St. Mary of Mount Carmel Catholic Church

5th Sunday of Easter, May 10, 2020

By Amanda Hinson

Hello Friends! I have been praying for you and your families these past several weeks. I hope that you are learning new things and feeling peaceful. I pray you are finding ways to get close to Jesus and learn more about him. May you know that your journey with God does not end when Religious Ed classes end. You have each day to grow with God! He is faithful, and He will help guide us to eternity with Him.

This Sunday is a special day-- Mother's Day! Have you made your mom a card? Maybe you got her flowers or made her a meal. God loves it when we honor our parents.  Jesus honored his mother and father as well. Jesus talked about his Father a lot. Do you remember who is Jesus' father? When we pray, "Our Father, who art in Heaven..." who are we praying to? God! Yes, Jesus' father is God. And we are also children of God. We have a daddy in Heaven who loves us more than anyone on earth.

Let's think about our Father and Jesus' Father as we listen to the Gospel reading in John 14:1-12.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. ² In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And you know the way to the place where I am going.” 

⁵Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

⁸ Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. ¹¹ Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. ¹² Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for making a way for us to be with our Heavenly Father.

--Amen.

WHO IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE?

WHERE DOES JESUS SAY HE IS GOING?

WHAT WILL HE DO THERE?

IMAGINE WHAT IT WILL BE LIKE IN HEAVEN!

WHO DO WE NEED TO KNOW IF WE WANT TO KNOW THE FATHER?

SING ALONG WITH THE VIDEO Below! One Way Jesus by Hillsong

SEEING JESUS FACE TO FACE

Jesus had said he would go to prepare a place for us. How can we live our lives today to be ready to meet him one day in person? Below is a video about the Venerable Carlo Acutis.  This young man died in 2006 at the age of 15 from Leukemia. He was passionate about the Eucharist and used his talents to put together a website to catalog all the Eucharistic miracles. Not long after he died people began calling for his beatification. Pope Francis declared him to be Venerable on July 5, 2018. Pope Francis also approved a miracle attributed to Carlo which means he would be beatified sometime in 2020 in Assisi.

Carlo Acutis’ mother, Antonia Salzano, told CNA Newsroom: “Jesus was the center of his day.”

• Is Jesus the center of your day?
• Are you closer to him today than you were last week?
• How can you walk in His ways this week?
• How can you seek and know His truth?
• What ways is he present in your life?
• What are you inspired to do for others during this time?

ANNOUNCEMENT: 5th GRADERS GOING INTO 6TH GRADE! YOU ARE INVITED TO BE A PART OF OUR BE THE CHURCH CONTEST!

No matter what the past few days or weeks have looked like for you and God, it's not too late to get on track again. Jesus loves you. The Father sent His son so that we as children of God may live together with him for eternity.

Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, On earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. --Amen.

You can make a path at home like this and remember that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life! (Yes, these are my kids and my husband in the video).

Sing our song we learned "Who You Say I Am"

Feel free to comment below!