Jesus knew that entering Jerusalem that day was a dangerous thing to do. He had thought and prayed about it. On Mt Thabor Moses and Elijah appeared to him and told him this was how he was to die in Jerusalem.  By traveling into the city on a donkey, he was saying his kingdom had arrived but it was one of peace not violence.

Some people shouted Halleluia and danced at his coming. Others ran to the Temple priests to tell them what was happening and what were they going to do about it. The pharisees got themselves organised and tried to get the people riled up against Jesus. Jesus wanted to be king of our hearts - nothing more.

Jesus knows it is hard for us to be good and kind but he is saying to us: I love you and I want to be always close to your heart - won't you let me in.

Jesus shows us the way

His name was 401. A stray dog. There was no name on his collar. Or if there was, it had been torn off. Just the numbers 401 scrawled in pencil. He came to them at night. It was a very wet night. Their father heard the whining in the garden shed, shone the torch and there he was: wet, cold, shivering, and undernourished. He was brought into the house, warmed up, washed, fed and made
comfortable. He enjoyed the attention. An English Cocker Spaniel  with brown and white colouring. It was fun having a visitor. The next day they went to the police station to tell their story. There were no reports of a missing Cocker Spaniel. They went to their local vet to tell him but again he had no news about a missing dog of that breed.

401 came to stay with the family and became a favourite pet. Mary was the one who took to him, brought him for walks in the park, fed him and played with him. 401 chased after balls, retrieved sticks from ponds and was a ‘natural' in the sea. At first, Mary imagined that they would find his owner but, as the months passed, he just became part of the family. Mary became very attached to him. Her other dog had been killed in a traffic accident and 401's arrival was a kind of miracle. It filled a gap in her life.

It was a terrible shock when Mary happened to see a notice in the corner of their newspaper which read:

What was Mary to do? Tell her parents? Ring Gladys in Wales? She was going to lose 401. That was for sure. And she couldn't let that happen. 401 was in a good home. He was settled in. Mary felt like a parent who has to give back an adopted child. She said nothing. Didn't mention a word of the newspaper item to anyone at home, even to her best friend at school.

Maybe they could all forget about it. 401 was happy and that was all that mattered. Returning 401 now would upset him. It wouldn't be right. He would be torn between two masters. At this stage he would surely have forgotten Gladys. All the thoughts for and against sending 401 back to Wales twisted around in her mind. She did nothing about it. 401 was staying! Mary was keeping him. The thought of the newspaper item would have to be forgotten and lost in her mind. 401 was hers now and she would protect him.

When she was in the park one day, 401 was being particularly playful. Mary thought of Gladys in Wales. She hoped Gladys loved 401. The girl in Wales must really be fond of 401 if she was still looking for him a year after he went missing. She decided to get in touch. It wasn't easy. Mary's dad did the phoning. It turned out that Gladys's family had been on holiday in Ireland and their much loved 401 had been stolen. That was how he came to Mary's family. He must have escaped from his captors. The memories of the night they found him hiding in the garden shed came back. He might have run miles and miles in those days when he escaped. It was interesting that Mary and Gladys were the same age. 401 had found a new master that was the image of Gladys.

Gladys's family arrived from Wales. Jones was their family name. They were made very welcome. Gladys and Mary took 401 out to the park. He took to Gladys straight away but always ran back to Mary. Both girls cried a little. It was a joyful time for Gladys and heartbreak time for Mary. It was nice the Joneses were able to stay for the weekend. They were a lovely family. It gave Mary a chance to be reassured that 401 would be alright back in his first home in Wales. But it was a separation that made her feel lonely and empty. It wasn't easy. There was a gap in her life when 401 went away.

It was only after a few weeks passed that she was glad she followed up on the newspaper ad. It wouldn't have been right to ignore it. It wouldn't have been right to keep 401 from Gladys. And she had 401's company for a whole year. That was something to be thankful for Mary and Gladys are pen pals. The latest news from Wales is that Gladys has promised Mary a pup, a daughter to 401. Mary is very excited at the thought.

The new way is the way of love and kindness and consideration for our family and our friends.


Dear God our Father,
help us to live in the new way. Amen.


Dear God our Father,
I helped my Mammy when she was sick.
I got messages for my Daddy.
I comforted my dog when she was going to die.
Thank you, God, for helping me to live in the new way. Amen.   
Vallen 10 yrs.


Dear God,
Jesus lived in the new way.
He showed kindness to the outsiders,
to those who were lonely or despised.
He forgave his enemies.
Help me to follow Jesus
and live in the new way. Amen.

 Game 1

 Game 2: Colour Jesus going into Jerusalem on a donkey

Game 3

Game 4 Colour Jesus in the garden after the Last Supper

Game 5

Game 6

Materials needed:
- old candle ends or packets of candle wax
- Candle wick or thin cotton shoe laces
- Small glass jars with wide necks
- An old saucepan
- Newspaper to protect against spillage
-A fork
-Cellotape and scissors
-Pencils
-Scented oil (Optional) Glass Paint (optional)

Wash and dry the jars thoroughly. Tie one end ofa piece of wick around the centre of a pencil. Place the pencil over the top of the jar with the wick dropping down the centre. Cut the wick so that the end of it can be stuck to the bottom of the jar with a piece of cellotape.

Melt the old candle ends over a low heat in the saucepan. Keep the same colours together as mixed colours will come out a murkey grey or blue depending on the dominant colour. When the wax is melted, pick out the old wicks. Allow the wax to cool a little. Add a few drops of scented oil to the melted wax and stir.

With a steady hand pour the melted wax into the jar, filling it as high as you wish. Make sure the wick is coming straight up from the bottom of the jar. Leave to cool and set. As the wax sets it will shrink and a well will form in the centre of the candle. Heat a little more wax in the saucepan and pour it into the well until the top of the candle is level. Allow to set.

Take off the pencil and trim the wick.
The outside of the glass can now be painted if you wish.

Because of the hot wax, this activity must be closely supervised and is better done in groups of four or six.

The overall Lenten - Easter  Project - final touches

The Garden tomb

How is the Garden tomb coming -the tomb, the plants, the flowers, the soldiers- the roll away rock, the angel, the women, the animals?

This is your last week for touch-ups.