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
July 12, 2026
Rooted in Mark 10:14 — “Let the little children come to me” — our mission is to open the door for every child to know they are loved by God and invited into friendship with Him
15th Sunday of Year A
↩️ ↪️ 1-Minute Homily
↩️ ↪️ Priests for Life
MARK 10 MISSION: Little Liturgies (2026)
BIG AL & FR. JOE: Would Big Al be a Good Farmer? (2023)
UGANDA CATHOLIC TELEVISION: Children’s Liturgy (2023)
LECTIONARY
GRAPHIC
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Liturgy of the Word
Gospel Quiz
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QUESTIONS
The Parable of the Sower: Summary and Meaning
Understanding the Four Soils
Q: What do the four soil types represent in the parable?
A: The path represents those who hear but don’t understand so the devil takes away what they heard; rocky ground shows people who receive with initial joy but fall away during trials and persecutions; thorny soil describes those who understand and live joyfully but are lured away by riches, greed, and anxiety; good soil receives, understands, and bears abundant fruit at 100x, 60x, or 30x returns.
Measuring Spiritual Productivity
Q: How is good fruit quantified in the parable?
A: Good soil produces 30x, 60x, or 100x more fruit than others, where fruit represents the good brought into the world through love of God and neighbor, creating a significant impact in others’ lives.
Personal Self-Assessment
Q: What self-reflection questions does the parable prompt?
A: The parable asks whether you are currently the good soil bearing fruit, whether you’re producing 100x, 60x, 30x, or less than others, and whether you’ve experienced periods as path, rocky, or thorny soil in your spiritual life.
Community Responsibility
Q: What does being good soil for others mean?
A: Being good soil for others means supporting them in understanding the Word of God and living as Christians so they can bear fruit, which multiplies the good done in the world through mutual church support.
Warning Signs to Monitor
Q: What specific dangers prevent fruit-bearing according to Jesus?
A: The parable identifies three failure points: lack of understanding allowing devil’s interference (path), inability to withstand trials and persecutions (rocky), and distraction by riches, greed, and anxiety (thorns) that stop positive impact.
Collective Impact Assessment
Q: How should communities evaluate their spiritual environment?
A: Communities must assess whether they are cultivating an environment resembling good soil that helps others understand God’s Word and bear fruit, or whether they resemble path, rocky ground, or thorns that hinder spiritual growth.
15th Sunday of Year A
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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.
Object Lesson
Memory & Review
- The Donut Dilemma: What funny thing did the teacher try to plant to grow a donut tree? Did it work?
- The Big Seed: What did the teacher show that looks like a brown cone but is actually a seed for a giant tree?
- The 4 Ingredients: What four things does a real seed need to grow into a healthy plant? (Hint: Seed, water, sunshine, and…)
- The 4 Places: In the story Jesus told, what were the four different places where the seeds fell?
Understanding
- The Secret Identity: In Jesus’ story, who is the Farmer, what is the Seed, and what is the Soil?
- The Bird & The Path: Why didn’t the seeds on the path grow? What kind of heart or distraction is that like?
- The Rocky Ground: Why can’t a plant grow well in a pile of rocks? What does it mean to have “deep roots” in our faith?
- The Choking Weeds: How do weeds hurt a good plant? What are some “weeds” (distractions) in our lives that take our time away from God?
- The Good Soil’s Job: Does the soil have to work really hard to make the plant grow, or does it just have to receive the water and sunshine? How does God do the work in our hearts?
Application
- Heart Check: If your heart was a garden right now, which of the four soils do you think it feels most like? (The path, the rocks, the weeds, or the good soil?)
- Pulling Weeds: What is one distraction in your week that makes it hard to listen to God or read the Bible? How can we “pluck” that weed out?
- Growing Fruit: When our hearts are good soil, the lesson says we grow “spiritual fruit” that helps others. What is a way you can show God’s love or help someone else this week?
15th Sunday of Year A
The Parable of the Sower
In this children’s message, kids will hear the story of the sower and the seeds, and learn about the importance of receiving the Word of God with a heart of “good soil” that is ready to produce spiritual fruit.
QUESTIONS
Younger Kids
- What does digging up potatoes feel like according to the story?
- Where exactly do potatoes grow—on branches in the air, or on an underground stem?
- How deep down into the soil can a potato’s root system grow?
- According to Jesus’ parable, what do we need so we can develop strong roots?
Older Kids
- The story says potatoes are like “buried treasure” because they have vitamins that nourish people. How can a person “nourish” or help others like a potato does?
- If we are like seeds, the story says the Bible is like good soil. How does reading or listening to the Bible help us grow strong inside?
- Jesus mentioned that good ground helps someone “bear fruit.” What kind of “fruit” or good things do you think a person produces when they understand God’s words?
Growing Deep Roots
OBJECT SUGGESTED: a potato
One of the best things about having a garden is digging potatoes. It feels like finding buried treasure. Slide your hands into the soil beneath a healthy potato plant and you will find potatoes attached to an underground stem.
Potatoes seem quite common to us, but they are valuable because a potato contains most of the vitamins needed for nourishment, and a good crop of potatoes can feed more people per acre than other crops can. The potato is a root vegetable. The root system of a potato can go down almost two feet into the soil. That is this deep. (Indicate with hands.)
In a parable Jesus talks about people needing good roots…
SOURCE: Sermon Writer – © 1997 – 2026 Richard Niell Donovan
Stories for Children
QUESTIONS
- Why did Jack’s and Justina’s groups go home on the second day without planting any seeds?
- Maria’s group watered their plants every day, but they still died. What stopped their plants from growing strong roots?
- After two weeks, the plants finally started to sprout. What extra chore did Justina’s group start doing that the other groups forgot to do?
- How long did it take for the class to return to the garden for their final group reports?
- Why do you think Tod’s group had nothing grow in their plot? What could they have done differently on days two and three to protect their seeds?
- Jack’s group worked hard to clear out the rocks, but their plot was still taken over by weeds. What does this teach us about taking care of something over a long period of time?
- Justina’s group ended up with a plot full of ripe vegetables. What qualities (like patience or hard work) made her group the most successful?
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
Music for Children
Younger Children
- According to the rhyme, what does the seed actually represent?
- Name the four different places where the seeds fell.
- What happened to the seeds that fell on the dry path?
- Why couldn’t the seeds grow well on the rocky ground?
- What did the thorns and weeds do to the growing seeds?
Older Kids
- The rhyme says, “Don’t let your worries crowd your mind.” How are worries like prickly weeds or thorns?
- What do you think it looks like to “stand with God through rocky days” when things get tough or frustrating?
- The story mentions a “fertile field” where seeds grow beautifully. What kind of choices help make our hearts like good, fertile soil?
- Why do you think the rhyme tells us to “hear God’s word and walk His ways”? Why is doing both important?
15th Sunday of Year A
Response & Acclaim
BIBLE SONGS AND SCROLLS (1:34)
JOYFUL BIBLE RYMES (4:00)
Response & Acclaim
Response & Acclaim
Communion
Videos for Children
Animated Bible Stories (Saddleback Kids)
Bible Crafts (Ministry to Children)
Object Lesson Sermons (Ministry to Children)
15th Sunday of Year A
GOSPEL SHOW (2:53)
Response & Acclaim
KIDS MINISTRY (3:00)
ANIMATED BIBLE HEROES (12:55)