Intermediate Session
Acts 4:8-12
John 10:11-18
Opening Prayer
Let us pray.
O God, You reveal to us that you are three persons in one God.
Help us to grow in faith.
We pray in the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Opening Life Reflection
The topic for today is Trinity. To begin invite the children to brainstorm how they get to know others. Write down their responses on a chalkboard or poster paper. Divide the children into pairs and invite them to share three things that will help their partner get to know them. Discuss:
• How do you reveal yourself to others?
• How do others reveal themselves to you?
• What helps you to grow in friendship with someone?
• What helps you to grow in friendship with God?
Allow time for discussion. We grow in friendship with others when we get to know them better. God wants to grow in friendship with us. God reveals the Holy Trinity to us to help us understand about the three persons in one God—Father, Son, and Holy Sprit.
Listening to the Word of God
In the first reading from Acts of the Apostles listen to how the Holy Spirit gives Peter the power to preach.
Read Acts 4:8-12.
Allow for silence.
Scripture Discussion Starters
• How is Peter given the power to preach?
• What does Peter tell the people about the Jesus?
• What does Peter say about Jesus, the cornerstone?
In today’s gospel listen to find out how Jesus is like a good shepherd.
Read John 10:11-18.
Allow for silence.
• How is Jesus like the good shepherd?
• What does Jesus do for his flock?
• How does Jesus know his sheep?
Scripture Background
Provide 2-3 minutes of background information on the readings using the Catechist Background section.
In the reading from Acts, Peter is described as being “filled with the Holy Spirit.” He proclaims that God raised Jesus from the dead. The Jewish leaders question Peter because of his preaching and healing in Jesus’ name. He announces that Jesus is the stone that the Jewish leaders rejected, who now has become the cornerstone. According to Peter, only through Jesus can people be saved.
Today’s gospel describes the loving relationship that Jesus has with those who belong to him. Jesus compares himself to a good shepherd who cares for his sheep. Jesus lays down his life for his sheep. Jesus’ followers are like sheep that listen to Jesus’ voice and live as one flock.
Questions for Deeper Reflection
• What does the Holy Spirit help us to do?
• What does it mean to belong to Jesus?
• How do followers of Jesus live?
[If you are not going to continue with the doctrinal discussion, proceed to the Gospel in Life.]
Doctrinal Discussion Starters
Trinity
We believe that the Holy Trinity is one God in three divine persons, the Father who creates us, the Son who saves us, and the Holy Spirit who gives us life. Belief in the Trinity is central to our Christian faith and we profess this belief in the Nicene Creed. We could not understand the Holy Trinity on our own. This is something that God has revealed to us. God freely shows us that God is love: Father, Son and Spirit.
Jesus knows the Father and the Father knows him. Father and Son share a relationship of love. Through Jesus, God’s love is made known to us.
The Holy Spirit is the giver of life. Through the Spirit we experience the love of God the Father and the Son. The Blessed Trinity fills us with faith, hope, and love and forms us into one body, the Church.
• How does praying the sign of the cross show our belief in the Trinity?
• What do we profess in the Nicene Creed?
• Who are the three persons in God?
Sacrament Connection
We are baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The sacrament of Baptism celebrates our response to the Holy Spirit’s invitation to believe in Christ and live as children of God.
The Gospel in Life
How can you grow in friendship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit this week?
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