Religious Education - Children
Catechist BlogSmall Beginnings
Jesus says that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed and its growth into a tree. The point is that the Kingdom of Heaven starts with the smallest beginnings, but no one knows where it will end. In the Old Testament a common picture is of a great empire is that of...
Parable of the Sower
“Hear the parable of the sower…” There are two ways to hear Jesus’ parable: 1.) the parable tells us something about Jesus, and 2.) the parable tells us something about ourselves. The parable tells us what kind of Sower Jesus is. He sows God’s word, God’s love and...
VOICE Update – Critical Receiving Units
Why its Important “In the emergency room. Handcuffed to a gurney. In a hospital gown. For several days straight. That’s where an increasing number of Prince William County residents suffering from severe mental health crises have found themselves as Virginia’s...
…whom my heart loves
Today we celebrate the Feast of Mary Magdalene. She has been called “the Apostle to the Apostles;” a title started by Saint Augustine because she was the first one to bring news of the Resurrection to the apostles. But who was this woman who always professed a special...
Where you are planted
The parable’s focus on the seeds is an allegory for those who hear the word of the kingdom proclaimed. The parables describe the varying receptiveness to what they hear; all hear the same word. Yet each type of person is identified as what was sown in a certain place....
Who are my mother and brothers?
If you have been following the daily Gospel readings, you have read about the growing opposition to Jesus. He has been performing miracles, casting out demons, curing the sick, and yet people are hesitant to believe. In some cases, they outright refuse, and in the...
Signs of God’s Presence
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” Some of the scribes and Pharisees in today’s Gospel ask to see a sign. What they are really asking for is another sign. Jesus has been healing and teaching with great authority and still that is not enough. They want just...
Mercy
Once again, we see a new confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the strictest observers of the Law in the time of Jesus. One of the most important precepts was to respect the Sabbath rest. In today’s passage, Jesus’ disciples have “profaned”...
Taking on Jesus’ Yoke
L’Amerique is novelist Thierry Sagnier’s story of a Parisian family’s fight to survive the devastation of World War II. Sagnier’s novel includes this moment: “They reminisced about the war. Cecile told of farmers she knew, neighbors who kept to themselves and sold...
The Face of God
In the Gospel today Jesus is speaking out of experience, His experience that the Rabbis and the wise men rejected Him but the simple people accepted Him. The intellectuals had no use for Him, the humble welcomed Him. Jesus was not condemning intellectual power; He was...