Childrens Mass at OLSH

Class V OLSH 2017

Teaching Catechism at OLSH

Parables of Jesus, A Short Skit

By Jibrael Jos(Performed by Class V students on Annual Day)

10 Narrators
10 Sing/Music
10 Actors

(Each verse will be accompanied by a freeze on stage)

Scene 1
Jesus was a teacher
Who taught us how to live
with love for your neighbour
Never to fight but to forgive

Jesus said::
God is like a shepherd
who takes care of his flock
Out of 100, if even one is lost
He will search round the clock

Jesus said::
If someone hits you on one cheek
Show him the other one
Keep forgiving your brother
Even if 490 times it has to be done

Like the Father in the Prodigal Son
Who yearned for his son's knock
He redefined God as Our Father
with whom we can directly talk

Song::Come back to me, With all your heart
Don't let faith, Keep us apart
Trees do bend, Though straight and tall
So must we to others call
Long have I waited for your coming
Home to me and living deeply our new life

Scene 2In the Parable of the Sower
Jesus highlights the need to listen
Where the yield of each seed
Becomes a measure of a Christian

Some fell on rocky ground
Some fell on the way
ones which fell on the path
By the birds were eaten away

Some (seeds) fell by the rocks
But were exposed to the sun
sprouted but without roots
they were all scorched and done

Some (seeds) fell among thorns
And grew for a while
But they got choked
And sadly they did die

Some(seeds) fell in good soil
And brought forth grain
Some thirty, some sixty
Some a hundred fold gain

Jesus told us parables
And taught us how to pray
Will we listen to him
Or forget what he did say

MC: But I have been waiting so long
       When will my prayers be answered

Song ::In his time

Scene 3

(Half class forms a tree, the lines are said by students themselves )

In the Parable of the Mustard Seed
What is the lesson for us?
If a seed can grow into a tree
What could we grow up to be!

Seed must know how the leaf should grow
It must know where the roots should go

Science to convert light from the sun
Maths to get leaf multiplication done

Chemistry for the fruit's taste
And generate oxygen as its waste

Blueprint of the leaf and bark
Floral fragrance that leaves a mark

Engineering to make strong wood
Yet live in the forest doing good

With grace to stay still and calm
Never doing anyone any harm

Mighty as the big banyan tree
Root spread out but spirit seems free

If a seed can grow into a tree
Without input from you and me

Then imagine what every child can be
Once they believe in the possibility

(the other half class will form semi circle around tree, 

showing how they grew up to be happy, responsible, 

leader, teacher, farmer, banker, athlete, winner etc) 

Aspiration

Written by Jibrael Jos
(Short story for Anu Adi)

Rahul always wanted a cycle
But he couldn't afford one
Kids cycled around whole day
It seemed a lot of fun

On the day of his birthday
Dad took him to an old junk yard
All kind of spoilt or rejected goods
Were scattered all over the yard

He spotted a kids cycle
But without pedal and chain
Old windows and metal goods
Collecting rust in the rain

And then his eyes fell on
On old fashioned bicycle
It seemed pretty intact
maybe missing a few parts

Father and son carried it home
Under the hot sweltering sun
But they had a contented smile
As if the world had been won

They tinkered on it next day
And changed tyre and tube
With some grease and paint
They hoped to get it renewed

When Rahul test rode it after a week
He had a smile plastered on his face
But the children in the apartment
Found the cycle a complete disgrace

Rahul cycled up the hill alone
In the early light of every holiday
His father looked on with joy
As Rahul strived higher each day

No magic spell,  no fairy or wizard
But Rahul felt stronger every day
It must be his passion for cycling
His muscles started rippling away

Once thin and frail Rahul
started winning races in school
Children in the apartment
started to find him very cool

Even the old weird cycle
Was now liked by the crowd
It became a symbol of perseverance
A style statement clear and loud

Running

Written By Jibrael Jos

Initially told to Anu Adi , later shared in class

Rahul started running
Little by little everyday
What started as a challenge
Became an obsession in a way

Once he tasted the joy
Of running in his body and mind
He couldn't sit and rest on Sunday
He chose to run, even to unwind

Once he saw the returns of discipline
He started to expand his horizon
He started reading newspaper daily
Even began to explore notes of new songs

He made a new friend, Sagar
while running on the road
Sagar played the guitar
Rahul could play keyboard

Along with another two
They started to jam at night
Before long their group
was performing under disco light

Band was pretty cool
But what about school
Parents were slightly worried
But they had not understood

This running was warping
the fabric of space time
Productive hour's seemed to
slow down the clock's chime

School grades went up
and friend circle doubled
They got paid for their gigs
Fun in life, just quadrupled

Sagar and Rahul
Will do well we can surely say
Bubbling with new ideas
As they run 4K every day

Some friendship are the ships
To explore the whole world
Not only in terms of countries but
Universes our minds can unfold

Dedication

Written By Jibrael Jos

First told to my children and later used in multiple catechism class and leadership workshop for children

To be told in story telling style

Pragya loved to watch movies
And she could see three in a row
Until she got into reading
And she could consume much more

She had a broad spectrum of interest
She took part in music and art
She loved mystery and history
But one fine day, it all came apart

She met with an accident
And fractured two ribs and a bone
With six months of bed rest
Was it her destiny to cry and moan?

Her initial days were depressing
With days full of medical test
Then sitting on the bed whole day
Sucked out all her happiness

What started as a diary
Became a full fledged plot
What started as short stories
Became a saga of sorts

A bad stroke of luck
Paved her journey to success
Six months of introspection led to
lot of applause and happiness

No genetic or family advantage
was the magic behind her name
Her dedicated incremental effort
was the secret of her fame

He Prayed once more

Theme: Importance of Prayer

Taught in class VI and once in Class VII
Written by Jibrael Jos

To be narrated in story telling style

Billy was a boy from Mexico 

He was afraid of ghosts you know

Once while walking on the street

He heard a weird scary beat

*Billy boy Billy boy 

Prayed once more*(chorus by children)

Then he noticed it was a 

Cat scratching the door

Billy boy Billy boy

Started to think

Was it God who helped

Him in a blink

One day Billy boy 

Got hurt in a match

Blood was flowing 

From the scratch

What do you think Billy boy did?

Did he cry , what do you think

*Billy boy Billy boy

Prayed once more* (chorus by children)

He looked at the blood

Yet he worried no more

Billy boy Billy boy

Took someone's help

And Doctor was surprised 

He didn't cry or yelp

Billy boy Billy boy 

Started to think

How does prayer change

The mind in a blink

One day Billy boy

Told a fat lie

He was caught by the teacher

And wanted to cry

What do you think Billy boy did?

Did he cover up, what do you think

*Billy boy Billy boy

Prayed once more*

Then he realised his folly

N decided to lie no more

Billy boy Billy boy 

Pondered about prayer

How does it work 

Right now right there

Jesus once prayed 

When his friend did die

Lazarus rose from the dead

Prayer power we cannot deny 

But

Jesus once prayed in Gethsemane 

Did he escape the cross

And avoid the agony

Jesus taught us how to pray

In the Our Father

We say almost every day 

*(Children say the Our Father)*

Question to Discuss: 

1: Which three situation did Billy face

2: How did prayer help in each case 

3: When all did jesus prayer (19 occurrences, how many do you know?)

4. How did prayer help Jesus in different situations 

5. For what situations do you pray for

6. Has prayer helped you?

Years will come, Years will go

Written By Jibrael Jos

Performed as a Group Elocution in multiple occasions
Could be done in tango by two children or by a group of children

Years will come and years will go,
Waves will come and waves will go,
Whether we choose to drown without a fight
Or stay afloat and wade towards the light
Whether ups and downs will take our breath
Or will the exercise improve our health

Years will come and Years will go
Rain will come and rain will go
Whether we will curse our fate n chance
Or from the shelter emerge to dance
Whether the water will soak to our skin
Or will the raindrops refresh us from within

Years will come and years will go
So let this year be the one u show
How to reach for the star
How to keep raising the bar
   How to sing from your heart
   How to act and play ur part
How to pray with gratitude
How to walk with an attitude
   How to love without clauses
   How to live without pauses

Years will come and years will go
But u will make it count for sure

Happy New Year

Giving Tree

Written by Jibrael Jos

Presented as a Mime by Confirmation Students in OLSH 2018

Group of Children said the lines

On the top of the hill

where everyone could see
There stood a tall,
majestic giving tree
Every child who looked up to it

Lived happily that day
Every man who thanked it
Found life perfect in every way

One fine day a boy played
on the branches of that tree
He promised to be friends
And tree whole heartedly did agree

Years went by
And their bond grew
The young man needed
money, the tree knew

Tree showered mangoes
that covered his tuition fees
And taught the lesson
that giving selflessly is the key

The boy yearned
to travel the seven seas
The tree helped him
Build the ship for free

The man learnt
another lesson that day
He wondered how to return
To the tree in someway

Tree was sad
To see him go
But was happy
That the boy will grow

In his journey
The man did see
A teacher,a preacher
from Galilee

So inspired by him
He wanted to know
Way to reach
heavens door

Teacher said
To give everything up
And he remembered
the tree who raised him up

He decided to
Live a life of service
And return to
The holy mans feet

But alas
The day he returned
He saw his teacher
Give his life up

He knelt down
And found peace
Under the cross
Like he did under the tree

On the top of the hill
where everyone could see
There stood a cross,
like a majestic giving tree

Every child who looked up to it
Lived happily that day
Every man who thanked it
Found life perfect in every way

(Hymn )

The tree saw him
Coming from afar
He spread his arms
To welcome him

The man rushed
And gave a hug
Letting go
Of his travel bug

He told the uplifting tale
Of the Holy See
And the similarity
To the giving tree

He built a park
Around that hill
So that birds and kids
Could play at will

The tree looked down
At the little world around
And was glad
With love and peace he found

On the top of the hill
where everyone could see
There stood a tall,
majestic giving tree

Every child who looked up to it
Lived happily that day
Every man who thanked it
Found life perfect in every way

(Hymn continues and concludes)