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The Psalms – Teen Family Lesson 2018-2019

Lesson Focus:  Divine Music – The Psalms

 

Before you begin – INSTRUCTIONS FOR PARENTS
  • To complete this lesson, you will need to refer to pages in the Catholic Youth Bible orange colored edition (CYB-O) OR Catholic Youth Bible  teal colored edition (CYB-T) as indicated.
  • After reviewing the lesson, you may find it necessary to explain the information to your children in language they can better understand. Please contact the FF Office at 716-688-0599 or email youth@stmaryswormville.org if you would like assistance in modifying an activity to better suite your family’s needs.

Pray!

 

Begin the lesson with prayer –
  • Begin the prayer with the Sign of the Cross
  • Say the following prayer together as a family
Make known to me your ways, Lord; teach me your paths. Psalm 25: 4 (CYB-O pg. 722, CYB-T pg. 683)
  • End the prayer with the Sign of the Cross

Discover!

 

What are the Psalms?  The Psalms are the ancient prayers sung by the Jewish people during worship and they make up a big part of the Church’s daily prayer today.  The people who wrote the Psalms expressed their joy and sorrow and poured their hearts out to God .  The Psalms help us to express our inmost hearts to God, offering Him our hopes, our thanks, our praises, and even our complaints.

Let’s check this out in our Bibles:

  1. CYB-T pg. 666 read:  “Praying with the Psalms”  As you read this, you will come to understand the different types of Psalms and how you can find which one best fits what you are experiencing right now.

Find a Psalm that relates to you.

Or,

CYB-O pg. 706 read: “ROCK!” and “IN DEPTH” to find out how these hymns of praise were used to give thanksgiving to God.

As you look through the different Psalms, find which one best fits what you are experiencing right now and reflect upon it.

 

Mass Facts
The Psalms are used by Catholics regularly in the Holy Mass.
One of the readings from sacred scripture is call the Responsorial Psalm.  This encourages all to participate in the Mass.
Thousands of years ago, Psalms were considered as an ancient hymnbook of praise and worship for the Jews inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Psalms are also referred to as Divine Music.
The Book of Psalms can help us express the full range of human emotion when praying to God. Remember that the Psalms cover a wide range of human experience. Even if we cannot personally relate to the feeling of a particular Psalm at a given moment we can be mindful of praying for those that are in the midst of that experience.
2. Watch this!  Finding Christ in the Psalms

 

Live!

 

  • One of the ways the Church continually prays the Psalms is through the Liturgy of the Hours. This is a great prayer to use with your family.
  • There are many resources online to guide praying the Liturgy of the Hours, which come from Psalms and other parts to help you discuss the Psalms.
 
  1. How do you express your joy or gratitude?
  2. How do you express your frustration or sadness?
  3. How can your family begin to pray the Psalms together?
 

Pray!

 

End your lesson with prayer –

 

  • Begin prayer with the Sign of the Cross
  • Say the following prayer as a family:
‘Keep me safe O God; in you I take refuge.  I say to the Lord, you are my Lord, you are my only good.  Amen’ Psalm 16: 1-2 (CYB – O pg. 715, CYB -T pg. 675)
  • End prayer with the Sign of the Cross