32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year B

Thirty-second Ordinary Sunday

Images

Giving everything

Points to note

This Sunday’s reading actually comprise two sections, but I have taken up the option in the Missal to drop the first section.  This will enable us to concentrate this Sunday’s message on something that is closer to the children.  You may, however, wish to include the first section.

The story of the widow’s mite, though short, is a very powerful one.  Very much like the two coins which contained everything the widow had, the whole of the attitude of a Christian can be conveyed in this story: whatever we do or give to God, give our all.  The point is not just to give our excess, but to give our all.  The widow could have held back one coin, and still could be praised for giving half of all she owned, but she did not.

The story examines our own attitudes.  Jesus was not just contrasting the two coins of the widow with the many gifts of the rich, but also with us.  The holding back of one coin is something we have always had to face from childhood.  It is very much a story of each of our faith journey: from sharing of toys to sharing our life with God.  There is much, therefore, we can discuss on this.

I have started the discussion for today with a joke.  It is important that if we were to start any discussion with a story, we should try to return to it at the end of the discussion.  I have provided an idea for doing just that.

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Happy are the poor in spirit;

theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Alleluia!

Gospel

The Lord be with you.

All:   And also with you.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark

(Mk 12: 41-44)

He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting in money into the treasury, and many of the rich put in a great deal.  A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny.  Then he called his disciples and said to them, “I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they had put in all the money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Discussion

Three men won money at the races.  They all agreed that they should give some of the money to God but could not decide how much.  The first said, “I will draw a circle in the sand and throw the money up in the air.  Whatever money that fall outside the circle belong to God and whatever that fall inside the circle belong to me.”  He did, collected his money and gave the rest to the poor.  The second man said, I would do the same. I will draw a circle in the sand and throw the money up in the air.  Whatever money that fall outside the circle belong to me and whatever that fall inside the circle belong to God.”  He did, collected his money and gave the rest to the poor. The third man said, I would do the same. I will draw a circle in the sand and throw the money up in the air.  Whatever money that go up to heaven belong to God and whatever that fall on the earth belong to me.”

Which of these three persons are you like?  This isn’t meant to be a serious question but to lead the children to talk about how much they would give to God if they have enough money.  Begin by discussing amounts: one million?  two?  You can then lead on to discuss fractions: half? quarter?

For younger children who may not yet fully appreciate the idea of money, we could discuss the idea of possessions:  toys, cookies, favourite books.  Young children are by nature sharers.  But we are talking about more than sharing here; we are talking about giving, and never seeing what they gave away again. So, will they give a cookie, or a toy no longer needed or some outgrown clothes?  But what if it is their last cookie, the teddy they had from baby, or their favourite dress?

Explain that in the story (the Gospel story, not the joke), the widow gave everything she had.  And Jesus said that she has given more than anyone else because she gave everything.  Explain that it is not the amount she gave that is important, it is that she gave everything.

When Jesus said that, did he only meant only money gifts?  Explain that we can also give everything when we do things as well.  Discuss examples:  when Mom ask us to help, we do it wholeheartedly; when someone wants to talk to us when he or she is sad, we listen intently and not let our eyes wander everywhere; when a teacher teaches, we pay full attention; when we pray or say thank you, we really mean what we say.  Anyone else have any other examples?

Sometimes, we fall short.  We may be selfish and perhaps, refused to share what we have.  We may not pay attention when listening to a teacher or to someone we don’t like.  Sometimes, we bargain or we make compromises.  We tell Mom that we will help her for half an hour, which we say is better than nothing.  They are not alone: all of us are guilty of it.  But the widow gave two coins.  She did not give one and say that was good enough.  She gave two coins; she gave everything she had.

Ultimately, some people give their all: they give their lives.  There are, of course, people like Jesus and St Maximilian Kolbe.  There are also more ordinary people like the priests and sisters, who gave up their lives to serve God.  Explain that the priests took a vow of poverty and they do not own anything of themselves.  The Church owns everything.

Return to the joke at the beginning of this discussion.  Perhaps, there should be a fourth way:  I will draw a circle in the sand and throw the money up in the air.  Whatever money that goes up to heaven belong to me and whatever that fall on the earth belong to God.

Solemnity of All Saints

Year B

Solemnity of All Saints

Images

Saints

Points to note

Today is the day the Church has reserved for those lives have been exemplary but for whom no day has been set aside in the calendar for their commemoration.  While tomorrow, we commemorate our family members, friends and people in our community who have departed from us.  Discussions today will focus on what saints are and why we pray to them.  If you have the time, you may wish to discuss why we pray for the faithful departed.

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened,

And I will give you rest, says the Lord.

Alleluia!

Gospel

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew

 (Mt 5: 1-12)

Seeing he crowds, Jesus went up the hill.  There he sat down and was joined by his disciples.  Then he began to speak.  This is what he taught them:

            “How happy are the poor in spirit;

            theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

            Happy the gentle;

            they shall have the earth for their heritage.

            Happy those who mourn;

            they shall be comforted.

            Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right;

            they shall be satisfied.

            Happy the merciful;

            they shall have mercy shown them.

            Happy the pure in heart;

            they shall see God.

            Happy the peace makers;

            they shall be called sons of God.

            Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right;

            theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of nasty things against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”

This is the Word of the Lord

Dialogue

How many saints do you know?  There are over 2000 canonised saints in the Catholic Church.  There are, for instance, over 60 Saints Johns.  Get the children to name as many as they can.

Do you know how somebody can become a saint?  After a very good person dies, sometimes people pray at their graves.  I remember in St Francis Xavier Jesuit church in Dublin there is a grave of a priest who is not canonised but people pray at his grave.  That is the first step to being a saint.  He must have been a very holy man who have touched many people in his life and gained the respect of many.

A group of other people may then present a case to the Vatican to support canonisation of the candidate.  They gather stories of the good deeds that the candidate had done in life.  If the cardinals in the Vatican agree, they may approve the candidate to be a Blessed.  A Blessed means that the Church agrees that we can address our petitions to them.  This process is known as beatification.

On further investigations, the candidate can be made a Saint in the process known as canonisation.  Usually, beatification require one certified miracle arising from invoking the candidate in prayers while canonisation require two.  A saint may (i) be recognised in the register of Saints; (ii) be included in the public prayers of the Church; (iii) have churches named after them; (iv) have masses publicly offered to them; (v) have a feastday; (vi) be painted with a halo; and (vii) have his relics publicly recognised. (Canon Law)

Can you tell me what is the first thing that the priest does when he reaches the altar?  No, he does not bow to us.  He is kissing the altar.  Not actually the altar, more what we call an altar-stone.  If you life up the altar cloth, you will find a square hole in the wooden table, in which is a slab of marble, the altar-stone.  The altar-stone has five crosses cut into it, to represent the five wounds of Jesus.  It contains the relic of a saint, which could be a piece of bone, or a hair or something connected to the saint.  You see, the early Christians celebrated masses in catacombs, which are basically cellars used as cemeteries. They, naturally, prefer to celebrate mass near to bodies of martyrs or those they consider holy.  Later, when we moved out of the catacombs, the practice was retained to celebrate mass over the altar that contained a little bit of the saint they venerated.

And one more thing:  many Protestant claim that we pray to dead people, meaning that we pray to saints. You should also take the opportunity to explain that we do not pray to saints.  We address our prayers to them because we believe they are closer to God than we are, just like we ask our friends and the priest to pray for us.  Saints take our prayers to God.  We can of course and do address our prayers directly to God but as members of a praying community called the Church, any harm in asking others to pray for us?

Also, these saints are not ‘dead people’.  They are alive, in heaven.  In fact, if anything, they are more alive than we are being so close to God, and recognised by God that they have done so many good things on earth.

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year B

Thirtieth Ordinary Sunday

Images

Helplessness of a blind man

Points to note

Here is another vivid story told by Mark.  This is one of the few stories that centres so much on the person who was healed instead of on Jesus.  Much has been said about the response of Bartimaeus on hearing that Jesus was to come into Jericho.

It may therefore be an idea to centre the session around Bartimaeus.  For starters, a variant of the game of blind man’s buff could be fun, especially for the younger ones:  Get a volunteer, preferably one who is not told what will happen next.  Have him or her blindfolded.  Turn the volunteer round several times to disorientate him or her.  Rearrange the room to place as many obstacles as possible.  Then, the volunteer is to make his or her own way to the door.  No one is allowed to give instructions.  Watch the fun.  Try it again a second time.  This time, the other children are, then, to guide the volunteer to the door or some other object.

The point of this little game is to bring out the idea of helplessness and the availability of some one to help and guide.  This will link up with the idea of being poor in the spirit and being totally reliant on God.  This is the situation that God wants us to be in, and this is the situation that Bartimaeus was in.  God is a little bit of a jealous kind.  He wants us to be like a new-born babe and to be the only one we can turn to in our helplessness.

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

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark

(Mk 10: 46-52)

As Jesus left Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (that is, the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting by the side of the road.  When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and to say, “Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me.”  And many of them scolded him. And told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder,  “Son of David, have pity on me” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.”  So they called the blind man.  “Courage,” they said, “get up; he is calling you.”  So throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and went to Jesus.  Then Jesus spoke, “What do you want me to do for you?”  “Master,” the blind man said to him, “let me see again.”  Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has saved you.”  And immediately his sight returned and he followed him along the road.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Discussion

(Assuming that you have played the game above)  Get the volunteer to describe how he or she feels about volunteering or being volunteered.  What did the other children feel about this one child volunteering/being volunteered?

Get the volunteer to describe how he or she feels when blindfolded, and then turned around several times, had the room rearranged and then told to make his or her way to the door?  Was it easy to find the door the first time?  Was it frustrating?  How did the other children feel when they could see him or her heading the wrong way but could not give any guidance?  What about the second time?  How did the volunteer feel about getting all these guidance?  Was it easier?  What did the others feel?

Explain that the whole idea of this little game is to show what is meant by being poor in the spirit.  Being poor in the spirit, as the Beatitudes had wanted us to be, means that we are so totally helpless that we have no one to rely on.  When we are poor in the spirit, we therefore have to rely on no one but God and God alone.

(If you did not play the game, take the children through the scene from Bartimaeus’ point of view: the dust in the hot sun, the noise, the crowds, lots of movement)

Back to Bartimaeus:  put ourselves in his shoes, if he had any, that is.  Discus how helpless he was in his blindness.  Discuss how he felt when he heard that Jesus the master healer was coming to town.  He decided that he would ask Jesus to heal him.  Discuss what else he could have done instead: he could have felt that his problem wasn’t big enough to bother Jesus with.  He could have felt that he wasn’t important enough to get Jesus’ attention.  He could have felt that there are others who may also need to ask Jesus.  He could have felt embarrassed to ask Jesus in front of so many people.  He could have felt that other people may not like him to cause a commotion in public.

But Bartimaeus did not do any of these things and he was healed.  Discuss how Bartimaeus must have felt after he was healed.  Parallel all these discussions with how the volunteer in the earlier game felt.

Discuss how we should be praying to God in our nightly prayers tonight.  How could we be poor in the spirit like Bartimaeus and yet, persistent like he was?  Surely we must have things that we would like to ask Jesus for.

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year B

Twenty-ninth Ordinary Sunday

Imagery

Humility

Being a leader

Points to note

According to the Missal, the first paragraph of this reading is optional.  I would feel that the first paragraph is essential for us for several reasons.  One, it is a narrative and narratives go down well with children.  Narratives also help give background to the discourses.  This particular paragraph echoes another reading about humility a few weeks back (cf. Sunday 25).  You may wish to revisit this reading.

This Sunday’s reading takes the concept a little further in that it applies the ideas of humility to leadership.  Some of the older children may have had some position of responsibility, either in school activities or over younger brothers and sisters at home.  This will provide some material for you to work on during the sessions as you draw out of these children their idea of leadership.

What we discussed in Sunday 25

At our baptism, we are anointed priest, prophet and king.  Discuss each of the three anointing in turn. Discuss briefly what we should be doing in our three roles.  Our anointing as priest calls us to prayers.  Our anointing as prophet calls us to be teachers and proclaimers of the Word. 

Our anointing as king calls us to be servants.  Explain that the structure of Jesus’ kingdom is such that the least will be greatest and whoever wants to be a leader has to be servant to all.  Note the washing of the feet at the Last Supper.

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;

no one can come to the Father except through me.

Alleluia!

Gospel

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark

(Mk 10: 35-45)

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached Jesus, “Master,” they said to him, “we want you to do us a favour.”  He said to them, “What is it that you want me to do for you?”  They said to him, “Allow us to sit one at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”  “You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them.  “Can you drink the cup that I must drink, or to be baptised with the baptism with which I must be baptised?”  They replied, “We can.”  Jesus said to them, “The cup that I must drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I must be baptised you shall be baptised, but as for the seats at my right hand or my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted.”

When the other ten heard this, they began to feel indignant with James and John, so Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that among the pagans their so called rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt.  This is not to happen among you.  No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all.  For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Discussion

Do you have prefects or hall monitors in school? What are their jobs? To get everyone to keep the school rules. Have you noticed that different prefects and hall monitors have different ways of doing their jobs? Discuss how monitors and prefects carry out their tasks as monitors and prefects.  BE CAREFUL!!  Some of the children could be monitors and prefects themselves.  You don’t really want a slanging match in the middle of your session.

Discuss the different styles of leadership.  Some people are strict.  Some people use reason.  Some people use charm.  Get the children to talk about the teachers they like.  Each would have a different style of leadership.  Which type of teacher would they like?   The one who bosses everyone about because he is the teacher or the one who is willing to do things with the children?  Extend the discussion to the monitors and prefects that the children like.  Extend the discussion to how they would like to be a monitor or prefect if they were appointed one and still keep the rules.

Jesus expects his disciples to be leaders in the Church.  But he expects them to be a different type of leader.  Discuss the concept of the inverted pyramid of the Christian hierarchy (one of the titles of the Pope is ‘servant of the servants of God’ – the idea that he is at the bottom of the hierarchy as servant to all).  You may want to bring in what we discussed four weeks ago about our anointing as a king at our baptism

With this in mind, how do the children think Jesus would like them to be if they were to be a hall monitor or a school prefect?  Discuss also broadly how we should act when we meet people less fortunate than us or weaker than us.  We should remember that these people may be closer to the kingdom of God than us if they approached their misfortune and their weakness in the Christian spirit.  Therefore we should not lord over them.

At the same time, we should also remember that being a leader brings hardship as well.  Look at Jesus - being a leader means to die on the cross.  Not a very nice way of being a leader.  Similarly, our parents sometimes have to make very difficult decisions as the leader of the family.  Decisions about how to bring up the children; decisions about money; decisions about discipline.  Each of these decisions often involves sacrificing something they would like to have so that the family can have food, education, etc instead.  Jesus reminded his disciples that it is not easy being a leader. 

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year B

Twenty-eighth Ordinary Sunday

Imagery

Sacrifice

Points to note

Although this may seem quite a vivid narrative, the concepts that underlie it are a little advanced.  They revolve around the idea of possessions.  Some younger children have very weak grasp of the concepts of personal possessions.  They tend to be the ones who would be more willing to share rather than hoard.  As such, care may need to be taken to avoid introducing an alien concept to them, especially one that may weaken the sharing instincts.  Facilitators would need to be alert to such situations and adapt the session accordingly.

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Blessed are you, Father. Lord of heaven and earth,

for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to mere children.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Jesus has just welcomed the little children into the kingdom of God while he was on the way to Jerusalem, as we saw in last Sunday’s reading.

The Lord be with you.

All:   And also with you.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark

(Mk 10: 17-30)

Jesus was setting out on a journey when a man ran up, knelt before him and put this question to him, “Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good?  No one is good but God alone.  You know the commandments:  You must not kill; You must not commit adultery; You must not steal; You must lie; You must not cheat; Honour your mother and father.”  And he said to him, “Master, I have kept all these from my earliest days.”  Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him, and he said, “There is one thing you lack.  Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”  But his face fell at these words and he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.

Jesus looked round and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!”  The disciples were astounded by these words, but Jesus insisted, “My children,” he said to them, “how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”  They were more astonished than ever.  “In that case,” they said to one another, “who can be saved?”  Jesus gazed at them.  “For men,” he said, “it is impossible, but not for God: because everything is possible for God.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Discussions

What is your most prized possession?  Get each child to describe the most valuable thing that they have.  Try to limit them to more tangible possessions and leave out the intangibles like love, etc. They can include people as the most valuable thing that they have, such as parents and families.

Does anyone have the right to ask you to give up your most prized possession?  Would you?  Discuss what the children would do if they were asked to do this, extending the discussion to whatever will make them give up the most prized possession.  Maybe, that depends on:

·     who asked them: parent; priest; God?

·     how they were asked: nicely; not given a choice?

·     for how long do they to give it up: a short while; forever?

·     for what it would be used: given to one more in need than them?

·     what the most prized possession was: can they get a replacement?

Discuss the idea of sacrifice that Jesus wanted in the reading.  What does sacrifice mean?  Basically, a sacrifice would be something you give up.  Describe various types of sacrifices - fasting, etc.  Would it be a sacrifice if you were to give up something you didn’t like?  Would it be a bigger sacrifice to give up something you cherish very much, like your most prized possession?

Why did Jesus wanted his disciples to give up so much?  Was it easy to give up their possessions and families to follow him?  Do people still do such things today?  Discuss about the priests and religious who have given up things.  For instance, Jesuit fathers (or any other religious groups, monks and sisters) do not own anything by themselves.  Everything they have is in the name of their Order or Congregation (that is the group or society that they belong to).  If they were to earn anything, say by teaching, they would need to give everything they earn to the Jesuit community.  They would of course get some pocket money to spend each month.

We do not all of course need to make such a sacrifice.  Discuss the little sacrifices that we can make.