Primary Session
Luke 2:16-21
Opening Prayer
Let us pray.
Thank you, God, for giving us the example of Mary, the mother of your son. Help us be like her and believe all that you say. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.
Opening Life Reflection
Create a vignette where a child ends up in trouble because he broke a rule. An example might be getting lost in a crowd because the child left a safe area designated by a parent. Make sure the listeners understand that the consequence happened because a rule was broken.
• Why do our parents give us rules to follow?
• Why do you think God gives us rules to follow?
• How does Mary show us obedience?
Allow time for discussion. Mary obeys God even when she doesn’t fully understand God’s plan. She doesn’t completely understand what the shepherds are telling her, but she still listens to God’s messengers, thinks about what they have to say, and obeys.
Listening to the Word of God
In the gospel today, the shepherds visited Mary and Joseph. Even though Mary didn’t understand everything the shepherds told her, she remembered their words for her whole life.
Read Luke 2:16-21.
Allow for silence.
Scripture Discussion Starters
• What did the shepherds tell Mary and Joseph?
• What did Mary think about this news?
• What did the shepherds do when they left Mary, Joseph and Jesus?
Scripture Background
Provide 2-3 minutes of background information on the gospel using the Catechist Background and Preparation section.
After the shepherds receive the good news from the angel, they follow the sign to find the savior. They tell everyone they meet, including Joseph and Mary, that this child is indeed special, the Son of God and Savior of the world. People have a hard time understanding what all this means; even Mary can’t fully grasp all that the shepherds say. We know, however, that she keeps the words of the shepherds in her heart. They are words that she will reflect on throughout her life. Eight days later, Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the temple where he is named Jesus.
Questions for Deeper Reflection
• What do you suppose was going on in Mary’s heart as she pondered and reflected on the words of the shepherds?
• What are some thoughts you treasure in your own heart?
• How does this gospel passage help you tell others about the good news of Jesus?
[If you are not going to continue with the doctrinal discussion, proceed to the Gospel in Life.]
Doctrinal Discussion Starters
Mary is the Mother of God and all of humanity
As Christians we believe in the full humanity and full divinity of Jesus. We also recognize Mary’s role in God’s saving plan. She was the mother and bore Jesus, the human baby; but because we also believe in the two natures of Jesus and his full divinity, Mary then is the Mother of God. She was the mother of the whole person of Jesus, both his humanity and his divinity. It was at the Council of Ephesus in 431 that the Church proclaimed Mary truly to be the Mother of God.
Mary is part of the salvation won by Christ and hears this news when the shepherds come to the stable. She does not fully understand what they say to her, but she follows God’s laws, contemplates the words of the shepherds, and fully cooperates with the mystery of God.
• How do you see Mary as your mother?
• Why is Mary part of God’s plan to save us from sin?
• How can we cooperate with God’s saving plan?
Sacrament Connection
In baptism we become a member of the family of God and our parents choose a special name for us. They also choose people called godparents to help them as Christian parents. Mary gave a special name for her son, too. He was to be called “Jesus,” and that meant he would be our savior. Besides our parents and godparents, we have a special helper in Mary as well.
The Gospel in Life
What is one thing in your heart that you treasure in having Mary, the Mother of God, as your mother, too?
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