In this week’s Gospel passage, Jesus commands us to love one another as He loves us. He even tells us (and later will show us) how to do this—by laying down one’s life for others. This understanding of love that Jesus gives to us has always been lived in a radical way by the saints, and Jesus calls us to follow their, and His, example. In this lesson, students will analyze quotes about love from various saints and reflect on the meaning of love in their own lives.
Love One Another – Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year B)
Lesson Overview
Upper Elementary Lesson Materials
Download all PDFsDirections
- Have students read the Gospel passage, or read it aloud to your students, and then answer the focus questions. You may have students answer them on their own or you may discuss them together as a class.
- Review and discuss the correct answers when finished.
- Have your students read the quotes from various saints on love from The Saints on Love, and then answer the reflection questions. When they have finished, conduct a class discussion using the reflection questions, specifically about the differences between the way Jesus and the saints understand love and the way our society understands love. Call on students to share about the greatest examples of love in their lives.
Answer Key
Focus Questions
- The Father’s.
- By keeping His commandments.
- He has loved us by sacrificing His very life for us. Jesus’ entire life is an example of love and total self-giving.
- To lay down our lives for our friends. Most of us will never face the call to do this literally—to die for our friends. Rather, the way we lay down our lives for others each day is by sacrificing in small ways for those we love. Through our unselfish acts of charity, we “lay down our lives” for our friends.
- If we do what He commands us to do. He commands us to love one another.
Reflection Questions
Accept reasoned answers.
Lower Elementary Lesson Materials
Download all PDFsDirections
- Read the Gospel passage aloud to your students as they follow along. Then discuss the focus and reflection questions with them as a class.
- Read the Love as Jesus Loves worksheet aloud to your students as they follow along. Then discuss the scenarios with your students, asking for each one how they can love in small ways.
- Then, in advance, photocopy and cut out enough of the “I Love You” Coupons for every student to have 3-4 coupons. Make crayons, markers, and/or colored pencils available. Have your students think of ways that they can show they people they love in their lives (parents, siblings, classmates, teachers, and so forth) that they love them. Help them to write one way of showing love on each coupon. Then have them color and decorate the coupons. Encourage your students to give each coupon to someone this week and do what they wrote on the coupon for that person to love as Jesus loves us.
Answer Key
Focus Questions
- By keeping His commandments.
- He has loved us by dying for us on the Cross. Jesus’ entire life is an example of love and total self-giving.
- To lay down our lives for our friends.
- Even though most of us will never face the call to literally die for our friends, we can lay down our lives for others each day by sacrificing in small ways. Through our unselfish acts of charity we “lay down our lives” for our friends.
- He commands us to love one another.
Love as Jesus Loves
Accept reasoned answers.
