Children, Catholic Home School, Children’s Liturgy of the Word, Catholic Home School
Children, Catholic Home School, Children’s Liturgy of the Word, Catholic Home School
June 21, 2026
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12th Sunday of Year A
↩️ ↪️ Bishop James Golka
Q: What is the key distinction Jesus makes about fear in Matthew 10:28?
A: Jesus teaches not to fear men who can only kill the body but cannot touch the soul; instead, fear God who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Q: How does Jesus demonstrate God’s intimate knowledge and care for individuals?
A: God values humans more than many sparrows and has even numbered every hair on each person’s head, showing His intimate care and knowledge of each individual.
Q: What does Matthew 10:27 teach about transparency and proclamation?
A: Nothing concealed will remain undisclosed, and what is whispered in secret will be proclaimed from the rooftops, emphasizing the importance of honesty and integrity as hidden things will always be revealed.
Q: What is the consequence of acknowledging or denying Jesus before others?
A: Everyone who acknowledges Jesus before men will be acknowledged before God the Father in heaven, but whoever denies Him will be denied by Jesus.
↩️ ↪️ 1-Minute Homily
The Eucharist’s Biblical Foundation
Q: What did Jesus mean when he called himself “the bread that came down from heaven”? A: In John 6:51, Jesus declared he is the bread from heaven and promised that whoever eats this bread will live forever, establishing the theological foundation for the Eucharist as eternal sustenance.
Q: How did Jesus transform bread and wine at the Last Supper? A: At the Last Supper, Jesus gave his disciples bread and wine saying “This is my body, this is my blood” (Matthew 26:26-28), literally transforming these elements into his body and blood.
The Mass Ritual Elements
Q: What specific items does the priest prepare on the altar for Mass? A: The priest prepares the altar with a clean white cloth, candles, crucifix, corporal, paten with bread, and chalice with wine, then pours water into the wine to symbolize Jesus and the world united.
Q: What is the precise moment when bread and wine become Jesus’s body and blood? A: The priest repeats Jesus’s exact words from the Last Supper while praying for the Holy Spirit to come down upon the gifts, and by the power of the Holy Spirit the bread and wine transform into the body and blood of Jesus.
Participation and Meaning
Q: How can children who cannot yet receive Eucharist participate meaningfully in Mass? A: Children can participate by closely watching the altar, observing the priest’s gestures, listening to the words of Jesus, and saying thank you to Jesus for wanting to be close to them in this holy meal.
Q: What does “Corpus Christi” and “Eucharist” literally mean? A: “Corpus Christi” is Latin for “the body of Christ”, while “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving”, and Saint Teresa of Kolkata called it “the greatest love” and “the best time” one can spend on Earth.
↩️ ↪️ Priests for Life
God’s Intentional Design in Human Diversity
God created external diversity among children while placing love inside every girl and boy, demonstrating that physical differences are intentional celebrations of divine creation rather than flaws to ridicule.
Solidarity as Active Support
Big Al wore glasses not from medical need but to stand in solidarity with a camp kid who faced mockery for wearing them, modeling acceptance and support for children who feel isolated due to their differences.
Divine Presence in Every Child
God placed some of Himself inside each child, establishing that every child is special regardless of outward appearance, making diversity a reflection of God’s creative intention.
GOSPEL GRAPHICS
QUESTIONS
Jeremiah’s Call and Ministry
Q: What made Jeremiah’s prophetic calling unique?
A: God called Jeremiah as a child from the tribe of Benjamin near Jerusalem, and when he protested he didn’t know how to speak, God promised to give him the words directly.
Q: How long did Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry span?
A: Jeremiah prophesied during the reigns of five kings of Judah, from the good king Josiah to the last king Zedekiah, speaking against idolatry, false prophets, and greedy priests.
Persecution and Babylonian Conquest
Q: Why did Judah’s leaders want to execute Jeremiah?
A: When Babylon invaded, the king’s advisors wanted to kill Jeremiah for prophesying that opposing the Babylonians would cause Jerusalem’s fall and for disheartening the armies of Judah, leading to his imprisonment after a failed assassination attempt.
Q: What happened to Jeremiah after Jerusalem fell?
A: The Babylonians released Jeremiah from prison after conquering Judah and destroying Jerusalem, and he fled to Egypt during the exile where he lived out his remaining days.
Theological Legacy
Q: What is the New Covenant Jeremiah prophesied?
A: Jeremiah foretold a New Covenant God would establish after the Babylonian exile, which Christians recognize in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit writing God’s law on believers’ hearts.
Q: How were Jeremiah’s prophecies preserved?
A: Jeremiah’s messages were written down with the help of his assistant and preserved through the years to help people understand how to be closer to the Lord and the significance of Jesus’ mission as the Messiah.
12th Sunday of Year A
Our Sunday Visitor
SUNDAY READINGS | QUESTIONS | SAINT | ACTIVITIES
THE WORD THIS WEEK infographics are created using using GOOGLE’S AI Gemini 3 Pro. You are free to use the above infographic in any non profit ministry. Please give credit to TheWordThisWeek.NET and Our Sunday Visitor.
QUESTIONS
Grace and Salvation
Q: What is grace and what does it cost us versus God?
A: Grace means receiving blessings through Jesus that are free to us but cost God the price of Jesus’ sacrifice, giving us something we don’t deserve.
Q: Why can’t we remove sin ourselves and what solution does Jesus provide?
A: Adam’s sin brought sin to all humanity, making us unable to wash it away ourselves, but Jesus’ death paid the price for all our sins, cleansing us through His blood.
Consequences and Gift
Q: What do we deserve versus what we actually receive through Jesus?
A: We deserve death for our sins, but through Jesus we receive the gift of eternal life instead.
Forgiveness Process
Q: What happens when we make mistakes and return to Jesus?
A: No matter our mistakes, we can always return to Jesus, tell Him we’re sorry, and know He forgives us, making us clean and new.
Teaching Illustration
Q: How does the game demonstrate God’s grace?
A: The game shows that if one person misses an answer, everyone is out, but the teacher’s grace gives candy anyway, illustrating God’s unearned blessings.
Romans 5 Core Message
Q: What does Romans 5 explain about our condition and solution?
A: Because of Adam’s sin, we are all born sinful, but through Jesus, we can be made clean, new, and righteous.
12th Sunday of Year A
Adam’s Sin vs. God’s Grace
What does it cost to get to Heaven? How can we achieve salvation? Well, the bad news is that we all fall short of God’s glory, and no one is capable of earning or buying grace. Because of Adam, we are born into sin, which bears the consequence of death. The good news is that through Jesus, we have eternal life and righteousness! Jesus pays the price and takes away our sin. Through one man, evil came, but through another man, we have hope. This message emphasizes the hope and wonder of grace, granted through God’s love.
QUESTIONS
The “Wow” Numbers
- Who remembers the huge number of hair strands that usually grow on a person’s head? Is it closer to 10 or 200,000?
- If you tried to count every single hair on your head one by one, how long do you think it would take you? Do you think you could do it?
Heart & Faith Questions
- The story says that Jesus knows exactly how many hairs are on your head. What does that tell us about how much He cares for you?
- Jesus says, “Therefore don’t be afraid…” Why do you think knowing that God cares about the tiny details of our lives can help us feel safe when we are worried?
- The next time you brush or comb your hair in the morning, what is a special promise you can remember to help start your day with a smile?
Do Not Be Afraid
The very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore don’t be afraid….
It appears as if everyone combed their hair this morning. What other things do you do to take care of your hair? Yes, you wash your hair, cut your hair; perhaps you braid your hair and tie ribbons in it.
Some of you have curly hair; others straight. Some have black hair, others have brown hair, blonde
hair, red hair and a few people in the congregation have grey hair.
Our hair helps keep us warm. Have you ever thought about how many hairs grow on your head? Some people have more hair than others, but usually a person has between 140,000 to 200,000 strands of hair growing on their head. That is a lot of hair!
SOURCE: Sermon Writer – © 1997 – 2026 Richard Niell Donovan
Worries
- The Power of Belief: Talking to God restores Jack’s confidence. The passage concludes by noting that while everyone wants to be liked, a true friend is defined by the phrase, “I believe in you!”—a message God consistently offers to us.
- Jack’s Character: Jack is an outgoing, friendly, and universally liked person who has a few close, loyal friends. His most admired trait is his absolute honesty.
- The Onset of Rumors: Despite his good character, malicious rumors begin to spread about Jack. He feels completely isolated, echoing the experience of the prophet Jeremiah, whose peers actively watched for him to stumble so they could overpower him.
- Turning to God: In his loneliness, Jack follows Jeremiah’s example and turns to prayer. Jeremiah’s prayer reminds us that while human critics are fickle, God stands by the side of the righteous like a “mighty soldier,” testing the heart and rescuing the oppressed.
12th Sunday of Year A
THE WORD THIS WEEK infographics are created using using GOOGLE’S AI Gemini 3 Pro Nano Banana and images from Unsplash. You are free to use the above infographic in any non-profit ministry. Please give credit to TheWordThisWeek.net and the Word-Sunday.
Entrance Song
🧸 Simple Questions for Younger Children (Ages 4–7)
- Where are some of your favorite places to go? (School, the park, bed?) Does God stay with you when you go there?
- What does it feel like to be afraid? What can you whisper to God the next time you feel scared?
- The song mentions “darkest days.” What is something that makes you feel sad or scared, and how does knowing God is right beside you make you feel better?
- How can you “give your heart” to God? What do you think that means we should do with our love?
🎒 Deeper Questions for Older Children (Ages 8–11)
- The text mentions a “rod and staff” that protect and comfort us. These are tools a shepherd uses to take care of sheep. How do you think God acts like a good shepherd for you?
- There is a difference between never being sad and not being afraid when we are sad. Why does the writer say they won’t be afraid even during “hurtful days”?
- The phrase “Everywhere I go and in everything I do” covers a lot! Can you think of a tough situation at school or with friends where you need to remind yourself that God is there?
- Why do you think the words in this passage repeat so many times? How does repeating a truth like “Lord, you’re here with me” help our hearts when we are going through a hard time?
12th Sunday of Year A
Response & Acclaim
JESUS CLUB UNLIMITED (3:04)
HOPE KIDS BIBLE SONGS (2:44)
HEAVENLY KIDS PRAISE (3:30)
Response & Acclaim
Communion
Impact of Disobedience
- Question: Adam and Eve’s one choice to disobey God changed things for the whole world. Can you think of a time when someone made a bad choice (like in a game, at school, or at home) and it ended up ruining the fun for everyone else?
- Application: When we are tempted to disobey our parents or teachers, why is it important to remember that our choices don’t just affect us, but they affect the people around us too?
Receiving and Sharing
- Question: If someone buys you a wonderful, expensive birthday gift, but you leave it wrapped up in the closet and never open it, is it doing you any good? How do we “open” or accept God’s gift of being made right with Him?
- Application: Because Jesus gave us the gift of grace when we didn’t deserve it, how can you show grace to a friend or sibling this week who might annoy you or make a mistake?
12th Sunday of Year A
Response & Acclaim
ST. BART’S TOOWOOMBA (0:57) – Romans 5:12-19
CPC SYDNEY CHILDREN’S TALKS (1:20) – Romans 5:12-21
