you only have one family prayer time, I’d say why not derive it from the structure of the Liturgy of the Hours?

By using the Liturgy of the Hours as inspiration, you’re exposing your children to the largest, broadest from of prayer outside of Mass in the Church. You’re exposing your children to a form of prayer that flows from our Jewish spiritual heritage–the way Jesus and his first followers prayed as Jews. You’re exposing your children to a form of prayer that extends beyond the visible bounds of the Church to many of our Protestant brothers and sisters, as well as our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ.

As Bishop Robert Barron’s Word on Fire ministry summarizes:

[The Liturgy of the Hours is] The Church’s official prayer, and the highest form of prayer after the Mass. It is an ancient, structured way of praying Scripture throughout the day, focusing especially on the Psalms. It hearkens back to the Jewish custom of praying at fixed hours, a practice continued by the early Church.

My take as a parent? The Liturgy of the Hours is the prayer of the Church. And so if it’s good enough for the universal Church 😉 well, it’s probably good enough for us. 

In the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church even encourages us to use the Liturgy of the Hours as a family, noting:

“it is desirable that the family, the domestic sanctuary of the Church, should not only pray together to God but should also celebrate some parts of the Liturgy of the Hours as occasion offers, so as to enter more deeply into the life of the Church.”

General Instructions, para. 27

And, as much as my own personal, quiet prayer time feels a whole lot more “prayerful” than our family time of prayer, the Church is there to encourage us, pointing out the goodness of trying to pray together:

“Celebration in common reveals more clearly the ecclesial nature of the Liturgy of the Hours; it makes for the active participation of all, each in his own role, by means of acclamations, dialogue, alternating psalmody and similar elements, and allows greater scope to variety of expression. Hence, whenever it is possible to have celebration in common, with the faithful present and actively sharing in it, this kind of celebration is to be preferred to one that is individual and as it were private”

General Instructions, para. 33

So, there you go–the active participation and variety of expressions present in your family’s communal celebration derived from the Liturgy of the Hours is “preferred” to an individual/private celebration as it somehow, mysteriously reveals the “ecclesial nature” (meaning that reality of each of us being called out by God into the Body of Christ, the Church) of prayer. The mess of our children interrupting, picking up Legos during prayer time, and constantly distracting me reveals the true nature of the Liturgy of the Hours more than me praying part of the Liturgy of the Hours alone. [Which is kind of a mind blowing thought worth my prayerful contemplation in and of itself!]

What to know about using the Liturgy of the Hours as a framework for family prayer?

First, look at the structure and customize it for your family.

This is the key. This is what makes it realistic, not impossible. Don’t pray the entire Liturgy of the Hours as a family. Don’t even pray the entirety of one of the daily parts at first (i.e. the entire Evening Prayer/Vespers). Whittle it down to the right size for your family in this season of life. This is okay. You’re not breaking any rules. Remember, the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours suggests we pray, “some parts of the Liturgy of the Hours as occasion offers.” Because as lay people, we are not “mandated” as some clergy are, to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, “some parts” is up to you. 

We as families are welcome to derive and adapt the framework in a way that works best for our homes. 

Pope Paul VI’s 1970 Apostolic Constitution Laudis Canticum explains:

The Office has been drawn up and arranged in such a way that not only clergy but also religious and indeed laity may participate in it, since it is the prayer of the whole people of God. People of different callings and circumstances, with their individual needs, were kept in mind and a variety of ways of celebrating the office has been provided, by means of which the prayer can be adapted to suit the way of life and vocation of different groups dedicated to the Liturgy of the Hours.

Pope Paul VI emphsizes the relevance for the laity again in his summary, stating plainly:

“the Liturgy of the Hours is recommended to all the faithful, including those who are not bound by law to their recitation”

In summary? Choose “some parts” and adapt from what the Liturgy of the Hours offers in a way that works for your family. 

For us, how we use the Liturgy of the Hours framework varies for throughout the year (over the years as children grow into different ages and stages), and even on different evenings depending on how much time we have. 

Two Suggestions on Where to Start:

If you’d want to start with a naturally short part of the daily Liturgy of the Hours, and not have to think much about how to shorten it in adaptation for your family, I’d recommend the Invitatory. 

The Invitatory goes like this: 

Leader: Lord, open my lips.

All Reply: And my mouth will proclaim your praise. [From Psalm 51]

This is a great spot to adapt and emphasize the word “praise” with, “let us now praise the Lord” and offer a song suitable to your family. [Many kids like songs! A song also makes a simple element for children to take turns picking since ownership certainly helps all of us feel more engaged in any activity, prayer included]. 

Then proceed on as usual (General Instructions, para. 34-36) with an antiphon (a short phrase or verse provided for that day or season).

In the family context, we’ll often stick with a single antiphon for a liturgical season, week, or month. Kids, especially pre-readers, are often very open to things that are ripe for natural memorization. Unlike our adult minds (which often crave novelty!) children often enjoy the familiar (i.e. consider how often a child will ask an adult to repeat reading the same book). This natural memorization helps fill your children’s minds with the words of the Church, which then meld with their own as they pray individually later that day or later in life as they grow!

Then comes the psalm of the day. The psalm is traditionally Psalm 95, 100, 67, or 24. You could rotate daily, weekly, etc. 

During the invitatory the psalm is interspersed with the antiphon (like in music–the psalm verses are like the “verses” of a song, and the antiphon is like the “refrain” of the song). 

This provides an opportunity for any “readers” among your kids to alternate reading the verses of the psalm, while all (including younger, pre-readers) can recite the antiphon between the verses. 

Then close with the traditional ending of “Glory to the Father, and to the Son…” and a sign of the cross. 

Voila, you’ve prayed the official prayer of the Church without even subtracting anything! (And maybe, you even added a song of praise). 

My second suggestion on where to start is to take either morning or evening prayer, and choose elements from those frameworks (which are nearly identical in form) for your family.

As the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours explains: 

“In keeping with the ancient tradition of the universal Church, Morning and Evening Prayer form a double hinge of the daily Office and are therefore to be considered the principal Hours and celebrated as such.”

para. 37

Glancing quickly at a real example of Morning or Evening Prayer is the best way to get a sense of what those framework elements to choose from are. Universalis.com is one of the most enduring, free Liturgy of the Hours websites, so check it out: https://universalis.com/

The framework elements of the Liturgy of the Hours are:

Introduction

Hymn (aka a song)

Psalm (plus Antiphon/Prayer) #1

Psalm (plus Antiphon/Prayer) #2

Psalm (plus Antiphon/Prayer) #3 

Scripture Reading

Optional Homily (ref. General Instructions, para. 47)

Silence

Responsory [Leader and All Respond short lines]

Gospel Canticle

Intercessions

Lord’s Prayer

Closing

For our family (currently 4 kids ages 10 and younger) the we choose from that framework in this way: 

• Introduction [easily memorized, call and response]
• Hymn/Song
• Scripture Reading [this could be a Psalm, but for our kids, we only choose one passage so that we can focus in on that. If your family has the attention to dwell on both a Psalm and other Scripture reading, great! We don’t right now 🙂 and that’s okay!]
• “Homily” / Reflection / Response → aka when we talk about what we just heard in the Scripture passage
• Responsory [we use the same one every time so that we know it by heart]
• *Sometimes* a sung version of a Gospel Canticle (we tend to do this in Advent and Christmas because the Gospel Canticles connect easily to those seasons)
• Combination of Intercessions, Lord’s Prayer, and/or prayer in our own words.
• Closing

This particular type of adaptation takes no specific book other than having a Bible, because we have memorized over time our introduction, responsory, and closing. 

Sometimes we do use books that offer us more variety than what we’ve memorized, our school-aged kids especially like when they can use their reading skills as we all read (alternating half of the group for each verse of a psalm). 

There are lots of other combinations and adaptations you could do! If your family is musical, pick some musical settings of psalms to learn/use. If you have a particular book of the Bible you aim to read through, substitute it for the given Scripture reading of the day, etc. 

The beauty of praying the official prayer of the Church is the reality that the Chruch is the Mystical Body of Christ.

Around the world, there are clergy, some religious orders, and other lay people who are praying every part of the Liturgy of the Hours–a sign of praying without ceasing. Whatever small or large portion you choose as a family, you are joined to this Mystical Body of Christ in a special way through the Liturgy of the Hours. Anything you feel might be “lacking” in your prayer is filled in by others, and your family is at the same time, filling up the Body of Christ in your own unique and imperfect way. 

Following the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI expressed this hope in his Apostolic Constitution Laudis Canticum:

Now that the prayer of Holy Church has been reformed and entirely revised in keeping with its very ancient tradition and in the light of the needs of our day, it is to be hoped above all that the Liturgy of the Hours may pervade and penetrate the whole of Christian prayer, giving it life, direction, and expression and effectively nourishing the spiritual life of the people of God.

Has the Liturgy of the Hours made our family prayer time awesome, perfect, peaceful, and serene?

No.

We’re still a family praying at our kitchen table or on the rug in our older children’s bedroom, giving “the look” then their hards start to wander to toys, telling kids not to interrupt or kick each other, debating whether or not we should whisk the preschooler off to bed to avoid meltdown-level-crankiness, and holding a baby.

But, I have the confidence of knowing that we are forming our children as disciples of Jesus in a style similar to how Jesus formed disciples. By inviting them to follow along, to do, and participate (in a small way) in the “praying without ceasing” of God’s People. We rarely utter the phrase “Liturgy of the Hours” or “Divine Office.” They just know it as, “it’s time to pray together.” Someday, I hope they do learn of the existance of the entire Liturgy of the Hours, and realize that the simple phrases, patterns, and rhtyhms of prayer they learned as small children were a part of something much bigger–something that spans millenia, continents, and “In fact […] is the prayer of the Church with Christ and to Christ” (General Instructions, para. 2).

Accept the Free Gift from Jesus on the Cross

We call today, this annual Friday, “Good” because it remembers the day that Jesus–God’s Beloved Son and Chosen One–voluntarily submitted to torture and execution. In this act of self-sacrifice and love, Jesus dies for our sins. 

“For our sins” is a personal thing. Even though Jesus’ death happened at one moment in history, it is for each of us, today. “By giving up his own Son for our sins, God manifests that his plan for us is one of benevolent love, prior to any merit on our part” (CCC, para. 604). 

What we remember today shows that it is “by grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God” (JDDJ, para. 15). Jesus the Messiah’s saving work is offered to each of us as a gift–we can receive it, but never earn or merit it. Nothing we do prior to saying “yes” to the gift of Christ’s Saving Work, nor after we receive that gift earns it for us or makes us worthy of such a Divine Gift. To live with the gift of eternal life, knowing we did not earn it through our own merits, nor will we earn it through our own merits in the future–this is counter-cultural. It can feel awkward and out of step in a modern society that wants us to “achieve,” “earn things,” and “deserve what we get.” 

And yet, I re-echo what we enter into on this day, “By giving up his own Son for our sins, God manifests that his plan for us is one of benevolent love, prior to any merit on our part” (CCC, para. 604). Despite our own weaknesses, we can trust in the strength of the Jesus the Messiah, who entered fully into death for our sins, and then conquered death–we can be sure of this saving grace.

This day of remembering Jesus’ saving work of death for our sins is the one and only day when the Mass is not celebrated. There is empty space. Be still and dwell in the reality that God offers you a gift of salvation, of justification, of being accepted, of eternal life. God offers the gift not because of your past merits or future merits. It is true gift–not a loan, nor mortgage, nor lease, nor 401k, nor insurance. It is completely and 100% God’s grace. 

Dwell with the gift today. Tell Jesus “yes.” Imagine accepting the gift into your arms from Jesus on the Cross. Notice how you feel. 

Feelings can vary for each of us. The profoundness of this gift can make us feel elated, free from burdens, profoundly loved, unworthy, tearfully grateful, embarrassed to need such a gift, on fire with God’s love in us, and more. What is common to all of us, is that today we can set aside space to reflect on our “yes” to that saving gift of Jesus that is decidedly *not* what we ever did/could/will deserve. 

CCC =  Catechism of the Catholic Church
JDDJ = Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification

The Resurrected Body: Don’t Add Ableism

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul answers questions about the resurrection, and in vs. 35 he introduces his reply to this one:

“How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come back?” (1 Cor 15:35)

Paul isn’t one to mince words, and take the first question straightaway, giving the logical answer that “how are the dead raised?”–by first dying (vs. 36). Drop mic.

Okay, now that we’ve got that taken care of, Paul’s more descriptive response to: With what kind of body will they come back?

Our world often brings an ableist lens to this. Ableism is at its core, an assumption that disability/disabled people/people with disabilities are inferior, “bad,” or otherwise in need of correction/fixing to be “normal.”

Yet, Paul’s writing does not ask or require us to bring abelism to his response.

And what you sow [in death, vs. 36] is not the body that is to be but a bare kernel of wheat, perhaps, or of some other kind; but God gives it a body as he chooses, and to each of the seeds its own body. (1 Cor 15:37-39)

Take away? Different people have different bodies, in ways visible and invisible. Difference in bodies is normal, not inherently “bad.”

Now, Paul takes the next step, contrasting heavenly [resurrected] bodies and earthly ones:

There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the brightness of the heavenly is one kind and that of the earthly another. The brightness of the sun is one kind, the brightness of the moon another, and the brightness of the stars another. (1 Cor 15:40-41)

What’s the key difference Paul highlights between earthly bodies and resurrection bodies? Brightness.

Not “fixing” of disability through a lens of abelism (where an “inferior” person without agency needs a “cure” to be “normal” or happy), not elimination of difference, instead it’s “brightness” of a different type, kind, or magnitude. [Note that Jesus’ resurrected body has a physical difference from the “typical” (John 20:27)].

Our resurrected bodies are transformed, but not in an ableist narrative. Paul comments on this transformation:

It [the body] is sown corruptible; it is raised incorruptible. It is sown dishonorable; it is raised glorious. It is sown weak; it is raised powerful. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. (1 Cor 15:42-44)

Corruptible/dishonorable/weak/natural…this description of our earthly bodies applies to everyone. Our resurrected bodies will be different than our earthly ones in brightness, and also be incorruptible, glorious, powerful, and spiritual. None of these descriptions require a “special fixing” of disabled people / people with disabilities. It’s a transformation universally, yet uniquely applicable to every human being. God knows each of us intimately, in the secret of our soul, in a way no other human or spiritual being does. This blessing of transformation is not from “disabled” to “abled” (or any other such “inferior” to “superior” false categories or “isms”), but from our present created body to brightness, incorruptibility, gloriousness, power, and a fully spiritual unity.

Paul concludes:

Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one. (1 Cor 15:29)

What shall we be?

We shall bear the image of the heavenly one.

There is mystery, yet concrete beauty. Brightness. Glorification. Incorruptibility. Hope.

As it’s written by a different New Testament writer, to a different community of 1st century believers:

What we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed- we shall be like him [God], for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)

When we are like God, we will (among many other things!) intimately know each other’s brightness without the earthly biases of abelism (or racism, nationalism, or any lenses that degrade the worth, value, or dignity of another person).

Many Christians call this week of Easter, the eight days (or Octave) of Easter, bright week. Let us embrace life eternal already offered to us in part, in the here and now–seeing each other’s brightness, as God does, with differences (including disability) that are a part of our common identity in God’s image.

God is working. Transformation. Renewal. Resurrection.

The Liturgy after the Liturgy

Our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters have an expression, “the liturgy after the liturgy”–meaning the rest of the week, flowing from Sunday and returning to Sunday. The Body of Christ sent out (the origin of our English term, “Mass”– Ite, missa est, meaning, “Go, it is the sending”). As those intimately joined to Jesus the Christ in baptism, we who are sent share in Jesus the Messiah’s common priesthood, as well as His identities as prophet and king/shepherd/pastor (CCC para. 1546).

Okay, so how is it, practically that you and I as baptized believers truly exercise that priesthood during the week? In the “liturgy after the liturgy” of our lives?

An especially visible way, is through sacramentals.

Sacramentals are:

“sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments. They signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature, which are obtained through the intercession of the Church. By them men [and women] are disposed to receive the chief effect of the sacraments, and various occasions in life are rendered holy (CCC para. 1667).

Blessings are “first” among all sacramentals. Blessings can be of people, objects, places, etc. and usually involve invoking the name of Jesus and making the sign of the cross (CCC para. 1671).

The power of a blessing flows from the baptismal priesthood given to us in and through Christ Jesus as baptized believers. As the Church teaches, “every baptized person is called to be a ‘blessing,’ and to bless” (CCC para. 1669). We consecrate the created order to, for, and through God. We are sanctified (aka “made holy”) as is the created world. The Church teaches, “there is scarcely any proper use of material things which cannot be thus directed toward the sanctification of men and the praise of God” (CCC para. 1670). The liturgy after the liturgy is expansive, indeed!

“Liturgy” itself derives from a word meaning the public work done on behalf of others. The Mass is liturgy we the baptized do or participate in, for ourselves–yes–but also for the sake of the world. The Eucharist and all liturgy, each in a mysterious way, is for the “life of the world” (John 6:51), not merely for those physically present–or even just for those joined to Christ’s Body. For the life of the world. What an amazing, humbling responsibility this is, that Jesus has shared with us! (Does Jesus know how messed up we are? Yes. And yet, God still uses us to bless and consecrate the world! Amazing!)

Are there some blessings that lay people should not give, that are reserved for the ordained, ministerial priesthood? Yes.

In general, “the more a blessing concerns ecclesial and sacramental life, the more is its administration reserved to the ordained ministry (bishops, priests, or deacons)” (CCC para. 1669). For example, blessings within Mass (clearly an ecclesial and sacramental setting), belong first to the bishop [if present], then priest, or the blessing of the water before a baptism–an ecclesial and sacramental act. You get the idea 😉 The vast majority of people, places, objects, locations, situations, etc. are not part of the Church’s sacramental or ecclesial life in a direct way, and thus are wide open for any member of the common/baptized priesthood to exercise his/her ability in Christ, to bless.

Keep the name of Jesus, the sign of the cross, and (if you have it) some holy water handy–and you’re all set to be a conduit of the grace of the Holy Spirit in our world.

 

What to Say About Confirmation [to a 6 yr old]

I started talking about the Sacrament of Confirmation to my 6 year old this week.

Why? Well, it wasn’t something he was asking about. But, he is starting to enter a more social age, of noticing what other kids and adults say, and there’s an awful lot of misleading [or just plain odd] theology, culture, and explanations surrounding the Sacrament of Confirmation.

So, I asked him, “have you ever heard of the Sacrament of Confirmation?”

Answer: no.

Great! I’ve got no competition [for now.]

Here’s what I shared with him:

You know how when a baby is baptized, the baby is too little to be able to talk? So the baby can’t say “yes” to believing in Jesus as God’s Son, or Jesus’ gift of the Holy Spirit to us. The Sacrament of Confirmation is for when someone can talk and wants to say “yes” on their own to their baptism. When someone is ready to do this, they get anointed again with chrism, just like in baptism and are strengthened for all of the things God wants to do in their life.

His response? Oh.

Good enough.

I’ll make sure I keep repeating this whenever the situation arises, when we look at the chrism by the baptismal font in our parish, when we’re at baptisms, etc. He and his younger brother are big fans of baptism so I think that will be the logical (from both practical and theological perspectives) place to start slipping in our family Confirmation catechesis.

Children’s Liturgy of the Word Guide: Explanation of the Scriptures

In speaking of the homily in general, the Church teaches, “It should be an explanation of some aspect of the readings from Sacred Scripture or of another text from the [prayers] of the day and should take into account both the mystery being celebrated and the particular needs of the listeners.”

This is where the Children’s Liturgy of the Word Leader’s personal preparation time and prayer with the Scriptures overflows into an interactive and concrete experience of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the lives of the children.

You may ask questions/discuss, use call/response with a memory verse or line, retell with felt figures or visuals, do action rhymes/gestures, sing songs with a tie to your theme, pass around/touch any objects from home with a connection (i.e. a non-fragile icon, etc.), use whiteboard (for elementary school aged children) for drawing key concepts, dramatizing/acting out re-telling of any of the readings, reinforcing the readings/themes from a storybook, etc.

References:

General Instruction of the Roman Missal, para. 65

Image:

“Christ Preaching,” Rembrandt [Public domain]

Children’s Liturgy of the Word Guide: Proclaiming the Gospel

The reading of the Gospel is “the high point of the Liturgy of the Word,” and like all other Lectionary Readings, we trust in the inspired power of the Word of God present among us to speak through the Scriptures–even to children who otherwise might outwardly appear “inattentive.” LWC will always include the Gospel reading, and like the First/Second readings, it should not be paraphrased or proclaimed from a Bible storybook.

In Practice:

Proclaim from the Ambo/Lectern or Standing using the Lectionary with Children standing. Children can learn that this is set apart from other readings due to the action of standing.

Begin with: “A reading from the Holy Gospel according to…” Children learn (and often enjoy) repetition. Hearing this each week becomes a cue.

Encourage response: “Glory to you, O Lord.”  Children can cross their head, mouth and heart while saying these words quietly to themselves: God be in my mind. God be on my lips. God be in my heart.

Proclaim from the Lectionary at Ambo/Standing.

End with: “The Gospel of the Lord.”

Encourage response: “Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.” Because this involves the children’s response, this response can be repeated for emphasis/practice.

Afterwards, can immediately ask if anyone noticed the difference in response (“Thanks be to God” vs. “Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ”–and what the difference means/shows 

 

References:

General Instruction of the Roman Missal, para. 60

Image:

CCO, https://pixabay.com

Children’s Liturgy of the Word Guide: Acclamation Before the Gospel

Through our acclamation before the Gospel [Alleluia–except during Lent] we stand to greet our Lord Jesus Christ who is about to speak to us, and declare our faith in His words present in the Gospel. Like other Readings, always proclaim from the Lectionary as a visual/symbolic cue for the children, and from the ambo/standing. [All remain standing at the end of the Acclamation in preparation for the Gospel.]

Practical Ideas for the Acclamation

Song:

Sing the Alleluia using any simple tune or a common children’s one (i.e. A-le-lu…). Repeating more than with adults is a good way to release energy (voices/movement) before the Gospel, and emphasize this preparation for the “high point” of the Liturgy of the Word.

Active:

Encourage actions or gestures as part of the Alleluia song, or spontaneous (i.e. raising hands in praise, etc.)

Listening:

The Lectionary contains a Scripture verse for the Alleluia. Taking a pause from the singing/movement to speak this is optional, but if done could become part of your memory-theme for the day or a memory verse for the children if appropriate.

Active:

Reverence can be shown to this reading by setting it off from other readings with marks of honor, i.e. doing a mini-procession carrying Lectionary with children following around the room, or through the standing children, before returning to Ambo. Note: if doing this, carry the Lectionary lower than a Deacon/Priest typically does to avoid visual confusion of roles (same guidance as for K-2 Leaders leaving Mass with the Lectionary).

Active:

Use “Bible book” hand gestures to have have children show in “Bible” where Gospels are located [i.e. New Testament]. Encourage “Bible hands” or “prayerful hands” during your reading of the Gospel as a way to help give active-learners something to do/focus on. Can suggest a gesture/word combination to perform when heard, etc.

Listening:

As with other readings, can draw attention to a simple, concise theme to listen for. Can have children name all four Gospel evangelists as preparation to listen for which Evangelist the Gospel comes from this week.

Children’s Liturgy of the Word Guide: Responsorial Psalm

In the responsorial Psalm, we are joined with Christ using His “prayerbook” to respond to God’s Word we have heard proclaimed. Singing expresses the authentically human, emotion-filled, power of prayer. After the Responsorial Psalm, the liturgy continues with either the Second Reading or the Acclamation Before the Gospel.

Practical Ideas for the Responsorial Psalm

Active:

Use the “Bible Book Gesture” (mentioned in Liturgy of the Word post) to show where in the Bible the Psalms come from.

Song:

Sing the Psalm to any tune you’re familiar with–it doesn’t have to be the “right” tune. Feel free to repeat the refrain more than typical with adults, so that the children can join in. Spoken verses of the Psalm alternated with the refrain set to a tune and actions often engages children.  

Song:

You may use the Psalm designated for your specific Sunday, or any Psalm from the same liturgical season (especially one you can put to a tune) to emphasize a theme. Searching on YouTube beforehand by psalm title and Catholic Mass can be useful for reminding you of tunes you “know” and have heard, but can’t generate on the spot.

Active:

Gestures or sign-language can be used during the Psalm to help the children participate more [this is especially important if neither you nor any Assistants/Helpers can sing the Psalm].

 

Image:

Wawel Castle scriptorium – Polona, Public Domain, Link