7/19/15 Mass Mysteries: Jesus tried to take a day off...

Mass Mysteries for the Littlest of the Littles

Jesus is our shepherd and cares for us like little sheep.

Jeremiah 23:1-6

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares he Lord. 

Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord.

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called:‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

ESV

Jeremiah is another Old Testament Prophet! There were quite a few of these guy! In the Old Testament, there writings of the prophets are divided into Major and Minor prophets based on the length of the book (or scroll, as it were). Jeremiah is one of the Major Prophets, along with Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Amos, our prophet from last week, was a minor prophet.

God came to Jeremiah in a dream, and young Jeremiah was a bit resistant to take on his role of prophet He tried to tell God that he wasn’t ready for such a responsibility. But, God, in his infinite wisdom, gave him the words to preach. 

This passage has some wonderful foreshadowing. I love when the Old Testament makes New Testament connections. It helps me to understand and believe the wisdom that the Holy Spirit bestowed on these writers to make such an interconnected book through the centuries. I struggle to stay connected while writing one blog post--must less a unified book covering centuries!

Anyhoo…what was I talking about? Oh, yeah…foreshadowing. Verses 5 and 6. “The Lord will raise up a branch for David…A king…he will do what is just…Judah shall be saved.” These are all comments that remind us that the Old Testament is one big hint toward Jesus!

Psalm 23:1-6

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

    He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.

    He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

ESV

The Lord is my shepherd. Not only does this visual lend itself to numerous crafts, it’s also fun for our kids to think about. I know that my children don't have a true understanding of what a shepherd does, besides stand in a field with a stick. However, they can see how much Jesus cares for us through the simple visual of Jesus caring for fuzzy animals.

Speaking of crafts, this Easter post has an adorable little sheep craft halfway down the page, and Catholic Inspired has an sweet (and simple) lamb cupcake design.

Ephesians 2:13-18

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

ESV

Last week, we read part of the letter of Paul to the people of Ephesus. We are now in the 2nd chapter of that same letter. Paul is reminding them, and us, to remain close to God. Through the Eucharist and his word, we have complete access to God as our Father.

Mark 6:30-34

The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.

ESV

Jesus tried to go take a break, perhaps have some quiet time to pray. However, his groupies followed him because he was so cool. He, of course, loved and cared for them. He had compassion. I LOVE the word compassion, and I feel that it's so important to teach our children about compassion and kindness. This is a terrific reminder to put others ahead of our own wants and needs.

Jesus had the compassion to teach and protect us from all the scary wolves out there.

Saint of the Week: Saint Christopher

Now that you're educated and prepared to teach those little ones, click on over and print a Catholic Kids Bulletin for this weekend!

What I Wore Sunday
I'm linking up at What I Wore Sunday over with the beautiful ladies at Fine Linen and Purple.

I bought this dress at Dillards (NOT a thrifted outfit this week...surprise, surprise.) When I purchased it, I had it in mind that I would wear it to my sister's wedding shower or rehearsal dinner, or some wedding related event. However, the longer it waits for that event, the less I like it. So, I thought I would wear it this weekend to see if it felt cuter on then it did in my closet. Then, I would know if I need to shop again for upcoming weddings.

Well--I felt very cute, I even think I look mostly cute in the photos. HOWEVER, my darling 7-year-old photographer felt that the entire tree needed to be in the photo, so this is NOT the best pic. I'm not sure if the failed photo-op is a sign that I should wear the dress, or it's a sign that I should look at the photos before I change out of my outfit. Hmmm...maybe it's a sign that I need to go shopping? IDK.

Linking up at The Life of Jennifer Dawn, Giving Up on Perfect, Fluster Buster, Play, Party, Pin, and The NY Melrose Family, and Artful Homemaking.