28th Sunday in Ordinary Time October 11, 2020

Lesson Theme Learning About God – The Bible: Old Testament and New Testament
One of the ways God teaches us about Himself is through Sacred Scripture, the Bible.  As Catholics we know that this is the Word of God. This lesson could be considered an introduction to the Bible as well as a refresher lesson of how we use the Bible to nurture our relationship with God. Taking some time to look through your family’s Bible this week, will complement the lesson. Your family may also enjoy some of the stories in the video below.


In addition to this week’s lesson, your family may be interested in learning more about the saints that we are celebrating this week. View the videos below and/or read more about them on the Featured Saints page here.


Theme – Learning About God The core of the lesson is below, and it is important to complete it. You will find many resources to compliment the core lesson on the links at the bottom of the page. Watching the six-minute video, ‘The Big Story‘, reading the Sunday’s readings, and Catechism references in the Theme Refresher will help you gain more insight into the lesson theme. We hope some of the resources appeal to your family’s dynamics. Explore, enjoy, and keep the faith!


Lesson Preparation

  • Choose a time to present the lesson that provides for minimal distractions but remember to be flexible if and when they occur. The lesson can be completed in one sitting or spread out through the week.
  • Designate your gathering space. Have a Bible and some family photos accessible in your gathering space.
  • As you begin, explain what you will be presenting and discussing during the lesson.
  • Throughout the lesson, encourage thoughtful discussion to gain awareness of your family’s understanding of the Bible.

Prayer Begin your lesson with a prayer. You may have a favorite family prayer, want to choose from our Catholic traditional prayers, or prefer a spontaneous prayer. HSCP Prayers


Opening Question How do we learn about God?  Some answers may include reading the Bible, going to Mass, listening to the Gospel, and/or going to CCE classes.


Watch The Big Story It is a 6 minute video.

Family Discussion Questions

  • What did you like best about the video?
  • The Bible tells us about our family of Faith.  Talk about those in your family who have shared their faith with you.
  • Share a story you remember from the Old Testament of the Bible. (Adam and Eve, Abraham, Noah, Joseph, etc.)
  • What is your favorite story about Jesus?


Closing Prayer Choose one of your favorites, or one from your hearts asking God to give you a deeper love of His Word, the Bible.

Theme Refresher Catechism of the Catholic Church

  • 104 In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it not as a human word, “but as what it really is, the word of God”. “In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them.”
  • 105 God is the author of Sacred Scripture. “The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.”69 “For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age, accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and the New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author, and have been handed on as such to the Church herself.”
  • 138 The Church accepts and venerates as inspired the 46 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New.
  • 140 The unity of the two Testaments proceeds from the unity of God’s plan and his Revelation. The Old Testament prepares for the New and the New Testament fulfills the Old; the two shed light on each other; both are true Word of God.

Discovering God in Everyday Life


The important part of living life is to let God into our lives.  God speaks to us in our hearts, through those God has given to us that love us, and through Scriptures.  Take the time to let God speak to you through the Old and New Testament.


“Only for today, I will devote ten minutes of my time to some good reading, remembering that just as food is necessary to the life of the body, so good reading is necessary to the life of the soul” ― Pope John XXIII


God’s Word has many uses, and one is incorporating it into your lesson. The Sunday readings can be used in place of the Theme Refresher above. You can view that page here.

Optional activities and resources that compliment this lesson can be found on the links below. 

God’s Word
Featured Saints
Family Activities
Additional Videos and Resources
Lesson Theme