Newsletter – 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A.

REFLECTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE – by Lisa-Marie Calderone-Stewart

Keys are a symbol of trust and authority, along with responsibility.

When have you been given keys? Do you have a key to your family’s house? your family’s car? your place of work? a room at school? What responsibility comes with being entrusted with a key?

Have you ever locked your keys in a car? Have you ever locked yourself out of the house? If so, how did it happen? How did you feel? What did you do?

A rock is a symbol of solidness and strength. Rocks are hard to break, but they can break other things easily.

Why is a rock a good symbol for faith?

How would you describe your own faith? Is it as strong as a rock? Or is it more like a soft, weak substance, such as mashed potatoes, shaving cream, or a dried-out, crumbling leaf?

Peter isn’t perfect. Remember, before Jesus is crucified, Peter denies him three times, just as Jesus predicted he would. Yet Jesus trusts him to be the leader of his disciples.

Why would Jesus trust Peter to be the leader of his disciples?

If being perfect is not a condition for having faith, what are the qualities that mark a strong faith?

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