Sunday Connection

Gospel Reading
John 20:19-31
Thomas believes because he sees Jesus.

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

Materials Needed

• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Invite children to discuss positive and challenging emotions. As you have this discussion, you might ask children to use facial expressions and gestures to express each feeling. Smile and say: I am so happy to see you today! It feels good to be happy. Ask children: What are some other good feelings? (excited, calm, playful, silly) Say: Some feelings are difficult. Ask: Can you think of some difficult feelings? (fear, anger, sadness)
2. Say: After Jesus died, his disciples were afraid. Shake and make a fearful expression. Say: They hid together in a locked room. Let’s hear what happens when Jesus enters their room.
3. Read aloud today’s Gospel, John 20:19–31.
4. Say: Jesus said to the disciples, “Peace be with you.” He gave them the gift of peace. Then he gave them another gift. Ask: Do you remember what other gift Jesus gave? (the gift of the Holy Spirit) Say: Jesus gave the disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit so that they could forgive others.
5. Invite children to take a few long, deep breaths and quiet their thoughts. Remind them that Jesus loves them and is with them. Quietly say a few times, “Peace be with you.” Ask children if they feel peaceful and describe what they noticed (for example, feeling settled, having slower thoughts, or experiencing slower or bigger breaths).
6. Say: When we are peaceful and forgiving, we can live happily with others. When we pray, we can ask Jesus to help us be peaceful and forgiving with our friends and family, even when we have conflict or disagreements and we have been feeling afraid or angry. We might take a few breaths to calm down when we are upset. Ask: What are some other ways we might share peace and forgiveness when we have disagreements? (Accept reasonable responses, such as talking calmly, listening, saying sorry.)
7. Say: Filled with the Gift of the Holy Spirit, we bring peace and forgiveness to all our relationships.
8. Pray a prayer of thanks for Jesus’ gift of peace and gift of the Holy Spirit. Ask him to help you be his peaceful and forgiving disciples. Close by praying the Sign of the Cross.

Gospel Reading
John 20:19-31
Thomas believes because he sees Jesus.

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

Older children can be argumentative. Take advantage of opportunities to teach them that Jesus shares with us the gift of the Holy Spirit, which can help us resolve conflicts peacefully.

Materials Needed

• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Ask the group to identify five things that people their age might argue about. As these things are named, ask a volunteer to write them on the board.

2. Divide the children into groups of two or three. Instruct each group to choose one of the scenarios written on the board and to prepare a skit that shows the argument and how the situation might be resolved. Allow each group the opportunity to present the skit.

3. Say: Jesus knew human beings well. He knew that we would have arguments. But he gave us the remedy for hurt feelings in the gift of reconciliation.

4. Invite one or more volunteers to read aloud today’s Gospel, John 20:19-31.

5. Ask: What disagreement among the disciples is heard in this Gospel? (Thomas didn’t believe that the other disciples had seen Jesus.) How did Jesus begin the process of reconciliation for the disciples? (He appeared again when Thomas was present; he shared with his disciples the power to forgive sins.) What gift did Jesus give to his disciples to help them forgive sins? (the Holy Spirit)

6. Say: Jesus has also given us the power to be people who forgive and reconcile with one another. Whenever we act to bring peace and resolution, we are acting in the spirit of Jesus.

7. Conclude in prayer together that we will share the gifts of forgiveness, peace, and reconciliation with the people in our lives. Pray together the Peace Prayer of Saint Francis.

Gospel Reading
John 20:19-31
Thomas believes because he sees Jesus.

Making the Connection (Grades 7 and 8)

Learning to resolve conflicts is an important skill for getting along with others. The Holy Spirit helps us to seek ways to bring peaceful resolution to conflicts.

Materials Needed

• Paper
• Pens

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Ask the young people to think about a recent disagreement with another person. (Give assurances that during this activity no one will be asked to give specific details about the disagreement.) Ask them to consider how the conflict was resolved. Distribute paper to each person and give instructions to write down the actions that led to a resolution of the disagreement.

2. Invite volunteers to share specific actions that helped to resolve the conflict. Work together to identify elements of good conflict resolution and write these on the board (for example, honest discussion, a desire to resolve the conflict, willingness to ask forgiveness). Encourage the young people to develop and use these skills in their relationships.

3. Say: Jesus knew human beings well. He knew that we would have arguments, disagreements, even fights with one another. He gave us help in order to become people who seek peace and reconciliation with others. Let’s listen carefully to this Sunday’s Gospel to learn about the help Jesus gives us.

4. Invite one or more volunteers to read aloud this Sunday’s Gospel, John 20:19–31.

5. Ask: What are Jesus’ words of greeting to the disciples? (“Peace be with you.”) What gift does Jesus give to his disciples? (the Holy Spirit) What does Jesus tell his disciples to do? (forgive sins)

6. Say: We celebrate the gifts of forgiveness and peace in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. The Holy Spirit helps us to be people who forgive and reconcile with one another. We can call upon the Holy Spirit to help us to seek ways to bring peaceful resolution to disagreements.

7. Conclude in prayer together that we will share the gifts of forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace with the people in our lives. Pray together the psalm for this Sunday, Psalm 118.

Gospel Reading
John 20:19-31
Thomas believes because he sees Jesus.

Family Connection

Within normal family life, there are many opportunities for conflict. Jesus did not promise us the absence of conflict in our lives. Instead, he gave us the gifts of peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation so that we could reduce conflict. The measure of Christian family life is not the absence of conflict, but the manner in which conflict is resolved. Filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit, we ask Jesus to help us to bring peace and forgiveness to situations of conflict in our families.

As your family gathers, take this opportunity to examine how your family resolves conflict. Recall a recent argument or disagreement and discuss how the conflict was resolved. Consider whether the conflict was resolved peacefully, in the spirit of Jesus. If not, discuss alternatives that might be tried in the future. Read together today’s Gospel, John 20:19-31. Recall that we have each received Jesus’ gift of the Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit helps us to be people who forgive others and seek peace. Pray together the Prayer to the Holy Spirit or the Peace Prayer of Saint Francis.