Cycle C, Good News #C26, Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 23, 2004, John 17:20-26, Children's Liturgy Devotional, Children's Sermon, Inspiration for Children, Children's Homily,Catholic, Christian, written by Joan Y. Edwards

Cycle C

Good News C26

Seventh Sunday of Easter

John 17:20-26 New American Bible

http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/john/john17.htm - v20

John 17:20-26 New International Version Bible Gateway

http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=NIV&passage=John+17%3A20-26&x=17&y=12

Look in the mirror. Go ahead. Do it right now. That sweet face and lovely chin or that handsome face and those deep colored eyes came from God..the God who loves you as much as he loves his son, Jesus Christ. He loves Jesus and gave him love to share with each of us who believe in him. What a bunch of love! We are surrounded by God’s love. Just look at your body. If you fall and scrape your knee, what happens. The blood comes out. Then the little blood cells receive a message from the nerves saying, “Hey, guys! We’ve got a leak here. Close it off. Send the germ fighters to the area. Right now! STAT (shortened Latin word statim for immediately). Then after only a few short hours a scab grows over the open area.

Your eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin help you detect danger to your body. What is it that helps you detect danger to your soul. Your heart might beat a little faster. Maybe your stomach starts hurting. Perhaps your eyes blink rapidly. (To find out how many times a minute you usually blink your eyes, click here: http://www.optometry.uwaterloo.ca/~museum/learning.htm). You have study guides: Ten Commandments and the Greatest Commandment. That’s all you need. You know the feeling when you are following them. You say: These things happen when I am scared. How can I tell it’s something spiritually wrong? It’s wrong if you are doing something that will harm someone or something. If you are playing with something that doesn’t belong to you without permission, you are doing wrong.

Deep inside you know whether or not you are doing something you shouldn’t do. If you can’t tell, then think if your parents saw you doing this on the 6:00 p.m. news, would they be happy and proud?

How can you tell when something is right? If you are treating others like you would like for them to treat you, chances are you are doing the right thing.

Is God happy with you? I can assure you that if you think God is happy with you, you are doing the right thing. When you make a mistake, God will forgive you. Just ask him what he would like for you to correct your mistake. Forgiveness is very calming and will fill you with renewed energy and peace. Forgiveness gives you hope and surrounds you with love so that you can get back on God’s path again.

Say the “Our Father” and ask God to help you do his will so that you may enjoy life everlasting with him in heaven.

“Our Father, who art in Heaven,

Hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day, our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.”