💓 WHOLESOME HEART – FILLED AND OVERFLOWING
The Woman with the Alabaster Jar (Luke 7:36-50)
👉 Objective
Children will learn how Jesus showed great love and forgiveness, and how the woman in the story loved him back deeply. That they too can be kind and forgiving to others in their own lives.
🟦 Introduction (2 minutes)
Good morning, everyone! Today, we’re going to hear a special story about Jesus and a woman who loved Him very much, with all her heart. It teaches us about saying “I’m sorry,” being kind, and welcoming everyone. Let’s make the Sign of the Cross and take a quiet moment to get ready for our story.
(Make the Sign of the Cross together and have a moment of silence.)
📖 Storytelling (3 minutes): The Story of Jesus and the Sinful Woman (Luke 7:36-50)
- Watch the video of the story together or read out an adapted version of the story (download from the list of resources) and use the powerpoint to animate it.
- After the video or story telling, and with your prompting and help, ask the children to tell the story in their own words.
Here you can use an interactive activity so that students become more engaged with the story before briefly discussing some important points.
👐 Reflective Activity – Sorry Sand (5 minutes)
Objective: Children will think about times they’ve done something wrong, express their sorrow through prayer, and understand that God forgives them.
Materials: A basin with sand
Instructions
- Sometimes we hurt others by saying or doing unkind things. And sometimes, we say or do unkind things to people.
- Think about the hurtful things you have said or done that you need to say sorry for.
- Write the letter ‘S’ for ‘Sorry’ in the sand.
- Now, say a sorry prayer to God asking Him to forgive you.
- Finally, smooth the sand again to remind you that when you are truly sorry and ask for His forgiveness, God always forgives you.
🟦 Brief Discussion of the story (5 minutes) – use the powerpoint
- Why do you think the woman was crying and washing Jesus’ feet with her tears?
She was very, very sorry for the wrong things she had done. She loved Jesus so much because He was kind to her and helped her feel better. Her tears showed how sorry and how much she loved Him.
- How did Jesus show kindness and welcome to the woman?
Jesus was kind to the woman. He didn’t push her away, get angry or say mean things. He welcomed her and understood how sorry she was. He showed her love and told her she was forgiven.
- What does this story teach us about saying “I’m sorry” and loving others?
It teaches us that when we are truly sorry, God forgives us, and that makes us feel so much love for Him! It also teaches us not to judge others, but to be kind and understanding to everyone, just like Jesus.
🟦 Learning About Saying Sorry and Making Amends (10 minutes)
In our story, the woman showed Jesus how sorry she was and how much she loved Him. This story shows us how to make things right when we do something wrong that causes us or others pain.
Here are some important things we can do:
- Think about what we did wrong and feel sorry: Just like the woman thought about her mistakes, we can think about what we did wrong and feel sorry in our hearts.
- Say “I’m sorry”: The woman showed Jesus she was sorry with her actions. We can tell God and the person we hurt that we are sorry. God is always ready to forgive us.
- Making things right: The woman showed her love and thanks to Jesus. After we say sorry, we can try to make things right.
How can we make things right after we say sorry? Here are some ideas:
- Do something kind: After saying sorry, you can do something nice to show you care.
- Help out: If you caused extra work for someone, offer your help to show that you are willing to take responsibility for your actions.
- Share: This way you show that you are thinking about others and not just about yourself.
- Be a good friend: Being kind, helpful, and supportive shows you that you care and want to make up.
🟦Conclusion (2 minutes)
Summary: The story teaches us that everyone deserves forgiveness and love. Just like Jesus welcomed the woman with kindness, we should try to welcome others into our hearts without judging them. Let’s remember to show love, offer forgiveness, and be truly welcoming to everyone we meet.
🙏 Prayer: Dear God, thank you for your great love and for forgiving us. Please help us to be kind and loving to others, just as Jesus was. Help us to forgive those who hurt us and to welcome everyone with open hearts. Amen
💓 WHOLESOME HEART – FILLED AND OVERFLOWING
The Woman with the Alabaster Jar (Luke 7:36-50)
👉 Objective
The students will be able to understand the importance of forgiveness, love, and true hospitality through the story of Jesus and the Woman with the Alabaster Jar, and reflect on how they can show these virtues in their own lives.
🟦 Introduction (2 minutes)
Good morning, everyone! Today, we are going to listen to a beautiful story about Jesus and a woman who showed Him great love. This story teaches us about forgiveness, understanding, and what it means to truly welcome someone. Let’s make the sign of the cross before we watch the video and spend a moment of silence to calm down and get ready to start.
📖 Storytelling (5 min)
The Story of Jesus and the Sinful Woman (Luke 7:36-50)
Watch the video of the story together. After ask the students to quickly say the story in their own words.
Here you can use an interactive activity so that students become more engaged with the story before briefly discussing some important points.
👐 Reflective Activity – Sorry Sand (5 min)
Objective: The students will reflect on their hurtful actions, express remorse through prayer, and understand God’s forgiveness via a symbolic activity.
Materials: a basin with sand
Instructions: Explain how sometimes people hurt us by saying or doing unkind things to us. At times we say or do unkind things to people.
- Think about the hurtful things you have said or done that you need to say sorry for.
- Write the letter ‘S’ for ‘Sorry’ in the sand.
- Now, say a sorry prayer to God asking Him to forgive you.
- Finally, smooth the sand again to remind you that when you are truly sorry and ask for His forgiveness, God always forgives you.
🟦 Brief Discussion of the story (5 minutes) – use the powerpoint
- Why do you think the woman was crying and washing Jesus’ feet?
The woman was likely crying because she felt sorry for her sins. She might not have known how to say it words but showed this through her actions. She was showing her love and gratitude to Jesus for His forgiveness and compassion.
- How did Simon the Pharisee feel about the woman?
Simon felt that if Jesus were a true prophet, He would know that the woman was a sinner and would not let her touch Him. He was judging her based on her reputation. Jesus on the other hand, Jesus accepted her sincere acts of love and repentance, even though she was a sinner. He did not judge her as Simon did but offered her forgiveness and peace.
- What was the point of the story Jesus told Simon about the two people who owed money?
The story illustrated that the person who is forgiven more will love more. Jesus used this to show that the woman’s great love was a result of her being forgiven much.
- What does this story teach us about forgiveness and love?
This story teaches us that forgiveness is powerful and can lead to great love and gratitude. Jesus’ love was overflowing because he forgave her many sins. The woman’s love was also overflowing because of the love she showed him back.
It also shows us that we should not judge others based on their past but offer them compassion and understanding.
🟦 Quick discussion/reminder of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (10min)
In the story we can see the 5 important steps that make up the process of repentance which are important for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Let us go through them together:
Step 1 – Examination of Conscience – the woman must have reflected deeply before approaching Jesus.
Step 2 – Contrition (Sorrow for Sins) – the woman, showed how sorry she was for her sins through her grief and tears.
Step 3 – Confession of Sins – although no words were spoken, through her actions the woman acknowledged and confessed her mistakes in life.
Step 4 – Absolution – Jesus told her that her sins were forgiven.
Step 5 – Penance – The woman made amends by showing her great love and gratitude for Jesus’ forgiveness and compassion by buy very expensive oil and using it on his feet.
Discuss: how can we make amends so that our repentance and forgiveness is complete? Examples:
– doing something kind – after saying sorry you can do something nice to show you care
– helping out – if you caused extra work for someone, offer your help to show that you are willing to take responsibility for your actions.
– sharing – this way you show that you are thinking about others and not just about yourself.
– being a good friend – Being kind, helpful and supportive shows that you care and want to make up.
🟦 Conclusion (2 min)
Summary: The story of Jesus and the sinful woman teaches us that everyone deserves forgiveness and love. Just like Jesus welcomed the woman with kindness, we should try to welcome others into our hearts without judgment. Let’s remember to show love, offer forgiveness, and be truly welcoming to everyone we meet.
🙏 Prayer: Dear God, thank you for your love and forgiveness. Help us to forgive those who hurt us and help us to be ready to ask for forgiveness when we are at fault. Amen
💓 WHOLESOME HEART: FILLED AND OVERFLOWING
The story of the woman with the alabaster jar (Luke 7:36-50)
🟦 INTRODUCTION (5 mins)
1. Engaging Opener
- The animator begins by asking:
👉 “What comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘wholesome’?”
- Invite a few responses and affirm all contributions.
2. Link to the Series
- Explain that wholesome means “full, complete, and well-integrated.”
- The Wholesome Storytelling Series helps us explore how to become whole in:
💓 Heart
🧠 Mind
💪🏼 Body (Strength)
🔥 Soul
3. Set the Scene
- “Today’s story is about the heart — what do you understand with heart? What comes to mind? What attitudes?”
- “Through the story of a certain woman that carried an alabaster jar – we will see what that is – we are going to hear on how love flows most abundantly from a heart that has been freed, forgiven, and made whole. We’re calling it: “Wholesome Heart: Filled and Overflowing.”
📖 FIRST READING (Luke 7:36-50) – Optional Full Reading (5 mins)
- Animator leads the Sign of the Cross and reads the passage from the Bible or screen.
- Then asks:
- “Have you heard this story before?”
- “What stood out to you?”
- Listen openly and without correcting — this moment is about encounter.
Introduce the 3 Core Points:
- Home is where the heart is – Welcoming with sincerity and openness.
- Where your treasure is there your heart will be also – Learning how to humble ourselves in receiving God’s love.
- Our heart overflows and is made whole – Sharing the gift of new life and of peace with the world.
🟪 PART 1 (2 mins) – Reading verses 36–39:
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS – WELCOMING WITH SINCERITY AND OPENNESS.
Animator’s Talking Points + Questions:
- Simon the Pharisee invites Jesus into his house but not into his heart.
👉 What does true hospitality mean to you?
- The woman’s jar is like her heart — transparent, fragile, yet precious.
👉 What are the precious things or people in your life that you’re grateful for?
- Simon’s heart was full of judgement not welcome.
👉 Have you ever been afraid to share something special because of fear of judgement?
🏺 Activity – Gratitude Jars (3 mins):
- Hand out small paper jars (scented if possible) or ask them to draw them.
- Invite students to write thank you prayers to God for the precious things/relationships/moment in their lives.
- These jars will be shared later.
🟨 PART 2 (2 mins) – Reading verses 40-47:
WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE YOUR HEART WILL BE ALSO – LEARNING HOW TO HUMBLE OURSELVES IN RECEIVING GOD’S LOVE.
Animator’s Talking Points + Questions:
- Jesus hears Simon’s heart and invited him to learn the language of love.
👉 Do you know that we communicate love in many ways?
- “I came into your house, but you did not …” – the parable shows that humilty – not self-rightiousness – is key to God’s own heart.
👉 If humility is seeing ourselves through God’s eyes, isn’t it right to shed tears over our shortcomings occasionally?
- “Her great love has shown … ” – Jesus teaches that any love we can pour-out is a sign we had been filled by God’s love first.
👉 How can we receive mercy and forgiveness from God?
💔 😢Activity – Sorry Sand (3 mins):
Sometimes people do and say unkind things to us. At times we too do and say unkind things which we feel sorry for after. God wants to forgive us if we ask him to.
•Think of anything which you thought, did or said that you need to say sorry for?
•While forming the letter ‘S’ for SORRY into the sand say a Sorry Prayer to God in your heart.
•After brush letter away to remind yourself that you can be forgiven when you ask for forgiveness.
*A simpler version would consist in writing ‘S’ for Sorry on a paper and someone else throws it away as a sign of having been forgiven. The important thing is that it is done thoughtfully, slowly, and with respect.
🟩 PART 3 (2 mins) – Reading verses 48-50:
OUR HEART OVERFLOWS AND IS MADE WHOLE – SHARING THE GIFT OF NEW LIFE AND OF PEACE WITH THE WORLD.
Animator’s Talking Points + Questions:
- “Your sins are forgiven” – Jesus declares her free from her past
👉 What does the Our Father teach us about forgiveness? Do I need to forgive anyone?
- The guests were astounded – “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
Jesus is even greater that a “prophet” and wants to honour us as children of God in helping others welcome His mercy. 👉How can I be more like Jesus?
- Jesus heals the woman from her guilt and shame — giving her a new heart, as a testimony.
👉 How can I share God’s love with someone who needs encouragement?
🤝 Activity – Sharing the Overflow (3 mins):
In pairs:
- Share your Gratitude Jar prayer with one another.
- Look each other in the eye and affirm: “You are loved and precious to God.”
🙏 CLOSING
- Close with the Our Father, focusing especially on:
“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
