Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year B

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Images

Helping the sick

Why Jesus came

Points to note

This reading from Mk comprises three parts: (i) the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law; (ii) curing those possessed by devils; and (iii) leaving the town to preach.  The discussion here allows for separate themes for each of the three parts.  I have chosen to combine the first two parts into a discussion on healing while the discussion on the third part is recommended for older children only.  I have included this short discussion on the third part, as there is a potential question why Jesus left which some of the older children may ask.

Talking to children about healing can also be done on two levels.  All children should be able to relate to dealing with family members who are sick.  I would, however, suggest, that discussing the sacrament of anointing should be limited to only those who have undergone instructions on sacraments as a whole:  that there are seven sacraments, etc.

In our modern, clean and sterile society, we tend to stay clear of germs, dirt and all the yucky stuff.  One unfortunate consequence is that we avoid people who are sick.  I find it sad to see people walking around with facemasks, as the message I get is that interacting with me is a risk they have to put up with. As a result, we do not provide comfort to the sick.  Don’t you long for a hug sometimes when you are sick and miserable in bed with a fever?  Well, in today’s society, that is very unlikely.  Perhaps, we should be reminded that Jesus healed the sick by holding them by the hand – very much like how Mother Teresa cradled the dying in her arms and Princess Di embraced AIDS patients.

Liturgy

 

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

He took our sickness away,

and carried our diseases for us.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Explain that Jesus is still travelling around Galilee at the beginning of his ministry and most people still do not know his message.

The Lord be with you.

All:   And also with you.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark

All:   Glory to you O Lord

(Mk 1: 29-39)

On leaving the synagogue, Jesus went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew.  Now, Simon’s mother-in-law had gone to bed with fever, and they took her by the hand and helped her up.  And the fever left her and she began to tend to them.

That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils.  The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also case out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.

In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there.  Simon and his companions set out in search of him, and when they found him they said, “Everybody is looking for you.”  He answered, “Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there too, because that is why I came.”  And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out devils.

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Discussion

Healing (for all children)

Have any of you ever fell sick before?  Allow them to talk about what happened to them - feeling miserable, in pain, not being able to eat proper food, not being able to go out or play.  Slowly guide the discussion to how other people tended to them:  the doctors, their parents, their family and friends, the teachers, etc.

Are you glad that you got all that treatment?  What would have happened if you did not?  Do not limit this to only the medical treatment but also lead on to the tender loving care that all of us need to get well. 

Discuss how miserable we feel when we are sick.  Wouldn’t you like a good warm hug at that point?  Of course we do!  Do you give your family members a warm hug when they are sick (Leave out friends – you do not want to be accused of encouraging the children to contract a cold at school.)?  If the children answer in the affirmative, compliment them and ask if it makes them feel better as well as the making the sick one feel better.  If they answer in the negative, contrast it with what they would wish to have when they are sick but are not willing to give to others.

Explain that it is not just doctors who heal but that we, too, can help to heal in our little way.  And just as Jesus did with Peter’s mother-in-law, it is by taking them by their hand.  St Francis of Assisi was one of those who tended to lepers when others avoided them.  There was also Fr Damian who tended to a leper colony in Hawaii and eventually died as a consequence.  They did not avoid the sick but brought God’s love to them.

 

Healing (for more advanced children)

Can you name the seven sacraments?  There is an easy way to remember – they come in three groups: (i) the sacraments of initiation of baptism, communion & confirmation; (ii) the social sacraments of ordination & matrimony; and (iii) the healing sacraments of reconciliation & the anointing of the sick.

Explain what happens at the anointing of the sick: the priest rubs oil, which – just like our ointments today – was an agent of healing in olden days, on the sick person and says a prayer and blesses him or her.  In the past, people tend to associate the anointing of the sick with the last rites that a Catholic receives when he or she is about to die.  In truth, however, anointing of the sick could and should happen at any time when a Catholic is sick and not be limited to the deathbed.

The anointing of the sick expresses the faith of the community that the sick person can get well again & that when he or she recovers, it is due to the good graces of God that it happens.

Why Jesus came (for older children)

Go through the last paragraph of the reading note the oddness that Jesus wanted to go away when everyone was looking for him.  Why?  Discuss what is it that the people wanted from Jesus after hearing of his healing and his casting out of the demons.  Was that what he wanted?  What did he want to do?  He wanted to preach.  So he went elsewhere so that he could preach.  Note that he continued to cast out devils when he was preaching.  This is to emphasise that he did not go away because he did not want to cure people (in the olden days, people thought that diseases were caused by devils and, so, it seems sometimes that curing people was the same as casting out devils), but that curing people was only a secondary part of his ministry, secondary to preaching.

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

LSW children

Year A

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Concepts

Salt and Light

Points to note

This continuation of the Sermon on the Mount is very vivid.  Salt and light are very common everyday items.  It is therefore very easy to use them in the sessions.  You may wish to concentrate on one or the other, or you may attempt both. 

If you plan to use salt, do not use too much as it is not healthy.  It is not healthy on the children if they try to taste too much of it.  It is also not healthy for your back if you have to vacuum it up from the carpet.

If you do use light in the sessions, it is important to keep the silence in the group.  There is nothing more mystifying than staring silently into a lit candle in the middle of a darkened room.

Unless you have a very well behaved bunch, it is therefore not advisable to start the session in darkness and read from the candle: some children in darkness are notoriously prone to mischief.  Also, only attempt this with older children as some of the younger may have a fear of darkness.

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

I am the light of the world, says the Lord,

Anyone who follows me will have the light of life.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Explain that we are still with the Sermon on the Mount.

The Lord be with you.

All:   And also with your spirit.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew

All:   Glory to you O Lord

(Mt 5: 13-16)

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth.  But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again?  It is good for nothing, can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot.

“You are the light of the world.  A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden.  No one light a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on a lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house.  In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that seeing your good works, they may give praise to your Father in heaven.”

This is the Word of the Lord

Dialogue

Salt

As a game, try blindfolding some children and letting them smell or taste some salt.  Can they identify what it is?

What is salt like?  Where does it come from?  Some are mined underground, but more commonly, it is harvested from the sea.  The Dead Sea, the lake River Jordan runs into, is very salty and produces a lot of salt.  When salt is harvested from the sea in this way, it glisten white in the sun.  The ancients therefore make it a symbol of purity.

What can we use it for?  To give flavouring; to preserve food (like bacon or salted fish), especially food that is good to keep.

Jesus called us the salt of the world.  What does he mean by that?  We are called to be pure as salt is pure.  We are called to give a different flavour to the earth:  we will make a difference to this world.  We are called to be preservatives and to preserve all that is good to preserve.  You may wish to discuss how the church has preserved our faith for two thousand years.

Light

Have the room in darkness. Make sure that none of the children has a fear of the dark!! Try lighting the candle.  Make it difficult to light the candle and succeed after several attempts.  When the candle is lit, explain that the houses that Jesus’ friends lived in were normally very dark as there were few windows.  Also in those days before matches, fires were very difficult to kindle and light.

Discuss how important were light to people in those days.  What would people do to the light they have lit?  Have it on a high point in the room so that the light can be seen by all.  A light that is hidden is absolutely useless.

Jesus called us the light of the world.  What did he mean by that?  Jesus called himself the true light.  If we are to follow him, we too must be light like he was.  Just as light is used to guide the way, we are called to guide the way for others to follow Jesus.  Notice the way the candle burns itself out to give light.  Just as Jesus died on the cross to show us the way to heaven, we too are sometimes called to make sacrifices in Jesus’ name.

Also notice that when there is a light in a darkened room, there is no part of the room that has no light.  Even if there is only a tiny bit of light there is still light.  And your eyes will eventually adjust to the darkness anyway.  Light will always banish darkness.  So, no matter how bleak the future looks, the faith and hope that Jesus brings into the world through our love will enlightened the bleakness in the world.

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year C

Fifth Ordinary Sunday

Concepts

Ordination

Fish

Points to note

Although a seemingly simple narrative, this reading is deep in significance and meaning.  I would like to focus on the aspect of the commissioning of Peter and how it relates to an ordination of a priest.  There have been various recent ordinations in our parish in recent years and it will be good to get the children’s eyewitness accounts of the celebrations.

The way the readings followed on from Second Sunday of the year could cause confusion with some of the children.  In that reading, the wedding at Cana, Jesus had just picked up his apostles before the first miracle whereas here is what seems to be a different account of how he picked up his apostles. Well, it is different viewpoint of the same story by a different author.  That is why we say ‘Gospel according to St Matthew/Mark/Luke/John’.  Each author gives a refreshingly different perspective.

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Follow me, says the Lord,

and I will make you fishers of men.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Jesus was travelling outside is home region because he was not wanted there:  a prophet is not welcomed in his hometown.

The Lord be with you.

All:   And also with you.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke

(Lk 5:1-11)

Jesus was standing one day by the lake of Galilee, with the crowd pressing around him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank.  The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.  He got into one of the boats - it was Simon’s - and asked him to put out a little from the shore.  Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and put out your nets for a catch.”  “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will put out the nets.”  And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boats to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point.

When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, “Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.”  For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners.  But Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on, it is men you will catch.”  Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Discussions

Go through the story again, highlighting the aspects that relates to the commissioning of Peter.  Refer to the companion adult’s leaflet for guidance on this.

Has anyone been for an ordination mass?  There has been one ordination in each of the last few years.  Get those who have attended these masses to recount what happened at an ordination mass.

Draw parallels with the reading: 

·     the candidate for ordination lies prostrate before the bishop just as Peter clutches the knees of Jesus (one is not symbolic of the other:  I just put that in because I think it is interesting);

·     it is the bishop who ordains a priest just as Jesus commissioned Peter (due to the apostolic succession, bishops’ validity are transmitted by an unbroken line that traces back to the apostles who were ordained by Jesus himself: this means that every bishop we have today has been ordained by a bishop, who was ordained by a bishop, who was ordained by a bishop …… who was ordained by a bishop, who was ordained by one of the Apostles, who was ordained by Jesus);

·     at one point in the mass the candidate has to respond to questions about his calling just as Peter had to respond to Jesus’ call;

·     the newly ordained priest has to leave everything just as Peter did:  Jesuit and other religious priests (ie., those who are not diocesan priests who takes care of a parish for a bishop) takes three vows at their ordination

1.          vow of poverty: they may not own or possess any property; all properties are held by the Jesuit Order

2.          vow of chastity: they may not get married

3.          vow of obedience: they must obey their superior

Discuss the implications of these three vows and what the priests are committed to do.

 

If you have time, discuss the significance of the fish symbol.  It symbolises both the miracle of the catch we heard today and the miracle of the loaves and two fishes.  Later, it became a secret sign among persecuted Christians.  It was painted on the walls of catacombs to remind Christians of Jesus’ call for them to be fishers of men.  The initials of the phrase Jesus Christ, Victor in Greek also spelt out the Greek word fish.  Often in the catacombs, a drawing of a fish was accompanied by the Greek word below it.  When a Christian sees a symbol of a fish in an unfamiliar catacomb, he is assured that he is in a holy place where other Christians also worship.

 

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year B

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Images

Helping the sick

Why Jesus came

Points to note

This reading from Mk comprises three parts: (i) the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law; (ii) curing those possessed by devils; and (iii) leaving the town to preach.  The discussion here allows for separate themes for each of the three parts.  I have chosen to combine the first two parts into a discussion on healing while the discussion on the third part is recommended for older children only.  I have included this short discussion on the third part, as there is a potential question why Jesus left which some of the older children may ask.

Talking to children about healing can also be done on two levels.  All children should be able to relate to dealing with family members who are sick.  I would, however, suggest, that discussing the sacrament of anointing should be limited to only those who have undergone instructions on sacraments as a whole:  that there are seven sacraments, etc.

In our modern, clean and sterile society, we tend to stay clear of germs, dirt and all the yucky stuff.  One unfortunate consequence is that we avoid people who are sick.  I find it sad to see people walking around with facemasks, as the message I get is that interacting with me is a risk they have to put up with. As a result, we do not provide comfort to the sick.  Don’t you long for a hug sometimes when you are sick and miserable in bed with a fever?  Well, in today’s society, that is very unlikely.  Perhaps, we should be reminded that Jesus healed the sick by holding them by the hand – very much like how Mother Teresa cradled the dying in her arms and Princess Di embrace AIDS patients.

Liturgy

 

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

He took our sickness away,

and carried our diseases for us.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Explain that Jesus is still travelling around Galilee at the beginning of his ministry and most people still do not know his message.

The Lord be with you.

All:   And also with you.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark

All:   Glory to you O Lord

(Mk 1: 29-39)

On leaving the synagogue, Jesus went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew.  Now, Simon’s mother-in-law had gone to bed with fever, and they took her by the hand and helped her up.  And the fever left her and she began to tend to them.

That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils.  The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also case out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.

In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there.  Simon and his companions set out in search of him, and when they found him they said, “Everybody is looking for you.”  He answered, “Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there too, because that is why I came.”  And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out devils.

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Discussion

Healing (for all children)

Have any of you ever fell sick before?  Allow them to talk about what happened to them - feeling miserable, in pain, not being able to eat proper food, not being able to go out or play..  Slowly guide the discussion to how other people tended to them:  the doctors, their parents, their family and friends, the teachers, etc.

Are you glad that you got all that treatment?  What would have happened if you did not.  Do not limit this to only the medical treatment but also lead on to the tender loving care that all of us need to get well. 

Discuss how miserable we feel when we are sick.  Wouldn’t you like a good warm hug at that point?  Of course we do!  Do you give your family members a warm hug when they are sick (Leave out friends – you do not want to be accused of encouraging the children to contract a cold at school.)?  If the children answer in the affirmative, compliment them and ask if it makes them feel better as well as the making the sick one feel better.  If they answer in the negative, contrast it with what they would wish to have when they are sick but are not willing to give to others.

Explain that it is not just doctors who heal but that we, too, can help to heal in our little way.  And just as Jesus did with Peter’s mother-in-law, it is by taking them by their hand.  St Francis of Assisi was one of those who tended to lepers when others avoided them.  There was also Fr Damian who tended to a leper colony in Hawaii and eventually died as a consequence.  They did not avoid the sick but brought God’s love to them.

Healing (for more advanced children)

Can you name the seven sacraments?  There is an easy way to remember – they come in three groups: (i) the sacraments of initiation of baptism, communion & confirmation; (ii) the social sacraments of ordination & matrimony; and (iii) the healing sacraments of reconciliation & the anointing of the sick.

Explain what happens at the anointing of the sick: the priest rubs oil, which – just like our ointments today – was an agent of healing in olden days, on the sick person and says a prayer and blesses him or her.  In the past, people tend to associate the anointing of the sick with the last rites that a Catholic receives when he or she is about to die.  In truth, however, anointing of the sick could and should happen at any time when a Catholic is sick and not be limited to the deathbed.

The anointing of the sick expresses the faith of the community that the sick person can get well again & that when he or she recovers, it is due to the good graces of God that it happens.

Why Jesus came (for older children)

Go through the last paragraph of the reading note the oddness that Jesus wanted to go away when everyone was looking for him.  Why?  Discuss what is it that the people wanted from Jesus after hearing of his healing and his casting out of the demons.  Was that what he wanted?  What did he want to do?  He wanted to preach.  So he went elsewhere so that he could preach.  Note that he continued to cast out devils when he was preaching.  This is to emphasise that he did not go away because he did not want to cure people (in the olden days, people thought that diseases were caused by devils and, so, it seems sometimes that curing people was the same as casting out devils), but that curing people was only a secondary part of his ministry, secondary to preaching.