St Albans Catholic Church Finchley Childrens Liturgy Content

St Alban’s Catholic Church, Finchley Children’s Liturgy Content from… https: //cafod. org. uk/Education/Children-s-liturgy

15 th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A Sunday 12 th July 2020 Do you have a candle and perhaps a cross? Why don’t you collect them and join together as a family to welcome Jesus. Let us light the candle, make the sign of the cross and say… Dear God, Thank you for the big, round world Thank you for the sea. Thank you God for all my friends, Thank you God for loving me. Amen

https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Z 2 f. R 9 f. UD 5 b. M Try joining in with the chorus (in red). Unless a grain of wheat shall fall, It remains but a single grain with no life. If we have died with him, the we shall live with him; If we hold firm we shall reign with him. If anyone serves me, then they must follow me; Wherever I am my servants will be. Make you home in me as I make mine in you; Those who remain in me bear much fruit. If you remain in me and my word lives in you; Then you will be my disciples. Those who love me are loved by my Father; We shall be with them and dwell in them. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; Peace which the world cannot give is my gift. (Bernadette Farrell)

Let us read today’s Gospel Acclamation Alleluia, alleluia! The seed is the word of God, Christ the sower; whoever finds this seed will remain for ever. Alleluia! A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 13: 1 -9) Glory to you, O Lord. That same day Jesus left the house and went to the lakeside, where he sat down to teach. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it, while the crowd stood on the shore. He used parables to tell them many things. “Once there was a man who went out to sow corn. As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some of it fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil. The seeds soon sprouted, because the soil wasn't deep. But when the sun came up, it burnt the young plants; and because the roots had not grown deep enough, the plants soon dried up. Some of the seed fell among thorn bushes, which grew up and choked the plants. But some seeds fell in good soil, and the plants produced corn; some produced 100 grains, others sixty, and others thirty. ” And Jesus concluded, “Listen, then, if you have ears!” The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord, Jesus Christ.

Reflection Jesus tells a story or parable about someone planting seeds in a field. He does not carefully place the seeds in the ground but scatters them around. The seeds all land in different places, some in good soil and some not. What are the different places the seeds fall? What happens to these seeds? Why do we grow things? Flowers look beautiful. But also plants are vital to our World: Plants and tress are homes to lots of different animals; plants feed us – fruits and vegetables. Trees give us wood and paper and they help to keep the air that we breathe clean. In today’s gospel reading which is all about planting seeds, Jesus goes on to explain his parable and exactly what it means. Jesus is the sower, we are the ground. But what sort of ‘ground’ are we? The seed that falls on the path is like those people who hear what Jesus is saying but don’t really understand it or listen to it properly. The seed that falls on the rocks is like the person who hears what Jesus asks of us and starts off really excited about it, but who gives up following him as soon as it is difficult. The seed that falls in the thorns is like someone who hears what Jesus says but concentrates too much on having the best things, the most money, rather than on being the person Jesus wants us to be. The seed that falls on the rich soil is like someone who hears what Jesus is asking, understands it, and lives their life as he asks them to. So which one do you think we should try to be? How does Jesus ask us to live our lives and treat one another? What can you do to follow him? We can follow his commandment: love one another. We can be the best person we can be, we can try hard, we can be kind, we can be loving, we can share. Perhaps we can even plants some seeds!

Activity 1 Activity 2 Look around you! Plant a seed… There are so many different types of plants: trees, flowers, vegetables. How many different types of plants can you spot this week? Perhaps you could make a list of them. Perhaps you could draw a picture of your favourite. Plants are vital for our planet and for communities around the world. Can you help our world by planting a seed? Remember to grow well it needs water, sunlight and good soil! Every time you tend it, it’ll help you remember that we need to be that good soil for Jesus’ love to grow within us.

https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=4 HGioz. LMJTk You could now sing, Seed scattered and sown. Try and join in the chorus in red. Seed, scattered and sown, wheat gathered and grown, Bread, broken and shared as one, the Living Bread of God. Vine, fruit of the land, wine, work of our hands; One cup shared by all; The Living Cup, the Living Bread of God. Is not the bread we break a sharing in our Lord? Is not eh cup we bless the blood of Christ outpoured? The seed whih fall on rock will wither and die. The seed within good ground will flower and have life. As wheat upon the hills was gathered and was grown, So may the church of God be gathered into one.

Today’s psalm is, Some seed fell into rich soil and produced its crop Let us now bow our heads and say our closing prayer together… Dear Lord, May we hear and understand your word. Help us to become the good soil So that we may grow to live our lives the way you want us to. May we share that love with all people throughout the world. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Dear Lord, Thank you for all that is me. Thank you for all that I am and that I can become; In your family Lord, we are all so special, so different and unique. Thank you most of all for Jesus, who comes to us in love and in Holy Communion. Help me to carry your love to my family and in my friendships. Help me to lean on your love in times sadness and in times of fear. Lord open my eyes so that I may see you. Lord open my heart that I may know you. Amen