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June 8, 2008
(see other dates)
Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Reading 1 Reflection In this proclamation the prophet Hosea describes the people as wanting to know the Lord, and being confident of the Lord's coming to them. This is all well and good. But the prophet reminds the people that the Lord will not come to them if their "piety is like the morning cloud" or "like the dew that early passes away." Piety alone (worship and making sacrifices) is not enough. Hosea is very clear: God wants love and knowledge from us. God wants us to know and love him in a personal way. |
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Reading 2 Reflection In the second reading Paul reminds his early Christians converts in Rome about the faith of Abraham. This may have been new to them, as these Romans probably did not grow up with the Scriptures, and did not know about Abraham's role in the lives of the Jewish people. Paul was eager to teach them about the faith of Abraham. Why? Because, as Christians, we inherit that faith in God. Abraham's faith is not only a "credit" to him?it is given as a "credit" to us. (A "credit" is a term about money. It means you have money in the bank, or on reserve. Abraham's faith is our "faith in the bank." It belongs to us and we can draw on it at any time!) Abraham's faith was in God. Now we know that the same God that Abraham believed in was the God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead. That is the God we believe in, too?the God who brings life from death. |
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Gospel Reflection Matthew was a tax collector who was doing his everyday job when Jesus called him. The Jews of Jesus' time did not like the tax collectors, because the tax collectors were Jews who were working for the Romans. The taxes were taken to help Rome maintain the soldiers and the roads needed to occupy the land. The people who considered themselves righteous had nothing to do with people who helped the Romans in this way. Jesus was reminded of this when they asked why he was bothering with these collaborators. Jesus responded with the words of Hosea that we have just read: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Mercy means that no one is beneath us, no one is beneath our notice, our concern, our care, our prayers, or God's redeeming love. |
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Like the Dawn, Like the Rain In the first reading, the prophet Hosea comforts those who are looking for God. Remind the children that God is with us. God uses the ordinary things of this earth to remind us of his love. His love is like the sun and the rain that help us to grow! Ask the children to think of other ways God reminds us of his love?perhaps in people who are kind to us, in our mothers and fathers who take care of us, in our friends who play nicely with us, in our teachers who help us to learn. Distribute the reproducible master to help the children remember this verse from Hosea. They may work on it now or at home. Jesus Calls Us: Follow Me The gospel today is about Jesus calling Matthew to be his follower. Explain to the children that Jesus invites us to be his followers. Teach the following song to sing to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It." Have the children make up actions to accompany the lyrics. Come Follow Me Jesus says to all of us, "Come, follow me." Come and learn how very happy you can be. Loving God and loving others, We are sisters now and brothers. Jesus says to all of us, "Come, follow me." |
The Communion of Saints Our readings remind us that faith is a gift that is shared by all of us who follow Jesus. We do not go to God alone. The communion of saints includes all believers together, living and dead, saints and those lesser-than-saints. We all share faith and support one another. We do not live our lives of faith alone. Can you name some members of the communion of saints than you know personally, either living or dead? How does their faith help you now or how or did it in the past? On a piece of paper, write each name down. Try to list three people. Write about each person and how he or she lives or lived a life of faith. Write about this person's influence on you. Then thank God for bringing you into contact with this person of faith. Showing Mercy Jesus showed mercy and called Matthew not because he was the most popular person around (because he certainly wasn't) but because he was a sinner and needed guidance and salvation from Jesus. Jesus saw gifts and talents in Matthew that most people did not see at all. How do you choose friends? Do you always insist on being with the most popular people you know? Think about students your age who may not be popular with everybody, but still may have good qualities that you can recognize and discover. Make a point of inviting a variety of people to share time and activities with you, and not just the most popular among your friends and acquaintances. A note to the popular ones: you have a great gift and you can use it as Jesus did?to show mercy to others. How can you use your gift of popularity this week for good? A note to the shy ones: you have great gifts that sometimes take longer for you and others to discover. Don't give up! Find things you really like to do. You will find others who like what you like. Good friends are worth waiting for. Good friends will like you just the way you are, as God does! On a sheet of paper, write a "Dear (your name) Note." Spend a moment in quiet time. Then imagine that Jesus is writing to you, saying, "I desire mercy." In this note, let Jesus remind you of ways you can show mercy to others, and to yourself, this week. |
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