Sunday Connection

Gospel Reading
Matthew 13:24-43 (shorter form: Matthew 13:24-30)
Jesus offers parables about the Kingdom of Heaven and explains them to his disciples.

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

Younger children may be preoccupied with doing things perfectly and can sometimes be judgmental of other children. Help them understand that Jesus calls us not to judge others.

Materials Needed

• cartoon character with a grumpy expression (found online)

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Show children the picture. Say: We often judge people based on our first impression of them. If you didn’t know anything about this cartoon character, what might you think of (him/her) based on this picture? (that he/she was grumpy or mean) Say: First appearances can be incorrect. Perhaps this person is actually really friendly and kind and just got bad news. Ask: What else might have just happened? (Accept reasonable answers.) Say: Jesus tells us a parable, or story, to teach us not to judge based on appearances or first impressions.
2. Read aloud the shorter form of today’s Gospel, Matthew 13:24–30.
3. Say: The man chose not to pull the weeds out of the field because it would harm the wheat. He said to wait until it is time for the harvest to separate the wheat from the weeds. In the same way, we are called to choose not to judge others, especially by their appearances or our first impressions. Only God can judge. That’s not how God judges.
4. Pray for God’s help to be generous in our impressions of people, for we cannot know what is in another person’s heart. Then close by praying the Lord’s Prayer.

Gospel Reading
Matthew 13:24-43 (shorter form: Matthew 13:24-30)
Jesus offers parables about the Kingdom of Heaven and explains them to his disciples.

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

Children and adults alike are tempted to judge others by their appearance. In the first parable found in today’s Gospel, we are warned against judging people, and we are reminded that final judgment rests with God.

Materials Needed

• Two wrapped boxes, one wrapped in plain paper and one wrapped in decorated paper

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Show the group the two wrapped boxes. Ask: If you could choose one of these gifts, which would you choose and why? (Accept all reasonable answers.)

2. Say: I have just asked you to make a judgment based on appearances. We often do this in our lives. We judge things, and sometimes we even judge people based on first impressions and appearances. This is not the way that God judges. Jesus told a parable about this to teach us about God’s judgment. Let’s listen carefully to this parable.

3. Invite one or more volunteers to read aloud today’s Gospel in its shorter form, Matthew 13:24-30.

4. Ask: In this parable the sower makes a surprising decision. He allows the wheat and the weeds to grow together. Why does he do this? (He says that pulling the weeds before the harvest will damage the wheat as well.) What alternative does he offer to pulling up the weeds? (The sower says to wait until harvest time, when the wheat and the weeds can be pulled up together and separated without harming the wheat.) What does this parable tell us about God’s judgment? (Accept all reasonable answers.)

5. Ask: If this is the way that God judges, what might be the lesson for us about judging things by their appearances? (Accept all reasonable answers.)

6. Pray together, thanking God for the wisdom to withhold judgment. Pray together the Prayer of Saint Francis or the Act of Love.

Gospel Reading
Matthew 13:24-43 (shorter form: Matthew 13:24-30)
Jesus offers parables about the Kingdom of Heaven and explains them to his disciples.

Making the Connection (Grades 7 and 8)

Young people are familiar with Jesus’ reliance in his parables on images from everyday life, especially from the world of nature.

Materials Needed

• A dandelion seed head or picture from a magazine or the Internet of a dandelion with its seeds blowing away

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Show the young people the dandelion or ask them to describe the picture of the dandelion.

2. Ask a volunteer to blow the dandelion seeds off the stem or to describe what happens when someone blows on a dandelion seed head.

3. Ask: If you did this in your yards, what would they look like at the end of summer or next year? (Weeds would overrun the yard.)

4. Say: People often work diligently to keep weeds out of their yards. In Sunday’s Gospel, we hear Jesus using the image of weeds to help us understand the Kingdom of God.

5. Have a volunteer read aloud the short version of the Gospel, Matthew 13:24-30.

6. Ask: What do you think Jesus is trying to teach us about the Kingdom of God? (Accept all reasonable answers.)

7. Have another volunteer finish reading the longer version, Matthew 13:24-43.

8. Ask: What do these parables teach us about the Kingdom of God? (Accept all reasonable answers.)

9. Say: In the coming week, let’s continue to pray that our faith will grow and that the Kingdom of God will be spread throughout the world.

10. Conclude by praying the psalm for this Sunday, Psalm 86:5-6,9-10,15-16.

Gospel Reading
Matthew 13:24-43 (shorter form: Matthew 13:24-30)
Jesus offers parables about the Kingdom of Heaven and explains them to his disciples.

Family Connection

Taken together, the parables found in today’s Gospel offer both a sobering reminder about the Kingdom of God and words of encouragement. As the wheat and the weeds must grow together until the harvest, so we may not know whether our actions contribute to God’s Kingdom until God’s final judgment. With this word of caution in mind, we act always in prayer that our actions will be consistent with God’s plans. In the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast, we hear words of encouragement. God can bring the Kingdom of Heaven from even the smallest of beginnings. Thus, we ask God to work through us for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Set aside some time this week to make bread with your family. Show the amount of yeast that is required to raise an entire batch of bread. Observe that little things can go a long way. After the bread has been baked, gather together as a family. Read together today’s Gospel, Matthew 13:24-43. Reflect together on what Jesus means when he teaches that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed and like yeast. In these parables, Jesus is teaching us that God can work wonders from even the smallest beginnings of the Kingdom of God. This means that even the little things that we do can make a big difference in the lives of others. What are some of the little things that we can do in our family that help to make things better for others? Decide on one action to take together. Pray that God will use your action to make a difference in the world. Pray together the Lord’s Prayer.