Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A
June 25, 2017
Gospel: Mt 10:26-33
Jesus said to the Twelve: "Fear no one. Nothing
is concealed (1)
that will not be revealed
(2), nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the
darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the
housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the
soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna (3).
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the
ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are
counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone
who acknowledges (4)
me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies (5)
me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father."
http://www.usccb.org
The difficult words
(1)Concealed means hidden.
(2)Revealed
means shown or made known.
(3)Gehenna refers to hell.
(4)To acknowledge
means to recognize someone or something as genuine or true.
(5)To deny
means to say that you don’t know someone or something.
This week’s spotlight
The sign of the cross
As you have probably noticed, the Mass always begins
and ends with the sign of the cross. It is the sign of Christians - a sign that
was marked on your forehead on the day of your baptism. To make the sign of the
cross, you first bring your right hand to your forehead, then to your chest,
then to your left shoulder, and finally to your right shoulder. When you make
the sign of the cross you say: "In the name of the Father; and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit”.
Preparation of the Gifts
At the beginning of the Liturgy of the for Eucharist,
the Priest gets the altar ready. He receives the offerings of the people,
prepares the bread and wine, and praises God for providing these gifts. He
pours a little bit of water into the
wine that will become Christ's Blood, washes his hands, and invites the people
to pray that God will accept our sacrifice. We unite ourselves to this
offering, giving to God all that we do and are in our everyday lives.
Reflection
You are priceless in God’s eyes
Have you ever asked yourself how many hairs you have
on your head? Around 100,000! If you had to count them one by one, it would
take you days! In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that each and every hair
on our heads is counted. What does he mean by that? He wants us to understand
that everything about us is important in God’s eyes. If God cares about our
hairs, how much more he must care about our prayers! He knows and loves each
one of us, from the hairs on our heads to the tips of our toes. We are
priceless to him. He loves us like a perfect father and a perfect mother at the
same time.That’s why Jesus tells us not to be afraid. He cares! We are under
his protection. God wants our lives to be beautiful and happy. He wants us to
know - especially in difficult times - that all things will work out for the best
in the end if we trust and obey him.
Discussion questions
1.Why does Jesus tell his friends not to fear?
2.How does Jesus show his followers that they are not alone?
3.How does Jesus teach his followers that they are precious to God?
After
receiving Holy Communion,
you can say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in
communion with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my heart. This
Eucharist is a foretaste of heaven, where we will see all things through
glorified eyes. Help me even now to see as you see, and to love as you love.
This week…
See others as God does
Learn to see people the way God
sees them, with eyes of love. Notice how valuable each person truly is - they
are always much better than we think. When you do this, write down some of the
qualities that you discover in three people you see.
See yourself as God does
We sometimes forget that we are
precious. Worse yet, sometimes we don’t like the way we look, or the way we
are. Learn to see yourself as a precious child of God, no matter what others
may think. Thank God for the wonderful person that you are!
Crossword Puzzle
Source: usccb.org
- Magnifikid - sermons4kids.com – rclblectionary.com
–usccb.org/bible/readings-audio.cfm