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2024

17th Sunday of Year B

July 28, 2024 Children

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Character Faith Formation

Heidi Witte

Sunday
Readings

Sunday
Connection

52 Sundays

KID TALK

write a 300 word essay written from a child’s perspective telling other children about xxxxxxxxxxxxx

My Friend Jesus and
the Big Picnic

Hey kids! I’m going to tell you a story about my best friend, Jesus. This story is from a book called the Bible, in a part named John, chapter 6, verses 1-15.

One day, Jesus was talking to a big group of people. He was telling them about how much God loves us and all the wonderful things God has planned for us. But the day was getting late, and everyone was getting hungry! The people needed food, but there were too many people, and no one had enough food for all of them.

A boy had some food with him. He had five small loaves of bread and two fishes. It wasn’t much, but he wanted to share it with Jesus. So the boy gave his food to Jesus. Can you believe what happened next?

Jesus thanked God for the food and started sharing it with everyone. As He shared, the food didn’t run out! It just kept coming and coming. Jesus fed over five thousand people that day with just the little bit of food the boy gave Him! I know, that sounds too cool to be true, but remember, my friend Jesus can do anything!

Now, I know we weren’t there that day, but we can still experience a little bit of this miracle! Do you know when? At Mass! When we go to church, we have something called the Eucharist, where we eat what looks like a little piece of bread and sometimes drink from a cup.

But you know what’s amazing? The bread and the wine aren’t just regular snacks. When the priest says a special prayer, the bread becomes Jesus’ body, and the wine becomes Jesus’ blood. This is called transubstantiation. It’s a big word, but it’s just like what happened with the loaves and fishes. It’s a miracle!

When we eat the bread and drink from the cup at church, it helps us feel closer to Jesus and reminds us that He is always with us. Just like the people in the story, we are hungry too, not for regular food, but for something that makes us feel good inside and helps us grow closer to God. And just like the boy in the story, we give what we have, our love and our time, to Jesus, and He makes it into something amazing!

So next time you’re at church, remember the story of the five loaves and two fishes, and how Jesus fed all those people. And when it’s time for the Eucharist, remember that you’re sharing a special moment with Jesus, just like the people in the story did.

That’s all for now, my friends. Until next time, keep sharing what you have with others, just like the little boy did. You never know what miracles might happen!

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FEATURED VIDEOS

FEATUREDCATHOLIC KIDS MEDIAHEIDI WITTEBIG AL & FR. JOE
YouTube player

Jesus Feeds Us with the Eucharist

Jesus performed a miracle by feeding 5,000 people with only five loaves and two fish, showing that when we give to Jesus, he multiplies it.

SUMMARY OF VIDEO w/ Timestamps
  • 00:00 📖 Jesus performed miracles and fed a large crowd near the Sea of Galilee.
  • 00:53 📖 Jesus performs a miracle by feeding 5,000 people with only five loaves and two fish.
  • 01:33 📖 Jesus multiplied the Five Loaves and two fish, showing that when we give to Jesus, he multiplies it.
  • 02:07 🌟 Jesus performs miracles by feeding us with the Eucharist, and having a personal relationship with him is the most important thing in life.
YouTube player

SOURCE: Catholic Kids Media

God provides for all our needs and is near to those who call upon him in truth, and the Eucharist is like food for our souls, filling us up and bringing us together.

SUMMARY OF VIDEO w/ Timestamps
  • 00:00 🍞 Elisha miraculously feeds a hundred people with twenty barley loaves and fresh grain, with some left over.
  • 00:50 🙏 God provides for all our needs and is near to those who call upon him in truth.
  • 01:45 🙏 Live in unity and love, as there is one God, one faith, and one baptism.
  • 02:41 🍞 Jesus performs a miracle by feeding a large crowd with only a few loaves and fish.
  • 03:21 🍞 Jesus miraculously feeds five thousand people with five barley loaves and two fish.
  • 03:52 🍞 Jesus performs a miracle by multiplying loaves and fish, but withdraws when people want to make him king.
  • 04:31 🍞 Jesus performs a miracle by feeding 5000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves, symbolizing the Eucharist.
  • 05:34 🍞 The Eucharist is like food for our souls, filling us up and bringing us together, with leftovers showing that God never runs out of love for us.
YouTube player

SOURCE: Heidi Witte

Sharing Our Blessings

Jesus teaches us the importance of sharing our blessings and helping those in need, as shown in the miracle of the loaves and fish.

SUMMARY OF VIDEO w/ Timestamps
  • 00:00 👧 Jesus performed a miracle by multiplying bread and fish for everyone in the crowd.
  • 01:11 📖 Children learn ASL signs for love, justice, and peace and sing a song about spreading the good news and building God's kingdom.
  • 04:31 👦 Jesus teaches us to share our blessings, as shown in the miracle of the 20 loaves of bread feeding 100 people.
  • 08:00 📖 Children learn about being grateful for food and helping those who are hungry, and how Jesus used a little boy to work a great miracle.
  • 12:11 🍞 Jesus performs a miracle by feeding a large crowd with only five loaves of bread and two fish, leading the people to believe he is the prophet who is to come into the world, and we should think about sharing our favorite foods with our family.
  • 15:16 📖 Sharing a small meal with Jesus led to the miraculous feeding of a large crowd, teaching us the importance of sharing with those in need.
  • 17:35 👧 Children sing and profess their faith in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, while the speaker professes belief in God, the Holy Spirit, Mother Mary, the Catholic Church, forgiveness, and the resurrection.
  • 20:45 🙏 Pray for church leaders, do good in the world, see every human as a child of God, share Jesus' good news, and trust in the Lord.
YouTube player

SOURCE: Most Sacred Heart Parish, Eureka, MO

What Will You Be When You Grow Up?

No matter what career path you choose, the most important thing is to be loving and kind like Jesus.

SUMMARY OF VIDEO w/ Timestamps
  • 00:00 👦 Think about what you want to be when you grow up and how you can help people.
  • 00:56 💡 Being a priest is a good way to make a difference, but the most important thing is how you do your job, no matter what it is.
  • 02:15 👀 Every job is important, but the most important thing is being kind, helping others, and realizing we're part of something bigger.
  • 02:41 🌟 No matter what you become, the most important thing is to be loving and kind like Jesus.

HANDOUTS

Download 8 1/2 x 10” Handout (PDF)

SOURCE: SDC Sunday Liturgy Resources

MINISTRY TO CHILDREN

CHILDREN'S SERMONBIBLE CRAFT IDEAS
YouTube player

SOURCE: Ministry to Children

Jesus Feeds the 5000

God can take whatever we give him and do amazing things with it, allowing us to have new life and do amazing things through him because of his grace.

SUMMARY OF VIDEO w/ Timestamps
  • 00:00 🍞 Sharing a small amount of food won't satisfy everyone, just like in the story of feeding 5,000.
  • 01:11 🍞 Food is amazing because it gives us energy, protein, and helps us grow and function without us having to think about it much.
  • 01:55 🍞 Jesus fed over 5,000 people with just a few loaves and fish.
  • 02:47 🍞 Jesus fed 5,000 people with just a few loaves and fish, showing compassion and abundance.
  • 04:11 🍞 Jesus fed 5,000 people with a little boy's lunch to show his disciples that anything is possible.
  • 04:44 🙏 God can take whatever we give him and do amazing things with it, allowing us to have new life and do amazing things through him because of his grace.
  • 05:48 🙏 Give what you have to God, he can use it for great things and miracles.
  • 06:56 🍞 Share what you have and make the story of feeding 5,000 fun and meaningful for kids.
YouTube player

SOURCE: Ministry to Children

Craft Ideas

The craft projects of a woven paper basket and fish are a creative way to illustrate the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 and to remind that God can do big things with just a little.

SUMMARY OF VIDEO w/ Timestamps
  • 00:00 🎨 Jesus feeding 5,000, making crafts of a basket and a fish from the story.
  • 01:09 🧺 Use a paper plate, coloring materials, adhesive, scissors, and construction paper to make a basket for a craft project.
  • 01:40 📦 Cut and weave paper strips to create a basket for a craft project.
  • 03:26 🎨 Weaving paper strips in different colors to create a fun and versatile craft project.
  • 04:52 🧺 Create a woven paper basket, add a handle, and then cut out loaves and fishes to put inside.
  • 06:23 🎨 Cut out a loaf and fish, put them in a basket to create a craft representing the story of Jesus feeding 5,000.
  • 07:30 🎨 Create fish craft to illustrate Jesus turning a small amount of food into a large amount, symbolizing God's ability to create and nourish from simple items.
  • 10:14 🐟 Create a fish craft to remind that God can do big things with just a little and use sinful people to do amazing things.

SERMON WRITER

CompassionCome Away and Rest

More Than We Need

OBJECTS: A sunflower with seeds intact, a jar of sand, a container of grass.

Today let’s talk about abundance. Abundance is a word that means you have more than you need. You can think of abundance as being like a bucket overflowing with water or like when you are so happy you get the giggles and they come spilling out.

We see abundance everywhere in what God has created. Can you think of examples? Stars are a good example. There are more stars in the night sky than we can possibly count or even see.

In the spring a single wildflower is beautiful, but God gives us entire meadows brimming with colorful blossoms. Have you ever tried to count the seeds in a sunflower? There are many, many, many – an abundance of seeds.

God has provided for us in abundance. An example of abundance is found when we read the miracle of Jesus feeding the multitude – a gathering of over five thousand people.

SERMON CONTINUES

SOURCE: Sermon Writer

Enough for Everyone

OBJECT:  None

oday I thought we might stop for a moment to think about the people we love. Take a minute to think of the most important people in your life. Who do you love? Are you thinking of them?

Raise your hand if you thought of your mom and dad. How about your brothers and sisters? Grandparents? Cousins? Maybe some very special friends?

When I think of the people I love the most – those people I care for most deeply in my heart – those are the people I think of first. We don’t usually describe ourselves as

“loving” everyone we know – because that’s what makes love so special.

But God’s love is different. God has enough love for us all.

Think of what that means! As people we can’t even hope to know everyone – much less love them all in a deep and special way. It’s just not possible. But God’s love is bigger than anything you can imagine…and it never runs out.

SERMON CONTINUES

SOURCE: Sermon Writer

BOOK OF THE WEEK

YouTube player

Word of the Week

ENCOURAGEMENT

Oh, the Places You’ll Go

Oh, the Places You’ll Go is probably one of the best books to help encourage children of any age. This story is inspirational and honest as it serves as a sendoff for children. Dr. Seuss rejoices in the potential everyone has to fulfill their wildest dreams: You’ll be on your way up! / You’ll see great sights! / You’ll join the high fliers / who soar to high heights. At the same time, Seuss won’t delude the starry-eyed about the pitfalls of life: You can get all hung up / In a prickly perch. / And your gang will fly on / You’ll be left in a lurch! But fear not, for Seuss is convinced 98 and 3/4 percent that success is guaranteed. The encouragement is authentic and realistic so that children know that they can accomplish great things despite challenges that they may face along the way.

DOWNLOAD PDF

SOURCE: Markkula Center for Applied Ethics