Measure twice, cut once - questions and activities

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QUESTIONS

1. How did the holy couple, Mary and Joseph, support each other in their quest for holiness?
2. What is the difference between courageous choices and passive docility? Write an example that Mary and Joseph demonstrated in how they lived out their marriage for the sake of God and their family.
3. What does the phrase ‘the apron strings must be severed’ referring to?
4. What does the author say family relationships need to be able to flourish?
5. What does the ‘trifocal lens of faith, hope and love’ remove?

 

ACTIVITIES

Who are they?: Go through the passage and highlight all the character traits of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Use these to write a description of each of them. What do these family members have in common? What is different? How do their traits work together to support a cohesive family unit?

#1 Party planner: Like all Jewish boys in His time, Jesus would have celebrated a bar mitzvah. Imagine you are celebrating your own coming-of-age – perhaps like a birthday party. All of your closest friends and family are invited. Who do you think it is really important to invite? Also, plan a speech for the party to thank your loved ones for their love and support over your life so far. Who are you going to thank? What are you going to say? How have these family members touched your life and influenced the person you are becoming?

#2 Party planner: Research and put together a party planner guide for a bar mitzvah. What does celebrating a bar mitzvah require? What are essential elements? What are recommended elements? Begin your party planner guide with a proposal statement explaining why you think celebrating a coming-of-age, like a bar mitzvah, is important. 

Banding together in the face of challenges: What are some events that have occurred in your family’s life that your family has grown stronger through? In what ways did your family grow stronger? Make an anime, animated story or draw my life video of this event and how it grew your relationships.

Jesus and His parents: What do you think happened between Jesus and His parents when he returned to Nazareth? Imagine a conversation between Jesus and His parents. What would this look like? How would He speak to them? What tone of voice would He use? Write this out as a screen play.

Considering others: What does Jesus’ response ‘didn’t you know I’d be in my father’s house?’ say to you? How do you respond when a family member is worried about you or misunderstands your choices? Is there a way you can respond more effectively? Ideally, what would this look like? How would you help them to understand? What practical steps can you think of to help improve communication between you and a family member? Some ideas to help might be writing a letter, asking for special one-on-one time, starting a hobby, interest or sport you can share together, working on a project together, or making a conscious effort to ask how they are.

Holy Family fundraiser: This Christmas, consider how you might help families in need. Explore some Catholic charities that work with families (e.g. MacKillop Family Services or Vinnies) and the work they do. Create a 'Holy Family Fundraising' activity at your school to support that group with some clever ideas for students to improve their family life and engage their own families in fundraising - e.g. instituting a TV jar in the house where the first person to leave the family dinner table has to put a donation in the jar to aid the cause, or put up a 'bidding chart' for family members to bid on what movies they want to watch for a family film night.  

FOR YOUNGER STUDENTS

Me and my family: Read Luke 2:51-42. Ask students how, from this story, we can know that Mary, Joseph and Jesus all love and care for each other. Tell students that they are going to take turns telling one story about each of their families of a time they loved and felt loved. Give students time to sit quietly and reflect, and allow them to write down some notes or a mind map to help them remember.

Bring students into a circle on the floor. Going around the circle, students can take turns sharing one story each. Conclude by talking about how Jesus’ family is not so different to our family, because they are all filled with love.

A Holy Family Christmas: Plenty of schools do Nativity plays and activities to end the year to remember the birth of Jesus, but how about this year we consider a scene from Jesus' childhood where his family is celebrating his birthday? Consider who might be there, and what they might be eating and doing? What gifts might they be giving each other? Students might discuss what Jesus' birthday might have looked like, then draw it in a picture. They could even act out a scene for the school's nativity play.