Weekly Kids’ Reflection in our Parish Bulletins – Comments on these reflections can be sent to heykids23@gmail.com
Hey Kids! Bulletin Article – August 23, 2026
Hey, Kids! – One of my favorite movies is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory! I love candy and the thought of being a world where everything tasted like sugar sounded like a dream come true. Charlie is an honest, kind and well-behaved boy and when he finds the Golden Ticket to go to the factory he is BEYOND happy! Once there, even though he is in a candy-lovers dream come true, he is surrounded by a bunch of bratty kids. Each of them is bad in their own way. Charlie remains sweet, kind and obedient the entire time; well, he had some magic bubbles along the way, but we all make mistakes. At the end of the movie, Willy Wonka rewarded Charlie with the control of his factory and invited his family to stay – and he lived happily ever after.
The Gospel reading, in Matthew, tells us of a time when Jesus gave Peter the keys to heaven. Jesus handing over the keys of heaven to Peter to build His church is very powerful. Jesus knew he would die and he wanted his message to be carried on. He told Peter, “Upon this rock I will build my church.” Jesus wanted Peter to preach the Word of God so that the Word would be spread throughout the world. We gather to pray in our church today because of what happened on that rock on that day.
The Willy Wonka story reminds me of this moment because just like Wonka gave Charlie the keys to the factory, Jesus gave Peter the keys to heaven. Both Peter and Charlie were good souls and were rewarded with the ultimate prize. Charlie may have made a mistake along the way, but Wonka still forgave him because he knew that Charlie truly appreciated the magical part of candy making, something that Wonka knew could not be taken for granted. Jesus knew all about Peter and knew he was not perfect but he wanted to give him the keys because he knew that Peter truly loved God the Father and did not doubt that Jesus was the Son of God – for this, he rewarded him.
Let’s continue to focus on being honest, well-behaved and kind so that when Peter greets us at the gates, we will be ready to see Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father. God bless you. Amen.
Hey Kids! Bulletin Article – August 16, 2026
Hey, Kids! – God loves everyone. Without exception. Throughout the Bible, there are stories about His love for us. In today’s Gospel, Jesus says something a little shocking, but I do think it is clear what Jesus was doing. You see, the Canaanite people were looked down on and were not respected. This Canaanite woman came to Jesus and asked him to cure her daughter from a demon. Jesus initially ignored her. The disciples were disturbed by her presence and even asked Jesus to send her away. Jesus told her that he only helped the people of Israel. However, the woman did not give up. She knelt before Jesus and begged him to help her daughter. Jesus said was, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” The woman replied, “Yes, it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” It was shocking that Jesus compared this woman to a dog, because we don’t typically hear Jesus talk this way in the Bible. However, because of her persistent faith in him he said, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” Her daughter was healed at that moment.
Upon reflection, I think we tend to see people live their lives and love Jesus in different ways than we do. We see them live different lifestyles that we may think are unlovable by God. We may even think that they deserve to be treated unkindly or sent away because they are different from us. However, this story confirms that God is the judge. He determines who is fit for His love. If a person loves God and believes in Him, who are we to send them away from our church?
Let us learn from this passage, everyone is loved by God and it is HE who determines who will eat at his table. Amen.