November In Home

Theme: Prayers of Thanksgiving/Eucharist

Opening Prayer:

Begin with the Sign of the Cross +. Invite each family member to read a line of the prayer.  End with the Sign of the Cross. 

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us.

We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.

We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.

We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.

We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.

Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.

Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know Christ and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things.

Amen

Discussion:

Discuss amongst your family things for which each person is thankful.

If you have a piece of paper, write down everything that each person says.

Allow each person to continue to name things/people for which they are thankful until the whole family has exhausted their lists.

The parent leader then asks: Who do we thank for all these blessings? (Allow time for answers---GOD!).

Catechesis:

Last month you learned about Prayers of Petition. This month your family will learn about prayers of thanksgiving. 

One of the first phrases a child learns when he/she learns to talk is to say “thank you.” We teach our children to say thank when something nice has been done for them or they receive a gift. We in turn say “thank you” to God for all the blessings, gifts, and mercies that he has given us throughout our lives.

The Psalms of Thanksgiving are a genre of psalms in the Book of Psalms, in the Old Testament, that celebrate God's actions to bestow blessings and alleviate suffering. They can be about specific events, like healing from an illness, or more general actions, like creating the world or protecting the Israelites. The psalms are highly personal, but were written for communal worship in the Temple, to be sung or spoken for the benefit of other worshippers. They are a way to give thanks to God, praise him for what he has done, and testify to others about what God has done for them.

Since the beginning of Christianity, the Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper, has been the primary worship service for Catholic Christians all over the world. The name itself comes from the ancient Greek word for thanksgiving, “eucharistia,” although in part of the New Testament it is also called “the breaking of bread.”

One of the most important medieval Catholic rituals, the Eucharist involves a special blessing, called a consecration, of bread and wine. This consecration is rooted in what Jesus Christ did during the ritual meal he shared with his apostles before his arrest and crucifixion – the Last Supper. The ritual, as a whole, is a thanksgiving to God for the offer of salvation from sin in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. From at least the fourth century, Christians were expected to attend Mass every Sunday, with a few exceptions, and to rest from work. Which is still true today. 

It is important each day to take time and thank God for all the blessings he’s bestowed on you: good health, a loving family, a good job, education, etc. All these things come from a loving God who takes care of you and loves you deeply.  

Scripture:

Read the following Psalms:

• • Psalm 86: 12
  • Psalm 92: 1-5
  • Psalm 100: 1-5
  • Psalm 136

After reading, discuss with your family what each Psalm says about giving thanks to God.

Activity:

Find an empty jar or some type of container and place it on the center of your family dinner table.

Invite each person to write down one thing they are thankful for and put it in the jar. Do this everyday until Christmas. On Christmas day, take out all the pieces of paper, read them out loud, and for each item that is written on a piece of paper, invite the family to respond, “Thank you, God.” 

Closing Prayer:

Begin the closing prayer with the Sign of the Cross.

Invite each person in your family to thank God for one thing in their life, and the rest of the family responds, “Thank you, God!”

Questionnarie: