Fourth Sunday of Easter – Year B
May 7, 2006

Junior High Session
Acts 4:8-12
John 10:11-18

Opening Prayer

Let us pray.
God our Father and Creator, we praise you for the gift of your creation.
God the Son, we thank you for giving your life that we might have new life through you.
God the Holy Spirit, guide us in all things and help us to be people of peace and hope.
We pray in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Opening Life Reflection
The topic for today is Trinity. For this session provide each young person with a stone and markers. Invite the young people to reflect on what they believe about the Holy Trinity. Brainstorm their responses. Invite each person to take a stone and design it with symbols of the three persons in one God. Discuss:

• What do you believe about God the Creator?
• What do you believe about God the Son?
• What do you believe about God the Holy Spirit?

Allow time for discussion. Belief in the Trinity is at the heart of our faith. We believe that there are three persons in one God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Listening to the Word of God
In the first reading from Acts of the Apostles listen to Peter describe Jesus as the cornerstone.

Read Acts 4:8-12.
Allow for silence.

Scripture Discussion Starters
• How is Peter given the strength to preach?
• What does Peter tell the people about the healing power of Jesus?
• What does Peter say about Jesus, the cornerstone?

In today’s gospel listen to 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 “filled with the Holy Spirit.” His preaching is powerful and 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
• How does the Holy Spirit help us?
• A cornerstone provides a solid foundation. How is Jesus like a cornerstone?
• How are Christians called to live as one flock?

[If you are not going to continue with the doctrinal discussion, proceed to the Gospel in Life.]

Doctrinal Discussion Starter
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?
• When do we profess our belief in the Trinity?
• What helps us understand the Holy Trinity?

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.

Connecting to Faith First® Legacy Edition
At Home Family Guide, theme 7
Junior High, Mystery of God, chapters 3 and 5
Junior High, Church and Sacraments, chapter 7

Connecting to Faith First®
At Home Family Guide, theme 7
Junior High, Creed and Prayer, p. 343 and chapters 3 and 5
Junior High, Liturgy and Morality, p. 343 and chapter 4

The Gospel in Life
How can you be a person of faith, hope and love this week?