3rd Sunday of Lent – Year B (2021)

The readings for the 3rd Sunday of Lent for Year B help us understand that we must follow God’s commandments and truly live them in our hearts to find life. The first reading (Exodus 20:1-17) gives us the ten commandments. The psalm (Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11) sings “Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.” The second reading (1 Corinthians 1:22-25) reminds us that God’s wisdom is not like human wisdom. And in the gospel (John 2:13-25) tells of Jesus cleansing the temple of the money changers who put there own desires above serving the Father.

Some possible themes for this weekend are the Ten Commandments, morality, and Church authority. Here are some ideas:

Printable Ten Commandments Cryptogram

Today's activity from Young Catholics is a printable puzzle of the Ten Commandments. A key is also provided, in case you are not an expert in cryptography. 🙂

Ten Commandments Activity

This simple Ten Commandments activity will help children who already have some knowledge of the Ten Commandments learn how to order them correctly.

Pope Francis’ Five Finger Prayer

Pope Francis' Five Finger Prayer is a way to remember who to pray for. Download a printable PDF of this prayer aid.

Is Lent Like March Madness?

This article from Busted Halo describes how Lent can be a little bit like March Madness. We make our brackets and fill them in. " Lent isn't basketball though. " This article may resonate with your youth and encourage them to go deeper during this holy season.

Go to a Prayer Labyrinth

A prayer labyrinth is a circle with a path in it which you walk while you pray. The purpose of the labyrinth is to facilitate prayer.  Several Catholic retreat centers in our area have prayer labyrinths on their grounds. They can be really effective for some youth with Autism or ADHD.

Pray for More Vocations to the Priesthood

It is no secret that we need more priests in the Catholic Church. Giving your whole life to the service of the Church is counter-cultural and many young people do not even consider it. God calls us all to a specific vocation. So we should pray that those being called to the priesthood will hear and answer that call. 

Make Blessing Bags for the Homeless

Almsgiving is one of the traditional Lenten practices. One way to give to the less fortunate is to make blessing bags for the homeless. These care packages can be given to a local homeless shelter or outreach program to be distributed to their clients.  You can also keep blessing bags in your car to distribute to any homeless members of the community you encounter in your daily life.

Lenten Activities: Read a Story from the Gospels

Get together with your family to read a gospel story this Lent. This is also a great activity for Sunday school or youth ministry. You can select one from the daily mass readings. But sometimes the daily gospel can be difficult to understand, especially for younger children. Here are some other suggestions.

Learn a New Prayer

It is good to keep your prayer life fresh by trying a new type of prayer from time to time. While I like just sitting and listening or doing something a little less structured like Lectio Divina, sometimes there are times when a traditional prayer brings me comfort and inspiration.

What Is “Moral Law”?

The Catholic Church teaches that moral law comes from God as "fatherly instructions" to help us determine what is right and what is wrong.

Lenten Activities: Visit an Elderly Relative or a Nursing Home

Visiting an elderly relative or friend can be a meaningful activity for children and teens during Lent. Or visit a nursing home.  But it can also be uncomfortable for children, young and old, who are not used to visiting with senior citizens. They seem to have so little in common. But in fact, there are some easy ways to break the ice.

The Foolishness of God

Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.