Matthew 25:14-30

Jesus spoke this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man on his way abroad who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one; each in proportion to his ability. Then he set out. The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more. The man who had received two made two ,ore in the same way. But the man who had received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now a long time after, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. ‘Sir’, he said ‘you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.’ Next the man with the two talents came forward. ‘Sir,’ he said ‘you entrusted me with two talents; here are two more that I have made.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.’ Last came forward the man who had the one talent. ‘Sir,’ said he ‘I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered; so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is; it was yours, you have it back.’ But his mater answered him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered? Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have recovered my capital with interest. So now, take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the five talents. For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away. As for this good for nothing servant, throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Sunday 9th November

The Dedication of The Lateran Basilica.








John 2:13-22

Just before the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting at their counters there. Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money-changers’ coins, knocked their tables over and said to the pigeon-sellers, ‘Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market’. Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: Zeal for your house will devour me. The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can you show us to justify what you have done?’ Jesus answered, ’Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up’. The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this sanctuary: are you going to raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body, and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the words he had said.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

The paintings are by El Greco (1541-1614) and by Valentin de Boulogne (1591 -1632), a follower of Caravaggio.

Children’s Liturgy Group Blog

Welcome to our blog. This is our 2008 advent project which we hope will give you an insight into our Sunday Liturgy Group discussions on the Gospel of the day. Please feel free to contribute and post your ideas alongside our own. We hope you enjoy it.

Sunday 2^nd November 2008

ALL SAINTS

After lighting a candle, we discussed the significance of 'All Saints’ day. We asked why we commemorate it, what a saint was and what sort of things must one have done to become a saint.

We decided that saints were ordinary people who recognised their own need of God. They led lives which were often full of personal hardship, danger and fear to create signposts to God for us. Their lives are templates of godliness and are set as examples to us all. They are role models and today is the day we remember them.

We spread a series of news stories out on the floor in front of us. They each reported a terrible tragedy or incident from around the world from either war torn countries or particular political conflicts to areas that have suffered an immense natural disaster. There were also reports on dramatic incidents closer to home here in the UK. We each took a story which we read in silence for a few minutes and then we in turn told the rest of the group briefly what our story was about.

We then read The Gospel Matthew 5:1-12

Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and

was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:

'How happy are the poor in spirit: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Happy the gentle: they shall have the earth for their heritage.

Happy those who mourn: they shall be comforted.

Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right: they shall

be satisfied.

Happy the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them.

Happy the pure in heart: they shall see God.

Happy the peacemakers: they shall be called sons of God.

Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right: theirs is the

kingdom of heaven.

‘Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and

speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord

We discussed how the Gospel is different from most of what we read - more like an instruction manual or handbook – and that is precisely what it is. The Beatitudes, as they are often known, are our instructions on how to find and serve God.

We discussed the Gospel, relating it to the earlier news stories. How could we use its instructions to make a difference in our own lives, we asked ourselves?

We thought about our own role models: people living a life that impacts on others in a positive way, offering us hope and guidance.

We turned over the news stories to find on the back an image of a person. Some we recognised; others we didn’t, and those came with a description of who they were and why they were important. While we listened to the uplifting music: ‘The Saints Are Coming’ by The Skids, we considered how each person related to the news stories on the other side of the page and today’s Gospel, then shared our thoughts.

The first story was the recent Pakistani earthquake and relief efforts. On the back was the caption: ‘Happy the poor in spirit’ and a picture of Bob Geldof - a man rich in spirit, who impacts enormously on global issues.

The second story was about the US white supremacist plot to assassinate Barack Obama, highlighting America’s still significant race and discrimination issues. On the back was a picture of Lewis Hamilton - a good role model through his great success, quiet, down-to-earth demeanour, and a positive influence on us all - and the caption ‘Happy the gentle’.

Third was the tragic story of David and Michelle Statham and their four children, killed in an horrific road accident on the M6. The image on the back was of cancer fundraiser Jane Tomlinson, her husband Mike and their son, with the caption ‘Happy those who mourn’. Since Jane’s death earlier this year Mike continues to raise huge sums in her name.

Fourth was the story was about the devastating civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the effects on millions of displaced people who are trying to flee the fighting. The image on the reverse was of Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian lawyer and human rights activist and founder of Children’s Rights Support Association in Iran. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003. She lives under constant threat to her life and those of her family because of her outspoken views and tireless pursuit of justice. The caption against her image reads, ‘Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right.’

The next news story was about the killing of Gayle Williams, an aid worker from London who was killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan where she had been working with disabled children for the last 2 years. They had accused her of preaching Christianity to Muslims. On the reverse, under the caption ‘Happy the merciful’, was a response from Gayle’s family offering forgiveness to those who killed her.

Next was a news story about the bombing of a village in Syria by US forces which sparked a big demonstration in Damascus. On the back of this story was a picture of Nelson Mandela with the caption ‘Happy the pure in heart’

The seventh story was about Rhys Jones, the 11 year old boy from Liverpool who was shot be a teenage gunman when he got caught between rival gangs. The story surrounds the trial and the fear of the witnesses because of reprisal threats by the gangs. On the back of this story was a picture of Barrack Obama as someone who now has the opportunity and potential to make a positive difference across the world. This was not a reflection or comment on his politics, just a reaction to his strong iconic image and, now as president of the USA, we think we are right to have an expectation that he fulfills his responsibility to try and bring peace to the world. The caption reads ‘Happy the peacemakers’.

The final 2 stories were about the conflicts between China and Tibet and the democracy issues in Myanmar. These conflicts seem destined to continue for the long term with no sign of resolution. The respective images we offered were of the Dalai Lama from Tibet and of Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro democracy activist who has been under house arrest for the past 13 years. She is a prisoner of conscience and an advocate of non-violent resistance. The caption in each instance was ‘Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right.’

There are many unsung heroes, working in ‘saintly’ ways who prove that ordinary people can make a difference. We are all potential saints and we need to become role models to other people by our words and deeds. We asked the children to think about other people who were good role models for them and how they could start to make their own presence felt.