Sunday Connection

Gospel Reading
Luke 9:51-62
Jesus resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.

Making the Connection (Grades 1, 2, and 3)

Materials Needed

• none

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Ask: Who are Jesus’ followers? (Everyone who believes in Jesus and follows his teachings; we are.) Say: In today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about what it means to be his follower.
2. Read aloud Luke 9:51–62.
3. Say: Jesus tells the three disciples that following him means making the choice to put him first, above all else. Following Jesus means making God the center of our lives.
4. Say: When we have a choice to make, we choose to put Jesus first, even when it’s hard. We think about what Jesus has taught us and make a good choice.
5. Ask: Which action do we take to put Jesus first and be a good disciple? Give children choices such as the following, and discuss their responses.
   • sleeping in on Sunday or going to Mass • saying kind words or saying mean words
   • praying for others or thinking only of ourselves
   • playing a game by the rules or cheating in order to win

1. 6. Close by praying:

Gospel Reading
Luke 9:51-62
Jesus resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.

Making the Connection (Grades 4, 5, and 6)

Children at this age are surrounded by media that tell them that they can have it all and that the key to happiness is indeed to have it all. Today's Gospel challenges us to see that life involves making choices.

Materials Needed

• A variety of magazines that contain advertisements

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Arrange the children in pairs and distribute a magazine to each pair.

2. Tell them to look through the magazine to find advertisements and to make a list of at least 10 things that the ads are promoting.

3. Invite the pairs to report on their findings as you list them on the board.

4. Again, invite volunteers to name their selections.

5. When they are finished, say: We live in a culture that tells us that we can have it all. The truth is, however, that when we say yes to one thing, we are saying no to something else. If you say yes to pizza, you are saying no to tacos or cheeseburgers. Life involves making choices and making commitments to those choices, even though other options continue to look attractive.

6. Explain to the young people that in today's Gospel, Jesus makes this point to three people who tell him they want to follow him, but that they still want to do something else as well.

7. Invite volunteers to read aloud Luke 9:51-62.

8. Ask: How did Jesus respond to the three people who wanted to follow him? (The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. Let the dead bury their dead. You can't put your hand to the plow and look back.)

9. Say: Jesus may sound harsh in his response, but he is making an important point that helps us understand what it means to be a mature disciple: to make a commitment is to embrace certain choices and to let go of others.

10. Conclude by inviting the young people to recognize that choosing a relationship with Jesus involves some sacrifices but also gives us the best thing we could possibly ask for: life with God.

Gospel Reading
Luke 9:51-62
Jesus resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.

Making the Connection (Grades 7 and 8)

Young people are beginning to learn about the reality of commitments. Most are looking forward to or participating in preparation for their Confirmation, a deepening of their commitment to discipleship.

Materials Needed

• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Invite the young people to imagine that they have an opportunity to order their favorite three foods from any restaurant.

2. Ask for volunteers to share what they would order.

3. Then tell the young people that they have to narrow their choices to just one food.

4. Again, invite volunteers to name their selections.

5. When they are finished, say: We live in a culture that tells us that we can have it all. The truth is, however, that when we say yes to one thing, we are saying no to something else. If you say yes to pizza, you are saying no to tacos or cheeseburgers. Life involves making choices and making commitments to those choices, even though other options continue to look attractive.

6. Explain to the young people that in today's Gospel, Jesus makes this point to three people who tell him they want to follow him, but that they still want to do something else as well.

7. Invite volunteers to read aloud Luke 9:51-62.

8. Ask: How did Jesus respond to the three people who wanted to follow him? (The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. Let the dead bury their dead. You can't put your hand to the plow and look back.)

9. Say: Jesus may sound harsh in his response, but he is making an important point that helps us understand what it means to be a mature disciple: to make a commitment is to embrace certain choices and to let go of others.

10. Conclude by inviting the young people to recognize that choosing a relationship with Jesus involves some sacrifices but also gives us the best thing we could possibly ask for: life with God.

Gospel Reading
Luke 9:51-62
Jesus resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.

Family Connection

Parents are always striving to help their children to set priorities. Children need to learn to finish homework before watching TV or going out to play. They need to know that they have to finish their chores before they can go out with their friends. They need to know that paying attention to curfews for their safety is more important than being popular.

As a family, talk about these examples of setting priorities. Share examples of how you learned to prioritize as you were maturing. Explain that in this Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus talks about the importance of making him the number-one priority in our lives.

Read aloud Luke 9:51-62. Talk about how going to Sunday Mass as a family is an important way of keeping God at the center of our lives. Talk about other ways that the family can make Jesus a priority.