24th Sunday Ordinary Time C

24th  Sunday in Ordinary Time   Cycle C

Welcome children to their worship space.

Ask them to get their carpet squares and sit down in a circle.

Introduce yourself and your helpers.

Introduce

             Explain: Today is the Twenty-fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time.   

Ask: Does anyone remember what we talked about last week?  <show the symbol of a cross>

Say: Our crosses are our problems, our pains and troubles.  We need to be followers of Jesus even when we have problems. 

Introduce symbol

Say:  Today’s symbol <hold up the symbol> is a dove with a heart on it.  What do you think the dove symbolizes? <peace and forgiveness>  And the heart? <love>  Why do you think that they might go together? <discuss>

Ask:  Can you have peace and forgiveness without love?

Say:  Let’s look at the poster.  What does it say? < Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.> This is our Responsorial Psalm for today.  The Responsorial Psalms also come from Scripture, from the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament.

Introduce readings

We have two readings today.

Say:  Let’s light the candle to show that we are ready to listen to the Words of God.

Say: Today’s first reading is from the New Testament letter from St. Paul to St. Timothy. (l Tim 1:12-15b)  St. Timothy wrote this letter to some of the early Christians to tell about how much he changed after he learned about Jesus. 

Have the reader read the first reading.

Ask: How do you think the Christians felt about Timothy before he changed? <they didn’t like him>  How do you think that they felt afterwards?  Do you think that they believed that he had really changed?  How would you feel if someone you don’t like began to act nicely toward you?  Do you think that you would trust that person?  If that person wrote you a letter telling you about Jesus, do you think that you would listen? 

Say:  Jesus wants all of us to be his followers.  He forgives us when we are sorry and he loves us always.  Our responsibility as followers of Jesus is to forgive others, too - even when it’s hard to do that.

Say: Now it is time for the Responsorial Psalm.  Your part is to say:

Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.

Say:  Today’s Gospel reading comes from the book of Luke.  (Lk 15:11-32) This is a parable that Jesus told that we have heard before.  It is about a father who forgives his son when he came home sorry for the bad things he had done.  Does anyone remember the name of the parable?  <the Prodigal Son> Today I want you to listen to another part of the story, one we don’t pay too much attention to.  Let’s listen to the story but pay attention to the end – to what the older brother did and said.

Say:  Now we will stand to get ready to hear the Gospel

(hold up card)  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Have the reader begin: “a reading from the holy gospel.....”

Read:  Read the Gospel

Ask: What happened?  <discuss>  How did the older brother feel?  <mad>  Do you think he had a right to be mad?  After all, he had done all the right things, he did what his father told him to and then his father has a party for the other son.  How do you think you would feel?  <probably mad too> 

Say:  Every one of us gets forgiven when we are sorry.  No matter what we do.  Whether we’ve done wrong many times or only once.  God promises us forgiveness if we are sorry.  If we accept his forgiveness for ourselves, we must also accept that forgiveness for others and rejoice and be happy with them.  It feels unfair but it is exactly fair – God keeps his promises.

Ask children to add their names to the cutouts (doves) provided.  Remind the children that we are making a poster for each Sunday and that they will sign a cutout and glue it on when they are here.

Hand out the symbols to color and cut out. (The symbol is the dove).

 

Explain: Color this symbol of the dove and bring it to the altar (don’t forget to put your name on the back!)  to show that we have learned about loving and forgiving others.

If there is time, ask questions and go over the lessons one more time to help the children remember.

Give out stickers and hand-outs as they leave.

Use this dove or the heart below for the small poster sized symbols for the attendance poster

Use this dove with heart graphic for the medium-sized banner symbol and the large Offertory coloring pages

Parent Letter

Twenty-fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time  C

Dear Parents,

           Today is the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.  The children listened to simplified versions of two of the same readings you heard: l Timothy 1:12-15b and Luke 15:10-13.

To reinforce at home:

Today’s message was about forgiveness.  We all know that we are supposed to forgive others.  Today we talked about how it feels to do all the right things and watch someone else be forgiven.  Sometimes, as humans, we feel that it is unfair when we work hard for a reward and then we see the same reward also handed to someone else.  The truth is that we both get the reward. In human terms, this may not be fair- but in the everlasting love of God, it is wonderful!  He keeps his promises to us.

Activities to do at home:

*Talk together about how unfair it must have felt for the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son.  Both brothers received the reward of the father’s love – the reward promised. 

*Find a time this week to celebrate together over a good moral decision. 

Thank you for sharing your children!