Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

LSW children

Year B

Twenty-seventh Ordinary Sunday 

Images

Welcoming the family

Points to note

This week’s reading has two parts.  As the first part (vv 2-12) deal with divorce, you may wish to leave it out and just have the second part read.  The second part (vv13-16) is the favourite children’s story of Jesus blessing the little children.  In a way we can interpret a common strand through both seemingly different parts:  the family.

The focus on this reading is welcoming a member of the family, like a new baby. Which raises a question: when does a baby become a member of the family?  The ancients believe that the soul of a baby waits at the opening of the womb to inhabit the baby at birth, and there is a supply of souls waiting for babies to be born.

Scripture, however, tells us that we are made in the image of God and that God is love.  We are, therefore, created out of love.  I believe that a baby’s soul is created out of two persons' love, when they started to love each other and to prepare for the coming of the baby.  That will be before the baby is born and may even be before the baby is conceived.

So, we existed when we were first loved.  We joined our family at home when our parents made a place in their hearts for us.

Liturgy

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Your word is truth, O Lord,

make us holy with the truth

Alleluia!

Gospel

Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem, which is a long way from Galilee.  He stops along the way every now and then to rest.

The Lord be with you.

All:   And also with you.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark

(Mk10: 2-16)

People were bringing little children to him, for him to touch them.  The disciples turned them away, but when Jesus saw this he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.  I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  Then he put his arms round them, laid his hands on them and gave them his blessings.

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Dialogue

How many of us have younger brothers or sisters?  Those who have none, may think about how their older brothers and sisters related to them.  Or younger cousins or friends.

What did your parents do to prepare for the baby’s coming?  Did you get involved in the preparations?  I always find the reaction of older children to the coming of younger ones interesting to observe: the uncertainty, the jealousy; the fascination; the ‘now I am a big boy/girl’ syndrome.  You may get some of that in your discussions.

Those without younger siblings may talk about the preparations that their parents or elder siblings did for them.  Sometimes, parents or older siblings may tell them about it.  Those who are an only child may talk about preparations for the coming of younger cousins.

Discuss about the fact that we belong to two families:  God’s family and our family at home.  How does somebody join God’s family?  Baptism.  Discuss what happened when someone is baptised.  Draw out from those who remembered their baptism or those who remembered witnessing someone’s baptism.

When people are baptised, they are welcomed into the Church.  The welcoming is done by the community at large.  So, it is not just the parties and the family and friends at home.

What do we need to do to prepare for a baptism?  How do we welcome a new member of the Church?  Explain that there are classes to go to.  Get children who have attended any Rite of Initiation of Children, or RCIC, to share what they have attended.  At the RCIC and the corresponding RCIA for adults, the beliefs and the practices of the Church are explained to the children.  They are also introduced to other Church members, especially those in their communities and BECs so that they can join in the life of the community.

Also important in welcoming is the role of the godparents.  Get the children to talk about their godparents.  Even people who are baptised as adults have godparents. Officially, in the Church, they are called sponsors. Their role is twofold: (i) they stand in for the parents if anything happens to the parents; and (ii) they ensure that their godchildren are brought up well in the faith and are faithful to God. Sponsors of adults who are baptised also introduce them to other Catholics and ensure that they are happy, comfortable and faithful in their Catholic lives.

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year A

Twenty-seventh Ordinary Sunday

Image

God love us

Points to note

This is very vivid parable and is very much an allegory.  In fact, Matthew has amended Mark’s version to fit it more into the history of Israel.  Details can be found in the adults leaflet.  Role-playing should work very well with this reading and it would be quite fun, too. 

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

I call you my friend, says the Lord,

because I have made known to you

everything I have learnt from my Father.

Alleluia!

Gospel

(optional) Have a missal at hand and read the first reading informally as an introduction (Is 5:1-7).  Explain that this is a love ballad about God’s love for us.  Read it slowly as a piece of poetry and paint a picture of God’s love lavished on his vineyard.  This imagery is very important to depict God’s sadness at the actions of the tenants in the Gospel reading.

Before the Gospel reading, explain to the children what is an allegory: it is a story where each character and action represent something or someone.  Tell the children that this parable is an allegory very much like the one we had last week and you would like them to identify whom the characters in the parable represent.

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 21: 33-43)

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, “Listen to another parable.  There was a landowner, who planted a vineyard, fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  Then he leased it to tenants and went abroad.  When harvest time came, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his rent.  But the tenants seized the servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third.  Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number.  And they did the same thing to them in the same way.  Finally he sent his son to them.  ‘They will respect my son’ he said.  But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir.  Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance.’  So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”  They answered, “He will bring those wicked people to a wicked end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the rent to him when the season arrives.”  Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:

       It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone.

       This was the Lord’s doing and it is wonderful to see?

I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruits.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Discussion

So, who were the various people in the story?  The owner represents God; the tenants, the chief priests and the elders of the people; the servants, the prophets; and the son, Jesus who was killed outside the walls of Jerusalem.  Who is the vineyard?  Be prepared to explain why a thing here is used to represent people.  Go back to the first reading, if necessary.  The vineyard represents Israel, which God has entrusted to the priests to take care.  The grapes from the harvest represent the love and worship that the people were due to give to God.

Read the reading again and interpret it as you go along with the events of the history of Israel.  At the end of it all, the children should understand that we are the object of God’s love and God does get very sad and upset if those he has assigned to watch over us do not do their job properly.

Context from the first reading

This parable is more an allegory.  The first reading for this Sunday gives a description of the vineyard.  Here, it represents the Chosen people.  The owner represents God; the tenants, the chief priests and the elders of the people; the servants, the prophets; and the son, Jesus who was killed outside the walls of Jerusalem.

Mt expanded on Mk’s conclusion to emphasise the eschatological aspects of the parable.

An interesting feature of the parable is that under Jewish law, three successive failures by the owner to claim his share of the harvest gives the tenants a case for claiming the vineyard as their own.  The case would be strengthened in practice, but not in law, if there is no heir to the property.  Hence the three attempts at murder.

The song of the vineyard Is 5:1-7     Let me sing to my friend the song of his love for his vineyard. My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug the soil, cleared it of stones, and planted choice vines in it. In the middle, he built a tower, he dug a press there too. He expected it to yield grapes, but sour grapes were all that it gave. And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I ask you to judge between my vineyard and me. What could I have done for my vineyard that I have not done? I expected it to yield grapes. Why did it yield sour grapes instead? Very well, I will tell you what I am going to do with my vineyard: I will take away its hedge for it to be grazed on, I will knock down its wall for it to be trampled on. I will lay it waste, unpruned and undug; overgrown by the briar and the thorn. I will command the clouds to rain no rain on it. Yes, the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the House of Israel, and the men of Judah, that chosen plant. He expected justice, but found bloodshed.

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

LSW children

 
Year C

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Images

The seed of our faith

Points to note

The passage comprises two parts.  The first is two verses relating to faith.  The second is a short parable on the servant.  There is a common thread linking these two seemingly unconnected passages.  The link may however, be a little too difficult to grasp.  Unless it is well prepared, it is recommended that the session be limited to the verses on faith.

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Speak, Lord, your servant is listening;

you have the message of eternal life.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Explain how tiny a mustard seed is.  If possible get some form the supermarket and allow each child to hold one in his or her palm while the reading is read.  Do not let them look at the seed when the reading is read if you want the reading to be heard but you may direct them to the mustard seed for a moment when you reach the verse.  Their imagination should be allowed to run riot.  If you give out mustard seeds, try to get them back from the children as it is difficult to vacuum them up from the carpet.

The Lord be with you.

All:   And with your spirit.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke

All:   Glory to you O Lord

(Lk 17: 5-10)

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”  The Lord replied, “If your faith is the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

“If a master has a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would he say to him when the servant returned from the fields, ‘Come and have your meal immediately?’  Would he not be more likely to say, ‘Get my supper laid; and make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink.  You can eat and drink yourself afterwards’?  Should he be ungrateful to the servant for doing what he was told?  Similarly with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say ‘We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.’”

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Dialogue

Take a look at the mustard seed.  How big or small is it?  How much bigger is the tree that it will grow into!

Describe the contrast in size between the seeds and the eventual tree.   Allow time for it to sink in.  Discuss what is needed for the seed to grow into the tree.  Emphasise the tender loving care, perhaps the fencing around the young sprout, etc.

Jesus likened our faith to the mustard seed.  When were we given this little seed that we call our faith?  At our baptism. Jesus promised that our faith will grow.  What will be needed for it to grow? Love; learning about God’s word and the Church; prayers; tender loving care from those who care for us and teach us.

In the Old Testament, the gardener who tenders the garden is likened to God.  In much the same way, we can extend this analogy to God being the gardener; we being the seed; the garden being the Church; the fertiliser being the faith education we get; and the water being love.  We can extend the analogy further in that the water that plants get come directly from the sky or is watered with a watering can.  In the same way, we get love directly from God and indirectly from our family and friends whom God asked to carry the love to us.

When seeds grow into trees, the trees could be used for many different uses.  When the seed of our faith grows into a giant grown-up tree of faith, what could our faith be used for?  Discuss acts of faith.  You may wish to discuss the different uses of the trees before launching into the question proper.

You can ask the children what kind of tree do they want to be?  Do they want to be a big leafy tree: so that they can protect people who are weak?  Do they want to be a fruit tree: so that they can nourish people who are more needy?  Do they want to be a pretty flowering tree: so that people can be inspired to see them witnessing in their beautiful faith life?

Jesus promised that if our faith was as small as the mustard seed, we could do miraculous things.  So let us remember to guard this fragile seed of faith of ours, as it will lead us to miracles.

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year B

Twenty-seventh Ordinary Sunday

Images

Welcoming the family

Points to note

This week’s reading has two parts.  As the first part (vv 2-12) deal with divorce, you may wish to leave it out and just have the second part read.  The second part (vv13-16) is the favourite children’s story of Jesus blessing the little children.  In a way we can interpret a common strand through both seemingly different parts:  the family.

The focus on this reading is welcoming a member of the family, like a new baby.  Which raises a question: when does a baby become a member of the family?  The ancients believe that the soul of a baby waits at the opening of the womb to inhabit the baby at birth, and there is a supply of souls waiting for babies to be born.

Scripture, however, tells us that we are made in the image of God and that God is love.  We are, therefore, created out of love.  I believe that a baby’s soul is created out of two persons love, when they started to love each other and to prepare for the coming of the baby.  That will be before the baby is born and may even be before the baby is conceived.

So, we existed when we were first loved.  We joined our family at home when our parents made a place in their hearts for us.

Liturgy

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Your word is truth, O Lord,

make us holy with the truth

Alleluia!

Gospel

Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem, which is a long way from Galilee.  He stops along the way every now and then to rest.

The Lord be with you.

All:   And also with you.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark

(Mk 10: 2-16)

People were bringing little children to him, for him to touch them.  The disciples turned them away, but when Jesus saw this he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.  I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  Then he put his arms round them, laid his hands on them and gave them his blessings.

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Dialogue

How many of us have younger brothers or sisters?  Those who have none, may think about how their older brothers and sisters related to them.  Or younger cousins or friends.

What did your parents do to prepare for the baby’s coming?  Did you get involved in the preparations?  I always find the reaction of older children to the coming of younger ones interesting to observe: the uncertainty, the jealousy; the fascination; the ‘now I am a big boy/girl’ syndrome.  You may get some of that in your discussions.

Those without younger siblings may talk about the preparations that their parents or elder siblings did for them.  Sometimes, parents or older siblings may tell them about it.  Those who are an only child may talk about preparations for the coming of younger cousins.

Discuss about the fact that we belong to two families:  God’s family and our family at home.  How does somebody join God’s family?  Baptism.  Discuss what happened when someone is baptised.  Draw out from those who remembered their baptism or those who remembered witnessing someone’s baptism.

When people are baptised, they are welcomed into the Church.  The welcoming is done by the community at large.  So, it is not just the parties and the family and friends at home.

What do we need to do to prepare for a baptism?  How do we welcome a new member of the Church?  Explain that there are classes to go to.  Get children who have attended any Rite of Initiation of Children, or RCIC, to share what they have attended.  At the RCIC and the corresponding RCIA for adults, the beliefs and the practices of the Church are explained to the children.  They are also introduced to other Church members, especially those in their communities and BECs so that they can join in the life of the community.

Also important in welcoming is the role of the godparents.  Get the children to talk about their godparents.  Even people who are baptised as adults have godparents.  Officially, in the Church, they are called sponsors.  Their role is twofold: (i) they stand in for the parents if anything happens to the parents; and (ii) they ensure that their godchildren are brought up well in the faith and are faithful to God.  Sponsors of adults who are baptised also introduce them to other Catholics and ensure that they are happy, comfortable and faithful in their Catholic lives.

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year A

Twenty-seventh Ordinary Sunday

Image

God love us

Points to note

This is very vivid parable and is very much an allegory.  In fact, Matthew has amended Mark’s version to fit it more into the history of Israel.  Details can be found in the adults leaflet.  Role-playing should work very well with this reading and it would be quite fun, too. 

Liturgy

Acclamation before the Gospel

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

I call you my friend, says the Lord,

because I have made known to you

everything I have learnt from my Father.

Alleluia!

Gospel

(optional) Have a missal at hand and read the first reading informally as an introduction (Is 5:1-7).  Explain that this is a love ballad about God’s love for us.  Read it slowly as a piece of poetry and paint a picture of God’s love lavished on his vineyard.  This imagery is very important to depict God’s sadness at the actions of the tenants in the Gospel reading.

Before the Gospel reading, explain to the children what is an allegory: it is a story where each character and action represent something or someone.  Tell the children that this parable is an allegory very much like the one we had last week and you would like them to identify whom the characters in the parable represent.

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 21: 33-43)

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, “Listen to another parable.  There was a landowner, who planted a vineyard, fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  Then he leased it to tenants and went abroad.  When harvest time came, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his rent.  But the tenants seized the servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third.  Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number.  And they did the same thing to them in the same way.  Finally he sent his son to them.  ‘They will respect my son’ he said.  But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir.  Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance.’  So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”  They answered, “He will bring those wicked people to a wicked end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the rent to him when the season arrives.”  Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:

       It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone.

       This was the Lord’s doing and it is wonderful to see?

I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruits.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord

Discussion

So, who were the various people in the story?  The owner represents God; the tenants, the chief priests and the elders of the people; the servants, the prophets; and the son, Jesus who was killed outside the walls of Jerusalem.  Who is the vineyard?  Be prepared to explain why a thing here is used to represent people.  Go back to the first reading, if necessary.  The vineyard represents Israel, which God has entrusted to the priests to take care.  The grapes from the harvest represent the love and worship that the people were due to give to God.

Read the reading again and interpret it as you go along with the events of the history of Israel.  At the end of it all, the children should understand that we are the object of God’s love and God does get very sad and upset if those he has assigned to watch over us do not do their job properly.

Context from the first reading

This parable is more an allegory.  The first reading for this Sunday gives a description of the vineyard.  Here, it represents the Chosen people.  The owner represents God; the tenants, the chief priests and the elders of the people; the servants, the prophets; and the son, Jesus who was killed outside the walls of Jerusalem.

Mt expanded on Mk’s conclusion to emphasise the eschatological aspects of the parable.

An interesting feature of the parable is that under Jewish law, three successive failures by the owner to claim his share of the harvest gives the tenants a case for claiming the vineyard as their own.  The case would be strengthened in practice, but not in law, if there is no heir to the property.  Hence the three attempts at murder.