Sunday Connection

Gospel Reading
Mark 16:15-20
Jesus is taken to heaven, and the disciples go forth to preach as Jesus commanded.

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

Younger children may have played imaginative games in which they are kings and queens or princes and princesses. Discuss how members of royalty sit on a special seat—a throne—to show that they are honored and important. Teach younger children that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father and that he helps us from this place of honor.

Materials Needed

• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Ask children if they’ve ever played games in which they’ve imagined they were kings and queens or princes and princesses. Ask: When playing royals, who would sit at the head of the table? (the king or queen) Say: Kings and queens sit on a special seat to show that they are important and honored. Ask: Does anyone know what this seat is called? (a throne)
2. Say: Jesus gave final instructions to the disciples before he was taken up to heaven. Then he was seated in a place of honor. Listen carefully as I read.
3. Read aloud today’s Gospel, Mark 16:15–20.
4. Say: Jesus told the disciples to tell everyone the good news about God’s love and forgiveness. He told them that everyone who believes in and follows Jesus will be saved. Then Jesus was taken up into heaven and seated in a place of honor. Ask: Where was Jesus seated? (at the right hand of God the Father) Remind children that Jesus is the only Son of God. He is seated next to his Father in heaven.
5. Say: Jesus helps us from this place of honor in heaven. Think of something that you would like help with. Take a moment to pray silently, asking Jesus in the quiet of your heart to help you.
6. Close by praying together the Glory Be to the Father.

Gospel Reading
Mark 16:15-20
Jesus is taken to heaven, and the disciples go forth to preach as Jesus commanded.

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

Older children have the experience of needing a little extra help now and then from someone more knowledgeable and powerful. In a similar way, Jesus, now seated at God’s right hand, continues to assist us.

Materials Needed

• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Ask the young people to think about a time when they called upon another person who they believed had more knowledge and/or power to help them. Perhaps they asked a parent to help resolve a conflict with a sibling or asked a teacher for help to resolve a classroom matter.

2. Say: As we mature, we are able to do many more things on our own. But each of us, every now and then, requires a little extra assistance from someone who has more knowledge and power than we have. In some ways, we can think about the assistance that we receive from Jesus in this way. This is one of the things we remember as we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension.

3. Say: In today’s Gospel, we hear the instructions that Jesus gave to his disciples before he was taken up to heaven. Let’s listen carefully to this Gospel. Invite one or more volunteers to read aloud Mark 16:15-20.

4. Ask: What instructions does Jesus give to his disciples? (Proclaim the Gospel to the entire world; bring people to salvation through Baptism.) By what signs will belief in Jesus be recognized? (healing of the sick; driving out demons; speaking new languages; protection from harm) Say: Jesus is telling his disciples that they will be able to do some of the very things that he had done during his life.

5. Ask: Where does the Gospel of Mark tell us Jesus went after he was taken to heaven? (a seat at God’s right hand) Say: Forty days after his Resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven. Mark’s Gospel tells us that a seat was already prepared for him, at the right hand of God. We certainly have a powerful ally in Jesus. If we ask him, he will help us follow his example.

6. Conclude by praying that we will remember to call upon Jesus to help us as we try to follow his example. Pray together the Apostles’ Creed.

Gospel Reading
Mark 16:15-20
Jesus is taken to heaven, and the disciples go forth to preach as Jesus commanded.

Making the Connection (Grades 7 and 8)

Forty days after his Resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven and took his place at the right hand of the Father. We can help young people see in this image the honor given to Jesus and the power that he has to help us follow his example of love.

Materials Needed

• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Observe that seating arrangements can be quite important to us. Ask the young people if they have ever saved seats for others (for example, at lunch, at school assemblies, at school sporting events, at the movies). Then ask them to name examples of occasions when seating is arranged in advance (for example, at a wedding dinner; in the classroom; at professional sporting events, concerts, or the theater). Ask: Why is it important to us where we sit? (Accept all reasonable answers.)

2. Observe that seating at formal occasions is often arranged in advance and ask the young people to describe which seats are usually reserved for the person of honor.

3. Say: Forty days after his Resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven. We celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord forty days after Easter. The Gospel for the Ascension of the Lord uses the image of a seat to describe Jesus’ place in heaven. Let’s listen carefully to this Gospel.

4. Invite one or more volunteers to read aloud the Gospel for the Ascension of the Lord, Mark 16:15–20.

5. Say: How does this Gospel describe Jesus’ place in heaven? (Jesus has a seat at God’s right hand.) What do you think this tells us about Jesus’ importance in heaven? (Accept all reasonable answers.)

6. Say: We profess this belief about Jesus’ importance in heaven when we pray the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. When we say Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, we are not describing a physical place, but the honor that Jesus has because of the Father’s love for Jesus and approval of him. From this place of honor in heaven, Jesus continues to help us as we try to follow his example.

7. Conclude in prayer, asking Jesus to help us follow his example of love. Pray together the psalm for this holy day, Psalm 47.

Gospel Reading
Mark 16:15-20
Jesus is taken to heaven, and the disciples go forth to preach as Jesus commanded.

Family Connection

It can be very important whom we sit next to. Any family that has tried to sit down to a family dinner or packed the car for a trip has heard children argue at least once about who should sit where. To sit next to someone, especially if that person is important, is to have a place of honor. Jesus has this place of honor seated at God’s right hand, but there’s more to this metaphor than where Jesus sits in relation to God. To be in the place of honor is also to be in a place of power. Knowing people in powerful places can be helpful. Our children remind us of this each time we are called upon to referee a conflict. Jesus, honored at God’s right hand, is a powerful ally for us.

As you gather as a family, recall a time when there was a discussion, or perhaps even an argument, about where people were going to sit. Talk about why it might be important to a person to sit in a particular place. Observe that in today’s Gospel we will learn about Jesus’ place in heaven. Read together today’s Gospel, Mark 16:15-20. Talk about what we might learn about the relationship between God and Jesus from today’s Gospel and what we learn about Jesus’ relationship to us. Observe that one of the things we learn is that Jesus continues to help us from this place of honor in heaven. Pray together the Apostles’ Creed.