Children's Liturgy Series: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

In today's Gospel, Jesus teaches us about how God hears our prayers and rewards us when we are persistent in our prayers.

Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts and our minds. Fill us with your peace, love, and understanding. Help us to hear God's message today and recognize His voice in our daily activities. Amen

Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, "There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me, I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.' "The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

Ask: What does the word persistence mean? (Accept all reasonable answers.) Say: Persistence means to stick with something even when it is difficult. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rank yourself on this question: How persistent are you?

Ask: What are some activities that you have stuck with? Is there something you have asked for repeatedly?

Ask: Do you think persistence is a good trait? When might persistence be negative? (When someone becomes a pest)

Say: Jesus wants us to be persistent in prayer. To make this point, he told this parable. 

Say: When we present our needs to God in prayer, it is called prayer of petition. You are familiar with this form of prayer because we offer this form of prayer at Mass in the Prayer of the Faithful. Together as a group, identify some needs that you wish to present to God in prayer, and write prayers of petition.

Conclude by praying the prayers of petition written by the group; after each petition, pray together, Lord, hear our prayer. Include a petition asking God to help you to be persistent in prayer. Conclude by praying together the Lord's Prayer.

Father in heaven, for the sake of bringing others closer to you, we give you today, all that we think and do and say, and we join it with all that was done by Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen