Faith To Go Podcast: The Devil and Identity
Hosted each week by the Faith Formation team at St. Paul's Cathedral in San Diego, David Tremaine, Maya Little-Sana and Jackie Pippin, the Faith To Go Podcast highlight themes from the Sunday Gospel reading for you to take into your conversations throughout the week
Activity Time: Obstacle Course
Supplies: Blind fold, obstacles
Blindfold children in a room with some obstacles. Have them guide each other through the room avoiding the obstacles. They can use their hearing and their touch to get them through the room.
When Jesus was in the wilderness, he relied on his faith in God to get him through. That didn’t necessarily make it easier for him, but it helped him to push forward when he wasn’t sure where he was headed.
Story Time: Gospel Reading and Reflection
Watch this video together and then use the discussion questions below to reflect as a family.
Discussion Questions:
1) Where did the spirit lead Jesus?
2) What did Jesus do in the wilderness?
3) Who visited Jesus in the wilderness?
4) What did the devil offer to Jesus?
5) How did Jesus respond?
Dinner Time: Gone Fishin'
Below is a prayer with which to start your meal and then discussion questions to explore this week’s topic with your family while you eat.
Prayer-
Forgiving God, stay with me
As I walk through Lent
For these next forty days.
Help me to learn more about myself
During this time you have given me for
Prayer and discernment.
Open my eyes as I walk with Jesus at my side,
So that I can see any
new path you want me to follow.
Open my ears to what you are saying
When I read and
study the Bible.
More than anything, know that I’m sorry
To have forgotten you this past year.
I seek to return to you more fully in the coming days.
This I pray in the name of
My guide,
Your Son, Jesus.
Questions:
1. Have you ever been on a hike or gone camping?
2. What was it like? Was there any part that was hard?
3. Have you ever felt like something is your life is like being in the wilderness?
4. What help you when you are feeling lost?
5. How do your parents help you when you are feeling lost or confused?
Bedtime: Reflections for Children at the End of the Day
During your bedtime routine, invite your children into a time of reflection about their day, maybe by saying, "Did you know that God really wants to know what happened in your day today, and that God is always listening whenever you need to tell God something?" Then continue with these questions:
1) What are some things that happened today that you want to tell God about?
2) What is one happy thing that happened today? What is one sad thing that happened today?
3) Did you see God or feel God with you when those things were happening? Where did you see or feel God when those things happened today?
4) Read to your children this week’s scripture selection, then ask the questions that follows.
Luke 4:1-13
After he was baptized, Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit led him out into the wilderness, where he spent forty days to learn some lessons before he began his ministry. He didn’t eat anything during that time, and after forty days he was really, really hungry. The devil started talking to him: “You could turn this rock into some bread if you were really the Son of God, you know.” Jesus told him, “The scriptures tell me that bread is not the only thing that’ll keep me going.” That stumped the devil. Then the devil showed him all the kingdoms in the entire world. He said, “I’ll give you all the riches and power in the world, if you worship me instead of God. Everything you see will be yours.” Jesus thought about it, when suddenly the devil and Jesus were in Jerusalem at the temple. The devil dared Jesus to jump off the top of the temple, because scripture says, “God will send angels to protect you and catch you when you fall.” Jesus had had enough. “Scripture also says, don’t push God. Don’t make God pass your test.”
That was it for the devil. He had no more tests in him. So he left Jesus alone, for now.
Did the story remind you of anything that happened in your day today?
5) What are some things that you want to tell God that you are grateful for today?
Share some of your conversations in the comments below: