Sunday Connection

Gospel Reading
Mark 1:21-28
Jesus heals a man with an unclean spirit and his fame spreads throughout Galilee.

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

Help younger children understand the people’s amazement in response to Jesus’ teaching and healing by inviting them to describe a time when they witnessed something amazing.

Materials Needed

• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Say: If something is amazing or astonishing, it fills us with wonder and surprise. Ask: What might we look like if we are amazed? Compliment children’s gestures and facial expressions. Then share with children an example of something you saw someone do that caused you to feel amazed, for example, an athlete achieving a world record or a person performing a brave and harrowing rescue. Ask children to describe something they have seen either on video or in person, that amazed them. (Accept all reasonable responses.) Say: When I saw the amazing thing, I told [name of person or people] about it. Ask: Did you want to tell others about the amazing thing you saw? If so, whom did you tell? (Accept several responses.)
2. Say: The people who heard Jesus teach and heal in today’s Gospel also felt amazed. Let’s listen.
3. Read aloud today’s Gospel, Mark 1:21–28.
4. Say: When we saw the amazing things we talked about before, we wanted to tell others about it. It was the same for the people in the crowd. When they heard Jesus teach and saw him heal the man, they were amazed. They could see that he wasn’t just any teacher and healer. They could see the power of God at work in him. They told others about Jesus, and news about him spread quickly.
5. Say: As Jesus’ disciples, we help share the Good News of Jesus. Ask children to think of something about Jesus they want to share with the group. Invite volunteers to share.
6. Close by praying the Glory Be to the Father.

Gospel Reading
Mark 1:21-28
Jesus heals a man with an unclean spirit and his fame spreads throughout Galilee.

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

Older children look for role models who show consistency in their words and deeds. In Jesus, we see that God's power and authority was made visible in both words and actions.

Materials Needed

• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings (Grades 4, 5, and 6)

1. Tell the group that you would like to learn a new skill—you want to learn to play the piano. Ask: What are some requirements that I should include on my list of qualifications for a piano instructor? (a degree in music, experience with the instrument, experience with teaching, and so on) Would it be enough for me to find a person who could read music? Is it enough to look for someone who has a college degree in music? No, when looking for the best piano teacher, we usually look for someone who has both a music degree and experience in playing the piano and teaching students.

2. Ask the group: What do we mean when someone is said to “walk the walk and talk the talk”? (It means that there is consistency between the person’s words and actions.) Why is this important? (People are credible if their actions and words are consistent.)

3. Say: In today's Gospel we see one of the ways in which Jesus’ actions demonstrated the power and authority behind his words. Let's listen carefully to this Gospel.

4. Invite one or more volunteers to read aloud today’s Gospel, Mark 1:21-28.

5. Ask: How did the people respond to Jesus’ teachings and healings? (They were amazed and astonished; they recognized that he spoke and acted with authority.)

6. Say: As people of faith, we want others to observe consistency between our words and actions. In what ways does the Church demonstrate the power of the words we teach about Jesus? (through outreach to the poor and the sick, in our work for justice, and so on) In particular, when we act with justice toward others, we demonstrate the authority and power of what we believe about God.

7. Conclude in prayer together that people will observe in our actions for justice the authority and power of our faith in God. Pray together the Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Gospel Reading
Mark 1:21-28
Jesus heals a man with an unclean spirit and his fame spreads throughout Galilee.

Making the Connection (Grades 7 and 8)

Young people at this age are interested in knowing about famous people and celebrities. We can help them to identify people who show their faith in words and deeds as positive role models to emulate.

Materials Needed

• Pictures of famous people from newspapers or magazines

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings (Grades 7 and 8)

1. Collect pictures showing famous people from newspapers or magazines. Show these, one at a time, asking the young people to identify the people in the pictures. As each person is identified, ask: What makes this person famous?

2. Say: People become famous for many different reasons. Some are famous because they have power and influence and others because they do something that is unique or newsworthy.

3. Say: In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear that Jesus’ fame spread throughout all of Galilee. Let’s listen carefully to this Gospel to see what made Jesus famous.

4. Invite one or more volunteers to read aloud this Sunday’s Gospel, Mark 1:21–28.

5. Ask: Why were the people astonished by what Jesus said? (He didn’t teach like the scribes; he taught with authority.) What amazing thing did Jesus do? (He healed a man with an unclean spirit.) Why did Jesus’ fame spread? (He showed authority over unclean spirits.)

6. Say: Jesus’ actions demonstrated the power and authority of his words. This is what impressed the people who saw Jesus heal the man with the unclean spirit. In his words and in his deeds, Jesus showed the power and authority of God.

7. Say: Those who follow Jesus are also called to demonstrate God’s power and authority by their words and actions. Whom can you name as examples of people who demonstrate their faith in God by their words and deeds? (Accept all reasonable answers.) These are people we want to know more about so that we can follow their example. We also want to be people who demonstrate our faith in God by what we say and do.

8. Conclude by praying together the psalm for this Sunday, Psalm 95, asking God to help us to be consistent in our words and our actions so that we may demonstrate the power of our faith in God.

Gospel Reading
Mark 1:21-28
Jesus heals a man with an unclean spirit and his fame spreads throughout Galilee.

Family Connection

The people who heard Jesus teach and saw him heal in today’s Gospel were said to have been astonished and amazed by the authority of his teaching. So compelling were Jesus’ words and actions that the news about him could not be contained; it spread quickly throughout all of Galilee. Two thousand years later, the news about Jesus continues to spread. We are called to participate in sharing the Good News of Jesus with others in our words and in our deeds.

Gather as a family and try to name some amazing things, events, or people. In today’s Gospel we hear that the people were astonished and amazed by their experience of Jesus. Read today’s Gospel, Mark 1:21–28. What did the people who saw and heard Jesus find so amazing? (In Jesus, the people heard and saw the power and authority of God at work.) People should see in our lives the power and authority of God at work. Can you name any modern examples of people in whom you have seen the power and authority of God at work? Conclude in prayer together that we will experience wonder at the work of God in our world today. Pray together the Prayer to the Holy Spirit.