Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

LSW children

Year B

Sixteenth Ordinary Sunday

Images

Resting

Protection

Points to note

This reading is specifically the introduction to the miracle of the loaves from Mk.  This miracle is important in the Catholic Church as it forms the base to our sacrament to the Eucharist.  The Missal, therefore, takes time out in the Ordinary Sunday cycle of readings to deal with this a little more in depth.  As the doctrinal explanation of this miracle in Mk, however, is rather skimpy, the readings from Jn are used from next week onwards to explain the significance of this miracle.

I have, consequently, decided to decouple this introduction from the miracle of the loaves. It can, fortunately, stand by itself in that the concern that Jesus has for his sheep is highlighted, and thus, continue the theme of protection and Jesus’ help that runs through the last two Sundays.

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice, says the Lord, I know them and they follow me.

Alleluia!

Gospel

In last week’s reading, Jesus just sent out the disciples to preach in the towns around Galilee.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark

(Mk6: 30-34)

The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught.  Then he said to them, “You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while”; for there were so many coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat.  So they went off in a boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves.  But the people saw them going and many could guess where; and from every town they all hurried to the place and reached it before them.  So, as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length.

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Discussion

What does a shepherd do?  Discuss specifically what a shepherd does for the sheep.  Let them graze and rest; make them comfortable, including taking them into shelter at night; protect them.

What qualities should a shepherd have?  Being sensitive to the needs of the sheep; courage when needed to protect the sheep. 

Discuss how Jesus was sensitive to the apostles in the reading.  What did he think they needed?  Rest, a little food, some place to be alone.  Did he provide them with it?  Discuss stories in the Bible where God was sensitive to the needs of his people and provided for them:  feeding with manna, etc.

Discuss how Jesus was sensitive to the people in the reading.  What did he think they needed?  A little bit of direction, a bit of leadership, a bit of comfort, a lot of teaching.  Did he provide them with it?  Discuss times when God promised to care for us.  (Is 49:15-16 I have carved you on the palms of my hands; Ps 23 the Lord is my Shepherd)

Discuss how we can be like Jesus by being sensitive to others, care for others and see to it that they are comfortable.  Give concrete examples.  Start with the family and go on to school situations.  For older children, discuss where people stand up and argue for the poor and the underprivileged.

Lead on to discuss how the shepherd leads the sheep to food.  What happens during winter when it is too cold for the sheep to graze outside?The shepherd prepares hay for them. What happens when there is a famine and there is not much grass on the ground?  The shepherd leads the sheep further away to find better grazing ground.

You can then discuss how just as the shepherd leads the flock to sustenance, Jesus also leads us to sustenance at mass.  This anticipates next week reading so you can leave more of it to the next few weeks.

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year A

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Images

Good and bad co-existing together

Points to note

This reading is the second in a series of three parables that Jesus told.  For the children’s readings, only the shorter versions in the Missal are used.  The longer alternative versions contain Jesus’ explanation to the parables. 

The message of this parable is abstract and revolves around concepts of justice that younger children may find it difficult to grasp.  As such, it is recommended that the idea that good and bad co-exist in this world is broached with younger children, moving up when the children are ready, to concepts about the rewards that good and bad will have at the end of time.  Care should be taken that justice should not be equated to vengeance in this context but aim to highlight the good rather than the bad.

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

May the father of our Lord Jesus Christ

enlighten the eyes of our mind,

so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.

Alleluia!

Gospel

As this parable follows on directly from that last week, you may wish to revisit the parable of the sower briefly before starting this reading.

The Lord be with you.

All:   And also with you.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew

All:   Glory to you O Lord

(Mt 13:24-43)

Jesus put a parable before the crowds, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.  While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off.  When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well.  The owner’s servants went to him and said, ‘Sir, was it not good seed you sowed in your field?  If so, where does the darnel come from?’  ‘Some enemy has done this’, he answered.  And the servants said, ‘Do you want to weed it out?’  But he said, ‘No, when you weed out the darnel, you might pull out the wheat with it.  Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers:  First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.’”

This is the Word of the Lord

Dialogue

Does everyone know the story of Dick Whittington and his cat (you may choose to use another children story where there was a person in trouble, a person who caused it and a person who helped)?  You may need to retell this story as I have found many children and grown-ups who do not know the story.  Highlight in the story that Dick was troubled because of the nasty cook in the house but the master of the house was such a good man.

Have you ever been troubled?  Discuss the times that children have been troubled in their everyday lives.  Do not force the discussion and do not lead children to create a troubled scenario for the discussion.  Gently highlight the ones where some one else was the cause of the troubles.  Take care again that we do not paint this other person as the villainous one.  Ask questions to take the story a little further.  Was there some one else who came to help the child in his or her time of trouble?  Spend more time on this aspect of the story and make sure the time spent on the good person who helped is more than that spent on the bad person who caused the trouble in the first place.  In all the discussion, you may use the story of Dick Whittington and his cat, or any other story of your choosing for the context.

Link this up with the parable.  Each person/object in the story has an analogy: The owner is God and the field is the world.  The servants are his missionaries and the wheat is the good people.  The enemy is Satan and the darnel is the bad people.  Harvest time is judgement day with the barn being paradise and the fire is you-know-where.

The message is that in every story with a bad person, there is a good person in there as well.  You may wish to play down the part about what happens to the bad people.  That will lead on to a lot of questions that cannot be finished this Sunday.  (Basically, the bad will be with us together with the good, all the way until judgement day – harvest time in the parable - then, judgement will separate the good from the bad)

Dick Whittington was a little boy whose only possession was a cat and he went away to London to look for work.  He found a job as kitchen help.  Although the master of the house was a kindly soul, the cook was nasty to him and used to beat him up.  The cat was his only friend.  So, Dick ran away with his cat.  He stopped on a hill outside London where he heard the church bells of London tolling to him, “Come back, Dick Whittington, thrice Lord Mayor of London.”  Dick went back to the house.  One day, the master of the house whose ship was about to sail asked everyone in the house if they had anything to sell in the faraway land.  Dick gave his cat, which became a treasure when it helped to clear out all the mice in the palace of a king in a faraway land.  Dick became rich, married the daughter of the master of the house, and became the Lord Mayor of London three times.

Interesting little-known fact – if you go to London, near a train station called Archway, there is a small statue of a cat by the side of the road.  It marks the spot where Dick heard the bells of London and turned round.  London public archives do record a Richard Whittington, who was, unusually, Lord Mayor three times.

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year C

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Images

Listening to Jesus

Points to note

A balancing act is required in this passage.  Mary and Martha represent two opposing contrasts.  It could be a delicate situation not to emphasise one to the exclusion of the other.  Some children may seize on the opportunity to de-emphasise the aspect of serving.

We could make this session quite fun for the children if we encourage them to talk about the sounds that they like to hear.  The message is quite simple: we have to listen to Jesus and after listening, it makes us do certain things.  Focus on those certain things.

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Open our hearts, O Lord,

to accept the words of your Son.

Alleluia!

Gospel

The feast of St Mary is on 22 July, with the feast of her sister following exactly one week later on 29 July.  Even if the feast days do not coincide with the Sunday, they will be very close.  The reading is about these two sisters.

The Lord be with you.

All:   And also with you.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke

All:   Glory to you O Lord

(Lk 10: 38-42)

Jesus came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking.  Now Martha who was busy with all the cooking said, “Lord, why do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the cooking all by myself?  Please tell her to help me.”  But the Lord answered: “Martha, Martha,” he said, “you worry about so many things, and yet only one is important.  It is Mary who has chosen the better one; it is not to be taken from her.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Dialogue

Sounds.  Is there any sound that you like?  One of my favourites is “Dinner is ready!”. 

Is there a difference between sounds and noises? 

Some sounds are special as they tell us certain things.  Name some.

Lead it to examples such as telephone ringing - it tells us that someone wants to speak to us; doorbell - someone is at the door; ambulance siren - someone needs to get to hospital.

Some sounds are even more special.  They not only tell us something, they also make us do something.  Name some.

Telephone ringing - makes us pick up the phone; doorbell - makes us answer the door; ambulance siren - makes Mom or Dad pull the car to the side of the road (Do we really do that in Malaysia?).

We can only answer the phone, the door, etc., though, only if we are listening.  Discuss difference between hearing and listening.

How we can tell if somebody is listening to us?

Basically, it has no effect on them.  They don’t do what we tell them to do, for example.

Do we listen at mass?  Is it important to listen at mass?  What are the sounds we hear at mass.

I love this story.  The priest was about to end his weekly mass at a convent of old nuns, when he realised that he has just forgotten an important announcement.  So instead of saying, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.”, he told them “I will not be coming for mass the next week due to another engagement.”  An old deaf nun heard him say something but, not listening well, she thought the priest was ending the mass the normal way and so she responded ............... The importance of listening at mass!!

Just like those special sounds that are special, what we hear at mass are special because they not only tell us something, they make us do something.

Discuss what the sounds we hear at mass tell us - the individual sound tells us about when to kneel, etc.; take communion; the readings tell us about God and his love.  They also make sure that we go out and love God and our neighbours (remember who is a neighbour, cf. Sunday15) when mass is finished.

Will it be much use if we were to learn so much about God and not do anything about it?

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year B

Sixteenth Ordinary Sunday

Images

Resting

Protection

Points to note

This reading is specifically the introduction to the miracle of the loaves from Mk.  This miracle is important in the Catholic Church as it forms the base to our sacrament to the Eucharist.  The Missal, therefore, takes time out in the Ordinary Sunday cycle of readings to deal with this a little more in depth.  As the doctrinal explanation of this miracle in Mk, however, is rather skimpy, the readings from Jn are used from next week onwards to explain the significance of this miracle.

I have, consequently, decided to decouple this introduction from the miracle of the loaves.  It can, fortunately, stand by itself in that the concern that Jesus has for his sheep is highlighted, and thus, continue the theme of protection and Jesus’ help that runs through the last two Sundays.

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice, says the Lord, I know them and they follow me.

Alleluia!

Gospel

In last week’s reading, Jesus just sent out the disciples to preach in the towns around Galilee.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark

(Mk 6: 30-34)

The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught.  Then he said to them, “You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while”; for there were so many coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat.  So they went off in a boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves.  But the people saw them going and many could guess where; and from every town they all hurried to the place and reached it before them.  So, as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length.

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Discussion

What does a shepherd do?  Discuss specifically what a shepherd does for the sheep.  Let them graze and rest; make them comfortable, including taking them into shelter at night; protect them.

What qualities should a shepherd have?  Being sensitive to the needs of the sheep; courage when needed to protect the sheep. 

Discuss how Jesus was sensitive to the apostles in the reading.  What did he think they needed?  Rest, a little food, some place to be alone.  Did he provide them with it?  Discuss stories in the Bible where God was sensitive to the needs of his people and provided for them:  feeding with manna, etc.

Discuss how Jesus was sensitive to the people in the reading.  What did he think they needed?  A little bit of direction, a bit of leadership, a bit of comfort, a lot of teaching.  Did he provide them with it?  Discuss times when God promised to care for us.  (Is 49:15-16 I have carved you on the palms of my hands; Ps 23 the Lord is my Shepherd)

Discuss how we can be like Jesus and be sensitive to others and care for others and see to it that they are comfortable.  Give concrete examples.  Start with the family and go on to school situations.  For older children, discuss where people stand up and argue for the poor and the underprivileged.

Lead on to discuss how the shepherd leads the sheep to food.  What happens during winter when it is too cold for the sheep to graze outside? The shepherd prepares hay for them. What happens when there is a famine and there is not much grass on the ground?  The shepherd leads the sheep further away to find better grazing ground.

You can then discuss how just as the shepherd leads the flock to sustenance, Jesus also leads us to sustenance at mass.  This anticipates next week reading so you can leave more of it to the next few weeks.

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year A

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Images

Good and bad co-existing together

Points to note

This reading is the second in a series of three parables that Jesus told.  For the children’s readings, only the shorter versions in the Missal are used.  The longer alternative versions contain Jesus’ explanation to the parables. 

The message of this parable is abstract and revolves around concepts of justice that younger children may find it difficult to grasp.  As such, it is recommended that the idea that good and bad co-exist in this world is broached with younger children, moving up when the children are ready, to concepts about the rewards that good and bad will have at the end of time.  Care should be taken that justice should not be equated to vengeance in this context but aim to highlight the good rather than the bad.

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

May the father of our Lord Jesus Christ

enlighten the eyes of our mind,

so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.

Alleluia!

Gospel

As this parable follows on directly from that last week, you may wish to revisit the parable of the sower briefly before starting this reading.

The Lord be with you.

All:   And also with you.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew

All:   Glory to you O Lord

(Mt 13:24-43)

Jesus put a parable before the crowds, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.  While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off.  When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well.  The owner’s servants went to him and said, ‘Sir, was it not good seed you sowed in your field?  If so, where does the darnel come from?’  ‘Some enemy has done this’, he answered.  And the servants said, ‘Do you want to weed it out?’  But he said, ‘No, when you weed out the darnel, you might pull out the wheat with it.  Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers:  First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.’”

This is the Word of the Lord

Dialogue

Does everyone know the story of Dick Whittington and his cat (you may choose to use another children story where there was a person in trouble, a person who caused it and a person who helped)?  You may need to retell this story as I have found many children and grown-ups who do not know the story.

Highlight in the story that Dick was troubled because of the nasty cook in the house but the master of the house was such a good man.

Have you ever been troubled?  Discuss the times that children have been troubled in their everyday lives.  Do not force the discussion and do not lead children to create a troubled scenario for the discussion.  Gently highlight the ones where some one else was the cause of the troubles.  Take care again that we do not paint this other person as the villainous one.  Ask questions to take the story a little further.  Was there some one else who came to help the child in his or her time of trouble?  Spend more time on this aspect of the story and make sure the time spent on the good person who helped is more than that spent on the bad person who caused the trouble in the first place.  In all the discussion, you may use the story of Dick Whittington and his cat, or any other story of your choosing for the context.

Link this up with the parable.  Each person/object in the story has an analogy: The owner is God and the field is the world.  The servants are his missionaries and the wheat are the good people.  The enemy is Satan and the darnel are the bad people.  Harvest time is judgement day with the barn being paradise and the fire is you-know-where.

The message is that in every story with a bad person, there is a good person in there as well.  You may wish to play down the part about what happens to the bad people.  That will lead on to a lot of questions that cannot be finished this Sunday.  (Basically, the bad will be with us together with the good, all the way until judgement day – harvest time in the parable - then, judgement will separate the good from the bad)

Dick Whittington was a little boy whose only possession was a cat and he went away to London to look for work.  He found a job as kitchen help.  Although the master of the house was a kindly soul, the cook was nasty to him and used to beat him up.  The cat was his only friend.  So, Dick ran away with his cat.  He stopped on a hill outside London where he heard the church bells of London tolling to him, “Come back, Dick Whittington, thrice Lord Mayor of London.”  Dick went back to the house.  One day, the master of the house whose ship was about to sail asked everyone in the house if they had anything to sell in the faraway land.  Dick gave his cat, which became a treasure when it helped to clear out all the mice in the palace of a king in a faraway land.  Dick became rich, married the daughter of the master of the house, and became the Lord Mayor of London three times.

Interesting little-known fact – if you go to London, near a train station called Archway, there is a small statue of a cat by the side of the road.  It marks the spot where Dick heard the bells of London and turned round.  London public archives do record a Richard Whittington, who was, unusually, Lord Mayor three times.