Weekly Kids’ Reflection in our Parish Bulletins – Comments on these reflections can be sent to heykids23@gmail.com
Hey Kids! Bulletin Article – March 23, 2025
Hey, Kids! – Imagine planting a rose seed. Each day you water it. You put it in a nice bright window and make sure you take good care of it. Your reward will be a beautiful plant filled with roses. It would be disappointing if you put all this time and effort into this plant and it didn’t give you any roses. You would feel like your time and effort was wasted, wouldn’t you?
Jesus loved to speak in parables to explain things so people could understand them, and that’s what he did in today’s Gospel. Jesus tells a parable about a fig tree that was planted in an orchard. The tree was not growing any fruit and the owner of the tree wanted the gardener to cut it down. However, the gardener told the owner, “I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not, you can cut it down.”
What this parable is trying to tell us is that God always gives us second chances to change our bad behaviors. We can repent or express regret or sadness for doing wrong. Sometimes, we do not know we are doing wrong – once we learn that our actions are wrong, we can try our best to do better. Even though the tree would not give fruit, the gardener didn’t want to cut it down and give up on the tree; he wanted to try to give it some extra attention so that it could grow and bear fruit!
Repent means to truly be sorry for your sins. If we do not live our lives with Jesus, and if we do not live our lives as Jesus wants us to, we are wasting our faith. Your parents and caregivers bring you to church; they sign you up for religion classes; they pray with you each day and do so much more. They are doing all that they can to plant the seed of FAITH in you! They want you to grow with Jesus so that you can continue to spread the word of LOVE to one another.
We do make mistakes along the way, but it is important to know that God will not just chop us down like a tree that doesn’t bear fruit. He will always give us the opportunity to change, to turn our eyes towards Him and to repent! Let us not waste the work our caregivers are doing to help us to grow with Jesus! Remember to plant the seeds of love and faith to all those you cross paths with.
Pray this: Dear God, I ask that you help me remember all that my loved ones have taught me about you. Help me to always plant seeds of kindness. Help me to remember that You love me and that I always can change for the better. Amen.
Hey Kids! Bulletin Article – March 16, 2025
Hey, Kids! – Have you ever experienced a day so wonderful that you never wanted it to end? Perhaps this wonderful day brought you so much happiness that you wanted it to last forever. We have all experienced days like this but we know they eventually do end.
Speaking of wonderful days, can you imagine what it must have been like for Jesus’ disciples whenever they witnessed miracles? Those must have been amazing and wonderful days. Each of our days, like the disciples’ days, come to an end and a new one begins. Every day with Jesus was an exciting experience, as the disciples followed him.
The Gospel today tells us of a day Jesus and his disciples took a trip up a mountain that proved to be one of the most exciting and wonderful journeys ever! On that day, Jesus took Peter, James and John with him up onto a mountain to pray. As Jesus was praying, something very strange and powerful happened. The gospel says that Jesus’ face and appearance began to change, and His clothing became as bright as a flash of lightning. Suddenly, two men appeared – Moses and Elijah – and they began talking to Jesus. Moses was a very important lawgiver and Elijah was God’s prophet, and both had gone to Heaven long ago. They were talking to Jesus about how he was going to die. Peter could not believe his eyes, how could Moses and Elijah be there?
Peter was so awestruck that he told Jesus that he thought that they should stay there on the mountain and build three tents – one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. Peter wanted to stay in the presence of these three and enjoy the day for as long as he could. That seems like something we would all want to do, but it was not God’s plan. Peter didn’t understand that this wonderful experience on the mountain was not meant to last. It was not a place to stop and set up camp, but a starting place for God’s greatest gift – the gift of salvation. The main message that Moses and Elijah gave to the disciples was, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
You and I will have many wonderful experiences as we follow Jesus. The most important thing to do is to listen to what we know about Jesus. Trust His plan and know that He is always with us. Remember, when we follow Jesus and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, the best is yet to come! Trust in God! Trust God’s Plan.
Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, we thank You for all our wonderful and not so wonderful experiences. You allow us to enjoy and learn as we walk each day with your son Jesus. Help us follow Him wherever He leads us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.