Do not be afraid

12th Sunday of Ordinary Time

In today’s gospel we see Jesus preparing the apostles in view of the mission his is sending them to live out. He prepares them for a life which would not be easy, in fact a life which includes suffering and persecution. He wants to impede that the fear of suffering ends up preventing them from spreading the Word of God. The phrase “do not be afraid” is repeated three times in this passage. Jesus wants to put the apostles’ mind at rest, reassuring them that God is always with them.

In those days, the sparrows were considered worthless. Even the poor could afford to buy them. Jesus says that if God takes care of these valueless birds, so how much more would he take care of them! 

These same words are repeated to us today. The truth is that unlike the apostles, we will not be facing martyrdom, but we are still called to share our faith with others, in words and in deed. As parents, our first responsibility is towards the children. Jesus is asking: “Are you letting the children come to me?” “Are you living the promise made at the children’s baptism to bring them up in the faith, to love God and their neighbour?”

Jesus knew that what he was asking from the apostles was no easy thing. He knew the suffering and persecution they would have to endure. Similarly, he knows about the obstacles and difficulties parents face to bring up their children in the faith. He encourages us today, in the same way he encouraged the apostles. If we turn to God and give him priority in our lives, God will not abandon us. However, if we give priority to others, we would be turning away from God and the help he is offering. 

Jesus says that God knows us so well, that even the hair on our heads are numbered, something we ourselves can never guess.

A reading from the gospel of Matthew (10:26-33)

Jesus said to the Twelve: “Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

  1. Read the Gospel story so that you are familiar with it.
  2. Reflect on what the Gospel story is saying to you. Which points would you highlight and how do they affect you now?
  3. What are your fears or obstacles that are hindering you from doing what God is asking of you today?
  4. To what extent are you ready to defend your faith, with your family, with friends, at work?
  5. Together with your family find the right time to read this gospel. The environment helps, so before you start, prepare:
    i. The Bible reading from St Matthew (10, 26-33)
    ii. a candle
    iii. Cover the table with a green cloth
    iv. A computer/laptop with the reading and clips
  6. Go through the steps with your children (2 age groups are being suggested).
  7. Feel free to adapt to your situation
  8. Be creative 😊 
  9. Go to the Prayer Corner section to continue praying as a family. 

In today’s gospel Jesus reassures the apostles, telling them that God is always with them.

  • God knows us more than we know ourselves.
  • We can always trust in God.

  • a bowl
  • water
  • dishwashing liquid
  • pasta – macaroni

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is talking to the twelve disciples, who were feeling afraid. He tells them that God knows, loves, and protects them always. Think about these questions which are related to the words Jesus spoke.

  • How many fingers do you have?
  • What is the colour of your hair?
  • What colour are your eyes?
  • How many eyes do you have?
  • How many hairs do you have on your head?

It’s easy to answer the first four questions, but the last one is impossible to answer unless you are bald! In the Gospel one phrase is repeated three times, did you notice what it was? “Do not be afraid.” Jesus is telling us that God is always with us even when we are afraid, he will never leave us alone. Jesus wants us to know that he is always with us. Jesus also tells us that God knows how many hairs we have on our head! So, He knows us more than we know ourselves. This shows us that God knows us well, and he knows us even more than those who love us. God loves us more and he wants to take care of us. God knows that there will be times when we will feel alone, or when we will be frightened, but he wants us to remember that he will be there, even though we cannot see him. During these times when we feel lonely, or when we are afraid, we can turn to him in prayer, and he will hear us.

In the bowl, mix the soap with the water. Put one end of the pasta shape in the mixture. Remove and put the other end in your mouth and blow. Watch the bubbles! (For this activity, you can also use shop bought Bubble Bottles or Bubble Bottles often given as souvenirs). Allow the children to blow bubbles in the air. After some time tell them to blow a bubble while telling God about something that frightens them. They can repeat this as often as they want. In this way, they will be telling God about their fears and giving them up to him.

Listen to and sing this song: We’re not scared.

Sign of the Cross

Dear Jesus, we pray for children who are sick, for those children who are poor or for those who live in countries where there is war. We are sure that these children are very afraid. Thank you, Jesus, for taking care of us, and knowing that you are always with us. Amen.

In today’s Gospel Jesus encourages the apostles, by telling them that God is always with them. At the same time, he warns them that when they do God’s will there will be those who will disagree with them, and they will also pass through suffering.

  • we are precious in God’s eyes.
  • God is present, even in the pain and suffering.
  • €20, the newer the better
  • a newspaper

Jesus talks to his disciples about fear. In the Gospel we heard the phrase ‘do not be afraid’ three times. God wants to assure us that he is always with us. There are times, when we do the right things, but our friends disagree with us and even call us names, and they might not want to continue being friends. When they call us names, we might think that we are in the wrong. There are times, when we compare ourselves to others, and think that we are not as good as our friends.

This gospel passage shows us that God even cares for the sparrows, they are important to him, so just imagine how much more, he cares for us!

There are times when we put too much weight on what others think about us. If those close to us, repeatedly tell us that we are good for nothing, that everything we do is wrong, we will start to believe them. But God gave each one of us many talents. If we think that we are not as good as others, that we are not worth the while, that we do not make a difference, we cannot discover the talents God has given us. God gave us these talents/beautiful qualities, for our own good and for the good of others. We are precious in the eyes of God. How can God, who takes care of the sparrows, not take care of us? He gave us these talents as gifts, but we must believe in ourselves to be able to discover them.

Let the children speak about their talents, if they have abilities which they did not mention, but as parents we know about them, we talk to them about them.

Today’s gospel refers to suffering. Together with your family go through the newspaper and mark those articles which show suffering and pain. Suffering is a part of life. Some of this suffering is due to carelessness, others due to selfishness, or because of natural phenomena. Whatever the cause, God always accompanies us.

To re-enforce today’s Gospel message, show the children a €20 note and ask if they want it. Then crumple the €20 in your hands. Open it; it is wrinkled. Do they still want it? Throw i ton the floor and step on it. Pick it up; now it is wrinkled and dirty. Do they still want the €20? Yes? Why?

Because the value of the €20 did not change. In God’s eyes we always remain precious. God will always love us, no matter what we do.

Sign of the cross

Thank you, God, you know us so well. You love us and have faith in us. You want us to be the best version of ourselves; give us courage not to lose hope, so as not to allow other people’s remarks affect us negatively. When you created the world, everything was right. Suffering, at times is a result of the bad choices we make.  We believe that you are with us, even in these difficult times.

We pray that you are with those who are suffering (we mention the people whom we read about in the newspaper). Amen.

Listen to the song, Watching over you.

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How to use this space

God speaks to us in many ways, including through the Sunday Scripture readings. Here you will find useful background and activities to better understand the upcoming Sunday's Scripture readings, helping you to connect the Scripture to daily life in a meaningful way.