“This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. No one can have greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:12-13)
The Easter story of Jesus portrays the ending to Christ’s earthly life. It captures betrayal, judgement, unjust punishment and the brutal passion and death by crucifixion of a man who taught among countless crowds and faced harsh critics with forgiveness, mercy and love.
Jesus became the ultimate example of sacrificial love, giving of oneself completely. The Easter story, however, doesn’t conclude there. It continues with Christ’s resurrection and the joy and hope it signifies in mankind receiving redemption and the promise of eternal life.
This is the pinnacle of the Christian faith. Many Catholic adults likely know this story by heart. How does one teach children of the faithful the nuances and complexities of this holy narrative? These tips offer some guidance:
Use kid-friendly language. Talk about the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection using simple terms, and focus on the positive parts of the Easter story like Jesus coming back to life. Avoid in-depth theological language, as it might confuse young minds and lose their attention.
Encourage questions and reflection. Allow children to express their thoughts and feelings about the story. Prompt older youth to reflect on Jesus’ actions and his teachings of love, mercy and forgiveness. Encourage them to journal their reflections, open a discussion and welcome questions they may have as well.
Provide visual tools and interactive activities. Even the youngest of children learn more concretely when they can see, touch and/or act out, where appropriate, parts of the Easter story. A bag of coins and large nails for kids to hold, a crown of thorns and a torn, purple garment on display – tangible items like this help to depict the events leading up to the Jesus’ crucifixion, i.e. the agony in the garden and the scourging, mocking and suffering at the hands of Roman soldiers.
“Helping kids to understand the depth of Christ’s sacrifice is important so that they can better understand the profound sacrifice and love of God,” said Melissa Novak, director of discipleship and evangelization at Holy Martyrs Parish and Our Lady of Consolation in Merrillville, who detailed these suggestions and more as ways to engage children in the story of Easter.
“We use a variety of methods to reflect on the last supper, agony in the garden, passion and crucifixion; videos, tangible items, teaching and reflective prayer,” she explained.
Novak mentioned that one activity for teens in the OCIA program (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults) is a version of Stations of the Cross in which the teens travel to each station as a small group and read the narrator parts in the first person.
“These stations are worded in a way that helps teens understand Christ’s Passion in a personal way, stating ‘This is for me,’ at the end of each narrator part that they read,” she said.
Monica Yacko, who teaches third grade faith formation and helps with children’s liturgy on Sundays for the Merrillville parishes, also supports hands-on learning. For Palm Sunday, she prepared an activity that invites children to engage in the Gospel reading by processing to different images taped to the wall.
“As we pass each image, I have one child take it down, so all of them will have a few by the time we are done. During our version of a homily, I ask the children to describe what is happening in the picture they’re holding, or if they have questions,” Yacko explained. “We have four- to seven-year-old children, and they seem good with this. They are engaged and able to handle the ideas very well.”
The Easter story depicts the gruesome death of Jesus, yes. But, again, it doesn’t end there –Jesus lives! He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and promised eternal life to those who believe and live out his teachings of sacrificial love, forgiveness, mercy, etc. This is what the youngest faithful will learn to hold in their hearts.
Caption: Easter display of the resurrected Jesus Christ at Our Lady of Consolation, circa April 2018. (Angela Hughes photo)
