Children's Liturgy Guide

Mary, Mother of God

Year B · Christmas

Mary Treasured Everything

Reading: Luke 2:16-21

Leader Prep

Don't worry about doing this perfectly. If the children hear one good idea about God, Jesus, prayer, kindness, forgiveness, or the Gospel, this time has been worthwhile.

Summary

The shepherds hurried to find baby Jesus, just as the angels told them. Mary watched everything happen and kept all these special moments in her heart, thinking about what they meant.

Key Points

  • The shepherds found Jesus exactly as the angel said they would
  • Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart
  • Jesus was given His name on the eighth day, just as the angel had instructed
  • Mary is the Mother of God because Jesus is truly God

Background

This Gospel follows immediately after the angelic announcement to the shepherds. The shepherds' response models active faith: they go 'with haste' to see what God has revealed. Luke highlights Mary's contemplative response twice in his infancy narrative, here noting she 'treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.' The naming of Jesus on the eighth day fulfills the angel Gabriel's instruction (Luke 1:31) and connects to His identity as Savior (the name Yeshua means 'God saves'). Theologically, calling Mary 'Mother of God' (Theotokos) affirms that Jesus is one divine Person with two natures, human and divine, from the moment of His conception. For children, emphasize Mary's loving attention to everything about Jesus, keeping special memories in her heart, and how we can follow her example by paying attention to Jesus too. Set aside the deeper Christological implications of the Theotokos title for now.

Session Flow

Opening Prayer

Invite the children to pray with you, then read the opening prayer below. If many don't know the sign of the cross, teach the whole group.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear God, thank You for giving us Mary as the Mother of Jesus. Help us to treasure Jesus in our hearts just like Mary did. We ask this through Christ our Lord. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Warm-up

Ask the warm-up question before the reading. There are no wrong answers; this is just to help the children connect today's reading to their own lives.

Have you ever had something so special happen that you wanted to remember it forever? What did you do to help yourself remember it?

Example: When my baby sister was born, I looked at her tiny fingers over and over. I wanted to remember how small she was because she would grow bigger soon.

Bridge to the reading: You wanted to hold onto that special memory in your heart. In today's reading, we will hear about Mary, the mother of Jesus, and how she kept all the amazing things about Jesus tucked safely in her heart to treasure forever.

Read the Scripture

Read the day's selected passage aloud. The full Scripture text is not included here. Use a Children's Lectionary if your parish has one available. A children's Bible may also be helpful for younger children. Otherwise, read from a standard lectionary, Bible, or USCCB.org. Read slowly, with short pauses.

Reading Questions

Ask the questions conversationally. You do not need to use every question if time is short. The example answers are for leader preparation, not scripts or required answers.

  1. Who came to visit baby Jesus after the angels told them the good news?

    Example: The shepherds came to visit baby Jesus. They were watching their sheep at night when the angels told them where to find Jesus.

  2. What did the shepherds find when they got to where Jesus was?

    Example: The shepherds found Mary and Joseph, and baby Jesus lying in a manger, just like the angel told them they would.

  3. What did Mary do with all the things she saw and heard about Jesus?

    Example: Mary treasured all these things in her heart. She kept thinking about everything that happened and what it all meant.

  4. Why do you think Mary wanted to remember everything so carefully?

    Example: I think Mary loved Jesus so much that she did not want to forget anything. Every little thing about her baby was important to her.

Application Questions

Use these questions to help the children connect the reading to their own lives this week. Simple, concrete answers are best.

  1. How does it feel when someone pays very close attention to you and remembers special things about you?

    Example: It makes me feel really loved and important, like when my grandma remembers my favorite color and always picks it for my birthday presents.

  2. What is one way you could pay close attention to Jesus, like Mary did?

    Example: I could really listen during the readings at Mass instead of thinking about other things, and try to remember what the story was about.

  3. This week, who is someone you could treasure by paying close attention to them?

    Example: I could really listen to my little brother when he tells me about his day, and remember what he says so he knows I care about him.

Recap

Today we heard how the shepherds hurried to find baby Jesus and saw everything just as the angel promised. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, treasured all these special moments in her heart. She thought about them and remembered them carefully because she loved Jesus so much. We can be like Mary by treasuring Jesus in our hearts too.

Prayer of the Faithful

Before returning to the assembly, invite the children to share their own prayer intentions. Their prayers may be serious, simple, funny, or very specific. After each child's prayer, the group may respond: "Lord, hear our prayer." Lastly, include the suggested prayer below.

For all mothers, that they may treasure their children with the same love Mary had for Jesus, we pray to the Lord.

Closing Prayer

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Loving God, thank You for Mary, who loved Jesus and kept Him close in her heart. Help us to treasure Jesus every day and to remember how much You love us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

ChildrensLiturgy.org

Mary Treasured Everything

Luke 2:16-21

Word Search

Optional activity: use the word search after the discussion if you have time, or send it home with the children. The words relate to today's Children's Liturgy Scripture passage.

V W T J N G V W T M A N G E R
W O J C D Q B A B Y J B Y W J
J W J J C D D M L J O S E P H
E U B E P E X S L W O S T V L
T Y R S G A N G E L R N I E G
J O E U T K E R U S A E R T V
I Q M S H V H G D X M J U E Q
P K E P O J D O Y P E Q D E J
O R M A B S H E P H E R D S Q
N O B U Z G G F T T X Y Q M D
D U E J L P O Y J W R J X A P
E N R O M E C C X J V A S R S
R G C A U H O V V F G T E Y X
E A B X E L M O T H E R N H Z
D H R T M U F H W Z W L U O Q

Words to find

  • Mary
  • Jesus
  • shepherds
  • heart
  • manger
  • treasure
  • angel
  • Joseph
  • mother
  • remember
  • baby
  • pondered

ChildrensLiturgy.org