2022-23 April #2: Good Friday/Easter
“Behold Your King”.
–John 19:14
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Tiny Treasures
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Good Friday
Good Friday is the day the Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. Your littles may ask you, “Why do we call this day ‘Good’ Friday?” We can answer: even though we love Jesus with our whole hearts, and we never want to see people that we love suffer, it was good that Jesus chose to die for us. He died so we could go to heaven after we die. If He didn’t do this, we would not be able to be with God in heaven.
On Good Friday we remember Jesus’ passion and death of the cross. Church bells are silent, and the altar is bare. There is no celebration of mass and if the holy eucharist is received, it is from hosts that have been consecrated the day before on Holy Thursday. The Good Friday liturgy consists of three parts: the Liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of the Cross, and Holy Communion. The praying of the stations of the cross are also encouraged. Catholics abstain from meat on this day, and it is a day of fasting.
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A Little Look at Holy Week
Holy Thursday:
After Jesus celebrates the Last Supper with His friends in the upper room, He takes Peter, James, and John to the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prays to God the Father to take away His “cup of suffering”. He adds that He still wants to do the Will of the Father, so if this isn’t His will, He will obey. Jesus shows us that He is truly man when He wants to avoid suffering. We can learn from Jesus’ prayer. We can ask for things, but add, “only if it is Your Will, Lord.”
Good Friday:
Jesus dies on the cross. We venerate the cross by kissing, gently touching or kneeling before the cross to adore the cross as a sacred instrument of our salvation.
When Jesus died on the cross, there was an eclipse of the sun, the earth quaked, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom and the saints who had died rose from the dead and appeared to many. One of the centurions said, “Surely, this was the Son of God.”
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Easter Sunday:
Early in the morning on the third day, Jesus defied death and rose from the dead. This fulfilled His salvific mission to redeem the world. Jesus will never be dead again. He, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit will always be with us to help us and encourage us the rest of our days.
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Talk with your littles about:
- Holy Week is the holiest of all times during the church.
- We call this the Triduum.
- How can we show Jesus that we are thankful for His sacrifice?
- Talk with our families about the stories of Jesus’ passion and death.
- Pray or talk to Jesus about our thankfullness.
- Go to church during this week.
God’s Angel:
The night of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, Jesus took His friends Peter, James and, John to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew He didn’t want to be alone. He was sad as He prayed to His heavenly Father. Even though His friends were not far away, He knew He could only draw strength and encouragement from God the Father.
Jesus didn’t just pray that night, He threw Himself down on the ground and begged God the Father for the cup of suffering to be taken away from Him (Luke 22:42). Jesus knew the prophecies of Isaiah: “It was our pain that he bore, our sufferings he endured. He was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed.” (Isaiah 53:4,5) so He accepted His Father’s will.
God the Father sent an angel to Jesus to strengthen Him (Luke 22:43). Even though His pain and suffering were not taken away, Jesus knew that the Father loved Him and was with Him during this trial.
We too, can go to the Father when we feel we are not supported by anyone. He never abandons us; He will always be there to accompany us with our struggles and trials through our lives.
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He is Risen! Alleluia:
Follow the directions to complete the craft.
Talk with your littles about how the Easter egg is like the resurrection of Jesus:
- Eggs are a sign of new life-Jesus has new life when He resurrected.
- He gives us new life because of this.
- The Egg is a sign of the tomb.
Social/Emotional Learning
Prayer to celebrate the resurrection:
Say the words below as a cantor/response with your littles:
The Lord has Risen! Alleluia!
He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!
Days to Watch for
- April 6-Holy Thursday (Last Supper)
- April 7-Good Friday
- April 9-Easter Sunday
Extras
Our featured word for this booklet to indicate the page numbers is SAVE. We chose this because by Jesus’ death on the cross He redeemed, or saved, the whole world.
Books + Imaginative Play
Good Friday by: Louise Ulmer
Children often wonder why the day Jesus died is called “Good Friday,” and this book answers that question. Even though it was a sad day, children can rejoice knowing that three days later, Jesus would rise from the dead for their sins!
Holy Week: An Emotions Primer by: Danielle Hitchen
Your family will love this unique board book! Using colorful, engaging artwork, Holy Week introduces little ones to a wide range of emotions as they follow Jesus through the final week of His life. Children will delight in the beautiful illustrations and learn about basic emotions, such as joy, anger, sadness, fear, and more. And they will become familiar with one of the final chapters in Jesus’s story here on earth. You will appreciate the artistic design, theologically sound content, and helping your little one understand that emotions are created by God and that they are good.
The Story of Easter by: Jean Miller
This gentle introduction to the biblical account of Jesus’s final days on earth, and Resurrection, is perfect for preschoolers. Lush, colorful illustrations of the Last Supper, Jesus carrying his cross, and the angel in the empty tomb are accessible to little readers who are just learning about Easter. At the end of the book, Easter traditions from around the world are introduced, from Ukrainian painted eggs (Pysanky) to the greeting of the Easter sunrise in the British Isles.
Easter Playset by Saintly Heart
Invite the Good News into the heart and hands of your child with this interactive bilingual (English – Spanish) Easter Playset and bring glory to God through play! Our beautifully crafted, durable set is perfect for kids of all ages, and can create opportunities for the whole family to experience the divine mysteries.
Made from eco-friendly, sustainable wood and paper, this Easter Playset features a magnetic closing box with a handle that opens to display a colorful backdrop perfect to recreate the Easter story. It holds the figurines for easy clean up and fits neatly on a shelf when playtime is over.
Featuring 13 bright and unbreakable wooden figures, this Easter Playset includes: the Risen Jesus, angels, a guard, women, disciples, Easter animals and flowers, a moveable boulder, and an Alleluia piece.
The Resurrection Gospel narrative in English-Spanish will be available to help your child enter into the story of Salvation even more deeply.
Included: The Risen Jesus, 2 angels, 1 guard, 2 women, 2 disciples, 1 lamb, 1 bunny, 1 set of lilies, 1 Alleluia, 1 boulder.
Digital Resources
If you are a subscriber for the 2022-23 His Little Way booklets, visit our Subscribers page for access to your digital resources (including a digital version of all booklets)! Can’t remember your password? Email us!
Don’t forget to check out our Teacher’s Guide for more information on how to use your booklets in the classroom!
And in case you need it again… here’s our Prayer Table Starter Guide.
