Activity

We ask:

· What do you remember most from today’s gospel?

· Why do you think Peter managed to walk on water? (Peter trusted Jesus and Jesus did a miracle)

What is trust?

Cover the eyes of one of the children with the scarf. Before doing so, scatter chairs and other obstacles around the room. Let the child see this before he/she is blindfolded. If one of the siblings tends to joke about, we can repeat this activity twice. First with the teasing sibling, then with a parent. After the child is blindfolded, quietly remove all obstacles, leaving only a chair at the end of the room.

Tell the blindfolded child that we will lead them to the other side of the room and ask them to sit down.

We can either hold their hands or just give instructions (for example walk straight ahead, turn to the left, turn around, sit down, etc). The blindfolded child cannot touch anything. When they sit down, the scarf is removed.

We ask how they felt. If it was repeated twice, we ask if there was a difference, that is between instructions given by the teasing sibling and when they were given by the parent.

The aim is that there would be in fact a difference between being led by the teasing sibling and the parent. They felt more secure when guided by the parent, because they trusted the parent more, in that they would not be led into one of the obstacles.

This can be likened to everyday examples. If they are crossing the road with one of the parents, and they are told to cross, they will obey because they trust the adult. If at the seaside, one of the parents calls them to go and buy an ice cream, they go because they trust them. However, if someone else, whom they do not know, asks them to go for an ice cream they do not go because they cannot trust that person. Similarly, whom will they tell a secret? (allow time for the children to give their answers) What was the reason for their choice? Why tell the secret to a person and not to another? (allow time for answers) From their answers show that we can trust some people with our secrets but not others.

It is similar with Peter. Peter knew Jesus, he trusted him, he had faith in him. So, when Jesus asked Peter to go near him, Peter obeyed. But then Peter looked at the waves and he was afraid, and he forgot that Jesus could make him walk on water, he doubted Jesus and he started to drown. As soon as Peter asks Jesus for help, Jesus immediately saves him and takes him on the boat with the other apostles.

From this episode we learn that:

· We need to get to know Jesus, so that like Peter we can trust in him

o How can we get to know Jesus? (reading the Bible, learning about God and Jesus during mass, prayer)

o There could be times, when like Peter we doubt Jesus. What can we do then? (pray)

· Just as Jesus listened to Peter call for help, he listens to us too

· Jesus is always with us, so when we are afraid, for example we wake up at night because of a bad dream, or we are alone in the dark, we can call Jesus’ name. It is true, we will not be able to see Jesus, but when we call him, we will remember that he is there to take care of us.