Children’s Liturgy
SOURCE: 52 Sundays
SOURCE: Adorers of the Blood of Christ
Videos for Children
Animated Bible Stories (Saddleback Kids)
Bible Crafts (Ministry to Children)
Object Lesson Sermons (Ministry to Children)
Children Messages
24th Sunday of Year A
YouTube 
Forgiveness
Forgiveness should be a permanent choice. Help family members visualize their decision to forgive. Have each family member write down on a scrap of paper someone they need to forgive and for what they will forgive that person. Then without reading them, find a safe location or container to burn the scraps of paper. Pray the Our Father together as a family at the conclusion of the burn.
Remind family members that forgiving oneself for past mistakes is just as important as forgiving others. Have family members pause and consider whether they are withholding forgiveness of themselves. They should write the situation down then tear it into small pieces and throw it in the trashcan, or burn it as the previous activity suggests. Discuss what it feels like to really forgive oneself. Remind them that if someone hurts them and they forgive that person, is it okay for the person forgiven to continue holding on to the mistake long after being forgiven? Then wouldn’t God be concerned that he has forgiven us but we can’t forgive ourselves?
SOURCE: OSV Lifelong Catechesis
Handouts for Children
24th Sunday of Year A
SOURCE: SDC
SOURCE: Catholic Kids Bullein
CHRISTIAN
This craft is really just a bit of fun rather than something deep and theological, it depicts the three characters in the parable of the forgiven debt or unforgiving servant. Once made it can be a storytelling prop, a way to ask deeper questions about forgiveness, or just a toy to play with.
SOURCE: Jesus Without Language
Read Alouds
24th Sunday of Year A
Build.
Plant.
Grow.
Santa Clara University
Sunday Index for children ages 5-13
Using each lesson plan, directors of religious education, school teachers, and parents can:
- Use the recommended key discussion points when reading weekly messages with your children.
- Read aloud a classic picture storybook linked to the moral virtue in the weekly readings.
- Manage creative activities including arts and crafts, games, and gardening projects.
- End with a reflection activity using a case study and a prayer.
THE WORD THIS WEEK
Feast of the Cross
Thursday September 14, 2023
Love
SUNDAY READ ALOUD
Mama, Do You Love Me?
Written by Barbara M. Joosse
The answer comes…Yes, I do Dear One. This is a universal story about parental love extended to a child that wishes to constantly push the envelope to see if there are limits to her mother’s love. The story is captivating because of its unusual Arctic setting. The lyrical text introduces readers to a distinctively different culture, while at the same time showing that the special love that exists between parent and child transcends all boundaries of time and place. The artwork is beautifully rendered and speaks to the warmth of love itself. The story helps children understand that God’s love is unconditional.
SOURCE: Teaching Catholic Kids
Forgiveness
First Reading: Sirach 27:30-28:9
Opening Question: After the words “I love you,” why are the words “I’m sorry” and I forgive you” the most important words we have?
Joshua, son of Sirach, was troubled by all the nasty comments he heard from his students. “The Syrians are evil. They rule us like we were their pet dogs,” one whispered. “Yeah, they hate us. We should hate them too!” said another. “We should strike back at them. After all, anything that happens to them is their fault,” a third person chimed in.
“Enough!” the teacher said. “When you talk of hatred and vengeance, you have no place for God!” Then he read from the text book.
Read Sirach 27:30-28:9
“Listen to what God says,” Joshua said. “I know it is easier to hate and let your feelings control you. It is much harder to listen to God’s word. ‘Don’t hate and forgive.’ But this is God’s will!”
Why hating someone so easy and forgiveness so hard?
Bridging Question: Has anyone asked to borrow money from you? How do you know he or she will pay you back?
Gospel: Matthew 18: 21-35
Jackie and Alice were sisters. Jackie was the older sister, the responsible one. She always cleaned her room, knew where everything was, and organized playtime. Jackie was very serious.
Alice was the younger sister, the one without a care. Her room was a mess, she constantly lost things in her messy room, and she stopped her chores to play at a moment’s notice. Alice giggled a a lot. Sometimes too much.
When Alice could not find what she wanted in her room, she would “borrow” it from others, especially Jackie. When Jackie found something missing from her room, she would ask Alice, “Did you take it?”
“Yes,” Alice would answer, as if she didn’t care.
“Do you know were it is?” Jackie would ask.
“No,” Alice would answer shrugging her shoulders.
Jackie got so angry over “borrowed” things, she would complain to her mother. Her mother would take both girls into Alice’s room and made Alice her clean. Many times, Jackie found things of hers that she didn’t even know were missing. Embarrassed before her mother, Alice would apologize and promised never to “borrow” anything from Jackie unless she asked first. Alice never asked first, of course, and everyone knew it. The room cleaning, the embarrassment, and the apology happened over and over and over.
One day, Jackie was doing homework when her pen ran out of ink. Since no one was at home, she decided to “borrow” a pen from Alice. When Alice got home and sat down to work on her homework, she couldn’t find the pen she just knew she left on her desk. After she roamed around the house, Alice finally went into Jackie’s room and asked, “Did you see my pen?”
SOURCE: Word-Sunday.com – All materials found in word-sunday.com are the property of Larry Broding (Copyright 1999-2022). Viewers may copy any material found in these pages for their personal use or for use in any non-profit ministry. Materials may not be sold or used for personal financial gain.
YouTube Yukie’s Island:
My Family’s World War II Story
“Yukie’s Island: My Family’s World War II Story”
by Kodo Kimura and others. Illustrated by Kodo Kimura. Roaring Brook Press,
New York, 2023, 48 pages, Grades 2-4
Though it isn’t always possible to avoid war, leaders should always seek to resolve their differences peacefully. World War II is an example of a war that had to be fought and could not be avoided. But within that paradigm, we should remember the children are not able to voice their opinions in this matter. They should be cherished and protected whenever possible.
The illustrations in this book are beautiful and moving. The text tells the story with simpl
SOURCE: Southern Nebraska Register, Catholic Diocese of Lincoln (The image and link to the video embedded above are not part of Terrence Nollen’s review.)
Catechist Resources
24th Sunday of Year A
Young Catholics 
SOURCE: The Religion Teacher
Catholic Icing