Sunday Connection

Gospel Reading
Mark 4:26–34
The reign of God is like a mustard seed.

Making the Connection (Grades 1, 2, and 3)
The Gospel teaches us that the smallest acts of kindness and generosity can yield great results. This means that even younger children have many opportunities to help build God’s kingdom.

Materials Needed
• mustard seeds if possible or other tiny seeds; picture of a fully grown mustard plant; one small envelope per child; small strips of paper; colored pencils or markers

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Give each child some seeds to hold and look at. Ask children to describe the seeds to you. Say: When they are planted into the ground, tiny seeds [or seeds like these] grow over time into a plant like this. Show the picture of the mustard plant.
2. Say: In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells a parable about mustard seeds to teach us about the Kingdom of God. Listen carefully.
3. Read aloud today’s Gospel, Mark 4:26–34.
4. Say: The small acts of kindness that we do every day help build up God’s kingdom. The things we do to care for and help one another show our love and care. Jesus teaches us that our small acts, like tiny seeds, help God’s kingdom on earth grow.
5. Invite children to think of two small acts of kindness they can do every day to help build God’s kingdom. Distribute the envelopes and colored pencils or markers. Have children put their seeds inside the envelope and then draw or write about their two kindness on the front of the envelop. Encourage children to keep their envelopes in a special place to remind them that our small acts of kindness help God’s kingdom grow.
6. Say: When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we pray for the coming of God’s kingdom. Pray together the Lord’s Prayer.

Gospel Reading
Mark 4:26–34
The reign of God is like a mustard seed.

Making the Connection (Grades 4, 5, and 6)
Children of this age look to adults as role models. Encourage them to see Jesus as their role model so as they mature, they will accept the responsibility for the continued growth of the Kingdom of God.

Materials Needed
• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Ask the children to raise their hand if they have ever played “Follow the Leader.” Have a volunteer explain how the game is played. Explain that there are different ways to follow someone—go where they lead, mimic their actions, or repeat their words. Tell the children to think about the places they go and the things they do throughout the day. Then ask whom they follow in their daily lives (parents, teachers, coaches, and so on).
2. Ask: Who is our leader in faith? Help them arrive at the answer: Jesus. Say: Jesus was sent by God the Father to establish God’s kingdom here on earth. Jesus began by teaching and preaching and preparing a small group of twelve disciples to help spread the Good News of the coming of the Kingdom of God.
3. Ask for a volunteer to read aloud Mark 6:24–29, the first part of this Sunday’s Gospel reading.
4. Say: In the parable we just heard, Jesus begins by telling the people, “This is how it is with the kingdom of God.” In the last part of this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus asks to what we can compare the Kingdom of God.
5. Ask for a volunteer to read Mark 6:30–34.
6. Say: Both of these parables focus on seeds. Seeds are small; the mustard seed is especially tiny. Yet from these seeds a great crop of grain and a tree large enough to house birds in its branches can grow. Think about how long it takes for a crop to be ready for harvesting or for a tree to mature.
7. Ask: What do these two parables tell us about the Kingdom of God? (Someone needs to sow the seeds; it has small beginnings; it takes time to come to fruition; it welcomes all people just as the birds found a home in the tree.) Say: As members of the Church, Jesus counts on us to continue his work. We must sow the seeds by spreading his word and making him known. The Kingdom of God welcomes all people and will come to fruition at the end of time. That is why we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “thy kingdom come, . . . on earth as it is in heaven.”
8. Conclude by praying the Lord’s Prayer aloud together.

Gospel Reading
Mark 4:26–34
The reign of God is like a mustard seed.

Making the Connection (Grades 7 and 8)
Children of this age, living in a time of immediacy and instant gratification, use all the technology available to them. Use contrast to explain that the Kingdom of God, like a seed, takes root and matures slowly over time.

Materials Needed
• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Say: We live in an age of immediacy. We are used to having at our fingertips contact with our friends, entertainment, and information. How many of you text your friends as soon as you leave a movie theater to tell them whether or not you liked the movie? We aren’t used to waiting. We think of waiting as wasting time and look for ways to save time. What is one time-saving device you would absolutely not want to give up, something that you couldn’t live without? Why? (Answers will vary.)
2. Say: This Sunday’s Gospel Reading also deals with time, specifically in Jesus’ description of the growth of the Kingdom of God.
3. Have a volunteer read aloud Mark 4:26–29 and another read aloud Mark 4:30–32.
4. Ask: Why does Jesus use the seed in these parables to explain the Kingdom of God? (Seeds must be sown. It takes time for the seed to germinate and grow to fruition. Growth occurs bit by bit. ) What do we learn about the kingdom from the mustard-seed parable? (The smallest of seeds can grow into the largest plants. It takes time to mature and “put forth branches.”)
5. Explain: Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. He chose and taught twelve of his disciples to help him. This kingdom is present in the Church today, but it is still in process. Because we are the Church, we bear the responsibility of continuing the work of Jesus and his disciples. We do this by living Christlike lives, by reaching out to others, by inviting others into the kingdom. Just as small seeds grow over time, so our small acts of kindness today have the possibility of making a big difference in the future. God’s kingdom is not yet fully established. It is growing and will come to fullness at the end of time. How rewarding to know that we are helping make it happen.
6. End the session by praying together the Lord’s Prayer, emphasizing the phrase “thy kingdom come.”

Gospel Reading
Mark 4:26–34
The reign of God is like a mustard seed.

Family Connection

Church documents call the Christian family the “domestic church.” This is both a compliment and a call to commitment. Because the family is a community formed in love and dedicated to the physical and spiritual growth of its members, it is a miniature version of the Kingdom of God on earth. This Sunday’s Gospel Reading, Mark 4:26–34, consists of two parables that Jesus used to help us discern the mystery of the Kingdom of God. The beginning of the kingdom is compared to a tiny seed that over time matures and ripens. Many of the things we do within the family seem insignificant. They are part of our daily activity and attract little attention. Yet they show our love and concern for one another. According to the Gospel, it’s these small things that yield big results, acting as significant contributions to the growth of God’s kingdom on earth. The growth of the seed illustrates the nature and the results of a strong faith.

Read aloud together the Gospel of Mark 4:26–34. Consider how your family’s concerns reflect the Church’s concerns for those members who are poor, forgotten, hungry, ill, shunned, or lonely. Together think of a specific action that you can do to assist a person in your extended family, neighborhood, or parish. Now pray together the Lord’s Prayer, pausing briefly to consider the import of the words “thy kingdom come.” Each evening this week as you gather for supper, share with one another the simple acts of love you witnessed within the family that day.