Sunday Connection

Gospel Reading
Mark 13:33-37
Jesus warns his disciples to be watchful so that they will be ready when the Son of Man comes.

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

Younger children are familiar with the need to be prepared for certain events. Help them understand that Advent is a season of preparation, during which we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth and make ourselves ready to receive him when he comes again in glory.

Materials Needed

• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Say: There are many events that we need to get ready for Ask: What are some events you need to get ready for? (Examples might include going to school in the morning, participating in a sporting event, going to a birthday party, going to bed at night.) Then invite children to tell you things they’d do to get ready if a friend were coming for a sleepover. After children share their ideas, ask: What would you do if you didn’t know when, or even which day, your friend was going to arrive for the sleepover? (Answers might include get ready early, keep my room clean, and watch at the window.) Say: We would want stay ready for our friend’s visit and watch out for his or her arrival!
2. Say: Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Ask: Does anyone know what we prepare to celebrate during Advent? (Jesus’ birth) Say: During Advent, we also remember that we are to be ready for something else—the time when Jesus will come again in glory. Jesus’ disciples asked him when this would happen. Listen carefully to hear his response.
3. Read aloud today’s Gospel, Mark 13:33–37.
4. Say: Only God the Father knows when Christ will come again. In the meantime, Jesus tells us to be watchful and alert. We look for signs that he is with us. We get ready to receive him by following him every day. We pray, read the Bible, follow God’s commandments, and love God and one another. Ask: What is something you do to be ready to receive Jesus? (Accept all reasonable responses.)
5. Close by praying: Jesus, help us always be ready to welcome you into our hearts. Then pray together the Lord’s Prayer.

Gospel Reading
Mark 13:33-37
Jesus warns his disciples to be watchful so that they will be ready when the Son of Man comes.

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

Well aware of the temptations of distractions and the danger of procrastination, older children can appreciate Jesus’ message of vigilance in anticipation of the coming of the Son of Man. We can remind them of the importance of prayer and faithfulness to God as ways to honor Jesus’ command to be alert and ready for his return in glory.

Materials Needed

• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Invite the group to imagine the following situation: Your parent has instructed you to clean your room. Imagine that your room is really messy. Your parent will be inspecting your room in one hour and will expect it to be clean. What do you do? Allow time for the group to discuss. Point out that most of them would probably not procrastinate if they knew the deadline was imminent.

2. Say: Now imagine this same situation with one minor change: You do not know when your parent will return to check on your room. Does this change how you will act after your parent leaves? If so, how? Allow time for the group to discuss the various possibilities.

3. Say: Sometimes we act differently when we don’t have a deadline. Without a deadline, we often succumb to the temptation to procrastinate or to let ourselves be distracted by other things. Jesus warned his disciples that the coming of the Son of Man would be much like the second situation we considered. Let’s listen carefully to this warning found in today’s Gospel.

4. Invite one or more volunteers to read Mark 13:33-37.

5. Say: In today’s Gospel Jesus is responding to a question from his disciples about how they will know when the Son of Man, Jesus, will return in glory. What does Jesus tell them about when this will happen? (Only the Father knows when the Son of Man will return in glory.) Why do you think this is more like the second situation we discussed above? (The timeframe is unknown.) What does Jesus tell his disciples that they should do in the meantime? (They should be alert and watchful.)

6. Say: During Advent, we do more than just prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of Christ. The Church also wants us to remember that we must keep ourselves ready to receive Christ when he comes to us in our daily lives and at the end of time. Like the disciples, Jesus wants us to be watchful and alert so that we might recognize the signs of Christ in our midst. What are some things that we do to keep ourselves ready to receive Christ? (daily prayer, reading Scripture, staying faithful to God’s commandments, and so on)

7. Conclude in prayer together that we will use the season of Advent to re-commit ourselves to being watchful and alert to the signs of Christ in our midst. Read as a concluding prayer Paul’s words to the Corinthians found in today’s second reading, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, or pray the Lord’s Prayer.

Gospel Reading
Mark 13:33-37
Jesus warns his disciples to be watchful so that they will be ready when the Son of Man comes.

Making the Connection (Grades 7 and 8)

Most young people know that during Advent we focus on actions that prepare us to welcome Christ in our celebration of Christmas. We can help them to understand that these same actions also help us to recognize Christ’s presence in the sacraments and in our daily lives and prepare us to welcome Christ when he returns in glory.

Materials Needed

• Paper and pens

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Ask the young people to imagine that they have been asked to plan a birthday party. Assign two groups. Tell the first group to prepare a list of things to do two weeks before the party (for example, determine the time and place, prepare the guest list, send invitations, choose a theme). Tell the second group to prepare a list of things to do 24 hours before the party (for example, bake the cake, decorate the room).

2. Call the groups together and compare the two lists. Ask how the immediate preparations for a party are different from the advance preparations. Then ask if one set of activities is more important than the other. Say: In the hours before the party, we focus our attention and energy on getting things ready, but all that we previously did to prepare contributes to the party’s success too.

3. Say: This Sunday we begin the Church season of Advent, when people focus their attention on preparing for the celebration of Christmas, which is just a few weeks away. However, the Gospel for this first Sunday of Advent makes no mention of the birth of Jesus. Let’s listen carefully to it.

4. Invite one or more volunteers to read Mark 13:33-37.

5. Ask volunteers to restate in their own words what Jesus tells his disciples.

6. Say: Jesus tells his disciples that they must stay watchful and ready because they do not know when the Son of Man will return. This Sunday’s reading reminds us that Advent is not only about preparing for the celebration of Christmas but also about keeping ourselves ready to receive Christ when he comes to us in glory at the end of time. Like the disciples, we do not know when this will be. We, too, are called to be watchful and always ready.

7. Ask: What are some things that we can do to stay alert and ready to welcome Christ when he returns in glory? (pray daily, read the Scripture, follow Jesus, keep the commandments, love and serve others) Observe that these same actions help us prepare to celebrate Christmas. They also help us to recognize Christ’s presence in the sacraments and in our daily lives. Encourage the young people to prepare their hearts to welcome Christ by engaging in one or more of these activities during Advent.

8. Conclude by praying together the psalm for this Sunday, Psalm 80, expressing hope for salvation and praying that we will always be ready to welcome Christ into our hearts.

Gospel Reading
Mark 13:33-37
Jesus warns his disciples to be watchful so that they will be ready when the Son of Man comes.

Family Connection

In family life, we try to prepare ourselves for many future things: our next vacation, our children’s education, our retirement. We are careful not to allow ourselves to be caught by surprise so that we can handle any challenges our family may face. Today’s Gospel reminds us that we are called to be just as attentive and alert to the coming of the Son of Man so that it will not catch us unprepared. This means attending to our family’s spiritual life as carefully as we attend to other important family matters.

As you gather as a family, talk about a time when you received surprise visitors at your house, perhaps a neighbor who stopped by or a relative who arrived unannounced. Was your household prepared to receive this unannounced guest? What might your family have done differently if you knew ahead of time that this visitor was going to arrive? Jesus told his disciples that no one knows when the Son of Man will return, except the Father. Read with your family what Jesus told his disciples in today’s Gospel, Mark 13:33-37.

During Advent, we not only prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we also check to see if we are doing all the things that will keep us ready to receive Jesus when he comes again. Talk about how your family can recommit to daily prayer, reading Scripture, and staying faithful to God’s commandments. Pray together that through this Advent season your family will be more prepared to receive Jesus when he comes again. Read as a concluding prayer Paul’s words to the Corinthians found in today’s second reading, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, or pray the Lord’s Prayer.