Miracles in the Fall Gospels

Miracles fit into the wonderful fantasy world of children’s imaginations. It doesn’t matter to children if a miraculous happening could have a scientific explanation, be a scriptural exaggeration, or reflect a very special healing ability. Miracles just are! And the wonder miracles provoke can bind children more closely in a trusting relationship with Jesus. Some of the Sunday Gospels this Fall invite children to celebrate the miracles in life.

The Miracle of Hearing (September 6: Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Talk to children about what they are separated from when they can’t hear. Let them draw pictures or make symbols of outside sounds like birds singing, church bells ringing, or ambulance sirens wailing. Call attention to indoor sounds like music playing, people speaking, or praying. Tell them to cover their ears and imagine living in a world of silence. Then invite them to participate in Jesus’ healing touch by “becoming” the deaf person who can hear again.

Ritualize the miracle of hearing with a joyful procession, having the children carry their pictures and symbols of life’s sounds. They could place these on an offering table in the center of a prayer space or in front of an altar. Include a prayer to be able to hear God’s voice through the sounds that delight, warn, teach, or console us every day.

The Miracle of Seeing (October 25: Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Ask if the children know anyone who is blind. Discuss some difficulties a blind person might have. Bartimaeus, even though he was blind, showed great trust in Jesus and an eagerness to follow him. Even while his eyes were sightless, Bartimaeus must have “seen” something in Jesus. Sometimes our eyes are okay, but we are blind in other ways. Help the children create a list of examples. Turn this list into a litany of petitions the children can read in connection with proclaiming this Gospel.
Examples:
When we cannot see that another person is hurting,
Lord, heal our blindness.
When we cannot see a way to correct our mistakes,
Lord, heal our blindness.

The Miracle of Giving (November 8: Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Jesus works miracles in people’s hearts as well as in their bodies. We don’t see what is in people’s hearts, so sometimes we miss those miracles. We don’t know why people do the things they do, or what it costs them in time, effort, and money, but we know there are good and generous things happening all around us. Tell children to notice the good things people do for them over the next few days. Who gives time to them, cooks for them, shares with them? Who teaches them something new, listens to their experiences, tells them a story?

Let the children bring these examples to a discussion. How have these people participated in the miracle of giving and how can the children imitate this? Invite them to write down an idea for how they can have a giving heart and then bring their idea to a basket at the altar.

Conclusion
These Gospels are given to us in “Ordinary Time,” showing us that what seems to be extraordinary is really part of our everyday lives if only we have ears to hear, eyes to see, and a heart open to receive grace and give back in return. Children easily accept as normal the daily miracles they encounter. We can encourage them to continue to be surprised by life and to see God’s hand in all good things.

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Sister Karen Berry, a Joliet Franciscan, is the director of a family program of religious education at Saint Frances Cabrini Parish (cabrini.hagermans.com) in Tucson, Arizona. She is a freelance writer for Catholic magazines and the Diocese of Tucson’s newspaper, The New Vision (newvisiononline.org). Her book, Prayer Services for Parishes (tinyurl.com/5mzg6x), published by St. Anthony Messenger Press (americancatholic.org).