Children's Liturgy Series: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B)

In today's Gospel we learn about how Jesus healed a blind man names Bartimeaus.  We learn that Jesus rewards those who persist in their faith despite the dissuasion of others.

Father in Heaven we praise and glorify you. We thank you for bringing us together for this children's liturgy lesson.  Please send us the Holy Spirit Lord and fill us with peace, love and wisdom.  Help us to understand the words you have for us today.  Help us to have the courage to persist in our faith in a world where faith is surpressed. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amem.

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,sat by the roadside begging.On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,he began to cry out and say,"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more,"Son of David, have pity on me."

Jesus stopped and said, "Call him."So they called the blind man, saying to him,"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see." Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Immediately he received his sightand followed him on the way.

Tell children a story about a time that you wanted to achieve something and didn’t give up until you did. Define persistence for children and invite them to share their own stories about persisting.

Say: In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us that we can be persistent about bringing our needs to him. Let’s learn what happened when a man named Bartimaeus brought his need to Jesus.

Say: Bartimaeus was blind. Ask: What did he want from Jesus? (He wanted Jesus to heal him so that he could see.) Did Bartimaeus stop asking Jesus when the people told him to stop? (No. He kept calling out to Jesus.) Did Jesus heal the man? (Yes.)

Say: Bartimaeus didn’t stop asking Jesus for help. He had faith in Jesus. Jesus told Bartimaeus that his faith had saved him.

Say: God wants us to have so much faith in him that we do not let anyone else stop us from praying to him. We can pray for God’s help whenever we need to and as many times as we need to. God is always with us. He loves us, and he wants to help us.

Invite children to pray in the quiet of their heart, asking God for something they need and thanking him for something they already have. Then pray together the Glory Be to the Father.

Have the children put their heads down.  Tap the head of the person who will act as Jesus. 

Pick a volunteer to act as the blind man, Bartimaeus.  Go ahead and put a blindfold on them.

Now have the children form a circle around Bartimaeus and calling his name.  Bartimaeus must walk around asking each person if they are Jesus.  The game is over when Bartimaeus finds Jesus.