■ It is evergreen all winter long.■ It is round like the world, a circle

with no end.■ It beckoned the Magi to Bethlehem.■ We string these to create joy.■ What we give because God gave us

Jesus.

■ He is the reason for the season.■ A neighborhood sound heard

especially at Christmas.■ How we share our joy with

feathered friends.■ Reminders of the Light of the

World.

Match the clues with the Christmas symbols in the picture.

P F L A U M G O S P E L W E E K L I E S F a i t h F o r m a t i o n P r o g r a m

December 22, 20194th Sunday of Advent

How Do We Know It’s Christmas?

the fifth book in a series by her favorite author, and it was a hardcover copy. Darcy was saving to buy hardcover copies of the whole series. She wasn’t going to settle for the paperbacks.

“Hey, I’ve read some of those books!” It was a girl’s voice coming from the seat behind Darcy. The girl got up and sat down beside her.

“Did you get that at the library?” the girl asked.

“No, this one’s mine,” Darcy answered. She studied the girl’s face and decided the girl was probably a year or two younger than she was.

“No kidding?” the girl asked seriously.

“No kidding,” Darcy answered.

“As soon as I get a library card, I’m going to take out a stack of books and just read forever.”

“You don’t have a library card yet?” Darcy asked with surprise.

“Not yet,” the girl answered. “My family just moved here. My dad lost his job where we used to live, so we’re staying with some of our relatives for a while. My dad is pretty sure he will have a new job after Christmas. But he

The bus driver pulled over to the curb. Darcy watched as two older girls from her school stood up and pushed the exit buzzer. “See you tomorrow, Darcy,” one said.

“Don’t slip on the ice!” the other girl said with a smile.

Darcy laughed and waved goodbye as the bus dug its wheels into the snow and traveled on. The woman next to her moved to a window seat, and Darcy was sitting alone.

She opened her backpack and carefully pulled out her new book. Just holding it made her feel happy. It was

2

The christmas Bus Ride

says, ‘No money for Christmas presents this year, Amy.’”

“I’m sorry,” Darcy said.“It’s not so bad,” Amy

answered. “You know what?” “What?”“I once wrote a letter to

that author. I told her how much I liked her books. I mailed it to the company that published her books, hoping they would send it along to her. I discovered a real sad thing.”

“What’s that?” Darcy asked.“She’s dead.”Darcy knew that about the

author but didn’t say so. She didn’t want to sound like a know-it-all.

“How sad,” Darcy said. “But when you read her books, it seems as if she is alive and sitting next to you telling you a story, don’t you think?”

“I think I know what you mean,” Amy answered. “Like now, at Christmastime, when I read the Nativity story, it’s as if Mary and Joseph are in Bethlehem right now, this year. Jesus is still a baby in a manger. And everyone is happy.”

“Don’t forget the angels and shepherds,” Darcy added.

“One Christmas when I was real little, I went outside at night and looked for the Star of Bethlehem,” Amy said. “Kind of silly, huh?”

Darcy didn’t answer. She looked out into the street traffic and realized they were coming into downtown. Her orthodontist’s office was still quite a few blocks up ahead.

I hate getting my braces tightened, she thought. They’ll hurt straight through Christmas!

Darcy gazed at the city all dressed up for Christmas. Store windows glittered with Christmas gifts. Mannequins showed off party dresses and brilliant jewels. A sign in a travel agent’s window said, “Give your family the Swiss Alps this Christmas!” Some presents are pretty expensive, Darcy thought to herself.

Darcy thought about all the gifts she hoped to get for Christmas— more books, an iPad, some clothes—and remembered what Amy’s dad said about no gifts this year. She glanced at Amy, who was studying the map printed on her bus schedule.

“When your dad said, ‘No gifts this year,’ did he mean no big gifts or no gifts at all?” she asked.

“We never get big gifts,” Amy answered. “But Mom said ‘no gifts’ means no gifts. Period. I think I might still get something from my grandma.”

The bus stopped on Sixth Street. Passengers got off, and the bus started up again. Halfway down the street, Darcy reached up and pushed the exit buzzer. Her orthodontist’s office was on Seventh Street.

“Hey, Merry Christmas!” Amy said with a bright smile when Darcy stood up to leave.

“Thanks,” Darcy answered. She put on her mittens and tossed her bookbag over her shoulder. Then she picked up her new book and placed it on Amy’s lap. “I hope you have a Merry Christmas too.”

When the bus came to a stop, Darcy stepped off.

3Bayard supports Pope Francis’s call to care for our common home. Please share your copy of VENTURE with a friend or recycle it properly. Thank you.

THINK1 What inspires Darcy to give her book to Amy? When have you given someone something you treasure?

2 How does Christmas make you feel? Why?

3 What is a way you can make the spirit of Christmas live here and now?

Narrator 1: This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she became pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Narrator 2: Her husband Joseph, an upright man unwilling to expose her to the law, decided to divorce her quietly. This was what he intended to do when an angel of God appeared to him in a dream.

Angel: Joseph, son of David, have no fear about taking Mary as your wife. She has conceived this child by the Holy Spirit. She

An Angel Speaks to Joseph

Jesus Is Divine and HumanDuring Advent, we prepare to celebrate one of the great Christian mysteries—the Incarnation. Incarnation is the mystery of Jesus, God’s divine Son, becoming man. Jesus, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, is both truly divine (like God) and truly human (like us). By becoming human, Jesus reveals how human beings can live and love the same way God does. Jesus shows us that loving, forgiving, and sharing are ways in which human beings can act the same way God acts.

But why would God come to us this way? It’s a simple reason, but it can take a lifetime or even longer to really know. This is why the Church calls the Incarnation a mystery. Jesus is God, in human form, who comes to Earth to bring us back to God. He comes to save us from our human weaknesses, our sins. He comes so that we can truly know how much God loves us. Jesus shows us that love in how he lives.

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WHAT THE CHURCH BELIEVES AND TEACHES HANDBOOK

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1 How does Joseph first react when he learns Mary is pregnant?

2 What does the angel tell Joseph? What makes Joseph ready to believe the angel?

3 How is Jesus a gift to you? What is a gift of yourself you give to others this Christmas?

THINK

Connecting GOSPEL and DOCTRINE

is to have a son and you are to name him Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.

Narrator 1: All this happened to fulfill what God had said through the prophet.

Isaiah: A woman is with child and will give birth to a son, who shall be called Emmanuel, God-with-us.

Narrator 2: When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of God had told him. Joseph took Mary into his home as his wife.

1 Turn to page 53 in What the Church

Believes and Teaches. In the Apostles’ Creed, find the lines that describe Jesus’ Incarnation. What are these words in the Nicene Creed?

2 Look at your Venture Advent calendar. Of what activities are you most proud? Are there any projects you would like to do again?

We can learn something well by explaining it to someone else. Turn to page 10 in What the Church Believes and Teaches and read What Is the Mystery of the Incarnation? Then, with a partner, explain this mystery in your own words. Then go home and explain the Incarnation to someone in your family.

4th Sunday of Advent Matthew 1:18–24

SUNDAY GOSPEL

About 734 b.c., a descendent of King David

named Ahaz became king of Judah. Ahaz was only eighteen years old when he became the king of the southern kingdom in Jerusalem.

Pekah was king of the northern kingdom of Israel. He made a plot with the king of Syria to get the young king of Judah to join them in a war against Assyria. The two kings threatened to attack Jerusalem if Ahaz didn’t join their plot. This made young King Ahaz tremble like the leaves of a tree in a wind.

God told the prophet Isaiah to take his son, meet young King Ahaz on a highway, and tell him not to fear the kings who were plotting against him. So Isaiah went out and gave Ahaz the message to trust God. The message ended, “Unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm!” (Isaiah 7:9).

God told Isaiah that Ahaz could ask for a sign from

God. But Ahaz pretended he did not want to put God to the test and refused to ask for a sign. Isaiah grew angry and said to him, “Is it too little that you make human beings tired? Do you have to make God tired, too?” (Isaiah 7:13)

Then Isaiah told Ahaz that God would give him a sign anyway. Someone else would be king, someone who would have faith in God. This was God’s sign: a “young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son shall name him Emmanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

Isaiah Delivers a Message to Ahaz

Our Catholic FAI H

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INCARNATION The mystery of God becoming man. Jesus, the Son of God, became truly man while remaining truly God. The word Incarnation means “taking flesh.”

FAITH WORDCatholic

Matthew Tells Who Jesus IsSunday’s Gospel appears to be a simple story, but it tells us a lot about Jesus. In a dream, an angel tells Joseph to take Mary as his wife, for her pregnancy is an act of God. The angel also tells Joseph the name to give his son.

In ancient Israel, the man who names a child becomes the child’s legal father. Since Joseph

belongs to the family of David, so will his son. This is Matthew’s way of telling us Jesus is the Messiah, who was to come from David’s royal line. The angel tells Joseph he should name the child Jesus, which means “he saves.” Jesus’ name tells us his purpose among us.

Matthew also connects Jesus’ birth with the words of the prophet Isaiah, “ A woman is with child and will give birth to a son, who shall be called Emmanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14). The name Emmanuel means “God with us.” Jesus’ name also describes his important mission on Earth. God sent Jesus to be with us and to save us.

Gospel Background

Find this child’s name in Isaiah 7:14.

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What does this name mean?

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What lines from Advent and Christmas songs do you know that mention the child whom Isaiah promises God will send?

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Write in the star an activity your family always does to prepare for Christmas. Or write an activity you all want to do during your Christmas break.

■ Drive around to look at Christmas lights.

■ Read the Christmas story out loud.

■ Go to a Christmas pageant at school or church.

■ Play games and cards.

■ Watch or read How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

■ Sing Christmas carols.

■ Set up the Nativity scene.

■ Go to a Christmas parade.

■ Go shopping for Toys For Tots.

■ Light the Advent wreath and say special prayers.

The family we grow up in makes a difference in who we are and become. Our families shape us. We can’t get along without them. Our families have customs and traditions that are passed down from one

generation to the next. Discuss with your parents and other family members the Christmas customs that matter to your family. In this way you can help pass them along to your children someday.

Family Christmas FunWhat special activities does your family do every Christmas? Some families shared their favorite Christmas activities with Venture. Put a check by activities your family does.

Living the GOSPEL

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How Does Your Family Celebrate Christmas?

For free at-home activities, visit

gospelweeklies.com/seasonal

Christmas Food List your favorite things to make and eat.

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Who helps make this food?

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Special People To whom does your family give food and gifts or send cards?

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How did these people become special to you?

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Christmas GuestsWho always comes for Christmas?

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Special DecorationsList your most special ornaments and other décor.

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What do you remember because of the decorations?

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How Does Your Family Celebrate Christmas?

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Joseph is chosen by God to care for his Son, Jesus. We may think of Joseph as adopting Jesus and being his father on Earth.

Joseph chooses to be a husband to Mary and a father to Jesus.

Joseph is a refugee who forced to flee with his wife and child for a foreign land. He protects his family.

Joseph is a faithful Jewish person who travels with his family to Jerusalem for the big feast days.

Joseph is a model of faith. He is patron saint of many countries, of carpenters and fathers, and of the universal Church.

Joseph is compassionate and decides to divorce Mary quietly when he hears she is pregnant and knows the child is not his. Mary would have been punished in those times.

Joseph is a carpenter who builds tools for farming and furniture for homes. He is also called a tekton. This means that Joseph probably also worked with stone.

Saints Who Is Saint Joseph?

IImprimatur: +Most Reverend Robert J. McManus, S.T.D., Bishop of Worcester, August 10, 2019. Theological Reviewer: Reverend Michael T. Martine, S.T.B., J.C.L.; Editorial Director: David Dziena; Editor: Nicholle Check; Designer: Jennifer Poferl. Printed in the USA. VENTURE copyright © 2019 by Pflaum Publishing Group, a division of Bayard, Inc., sponsored by the Augustinians of the Assumption. Material in this issue may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form or format without special permission from the publisher. Page 1 art: Ansgar Holmberg, CSJ; pages 2-3 art: Michael Tortora; page 4 art: Marcelino Truong/Bayard; page 5: Ansgar Holmberg, CSJ; page 6: © Bayard Presse – Filotéo 248 –Anne Ardichvili; page 7: arbobii/iStock.com, Tijana87/iStock.com, lisegagne/iStock.com, cmannphoto/iStock.com, MilosStankovic/iStock.com, monkeybusinessimages/iStock.com; page 8: Marion Honors, johavel/iStock.com.8

Pray God, you help me make choices that bring me closer to you. Help me to follow your guidance. Amen.

ThinkWhen has God helped you make a choice when you needed help?

ActCount the number of angels that decorate your church, home, or Christmas décor. Recall the stories you know about angels in the Christmas story. Encourage your family to look for angels this week as you prepare for Jesus’ coming at Christmas.

With My Family and FriendsJoseph has two feast

days—on March 19 and May 1. Catholics also honor him as part of the Holy Family during the Christmas season.

Week 4: Advent Calendar List Choose three activities to write in the crib spaces on your Advent calendar.

■ Play with a sibling.

■ Volunteer to clean a room at home.

■ Read the Christmas Gospel (Luke 2:1–14) to your family.

■ Read a Christmas story to a child or older person.

■ Help bake a Christmas surprise.

■ Wish “Merry Christmas” to five people in your neighborhood.

■ Give something of your own as a Christmas present.

■ Visit the manger scene at your parish church.