Sunday Connection

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

Gospel Reading
Matthew 9:36-10:8
Jesus sends the twelve apostles to proclaim the kingdom of heaven.

Younger children are often excited to be trusted with more grown-up responsibilities. Teach them that as Jesus’ disciples, they can join the rest of the Church in continuing Christ’s mission.

Materials Needed

• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Ask: As you’ve gotten older, what additional responsibilities have your parents or teachers have given you? Why do you think they gave you these tasks? (Accept all reasonable responses.) Say: We get more responsibilities when others trust us and feel that we are ready for them.

2. Say: In today’s Gospel, Jesus sends the disciples out on a mission. Ask: What did Jesus do in his ministry to teach others about God the Father? (He taught about the Kingdom of God, he told parables, he healed the sick, he forgave sins, he shared God’s love.) Say: Jesus gave the disciples the responsibility to go out and proclaim God’s Kingdom. The disciples aren’t just to share in Jesus’ mission with their words. They are to share in it with their actions as well. Listen to hear what Jesus tells them to do.

3. Read aloud today’s Gospel, Matthew 9:36–10:8.

4. Say: Jesus sent the disciples out to proclaim the kingdom of God. He gave them the power to heal people who are sick and suffering so that they could experience God’s healing love and mercy.

5. Say: Jesus trusted the disciples to continue his mission. We are also Jesus’ disciples. We don’t have to wait to be grown ups to continue Jesus’ mission. We can bring Jesus’s love to the people in our lives right now, in our words and our actions.

6. Say: Take a moment to close your eyes and think of some people in your life with whom you will share Jesus’ love this week.

7. Close by praying the Glory Be to the Father.

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

Gospel Reading
Matthew 9:36-10:8
Jesus sends the twelve apostles to proclaim the kingdom of heaven.

As young people begin the process of identifying their purpose in life, we can help them discern how their purpose connects them with the mission of proclaiming the kingdom of heaven.

Materials Needed

• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Ask the group: Have you ever been sent on an errand? What were some of the things that you have been sent to do? How did it feel to be given a job to do? (Allow all reasonable responses.)

2. Say: In today's Gospel we hear about a time when Jesus gave his disciples an important job to do. Let's listen carefully to this Gospel.

3. Invite one or more volunteers to read aloud today's Gospel, Matthew 9:36—10:8.

4. Ask: What did Jesus send his disciples out to do? (to drive out unclean spirits, to cure the sick, to raise the dead) What rules did Jesus give them to follow? (Jesus told them to go only among the people of Israel, not to take money for their work, and to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.)

5. Say: Today's Gospel also names for us the twelve apostles. The word apostle means “one who is sent.” What were the apostles of Jesus sent to do? (to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand and to show it in their deeds)

6. Say: Even today we are sent by Jesus to be apostles, to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Like the apostles, we do not have to go to far away lands to do this. Remember that the apostles were told to stay within the land of Israel. We are sent to bring Jesus' love to our families, our schools, and our neighborhoods.

7. Conclude in prayer together that we will be faithful apostles of Jesus. Pray today's Psalm, Psalm 100.

Making the Connection (Grades 7 and 8)

Gospel Reading
Matthew 9:36-10:8
Jesus sends the twelve apostles to proclaim the kingdom of heaven.

Young people at this age are forming ideas of what they would like to do when they are adults. We can encourage them to identify with Jesus' mission now.

Materials Needed

• Paper and pencils for each of the young people

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Say: God consistently calls people to spread his Word. In the Old Testament, prophets and leaders such as Moses listened to God's instructions and then shared them with God's people. Jesus sent his apostles to spread his Father's Word.

2. Say: Jesus sent out the apostles in pairs to preach, teach, and heal. This was their "internship" before Jesus left them to return to the Father.

3. Divide the group into pairs. Have them imagine that they are one of the apostles sent out by Jesus to do his work. Have them write accounts of their imaginary experiences.

4. Tell the young people that their accounts might include the following: where they traveled, how they encountered those needing help, how they helped, how people responded, how other people present responded, how they felt at these events.

5. Have the young people share their imaginary experiences with the group. Discuss the similarities and differences in their reports.

6. Ask a volunteer to read the Gospel for this Sunday, Matthew 9:36—10:8.

7. Ask: In today's world, how would you go about following Jesus' instructions to his apostles? How can we "cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, [and] drive out demons"? (Accept all reasonable answers.)

8. Conclude by praying to the Holy Spirit for inspiration and guidance to carry out Jesus' mission.

Family Connection

Every person in the Church is sent by Christ to do the work that he did. This task can seem daunting. Yet when we have learned to work together with others to achieve a common goal, we have learned something of what it means to do the work of Christ. The family is one such place in which we work with others, sharing a common task and a common goal.

As family members gather, invite each person to reflect upon their contributions to family life. Invite each one to share one or two things that they do to help keep your family life flowing smoothly. Take time to thank one another for the contributions each person makes to your family life.

Invite a family member to read aloud today's Gospel, Matthew 9:36-10:8. In this Gospel, Jesus sends the disciples to proclaim the kingdom of heaven. Point out that the disciples are called to work together just as family members must work together. Pray together that your family will always work together as a family to help one another. Pray that your family can be a model for other families. Pray together the Lord's Prayer.