Sunday Connection

Gospel Reading
Mark 10:46-52
Jesus restores sight to the blind man, Bartimaeus

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

Teach younger children that God wants us to bring our needs to him in prayer.

Materials Needed

• none

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Tell children a story about a time that you wanted to achieve something and didn’t give up until you did. Define persistence for children and invite them to share their own stories about persisting.
2. Say: In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us that we can be persistent about bringing our needs to him. Let’s learn what happened when a man named Bartimaeus brought his need to Jesus.
3. Read aloud read today’s Gospel, Mark 10:46–52.
4. Say: Bartimaeus was blind. Ask: What did he want from Jesus? (He wanted Jesus to heal him so that he could see.) Did Bartimaeus stop asking Jesus when the people told him to stop? (No. He kept calling out to Jesus.) Did Jesus heal the man? (Yes.)
5. Say: Bartimaeus didn’t stop asking Jesus for help. He had faith in Jesus. Jesus told Bartimaeus that his faith had saved him.
6. Say: God wants us to have so much faith in him that we do not let anyone else stop us from praying to him. We can pray for God’s help whenever we need to and as many times as we need to. God is always with us. He loves us, and he wants to help us.
7. Invite children to pray in the quiet of their heart, asking God for something they need and thanking him for something they already have. Then pray together the Glory Be to the Father.

Gospel Reading
Mark 10:46-52
Jesus restores sight to the blind man, Bartimaeus

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

Children can be very persistent in making their requests known to family members. We can help them see that the same kind of persistence is needed in our prayer.

Materials Needed

• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Ask: What have you asked your parents to do for you this week? (to buy a particular food at the grocery store, to help you with your homework, for permission to go to a friend’s house, and so on) If their first answer to you was no, did you ask again? Why or why not? (Accept all reasonable answers.) Sometimes we ask again, even when the answer is no. Why? (because asking works, because we know that our parents care about us and want to make us happy, and so on)

2. Say: We can be very persistent with our parents, especially when we want something from them. We do this because we know how much our parents love us and they want us to be happy. In today’s Gospel, we hear how a blind man’s persistence in asking Jesus for help was rewarded.

3. Invite one or more volunteers to read today’s Gospel, Mark 10:46-52.

4. Ask: What does Bartimaeus do when he hears that Jesus was passing by? (He calls out, asking Jesus to have pity on him.) Why must he be persistent in calling out to Jesus? (Some people in the crowd are telling him to be quiet.) What does Bartimaeus do? (He calls out to Jesus all the more.) When Jesus stops and calls for him, what does Jesus do and say? (He restores Bartimaeus’s sight; Jesus tells Bartimaeus that his faith has saved him.)

5. Say: Bartimaeus continues to call out to Jesus because he believes that Jesus will heal him. Jesus’ words to Bartimaeus tell us that our persistence in prayer is a sign of our faith that God wants to save us.

6. Ask: What do you think this might teach us about prayer? (We should be persistent in our prayer, continuing to bring our needs to God; we should pray with confidence, trusting that God wants to help us.)

7. Conclude by praying together prayers of petition. Invite each person to present a prayer aloud; all respond, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on us.” Conclude with the Glory Be to the Father.

Gospel Reading
Mark 10:46-52
Jesus restores sight to the blind man, Bartimaeus

Making the Connection (Grades 7 and 8)

Young people have learned the value of persistence when making their requests known to their families. We can help them see that the same kind of persistence is needed in our prayer to God.

Materials Needed

• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Ask: What is something you might ask your parents to do for you? (to drive you to a dance or sporting event, permission to meet your friends, and so on) When you want your parents to help you in these ways, how many times do you ask? (Accept all reasonable answers.) If the first answer is no, do you ask again? Why or why not? (Accept all reasonable answers.) Why do we keep asking? (because asking works, because we know that our parents care about us and want to make us happy, and so on)

2. Say: We can be very persistent with our parents, especially when we want them to do something for us. We continue to ask because we know how much our parents love us and they want us to be happy. In today’s Gospel, we hear how a blind man’s persistence in asking Jesus for help was rewarded.

3. Invite one or more volunteers to read today’s Gospel, Mark 10:46-52.

4. Ask: What does Bartimaeus do when he hears that Jesus was passing by? (He calls out, asking Jesus to have pity on him.) Why must he be persistent in calling out to Jesus? (Some people in the crowd are telling him to be quiet.) What does Bartimaeus do? (He calls out to Jesus all the more.) When Jesus stops and calls for him, what does Jesus do and say? (He restores Bartimaeus’s sight; Jesus tells Bartimaeus that his faith has saved him.)

5. Say: Bartimaeus continues to call out to Jesus because he believes that Jesus will heal him. Jesus' words to Bartimaeus tell us that our persistence in prayer is a sign of our faith that God wants to save us.

6. Ask: What do you think this might teach us about prayer? (We should be persistent in our prayer, continuing to bring our needs to God; we should pray with confidence, trusting that God wants to help us.)

7. Conclude by praying together prayers of petition. Invite each person to present a prayer aloud; all respond, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on us.” Conclude with the Glory Be to the Father.

Gospel Reading
Mark 10:46-52
Jesus restores sight to the blind man, Bartimaeus

Family Connection

Today’s Gospel offers us a powerful example of faith and persistence in prayer. Those around him rebuked Bartimaeus for his efforts to attract Jesus’ attention. When silenced by the crowd, however, Bartimaeus called out all the more. He is persistent and bold in his confidence that Jesus will show mercy on him and do what he asks. His persistence and great confidence that Jesus would help him reminds us of the confidence with which our children bring to us their needs. In their faith and trust we can find an example of the attitude with which we might approach God in prayer.

As a family, recall a request that has been made repeatedly by one family member to another. Talk about why the request continues to be made if the answer continues to be no. Then read together today’s Gospel, Mark 10:46-52. After reading the Gospel, pose questions such as these to your family: Why must Bartimaeus be persistent in calling out to Jesus? (Some people in the crowd are telling him to be quiet.) What does Bartimaeus do when some try to stop him? (He calls out to Jesus all the more.) When Jesus stops and calls for him, what does Jesus do and say? (He restores Bartimaeus’s sight; Jesus tells Bartimaeus his faith has saved him.) When we pray, God wants us to be so confident he will help us that we don’t permit anyone to keep us from bringing our needs to God in prayer. Invite family members to identify the things they need most from God. Pray these prayers of petition together as a family, confident that God will hear and answer your prayers. Respond to each petition, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on us.” Conclude by praying the Glory Be to the Father.