Jesus is Present in my Little Brother!

Jesus is Present in My Little Brother!

      “God loves us. God loves us, God loves us,” Jane sang as she skipped into the kitchen.

       Mrs. Santos asked, “Well, what did Mr. James have to say today?”

       "Mr. James says, Lent is a time when we remember what Jesus did for us and what He is doing now.  Mom, I am so thirsty! Mr. James told us all about how Jesus was taken prisoner. Do you know Jesus was tortured that night?  Mr. James showed us where the Gospel says he was scourged.”

       Mrs. Santos poured some cold lemonade into a glass as she asked, “And do you know what scourged means?”

       “Yes,’ Jane said, “It means the soldiers beat Him. Isn’t that awful, after how good Jesus was to everyone?

       As Jane drank her lemonade, she thought of Jesus being tortured.  “People in Iraq and Syria and Afghanistan are being hurt, too. People are being hurt just like Jesus was.”

      “Mom, Mr James said Jesus not only died on the cross. He rose again and ascended into heaven, but He is present now in the Mass, the Blessed Sacrament, in us and people we meet, too.”

      “That’s right, Jane, Jesus promised to send his Spirit to be with us forever. Jesus promised he would never abandon us. He loves us.”

      Just then, Jane’s little brother ran into the kitchen.  He was waving the newspaper. “Jane, Jane, read me the comics, pu – leeze!”

     Jane made a face even as she wondered, “Jesus is present in Billy?” 
     “Mom, do you think Jesus likes the comics?”

     Mrs. Santos laughed aloud.  “I don’t know, but your little brother likes them.”

Jane took the newspaper from her little brother and began to read.

Stop, Look, and Listen

Sally Learns to Pray! Second Post for Year of Faith Series

          “God loves us! ♫♫ ♪ God loves us! ♫♫ ♪ God loves us!”

          Sally came in singing the song she learned in Religion Class.
          Jane came in with her friends. They were going to work on their school project.

          'Hi, Mrs. Santos!" Jane said.
          Mrs. Santos greeted Jane and Sally. They all sat down to have milk and cookies.  "What did you learn today, girls?" she asked. 
         The two girls were both talking at once. 
         Jane said, "Mr. James  says there are lots of different ways to pray.” 

          Sally said, ”Mom, I told Mr. James that you and Daddy taught me to pray."
          Jane said," My Mom and Dad taught me, too. Mr. James says  anybody with parents who teach them to pray are really lucky."
         Sally said, "He says some people never learn to pray until they get sick or in trouble or something. He wants us to learn lots of ways, so we can talk to God all the time, whether we are happy or sad."

          “And what did you learn about talking to God this time?”
          "Mr. James taught us to try the Stop, Look, and Listen Method."
          "How does that go?" Mrs. Santos asked.
         Sally said,  "First, you stop. Just stop and sit or sand still."
         Jane said, "Then, you look. Mr. James told us to name what we saw, not out loud, but just quietly in our heads. I looked out the window and saw a little bird in a tree."
         Sally said, "Then you listen, with your eyes closed, to the world about you. With my eyes closed, I could hear that bird going, chirp, chirp, chirp. I thanked God for the birds and their songs."
         Jane said, "And Mr. James said that is the way to become aware of God's Presence, thinking about how God loves us and the beautiful things God provides for us."

          Mrs. Santos, “Well, that’s great!  I hope you learn to pray in lots of ways.  Everybody needs God's Love. Your little brother will be home in five minutes. Are you going to love him?”

         "Aw, Mom!" Sally laughed and said, "This week I only learned that God loves me. Mr. James didn’t say anything about brothers. Billy is such a pest, but I guess I can love him, too."

        

Mr James, The New Teacher

Maria               Sally                      Jane

A New Teacher

 God loves us! ♫♫ ♪ God loves us! ♫♫ ♪ God loves us!”

          Sally, Jane, and Maria walked home singing the song they learned in Religion Class. 

When Sally got to her house, she waved goodbye to her friends and skipped into the living room.

            

         “Mom , Mr. James is my new Religion Teacher. He is not like my other teachers..”           

          “What is different about him?”

          
          “I know how to pray, because you and Daddy and Grandma always help me say my prayers before I go to bed.  But Mr. James says there are lots and lots of ways to pray.  He wants us to learn lots of ways, so we can pray no matter what happens to us.

          
            “He says learning to pray is not like adding or subtracting. Sometimes I don’t know the answer when I have to add or subtract. But when I pray, Mr James says I will always know the answer.”

          
           He says, “When we ask God for anything, God’s answer is always love.  God loves us all the time.

         
           "If I tell God why I am sad,or something hurts, the first thing God does is love me. And if  ANYTHING is wrong, God wants me to say right away what it is!

         
         “Mr James says that’s just the way God is. God just loves and loves and loves. God loves EVERYBODY. That's why people can love each other. God shows us how.
          
          Mom gave Sally a big hug! God loves you and I love you, too.
          Sally said, "I love you, too, Mom."

          Mom said, “That’s a great way to pray!  I hope you learn to pray in lots of ways.”

photo by Anastasia Lindawati

Sunlight is a mysterious thing. The sun is very far away.

92,955,820.5 miles

149,597,892 kilometers

 Light from the sun travels very, very fast.

186,282.397 miles per second

AND

It is so  bright that it lights up our earth from morning to night. How does that light travel here? 

 One thing scientists have discovered is that light is both

a particle (a tiny piece) AND a wave

A particle of light is called a photon

A light wave is simply a wave.

How it can be two things at the same time is a big mystery

even today when we know so many things?

At this time of year, we celebrate an even greater mystery.

  The Birth of Christ,  

whom Catholics call the Light of The World

 

Christmas Scene at Maryknoll Sisters

Maryknoll, New York, 10545-0311

 May peace and joy fill every heart during this Holy Season!

 Maryknoll Sisters Making God's Love Visible in 26 countries!

http://www.maryknollsisters.org

New Picture Book NOW PUBLISHED!



NEW BOOK

SEVEN STORIES - One for every day or evening of the week. Stories about animals, fantasy characters, children and family members. Stories to read, pictures to show to your favorite child at nap time, bedtime!  Find the book on online bookstores!

Thank You Note from a One-Year-Old

Thank You Note from a One-Year-Old


An Auntie sent a gift to her one-year-old niece.

She was surprised when she received a Thank You Note from the one-year-old.

The note was ghost-written by the little girl's mom. And this is what it said.

Dear Auntie,
    Thank you so much for the book about the library. I read it all the time.  I'm getting big so fast and I am already walking. I'm such a happy girl: I love to give kisses to everyone and everything and I greet strangers with my huge smile and chubby cheeks. Every time I go out with Mommy and Daddy people tell them how beautiful I am and that makes me smile more! Hope all is well with you. Love, Hugs and Kisses,
     Your Happy Niece!

I would love to see what other pre-school children are saying about what they are doing these days. . Ghost-writers welcome to offer their comments!

Christmas in Arequipa, Peru

The Huachi Huachi Children and Their Christmas Custom

In the country of  Peru, in the City of Arequipa, high in the Andes Mountains, boys and girls form groups called "Huachi, Huachi." They visit homes every evening for the entire Christmas Season. The children knock on the door or ring the doorbell. The family invites them in to visit the "Nacimiento," the Christmas Scene which every family, no matter how poor, prepares for Christmas. The children want to welcome Jesus to the home and to their neighborhood.

The boys and girls are excited, and happy, and they come to entertain the Christ Child.
They stand around the Christmas Scene of  The Birth of  Jesus, the (Nacimiento.)
Each child  sings a Christmas Song.
Then, he or she selects a partner and does a little dance.
Next, the child  recites a poem.
And last, he or she offers a prayer.

After all the children have performed, the family shares whatever they have.
This may be candy, sweet bread, cookies, hot chocolate, tea or bread or hot soup. Even the poorest family will make sacrifices to share what they have, because they want all the children to learn that

Jesus is the Son of God and he was born for us in Bethlehem

An angel came to announce his birth to Mary, a young girl. The Angel Gabriel told her she was to be the Mother of God.
Today we call her,

The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.

When Jesus, her baby, grew up, He was sent to tell us of God's Love and the Peace that comes to the whole world and to every heart when we love one another.  The Virgin Mary is his Mother and St. Joseph, his foster father.

When Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph were traveling from Nazareth to Bethlehem. When they arrived there was no room for them at the inn where most people stayed. Jesus was born in a place where animals lived, but angels announced his birth to
shepherds who were watching their sheep in nearby hills. The angels sang
 "Glory to God and Peace on Earth to people of Good Will!"

The shepherds listened to the angels and came to Bethlehem. They came to adore the newborn baby, and later, Three Wise Men from far away arrived to bring him special gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh because they had seen a special star and followed it.

In Arequipa, families want their children to follow Jesus and live as he taught us, loving and serving one another. I hope you will learn about Him, too. Jesus is always with us. Welcome Jesus to your home and heart and have a Blessed Christmas!

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