The Great Lent is a time set aside to allow every member of the Holy Church to embark on a 50-day spiritual journey as we prepare ourselves for the great Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord.
We are pleased to present a Sunday School Lenten Retreat Guide developed by the Educational Enhancement team for the 2025 Lenten Season. In order to provide a consistent education experience throughout the diocese, it is encouraged for each region/parish to conduct a Sunday School Lenten retreat based on the theme presented here. These are resources, templates, topics, guides, and activities that can be used to conduct such a Lenten Retreat for your Sunday School students at the regional or parish level.
Theme:
Learning From Our Sins
“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”
1 Corinthians 6:12
Disclaimer: This year’s material is based on the team believing the deadly sins are important to talk about. Each class focuses on a sin(s) where they understand what the sin is, ways to offset the bad, and how to stay good. The sin chosen was based on the age level and what would be easy to comprehend and also that is the more possible they do at the respective age. The general session should be used to go over the sin of wrath, looking specifically at anger and hatred, as this is a sin that resonates for all age groups and is a great way to start understanding.
Memory Verse: Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32
Wrath is a bad sin and can be defined as uncontrolled feelings of anger, rage, and even hatred. Wrath often reveals itself in the wish to seek vengeance. It’s deadly because it’s a sin that builds. It starts as something small. Then, as time goes on, it permeates through us, growing, waiting to be released. Like a volcano erupting, taking out whoever dares to stand in its way.
The important part about wrath is understanding to be angry without sinning, as said in Ephesians 4:26. It is okay and natural to become angry and upset, except we must learn to leave it at the emotion and then to let it go. If we let the little anger build up to wrath, we then risk the chance of Satan exposing and using our anger to sin. Whether it is by hurting someone’s feelings with words or making bad decisions to get ‘revenge’.
Note to Teachers: This lesson is divided into four classes.
- Class 1 – is for ages 3-5.
- Class 2 – is for ages 6-8.
- Class 3 – is for ages 9-11.
- Class 4 – is for ages 12 and above.
The class break ups are just a guideline, please divide the classes as works best for your situation.
Additional Materials: