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Mary

First Century

Mary, First Century

January 1

Mary is the Mother of Jesus. She is the greatest of all Saints. One day an angel gave Mary a message. “You will have a son named Jesus.” Mary was confused. She asked, “How can this be done?” The angel said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you. Your son will be the Son of God.” The Holy Spirit was with Mary. The Spirit is with us, too, in the Sacraments.

Discuss: What Sacraments have you received?

Mary is the Mother of Jesus. She is the greatest of all Saints. But even Mary had a hard time understanding things she couldn’t see. One day an angel gave Mary a message. “You will have a son named Jesus.” Mary was confused. She asked, “How can this be done?” The angel said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you. Your son will be the Son of God.” The Holy Spirit was with Mary. The Spirit is with us, too, in the Sacraments.

One of Mary’s titles is the Theotokos, which means “Bearer of God.” She was with the Apostles when the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost. Mary is considered the greatest of all Saints and also the first disciple. Because she said “yes” to God and became the Mother of his Son, Jesus, all people have been saved from the power of sin and everlasting death.

Mary is our great role model in the Church. She reminds us to serve all and say “yes” to God’s plan for our lives.

Activity

Holy Spirit Symbol
Visual/Spatial

Remind the child that the Holy Spirit is symbolized as a dove. The Holy Spirit came to Mary, and comes to us through the Sacraments. The Holy Spirit then remains with us always.

  • Have the child create their own Holy Spirit symbol from a pre-cut paper plate.
  • Give the child pre-cut shapes. One bird body from the center of the plate extending to the fluted edge to represent the tail. From the extra fluted edges that were removed from the plate, cut one wing shape.
  • You will also need a pre-cut orange paper beak shape. A button can be used for the eye.
  • Have the child glue the parts together, the wing at the top of the bird body, the beak at the nose, and the eye placed above the beak.
  • Encourage the child to hang the dove in their room to remind them that the Holy Spirit is always with them.