29th Sunday in Ordinary Time October 18, 2020

October 18th Lesson Theme – The Gospels

Our Gospels were written between 40 to 70 years after the Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus.  The four evangelists give us four different perspective about the life of Jesus.  They do not tell us about the life of Mary or Joseph since that is not the purpose of their stories.  Mark, Matthew, and John probably knew Jesus personally. Luke was not even Jewish and writes about women and the early childhood of Jesus by talking to “eyewitnesses.”


Stories about our Catholic saints can spark a renewed interest in our faith. 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.


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. Include one or more of the following: a cross, crucifix, Bible, holy pictures/statue and family photos to help your family focus on the lesson.
  • 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 Gospels.

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 Why the Gospels? 

Answers may include to learn more about Jesus’s life on earth, or maybe so that we can understand God. The lesson and resources will provide more insight into the question.


Watch the video from Catholic Central below. (8 minutes)

Video Topics

  • Four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
  • Written in the language of the day — Greek
  • Good messengers (Greek)
  • Good News (Old English)
  • Incarnation – into/or becoming flesh (Latin)
  • Inspiration: Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the author uses their talents to recount/share the God’s words with us.
  • Synoptic – Seen together; Seen with the same eye

Family Discussion Questions

  • What is your favorite story about Jesus?
  • What is your favorite parable? (a story Jesus told)
  • Who is your favorite person (not counting Jesus) in the New Testament?
  • Why was it important to get the account of an eyewitness about Jesus? 


Closing Prayer

Choose one of your favorites, or one from your hearts. There are prayer recourses here.

Theme Refresher Catechism of the Catholic Church

This week’s lesson is a basic class outline seeking to teach what we believe as Catholics. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the best source to understand our Catholic beliefs. The paragraphs from the Catechism below help us understand what we need to know about the Gospels


125  The Gospels are the heart of all the Scriptures “because they are our principal source for the life and teaching of the Incarnate Word, our Savior”.


126 We can distinguish three stages in the formation of the Gospels:

1. The life and teaching of Jesus. The Church holds firmly that the four Gospels, “whose historicity she unhesitatingly affirms, faithfully hand on what Jesus, the Son of God, while he lived among men, really did and taught for their eternal salvation, until the day when he was taken up.”

2. The oral tradition. “For, after the ascension of the Lord, the apostles handed on to their hearers what he had said and done, but with that fuller understanding which they, instructed by the glorious events of Christ and enlightened by the Spirit of truth, now enjoyed.”

3. The written Gospels. “The sacred authors, in writing the four Gospels, selected certain of the many elements which had been handed on, either orally or already in written form; others they synthesized or explained with an eye to the situation of the churches, the while sustaining the form of preaching, but always in such a fashion that they have told us the honest truth about Jesus.”


139 The four Gospels occupy a central place because Christ Jesus is their center.


Discovering God in Everyday Life

God inspired the writers of the Gospels.  God also continues to inspire us.  All of a sudden, you think of calling someone, or doing a kind deed, or saying a prayer for a person.  Later you find out that the person really needed that call, act of kindness, or prayer.

“We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.” – St. Pope John Paul II

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