Some people told Jesus about a group of people called the Galileans who had some bad things happen to them. Jesus told the people that “bad things can happen to good people.” Jesus told the people bad things could happen to them too. However, the important thing was for the people to make good choices so they could grow closer to God. Jesus said, “when you make sad choices, you must repent.” He said “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard but it made no fruit. Hesaid to the gardener, ‘For three years now this fig tree has not made fruit, so cut it down.’ The gardener said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not, you can cut it down.’”
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
Can you name something that is a sad thing to have happen to them? (Maybe you get sick, or your dog dies, or your favorite toy breaks.) What about happy things? What are some happy things that have happened to you? In today’s Gospel Jesus tells us that when sad things happen to us, he is not punishing us. God ALWAYS loves us! When bad things happen, it does not mean we are a bad person. The same is true when good things happen to us. It doesn’t mean we are a good person. Good things happen to people who make sad choices and bad things happen to good people. However, no matter what, God always loves us and will work to help us grow, just like the fruit tree. How did the gardener help the fruit tree grow? Yes, he provided water and fertilizer. How does God help us grow? (talks to us via prayer, mass, gives us parents, friends). However, Jesus also tells us in the Gospel today that he knows we make mistakes and sometimes we make sad choices. In order to grow and produce fruit, Jesus says we must repent. “Repent” means that we say we are sorry when we make mistakes and make sad choices. During Lent, we reflect on the things that we’ve done wrong so that we can say we are sorry and grow closer to Jesus. Jesus always forgives us…he died on the cross for our sins. However, it is important that we say we are sorry so we can grow closer to Him.
Weekly Questions:
Can bad things happen to good people? (yes)
Does this mean that God doesn’t love us? (No, God always loves us!)
What does repent mean? (to say I’m sorry)
Is it hard to say I’m sorry sometimes? Why? (because it means you made a mistake, you may be scared the other person isn’t going to accept your apology, etc.)