Celebrating the Mass Lesson- Our Gifts

(This lesson is in accordance with the new Roman Missal that is to be implemented on November 27, 2011.)

*Be sure to adjust this lesson to fit the needs of your students.


(Please take in consideration that I am just a Mom and I'm providing these lessons and activities to the best of my abilities. I will try to make them as accurate as possible, but I know I will make a few mistakes and it was not intentional.)



In most churches a basket is passed around and the people can contribute some money to help support the church. The Church uses that money to help pay for the Church expenses and contributions for the community and around the world. It takes money to buy various things like candles, instruments, books, music, etc. The money is also used for missionaries, charities, running the church, church maintenance, food for the poor, etc.

During the collection, we are sitting and a hymn is sung while the altar is being prepared and the gifts are being assembled. A corporal, purificator, Sacramentary, paten, and chalice are all placed on the altar. We continue to sing while our gifts as well as the bread and wine are brought from the congregation to the presider of the Mass in a procession.

Tithing is our contribution to the support of the Church; formerly one tenth of one’s yearly income given to the Church. The word tithe means 10%. A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. Lev. 27:30, 32. This means that a tenth of everything your land produces (company produces, or what you make) belongs to God.

Many verses in the Bible touch on the subject such as:

(You can have your students look these up in the Bible.)

Gen. 14:20
Gen. 28:20-22
2 Chr. 31:5-6
Neh. 10:35-39; 12:44
Matt. 23:23
Luke 11:42



Questions:

Do we sit or stand during the preparation of the gifts? (Sit)

What things do we (or our parents) give to the church? (Money, time, food for the poor, coats and clothes for people who need them, etc.)

What is the money given to the church used for? (Missionaries, charities, running the church, church maintenance, food for the poor, etc.)

What else is carried to the presider of the Mass along with our gifts of money? (The bread and wine.)



Crafts:

catholicicing.com- Church Piggy Bank

shereebirrell.blogspot.com- I Can Pay Tithing, Budget, and Save Money craft

christiancrafters.com- Tithing Bank

thehometeacher.org- Tithing Box Printable




Games:

These games below are free, however they can only to be used for classroom and personal use. They may not be published on any websites or other electronic media, or distributed in newsletters, bulletins, or any other form or sold for profit. Reproduction or retransmission of any materials, in whole or in part, in any manner, is not permitted. All graphics/images/clipart etc. used on these games are not my own and are from various internet sources.



Tithing- A simple game to help reinforce tithing to young children.


Introduction: Tithing is our contribution to the support of the Church; formerly one tenth of one’s yearly income given to the Church. The Church uses that money to help pay for the Church expenses and contributions for the community and around the world.

Directions: Give each player 5 tokens (play money, poker chips, milk caps, etc.) to represent their tithing (money that they have put aside to give to the Church). Put one small basket on the table to put the donations in. Place your marker on any space on the game board. Each player in turn rolls the die and moves their marker along the board. They may go forward or backwards or follow any branch of the board they wish, as long as they only go one direction within a turn. This means that you can go forward or backward, but only forward or only backward in a single turn. When a player lands on a space that has a basket on it, they pick up a Game Card and read it out loud (if they cannot read it, someone else can read it for them). Then they put their donation (1 token) into the basket and their turn is over. The first player to donate all their tithing money wins.








How much do you tithe?- Try to figure out how much you should tithe as you move around the board.


Place your marker on START. Roll the die and move that many spaces. Follow the directions on the space. If you land on a space with the picture of Tithing on it, the player to your left draws a card and reads it out loud. The player is asked "What is 10% of ___?" If the player answers correctly they stay where they are. If they are incorrect, they move back 2 spaces. If you land on the piggy bank that is hungry, you did not put God first and spent all your money. You did not leave any money to do tithing and therefore lose your next turn. If you land on Tightwad, all other players say “TIGHTWAD!” because you refuse to give any money so you must change places with the player that is closest to START. Players roll the die and continue to move around the board. The first player to FINISH wins.















Christianopoly (file folder game)- The object of the game is to learn the responsibility of good financial stewardship; making the right decisions about the money we have and managing it wisely. This includes being able to pay necessary bills at home, putting aside for the things you want, and taking care of your family. Not only do you have bills to pay, mortgages, insurance, etc. you must pay taxes, make donations and do tithing as well.



Puzzles & Worksheets

christianbiblereference.org- Tithing (Word Search)

wordsearchfun.com- The ABCs of Giving (Word Search)

wordmint.com- Tithing (Word Search)

wordmint.com- Tithing (Word Search & Crossword)

wvdiocese.org- Stewardship (Word Search)

ministry-to-children.com- “Learn about Tithes and Offerings” Bible Worksheet & Puzzles

greaterfellowship.org- Budget & Tithing Worksheet

nyt.com- Guide To Giving Worksheet