Sunday Connection

Gospel Reading
John 16:12-15
Whatever the Father has is mine. The Spirit of truth will guide us.

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

Teach younger children that Jesus kept his promise to send the Holy Spirit to help and guide us. We can trust Jesus. He always keeps his promises.

Materials Needed

• none

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Ask: What are some promises you have made to your family members or friends? (Accept reasonable responses; for example, I promise to make my bed.) Have children say whether or not they kept their promises.
2. Say: Jesus always keeps his promises. In today’s Gospel, Jesus makes a promise to his disciples.
3. Read today’s Gospel, John 16:12–15.
4. Say: Jesus promised the disciples that after he died, he would send the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of truth) to guide them. Ask: Did Jesus keep this promise? (Yes.) Say: We, too, receive the Holy Spirit. He fills us with God’s life at our Baptism. He helps and guides us.
5. Pray a prayer of thanks to Jesus for keeping his promise and sending us the Holy Spirit. Close by praying the Sign of the Cross.

Gospel Reading
John 16:12-15
Whatever the Father has is mine. The Spirit of truth will guide us.

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

The gift of the Holy Spirit is just one more sign of the Father's great love. Jesus longs for his disciples to know that, even though he is leaving them physically, they will not be alone.

Materials Needed

• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Invite the children to imagine that they are running a campaign for a political office of their choice: mayor, senator, representative, governor, or president.

2. Tell them that campaigns are based on promises made to voters.

3. Invite them to identify what they would include in their campaign promises.

4. Allow a few minutes for them to complete their brainstorming and then ask volunteers to share their promises.

5. Tell the children that, in this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus makes a promise to his disciples.

6. Invite a volunteer to read aloud John 16:12-15

7. Ask: What does Jesus promise to his disciples? (that the Holy Spirit will guide us)

8. Tell the children that, by praying the Sign of the Cross, we can remind ourselves that Jesus fulfilled this promise and, with his Father, sent the Holy Spirit to guide us.

9. Conclude by praying the Sign of the Cross slowly and prayerfully.

Gospel Reading
John 16:12-15
Whatever the Father has is mine. The Spirit of truth will guide us.

Making the Connection (Grades 7 and 8)

The mystery of the Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith. God made it known to us by revealing himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As the mystery of God in himself it is the source of all other mysteries of faith.

Materials Needed

• Bowl of water
• Plastic lid from a margarine container
• A long magnet
• A needle

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Ask the young people what they can use to get a sense of direction if they are lost out in the wilderness. (a compass)

2. Explain that a compass works by always pointing north because of the magnetic pull of the earth on the magnetic needle.

3. Point out that the compass as we know it was not invented until the 16th century. Sailors traveling at night under cloudy skies invented their own compasses by floating a small piece of wood in a bowl of water. Atop the wood, they would place a piece of magnetic metal, which would always point north. If possible, demonstrate this using a bowl of water, a plastic lid (instead of wood), and a long magnet. You can also use a needle if you magnetize it by rubbing it against a magnet about 50 times.

4. When you are finished, tell the young people that, to guide us in our spiritual lives, Jesus promised that he and his Father would send the Holy Spirit so that we won't get lost.

5. Invite a volunteer to read aloud this Sunday's Gospel, John 16:12-15.

6. Tell the young people that each time we pray the Sign of the Cross, we pray to the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

7. Conclude by praying the Doxology (Glory Be to the Father) and the Sign of the Cross.

Gospel Reading
John 16:12-15
Whatever the Father has is mine. The Spirit of truth will guide us.

Family Connection

Think of the last time you witnessed an act of selfless love in your family. Parents and caregivers of all kinds are called upon to act selflessly every day. Family life calls us to share selfless love with one another.

God is the model for us of selfless love. There was no need for God to create our planet or the creatures that inhabit it; it was an act of selfless love. There was also no need for God to send his only Son to save us. That too was an act of selfless love.

As we draw closer to God and the mystery of the Trinity, we learn about God's love. God has lavished us with love in the persons of the Son and the Spirit, who in turn nurture in us the desire to do the same. When we open ourselves to be filled with an awareness of the divine life within us, we participate in the endless spiral of love that leads to eternal life. Whenever we share selfless love in the family, we are sharing in the life of the Trinity.