3rd Sunday of Lent Year B (2024)

About the 3rd Sunday of Lent Year B

What date is the Third Sunday of Lent 2024?

Sunday March 3, 2024

The readings for the 3rd Sunday of Lent for Year B (see below) help us understand that we must follow God’s commandments and truly live them in our hearts to find life. The first reading gives us the ten commandments. The second reading reminds us that God’s wisdom is not like human wisdom. And the gospel tells of Jesus cleansing the temple of the money changers who put there own desires above serving the Father.

What are the Mass Readings for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Year B?

• First Reading – Exodus 20:1-17: “I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me.”
• Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 19: “Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.”
• Second Reading – 1 Corinthians 1:22-25: “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”
• Gospel – John 2:13-25: “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”

If your parish is doing the RCIA scrutinies, use the readings for Year A instead.

What Are the Themes for the Mass Readings for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Year B?

• Ten Commandments
• Morality
• Church Authority
• Distractions in church

What Is in Your Church? Discussion and Reflection Questions

This reflection will help youth consider why they are at mass. Is their church a place where they meet God? Or is it something else? Do we bring the things and cares of the world into church and let them distract us?

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.

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… (Social media graphic for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Year B)

Ten Commandments Dice Game

This activity is a game to learn the Ten Commandments. Making learning into a game is more engaging for children than just telling them to memorize.

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.

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.

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.  Many Catholic retreat centers have prayer labyrinths on their grounds. Call ahead to find out when they are open to visitors.

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.