Family Activity
3rd Sunday of Lent ~ March 11th

 

Every person has basic rights including the right to life, food, water and shelter. Catholic Social Teaching 

During Lent, gather as a family each week and deepen your awareness of needs throughout the world through learning more about Operation Rice Bowl which Catholic Relief Services organizes.

Click to learn about El Salvador 

1.  Have your child locate El Salvador on a map
2. Explain to your children that we have a responsibility to help others and make sure they have the basic necessities they need to live. These are called rights. Ask family members to list what every person needs in order to live.
3. Read about Maria and the need for clean water.

Family Activities:

1. Ask each family member to list all the ways they have used a basic necessity like water today. Go through each item on the list and talk about what would happen if they did not have access to clean water or any water at all. What would the consequences be?
2. Has anyone ever been in a situation where safe drinking water was not easily available? (examples might be; backpacking/camping, visiting another country, water shut off due to power loss or construction) What did you do – can you imagine what would happen or how you would feel? What would your life be like if these instances were normal and not exceptions? How would your daily life be different?
3. Plan a meal this week to be an El Salvador meal called Casamiento (click to get recipe)

Family Prayer:  

Give each person a glass of water. Ask someone to read John 4: 5-14 from a Bible, then say:

Lord Jesus, in our community, clean water is everywhere. It flows through our pipes and from our taps. Bottles of it fill our shelves. We need not walk for it, dig for it or haul it. It is available each day. Bless this water that we have before us. Let it remind us of the gift of Your life-giving waters. These waters empower us to hear the cry of the poor as You have heard it. It prompts us to respond to our brothers and sisters in need as You respond – with hope and healing, life and love. We first experienced Your life-giving water through our Baptism. In Eucharist, we witness the mingling of water and wine that becomes Your precious blood. This water is now a part of us. Let it strengthen us to serve You better, and let us never forget the power of Your living water that sustains us. We pray this in Your name. Amen

Join SJC during Lent this week as a family:

•  Adoration, Monday, March 12^th  from 2:30-9:00 pm in the Mary Chapel
• Parish Mission with Fr. Frank Desiderio, CSP Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 7-8 pm in the Church
• Stations of the Cross, Friday, March 16^th at 6:00 pm in the Church

For more prayer opportunities for adults, see the SJC website