Witness Mercy:
40 Days of Grace 2016
Purpose
This youth ministry night focuses on preparing the youth individually and as a community
for Lent with a special emphasis in participating in the diocesan initiative “40 Days of
Grace.” This initiative encourages youth and youth ministries to engage in intentional acts
of prayer, fasting, alms giving, and service during Lent.
This session is appropriate for groups from 10 to 150.
Goal
To inspire youth individually and collectively to witness mercy through God’s grace in our
lives and being a witness through the corporeal works of mercy.
Objectives
 To know what mercy means both to us and to others
 To value that we are called to be merciful to others, through the grace of God’s
mercy to us
 To commit to engaging in one or more of the corporeal acts of mercy this Lent
Catechism Connection
1846-1848; 1458;
Scripture Foundation
God’s Mercy: Ephesians 2:3-5
Call to Be Merciful: Matthew 25:34-40; Luke 3:36; Isaiah 58:6-12
Reflection from Pope Francis
“We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy,
serenity, and peace. Our salvation depends on it. Mercy: the word reveals the very
mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Mercy: the ultimate and supreme act by which God
comes to meet us. Mercy: the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person
who looks sincerely into the eyes of his brothers and sisters on the path of life. Mercy: the
bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever
despite our sinfulness…
In this Holy Year, we look forward to the experience of opening our hearts to those living
on the outermost fringes of society: fringes which modern society itself creates. How
many uncertain and painful situations there are in the world today! How many are the
wounds borne by the flesh of those who have no voice because their cry is muffled and
drowned out by the indifference of the rich! During this Jubilee, the Church will be called
even more to heal these wounds, to assuage them with the oil of consolation, to bind
them with mercy and cure them with solidarity and vigilant care. Let us not fall into
humiliating indifference or a monotonous routine that prevents us from discovering what
is new! Let us ward off destructive cynicism! Let us open our eyes and see the misery of
the world, the wounds of our brothers and sisters who are denied their dignity, and let us
recognize that we are compelled to heed their cry for help! May we reach out to them
and support them so they can feel the warmth of our presence, our friendship, and our
fraternity! May their cry become our own, and together may we break down the barriers
of indifference that too often reign supreme and mask our hypocrisy and egoism!” Papal
Bull announcing the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, 2, 15
Session Overview
5:45 p.m.
6:00 p.m.
6:05 p.m.
6:10 p.m.
6:20 p.m.
6:35 p.m.
6:45 p.m.
7:55 p.m.
7:10 p.m.
7:13 p.m.
7:20 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
7:50 p.m.
8:00 p.m.
Pre-Gathering Hospitality
Welcome and Introduction
Opening Prayer
Ice Breaker: Make a Connection
Community Builder: Build a Tower
What is Mercy? Fishbowl Discussion
What is Mercy Presentation and Videos
Small Group Processing
Mercy in the City Video
Works of Mercy Brainstorm
My Lenten To-Do List
Large Group Project: Our Lenten Commitment
Prayer
End
Materials Needed
Pre-Gathering Hospitality
 Name tags
 Markers
 Sign-in sheets
 Pens
 Music
Ice Breaker: Make a Connection
 One piece of paper per person
 One pen/pencil per person
Community Builder: Build a Tower
 Paper (can be scrap paper)
 Rolls of any kind of tape
 Colored markers
 Tape Measure
What is Mercy? Fishbowl Discussion
 4-6 chairs in a circle
What




is Mercy? Presentation and Videos
Computer
TV or Projector
Sound for the room
Video 1: Cardinal Louis Antonio Tagle “What is Mercy?” from Catholic Relief
Services (available at https://youtu.be/bc6xvUhsh5Q )
 Video 2: Fr. James Martin “What is Mercy?” from Catholic Relief Services (available
at https://youtu.be/0kRYwGgK1b0 )
Small Group Processing
 Copies of Resource B: Small Group Discussion per group
Mercy in the City
 Computer
 TV or Projector
 Sound for the room
 Video: Mercy in the City (available at https://youtu.be/TZkfdHRAudw )
Works of Mercy Brainstorm
 14 pieces of newsprint with one of the corporeal or spiritual works of mercy
written on each (see Resource C: Corporeal and Spiritual Works of Mercy)
My Lenten To-Do List
 One copy of Resource D: My Lenten To-Do List per person
Group Project
 One copy of Resource E and Resource F
Prayer
 One copy of Vessels of Mercy from Catholic Relief Services per person. (available at
http://www.crs.org/sites/default/files/usops-resources/vessels-of-mercy-5.pdf)
Prepare in Advance
1. Review through this entire session with your adult/peer ministry team including
practicing unfamiliar games, doing all activities, and answering discussion
questions.
2. Invite an adult or youth leader to MC the night. Be sure he/she is familiar with the
schedule and the timing needs.
3. Think about 4-5 youth that participate regularly and are comfortable talking in
front of others, answering questions, and are generally more extroverted. You will
invite them at the beginning of the evening to be part of a “Fishbowl”
conversation.
4. Divide the supplies for the “Build a Tower” game unevenly. For example, one
group should have a lot of paper but only 5 inches of tape. Another group could
have five rolls of tape and 4 markers, and 5 pieces of paper. Make enough groups
that for 5-8 youth per group. For example, if your average youth ministry night has
35 youth, you should make about 5-6 groups.
5. Invite an adult to give the presentation on What is Mercy? (Resource A: What is
Mercy? Presentation and Videos)
6. View videos beforehand.
7. Assign adults or peer ministers to lead games and activities.
8. Create a prayer table. Place the items for prayer near it.
9. Invite a young person to read Isaiah 58:6-12 for the closing prayer.
10. Find Isaiah 58:6-12 in a Bible and mark it.
Pre-Gathering Hospitality (15 minutes before session officially begins)
Set an atmosphere for the evening. Make sure someone is greeting people at the door
when they arrive. Play music in the background. Distribute nametags.
Welcome (5 minutes)
The MC should be enthusiastic and excited to be there. He/she should welcome everyone
by saying:
Hi, I’m (name) and this is (church youth ministry name), and we are so excited to have you
here! We are going to take time tonight to listen, share, play, reflect, and plan by focusing
Lent as an opportunity to witness mercy in our lives and in the lives of others...
Before we begin, I want to especially welcome anyone who is new.
Identify the new participants and thank them for coming.
Opening Prayer (5 minutes)
Begin with a short opening prayer such as:
Lord God, we thank you for the day and allowing us to gather here tonight. We pray that
all we say and do tonight truly glorifies your name. We ask this though Jesus Christ, your
Son. Amen.
Ice Breaker: Make a Connection (15 minutes)
The purpose of this game is for the students to get to know each other and to learn what
connects them as a community.
Hand out a blank piece of paper and pen/pencil each person.
Instruct participants to pair up with someone they do not know well – if this is not
possible, just have them pair up. If the number is uneven, have an adult participate with
one of the students.
Say,
When I say “Go” you are to list 10 things you have in common that have nothing to do
with being here (“We both love Jesus” or “We both go to St. …. Parish”) or being human
(“We both have eyes”). The first pair to finish has to stand up and yell really, really loud,
“We win! We win!”
Have the first winners introduce themselves and share two items on their list.
Now invite the participants to form groups of four by pairing up pairs. The goal is now to
find 6 things the four of them have in common. The catch is that it cannot already be on
someone’s list from the previous round. The first group to finish is to stand up and yell,
“We win! We win!”
Have the first group of winners introduce themselves and share two items on their list.
Continue the rounds by doubling up groups.
The last group is to find one thing they have in common that is not one everyone’s list.
NOTE:
You will need to adjust the number of items in common depending on the size of the
group. The number of commonalities should decrease with each round. (Example, 10-6-42-1)
Community Builder: Build a Tower
Divide the youth into groups of 5-7 teens. Have them either sit at tables or sit in circles on
the floor. Hand out the previously made supply packs.
Say,
I need your complete attention. (pause until you have it) Here are my only instructions.
Build tallest, most colorful tower you can in 7 minutes. It must be free-standing and selfsupporting which means you cannot tape it to the floor or table or have any external
support such as you or a chair.
Oh and it has to have a creative flag on top.
You can only use the supplies we have handed out.
Neither I nor anyone else will answer any more questions.
After 7 minutes, measure the towers and then ask,
Let’s see who was paying attention. How many towers did I ask you to build? (Answer: 1)
How many towers are in this room? (Let them respond)
Why do you think you did that?
Then, depending on if they shared resources or not, ask the applicable questions
Why did (or didn’t) you share resources?
Why did you automatically default, if they did, to competition?
Finally, ask
How is this game like life sometimes?
What is Mercy? Fishbowl (10 minutes)
MC should say:
The last two games really focused on seeing ourselves as part of a larger whole. One game
asked us to build something together, even if it isn’t the way we normally think. These
games should remind us that we are part of the Body of Christ, Imperfect humans making
a perfect body. For this to occur we need of mercy, but what is mercy?
Invite the preselected youth to sit in the chairs in the circle. Have one empty chair
available. Invite the other youth to stand in a circle around the chairs
Address the youth in the circle,
So, I am going to ask you to discuss the question, “What is Mercy?” Think about not only
what it is, but who gives it and who receives it and why mercy is important. You can take
turns answering but you can also build on each other’s answers.
Address the youth outside of the circle,
I invite you to really listen to what they are saying. As you listen, if you feel you want to
add something, jump in and sit in the empty chair. If someone is in the chair already, you
can “tap out” anyone else in the group.
Address the youth in the circle again,
So, what is mercy? Think about not only what it is, but who gives it and who receives it
and why mercy is important. You can take turns answering but you can also build on each
other’s answers.
Allow the conversation to go on no more than 8 minutes. If the conversation lags,
challenge some of the answers or just move on to the next activity. End by thanking
everyone.
Presentation: What is Mercy? Presentation and Videos (10 minutes)
MC should transition to the presentation by saying something similar to this:
I want to thank the fishbowl participants again. We heard different views on what mercy is
and isn’t. I would like to invite (name) to share a little more about what mercy is and can
be in our lives.
The presenter speaks using the outline from Resource A: What is Mercy? Presentation
and Videos
Small Group Processing: (10 minutes)
Divide back up into the same small groups that played Build a Tower. Ensure that each
group has a copy of the Resource B: Small Group Processing.
Video: Mercy in the City (3 minutes)
MC should transition to the presentation by saying something similar to this:
Mercy must be lived. Because we first experience God’s mercy in our lives, we must also
be witnesses of mercy to those who feel are most in need of it. Such as those who are
abandoned, afraid, and lost. Kerry Weber, a young adult in New York, wanted to live her
faith. This is what she did…
Play the video. Try to stop at the two-minute mark. The rest is an ad for her book.
Works of Mercy Brainstorm (7 minutes)
While the video is playing have volunteers put the 14 pieces of paper on the walls with markers
nearby them. If your group is less than 42 people, place one spiritual work right beside one
corporeal work.
After the video the MC should say,
As Catholics we identify seven corporeal works of mercy and seven spiritual works of
mercy, Kerry Weber embraced living these works. I am going to break you into groups for
us to brainstorm on practical ways we can live these works. The Corporeal Works of Mercy
are how we help people with their physical/material needs. They are:
o feed the hungry
o give drink to the thirsty
o clothe the naked
o shelter the homeless
o visit the sick
o visit the imprisoned
o bury the dead
The Spiritual Works of Mercy are how we help people with their spiritual/emotional
needs: They are:
o counsel the doubtful
o instruct the ignorant
o admonish sinners
o comfort the afflicted
o forgive offenses
o bear wrongs patiently
o pray for the living and the dead
Divide into either 14 or 7 teams depending on your group size.
Say,
Ok, this time it is a competition. I am going to give you three minutes to come up with as
many practical ways you can live your assigned work(s). Ready, Go!
After three minutes have the groups share their ideas.
My Lenten To-Do List (10 minutes)
MC should thank everyone for their participation. Invite them to sit down and ask
someone to hand out Resource D: My Lenten To-Do List to each person.
Say,
You have heard all the ideas to live the works of mercy, to be witness mercy to this world.
I invite you to now make a personal To-Do List for Lent. I invite you to make a
commitment to live the works of mercy. Write down the practical ways you will witness
mercy. You do not have to have something under each work.
Give them time to work on it by themselves.
Our Lenten Commitment (20 minutes)
Gather everyone back together. Say:
As a youth ministry, we thought it would be powerful to engage in a work of
mercy together for Lent. In the past, youth ministries around the Archdiocese
engaged in canned food drives that have collected TONS of food for hungry
people and donated to Feeding our Neighbor at New York Catholic Youth Day. We
can participate in this and/or engage in a different project of our own design.
What are your thoughts?
Give time for them to share. If they don’t say anything take a “temperature check” and by
asking:
Raise your hands if you would like to do the food drive? (do a quick count)
Raise your hands if you would like to do something else? (do a quick count)
If the group is STRONGLY leaning in one direction start planning on how you would do it.
You can use either Resource E: Planning for a Food Drive or Resource F: Planning Other
Form of Service as a guide.
Closing Comments (2 minutes)
As MC, pay attention to what you heard all night. Take notes. Share the insights BRIEFLY
and challenge youth to witness God’s mercy in their lives and be a witness of mercy in the
lives of others. Remind them that Lent is forty days of grace that call us to not just do or
not do things but about drawing closer to him and to each other.
Prayer (13 minutes)
Gather the group in a circle.
Invite the group to sit in the quiet. Handout a copy of Vessels of Mercy to each person
and as the prayer leader reads the opening prayer, have volunteers slowly put the items
on the prayer table.
Begin:
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Pause.
Reading from the Book of Isaiah. (Invite student to read.)
Say,
We have heard the “fasting” God desires from us. He desires us to experience his mercy
and live mercy in the world. I invite you to quietly ask God to bless the to-do lists that you
have made.
Pause for a few moments.
Say,
I invite us all to pray together Vessels of Mercy.
Close the prayer with:
And now let us praise God together by saying:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, in a world without end. Amen.
End with the Sign of the Cross.
MC should thank everyone for coming.
RESOURCE A
What is Mercy? Presentation and Videos
I.
Transition from the activity
a. Remark on some of the answers you heard from the group about what
mercy is
b. Introduce yourself.
II.
Explain the purpose of this talk
a. Mercy has two sides to it
i. One we receive
ii. One we give
b. Both of these mercy’s gives hope,
i. Cardinal Tagle shares the hope of mercy so well. Cardinal Luis
Antonio Tagle is the Archbishop of Manilla in the Philippines and is
also the President of Caritas—the federation of Catholic relief
organizations from around the world.
III.
Show Cardinal Tagle video
IV.
Witnessing God’s Mercy
a. Cardinal Tagle says that mercy means making everyone feel and know that
“no one is a hopeless case”
b. Pope Francis says that mercy is “a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace…
the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us...the bridge
that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved
forever despite our sinfulness…” (Papal Bull on Jubilee Year of Mercy)
c. We witness God’s amazing mercy to us through the grace of his forgiveness
and his deep abiding love
d. Share how this experience of mercy impacts your life
V.
Transition
a. And these two sides of mercy have two levels also:
i. We receive mercy:
1. We receive the merciful forgiveness of God
2. We are recipients of mercy through the love and care of
others to us
ii. We share mercy:
1. Through reminding others of hope in God
2. Through helping alleviate the suffering of others
VI.
Show Fr. Martin video
VII.
Being a Witness of Mercy to Others
a. Pope Francis writes, “In this Holy Year, we look forward to the experience
of opening our hearts to those living on the outermost fringes of society:
fringes which modern society itself creates. How many uncertain and
painful situations there are in the world today! How many are the wounds
borne by the flesh of those who have no voice …the Church will be called
even more to heal these wounds, to assuage them with the oil of
consolation, to bind them with mercy and cure them with solidarity and
vigilant care. … Let us open our eyes and see the misery of the world, the
wounds of our brothers and sisters who are denied their dignity, and let us
recognize that we are compelled to heed their cry for help! May we reach
out to them and support them so they can feel the warmth of our presence,
our friendship, and our fraternity! May their cry become our own, and
together may we break down the barriers of indifference that too often
reign supreme” (Papal Bull on Year of Mercy)
b. Share a story of someone you know who lives a life of mercy to others.
RESOURCE B
Small Group Processing
1. Cardinal Tagle said that no one is a hopeless case. What would make someone feel
like a “hopeless case?”
2. Fr. Martin says that mercy is getting into the chaos of others. How can poverty make
life chaotic?
3. Who are people you know who help others find hope in their lives? How do they do
it? Are there ways in which we can emulate them?
RESOURCE C
Corporeal and Spiritual Works of Mercy
The Corporeal Works of Mercy are how we help people with their physical/material
needs. They are:
o feed the hungry
o give drink to the thirsty
o clothe the naked
o shelter the homeless
o visit the sick
o visit the imprisoned
o bury the dead
The Spiritual Works of Mercy are how we help people with their spiritual/emotional
needs: They are:
o counsel the doubtful
o instruct the ignorant
o admonish sinners
o comfort the afflicted
o forgive offenses
o bear wrongs patiently
o pray for the living and the dead
RESOURCE D
My Lenten To-Do List
Corporeal Works
o
feed the hungry
o
give drink to the thirsty
o
clothe the naked
o
shelter the homeless
o
visit the sick
o
visit the imprisoned
o
bury the dead
Spiritual Works
o counsel the doubtful
o instruct the ignorant
o admonish sinners
o comfort the afflicted
o forgive offenses
o bear wrongs patiently
o
pray for the living and the dead
RESOURCE E
Planning for a Food Drive
Reason:
How can we ensure that Christ is at the center of why we do this drive?
When:
Method:
How and when will we advertise?
How will we collect?
How will we sort?
How will we deliver?
Supplies Needed:
People Needed:
Action Plan:
If time allows, flesh out the who, what, when, and how to accomplish this activity.
RESOURCE F
Planning Other Form of Service
What are needs in our community that we can address?
Brainstorm, discuss, and choose one.
What acts of service can address this need?
Brainstorm, discuss, and choose one.
Reason:
How can ensure that Christ is at the center of why we do this project?
When:
Method:
How and when will we advertise?
What preparation needs to occur?
What will we be doing?
What follow-up needs to happen afterward?
Supplies Needed:
People Needed:
Action Plan:
If time allows, flesh out the who, what, when, and how to accomplish this activity.