Love Your Enemies

OBJECTIVE

This month we are discussing the Teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He taught us many things during His time on Earth. Today, we will be discussing how to love our enemies and those around us.

INTRODUCTION & HOOK- 5 Minutes

Tell the class that you are going to say a series of words. For each word you say they need to respond back with the opposite. So if you say 'happy,' they say 'sad.' Other words you could use are: big and small, tall and short, up and down, close and open, stop and go, over and under, etc. End with love and hate.
Say, It is easy to love people who show love to us. But what about people who show hate to us? Jesus wants us to love them too, Jesus wants us to love everyone.

What do you think an enemy is? How does an enemy treat someone?

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes

Memory Verse
"I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44)

Luke 6:27-36, Acts 7:54-60

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 10 Minutes

Our Lord Jesus Christ took the people on a mountain and started to teach them how to be good people. One very important thing he taught them is to love our enemies. (servants can read part of the scripture passage in Luke 6)
Why do you think Jesus wants us to love our enemies? Because hate darkens your heart and distances you from God. God is love, and if you start to hate you will soon find your heart turning away from God.
But who are your enemies?
Let the children answer first and then explain, enemies could mean those who want to do harm to you, or those who see you as different from them and don't like it. Maybe someone whom you did something bad to and apologize but in their heart they didn't accept the apology.
Do you know that Jesus himself is the first one to practice what He preached? Anybody knows when Jesus did that? Exactly, on the cross while he was being crucified He said with a loud voice "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do". Jesus forgave them and also gave them the excuse for what they are doing to Him. He said they do not know what they are doing.
Another good example is St. Stephen. He was the first martyr during the first church at the time of the disciples and the apostles. The Jewish people took him outside the city and stoned him. While the stones were being thrown at him he said almost the same thing as Jesus said while on the cross, He prayed to God to not count their stoning to him as a sin.
We want to keep our hearts full of God's love so we don't have room for anything else but that.

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 10 Minutes

What are some ways we could love our enemies?
What can we do when someone is mean to us?
How can we pray for our enemies?
What are some ways we can apply this to our lives? (ask for students input)

Pray for others
Show kindness and humility
Give what we can to others

LIFE APPLICATION (Action) - 5 Minutes

Today we went over loving our enemies, what that means and why we should love our enemies. We should always give them the excuse in our mind that maybe they don't know how to be nice or maybe they are having a bad day. Praying for those who do not like you is the best way to keep our hearts pure.

ACTIVITY - 10 Minutes

Prepare three large plastic cups or bowls and label the first one "family", the second one "friends" and the third one "enemies" and put them on the dining table. Make sure there is nothing else on the table.
Bring a tennis ball or a small bouncing ball.
Put the first cup/bowl labeled family the closest to you on the table and then put the second one labeled friends a little bit behind and the third one labeled enemies a little bit further than the friends one.
Start tossing the ball into the first cup, this one was very easy right? How about the second one was a bit harder. But the third one "enemies" was harder but not impossible. It will take more practice.
The same thing for loving enemies we know it is not an easy thing to do, but when we put in our mind and our prayer we can do it with the Grace of God.

Alternatively, you may have students fill out the attached worksheet.

RESOURCES

PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK

Today we discussed loving our enemies and what that means. We should always show kindness and pray for those around us. We discussed giving to others and not being mean in retaliation if someone is rude to us. Discuss the worksheet your child filled out and how he/she can apply what he/she wrote.

Ask your child if he/she can remember the story of Saint Stephen and how he was martyred and what he said while they were stoning him.