EXPLORE THE SUNDAY GOSPEL
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-top:0in;line-height:normal;"><b><span style="font-size:10pt;Georgia, serif;">Peter’s Confession about
Jesus, The First Prediction of the Passion, and The Conditions of Discipleship </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-top:0in;line-height:normal;"><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091524.cfm"><b><span style="font-size:10pt;Georgia, serif;">MK 8:27-35</span></b></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-top:0in;line-height:normal;"><b><span style="font-size:10pt;Georgia, serif;"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-top:0in;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;Georgia, serif;color:#000000;background:#FFFFFF;">Jesus and his disciples set out</span><span style="font-size:10pt;Georgia, serif;color:#000000;"><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">Along the way he asked his disciples,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">“Who do people say that I am?”</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">They said in reply,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">“John the Baptist, others Elijah,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">still others one of the prophets.”</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">And he asked them,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">“But who do you say that I am?”</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">Peter said to him in reply,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">“You are the Christ.”</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">Then he warned them not to tell anyone about
him.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">He began to teach them</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">that the Son of Man must suffer greatly</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">and be rejected by the elders, the chief
priests, and the scribes,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">and be killed, and rise after three days.</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">He spoke this openly.</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke
him.</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">At this he turned around and, looking at his
disciples,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan.</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">You are thinking not as God does, but as human
beings do.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">He summoned the crowd with his disciples and
said to them,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny
himself,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">take up his cross, and follow me.</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">For whoever wishes to save his life will lose
it,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">but whoever loses his life for my sake</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">and that of the gospel will save it.”</span></span></p>
MEET OUR EXTENDED FAMILY
St. Boniface (Feast Day June 5)
c. 675 - June 5, 754
St. Boniface was born around the year 675 in Wessex (present-day Devon), England. His birth name was Winfrid. He was a brilliant monk in a Benedictine monastery in England. Although he was the head of a school, he thought God wanted him to be a missionary. He went to Frisia (Northern Netherlands and Germany) to begin his work. A war forced him to return to England for a few years, but he did not give up. Next, he journeyed to Rome to ask the pope to tell him where to serve. Pope Gregory II changed Winfrid’s name to Boniface, which means “a man who does good deeds.” Then he sent Boniface to eastern Germany to convert pagans to Christianity.
For nearly 35 years, Boniface traveled all over Germany, preaching, teaching, and building schools, monasteries, and convents. He returned to Rome to report to the pope about his work. There, the pope ordained him bishop and told him to return to Germany to continue his missionary work and to reform the German Church. In the kingdom where he lived, he had great problems because of lay interference in bishops’ elections and the worldliness of the clergy. In order to restore the German Church to its fidelity to Rome and to convert the pagans, Boniface was guided by two principles: 1) to restore the obedience of the clergy to their bishops in union with the pope of Rome, and 2) the establishment of many houses of prayer which took the form of Benedictine monasteries.
As an old man, Boniface returned to Frisia to work among the pagans. One morning, while he was waiting to confirm a group of converts, a band of angry natives rushed into the church and murdered Boniface and about 50 converts. Today St. Boniface is the patron of Germany.
TAKE TIME TO CHAT
· How would you describe Jesus to someone who does not know him?
· What was the reaction of the disciples when Jesus told him about his passion, death and resurrection? Do you think they were confused?
· Why was it important for Peter to not impede God’s plan?
· St. Boniface’s name means “a man who does good deeds.” What is the meaning of your name?
FAMILY FUN
20 Questions Game
In today’s Gospel, Jesus asked questions of his disciples. Playing this simple game will not only remind us of the Gospel, but also improves deductive reasoning.
One person thinks of an object and the other players to ask up to 20 “yes” or “no” questions to determine, through the process of elimination, what the object is. To narrow down the categories, consider questions such as: Is it living or has it lived? Is it an animal? Does it grow from the ground? Is it a vegetable or mineral?
The winner is determined by whether the person who thought of an object is able to successfully answer each of the 20 questions without giving away the object OR whether the person who is asking the questions is able to correctly guess the object in 20 or less questions.
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Scones
In honor of our British saint, enjoy some scones today!
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/3 cup cold butter, cut in chunks
½ cup buttermilk
1 large egg beaten into the buttermilk
Milk and sugar
Sift together the first 5 ingredients. Cut in butter with pastry blender. Add buttermilk/egg mixture just until it comes together. Knead dough on floured surface a few times (not too much or they will become tough). Divide dough in half and pat into a 7-inch circle. Cut circle into 8 wedges. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake at 425 F for 12 to 15 minutes.
FAMILY PRAYER
Personalized Prayer Rows
Choose a word in each row. Then read your prayer starting with your circled word in the top row and reading down. You can add a word at the end of the row if you have a specific word you want for your prayer. Have each family member share the prayer they created.
Row 1: Amazing, Beautiful, Caring, Demanding, Ever-Present, Exciting, Forgiving, Gracious, Heavenly, Loving, Marvelous, Powerful, Transforming, Wonderful
Row 2: Being, Breath, Creator, Father, Force, Forgiveness, Friend, Maker, Mother, Power, Presence, Savior, Spirit, Transformer
Row 3: Your
Row 4: Blessed, Curious, Depressed, Grateful, Joyful, Questioning, Relived, Present, Sad, Sacred, Sorry, Thankful, Tough, Uncertain
Row 5: Ally, Being, Child, Companion, Creation, Daughter, Friend, Relative, Servant, Son, Student, Teammate, Worker, (Your Name)
Row 6: Accepts, Asks For, Demands, Has Received, Is Creating, Knows, Longs For, Needs, Rejoices In, Requires, Sees, Thanks You For, Wants, Wants to Give
Row 7: A Mission, A New Idea, Clarity, Forgiveness, Grace, Healing, Help, Hope, Joy, Love, Peace, Possibilities, Truth, You
FAMILY CHALLENGE
What heavy crosses are you bearing? Share these crosses/situations with your family members. Resolve this week to give your crosses to Jesus so that he can carry them with you.
FUN FACTS
Scones were a British traditional food at Afternoon Tea, which began right at 4:00pm.