Sunday Connection

  
Sunday Connection

God speaks to us in many ways, including through the Sunday Scripture readings. The Sunday Connection provides useful background and activities to better understand the upcoming Sunday's Scripture readings, helping you to connect the Scripture to daily life in a meaningful way.


Seventh Sunday of Easter, Cycle B

Sunday, May 16, 2021

This Sunday's Readings

First Reading
Acts of the Apostles 1:15-17,20a,20c-26
Matthias is chosen to take Judas' place among the apostles.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 103:1-2,11-12,19-20
Bless the Lord who rules heaven and earth.

Second Reading
1 John 4:11-16
God is seen in our love for one another.

Gospel Reading
John 17:11b-19
Jesus prays for his disciples.

Background on the Gospel Reading

(If your parish celebrates The Ascension of the Lord this Sunday, see the Sunday Connection for May 17.)

On the seventh Sunday of Easter, we always read from the seventeenth chapter of John's Gospel. This chapter of John's Gospel comes at the conclusion of Jesus' farewell discourse delivered to the disciples at the Last Supper. This entire chapter is a prayer by Jesus, commending himself to the Father and expressing his care and concern for his disciples. At the end of this prayer, Jesus and his disciples depart for the garden, and Jesus is arrested.Several important themes appear in this prayer. First, Jesus' prayer reaffirms the complete union between himself and the Father. Throughout John's Gospel, Jesus has been presented as the one who preexisted with the Father and as the one sent by the Father to do his work on earth. In today's reading, we hear Jesus include all his disciples in this union with the Father. We are reminded that Christ is the source of Christian unity. Through Christ, we are united with one another and with God Our Father.In this prayer, Jesus describes part of his mission in the language of protection. He has protected those who were given to him by the Father. In this we hear echoes of the dualism that is reflected throughout John's Gospel. Beginning with the opening chapter, the Evangelist John has presented Jesus' mission on earth in the context of a cosmic struggle between good and evil, represented by light and darkness. In Jesus' presence, his disciples have been protected from Satan. Now that Jesus is returning to the Father, he prays that his disciples will continue to be protected from the evil one. We can't help but note here the echoes of the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples, the Lord's Prayer.
We also see in this chapter the distinction found in John's Gospel between the world and the disciples. The disciples are in the world, but they do not belong to the world. Yet like Jesus, they are sent into the world for the world's salvation. As Jesus' teaching and ministry was a source of consternation for some, Jesus knows that the world may not accept his disciples with open arms. Again, we hear echoes of John's theme that salvation is worked out through the cosmic battle between light and darkness. The world, according to John, prefers the darkness. Yet the light will not be overcome by the darkness. Reading this prayer of Jesus during the Easter Season, through the lens of his Resurrection, we know that the light of Christ has overcome the darkness of sin and death in our world. In the opening line of this prayer, we hear Jesus pray that his disciples will be kept in the name that he was given by God. We know that the salvation is given to us in the name of Jesus, and that his name—“God saves”—announces his mission on our behalf.


Gospel Reading
John 17:11b-19
Jesus prays for his disciples.


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

Teach younger children that prayer helps us be closer to God and that, just as Jesus prayed for his disciples, we can pray prayers of intercession for those in need.

Materials Needed

  • None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

  1. Say: When we love someone, we want the best for that person. We want him or her to feel loved and protected. Ask: What else might we want for the people we love? (Accept all reasonable responses.)
  2. Say: Because Jesus loved his disciples, he prayed to God the Father for their protection. Listen as I read his prayer.
  3. Read aloud John 17:11b–19.
  4. Say: Jesus prayed for his disciples to be united with God. He also prayed that they would be protected from anything that would get in the way of their relationship with God.
  5. Say: Jesus wants this for us, too. Jesus calls us to follow him to God the Father and to stay away from anything that might lead us away from God.
  6. Say: God always hears our prayers. We can pray that Jesus will help us be closer to God by following his commandments and living holy lives. We can pray for our loved ones, just as Jesus prayed for the disciples. Prayers that we pray for someone else are called prayers of intercession. Let’s pray a silent prayer of intercession now. Think of someone you love and what you want for him or her. In the quiet of your heart, ask God to watch over this person and to help him or her. Allow time for children to pray.
  7. Close by praying together the Lord’s Prayer.

Gospel Reading
John 17:11b-19
Jesus prays for his disciples.


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

Older children are beginning to be influenced by peer pressure and the desire to be popular. We can help them through this natural part of adolescent development by teaching them that as Christians we value friendship with God more than being popular in the eyes of the world.

Materials Needed

  • None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

  1. Ask: What are some things that young people do to try to be popular with their peers? (wear particular clothes, imitate certain behaviors, talk in a particular way) Why do people want to be popular? (Accept all reasonable answers.)

  2. Say: Many young people, and even many adults, do things to try to make themselves popular. Most people do this because they want to be liked and accepted. Jesus taught us that there is something more important than being popular. He even said that his disciples might not be very popular at all.

  3. Say: In today's Gospel, Jesus prays for his disciples, but he doesn't pray that people will like them. He prays for something more important. In fact, Jesus prays for three things. Let's listen carefully to see if we can identify what Jesus asks for from God for his disciples.

  4. Invite one or more volunteers to read aloud today's Gospel, John 17:11b-19.

  5. Ask: What three things does Jesus pray for when he prays for his disciples? (that God will keep them united as Jesus and the Father are united; that God will protect them from the evil one; that God will keep them in the truth) What does Jesus think is more important than being popular in the eyes of the world? (their unity with one another and with God, following God's truth, avoiding temptation and sin)

  6. Say: Sometimes we may face a choice between something we know will make us accepted by others and something we know to be right in God's eyes. When faced with such a choice, we can pray to Jesus to help us choose what will keep us united with God and with the community of disciples, the Church.

  7. Conclude in prayer together that God will continue to protect us from the things that lead us away from God and the Church. Pray together the Lord's Prayer.


Gospel Reading
John 17:11b-19
Jesus prays for his disciples.


Making the Connection (Grades 7 and 8)

Jesus prayed for his disciples, asking God to keep them united, to protect them, and to give them guidance. We follow Jesus’ example of prayer when we make known to God our specific needs.

Materials Needed

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

  1. Distribute copies of the Prayer of the Faithful that were prayed at Mass in your parish during the past several weeks. Have the young people work in groups of two or three to identify the types of petitions we pray in the Prayer of the Faithful (for example, for the needs of the Church, for civil authorities and the salvation of the world, for people in need, and for the local community). Ask volunteers to report on their work. Discuss the importance of bringing our needs to God in prayer.

  2. Say: In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear Jesus pray for his disciples. Just as we present specific needs to God when we pray, there are three specific things that Jesus asks of God for his disciples. Let’s listen carefully to see if we can identify these three things.

  3. Invite one or more volunteers to read aloud this Sunday’s Gospel, John 17:11b–19.

  4. Ask: What three things does Jesus pray for? (that God will keep his disciples united as Jesus and the Father are united as one; that God will protect them from the evil one; that God will keep them in the truth)

  5. Say: In his prayer, Jesus asks God for what his disciples will need. When Jesus prayed for his disciples, he was praying for us as well. Jesus wants us to be united with one another and with God. He knew that we would need God’s protection, and he knew that we would also need God’s guidance. We know that God heard Jesus’ prayer. He hears our prayers too. When we present our needs to God, we follow Jesus’ example of prayer.

  6. Invite the young people to write three prayers of petition based on Jesus’ prayer for his disciples: one for a situation where people need greater unity; one for a situation where a person needs God’s protection; and one for a situation where a person needs God’s guidance.

  7. Conclude by inviting volunteers to offer their prayers of petition and leading all to respond “Lord, hear our prayer.” Then pray together the Lord’s Prayer or the psalm for this Sunday, Psalm 103.


Gospel Reading
John 17:11b-19
Jesus prays for his disciples.


Family Connection

One of the greatest gifts that we are given in our family life is protection from harm. Families work together to keep one another safe from physical harm. Think of the effort a family makes to childproof its home for infants and toddlers. Families also work together to protect each other from emotional harm. For example, we attend to the ways in which family members talk to one another so that we do not hurt one another's feelings by our words. Most importantly, families work together to protect each other from those things that might harm them spiritually. We shield our children from those things in our culture that might tempt them. When families work together to strengthen their sense of God and community, they build the spiritual strength to turn from those things that would lead them away from God and the Church. Jesus' prayer for his disciples can also be a prayer for family life.

Gather as a family and talk about the things that you want most for each other. Talk about the fact that as we work toward these things, we also work to protect one another from harmful things. What do you want to protect each other from? Observe that in today's Gospel, Jesus shows these same two tendencies as he prays for something he wants for his disciples and prays for their protection as well. Read together today's Gospel, John 17:11b-19. Consider what Jesus wants for his disciples and what Jesus wants to protect his disciples from. We know that when Jesus prayed for his disciples, he was praying for us as well. We pray for these things as well, for example, when we pray the Lord's Prayer. Conclude by praying together the Lord's Prayer.