Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Primary

Primary Session
Luke 7:11-17

Opening Prayer
Let us pray.
Dear God, thank you for creating us
and for giving us bodies that can play and learn.
Help us to use our bodies to show your love to the world.
In the name of Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.

Opening Life Reflection
The theme for today’s session is resurrection of the body. To begin, invite each child to strike a pose that shows how he or she uses his or her body to show God’s love to others. Invite the other children in the group to guess what is being represented in the pose. Then discuss:

• Why did God give us bodies?
• How do we use our bodies to show love to others?

Listening to the Word of God
In today’s Gospel, Jesus shows his love through a miracle. Listen to hear how he does it.

Read Luke 7:11-17.
Allow for silent reflection.

Scripture Discussion Starters

• How did Jesus feel when he saw the woman who was sad?
• What happened after he saw her crying?
• Why did he bring her son back to life?
• What did other people say after he did this?

Scripture Background
Provide 2-3 minutes of background information on the Gospel.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus sees a woman who is going to bury her only son, who has died. The Bible tells us that she is a widow. That means her husband has already died, and now she would be alone. Jesus feels compassion for her. He sees that she is sad, and, loving her so much, he wants her to not feel sad anymore. He brings her son back to life just by saying “Arise!” The people who saw this were surprised, but knew that only God has the power to bring someone back to life.

Questions for Deeper Reflection

• How did seeing the sad woman make Jesus feel?
• How do you think he feels when we are sad?
• What are some ways we show God’s love to people who are sad?

[If you are not going to continue with the doctrinal discussion, proceed to the Gospel in Life.]

Doctrinal Discussion Starters
Resurrection of the Body
The Church teaches that God created each of us with both a body and a soul. Our bodies and souls work together to praise God and share God’s love. When we help others in need or give high fives to those who need encouragement, we share God’s love.

Because our bodies are such an important part of how God created us, the Church teaches that, after we die, our bodies will be resurrected – restored to new life. By our Baptism, we share life in Christ. That life does not end when we die. Our bodies and souls will live forever with Jesus.

The Gospel in Life
This week, remember to use your body to show God’s love to others: hold a door open for someone whose hands are full, give a high five to someone who needs encouragement, kneel and pray for someone who needs God’s blessing, hug your parents, or do other acts of kindness and love.