Children's Liturgy Guide

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year A · Ordinary Time

The Wheat and the Weeds

Reading: Matthew 13:24-43

Leader Prep

Don't worry about doing this perfectly. If the children hear one good idea about God, Jesus, prayer, kindness, forgiveness, or the Gospel, this time has been worthwhile.

Summary

Jesus tells a story about a farmer who plants good seeds in his field, but an enemy sneaks in and plants weeds too. The farmer waits patiently and lets both grow together until harvest time. Jesus teaches us that God is patient and gives everyone time to grow and become good.

Key Points

  • Jesus uses a story about a farmer to teach about God's kingdom
  • An enemy plants weeds among the good wheat seeds
  • The farmer patiently waits rather than pulling up the weeds right away
  • God is patient with everyone and gives us time to grow and choose to be good
  • At the end, God will sort everything out and gather all the good together

Background

This parable addresses the problem of evil in the world and why God permits it to exist alongside good. The wheat represents the children of the kingdom, while the weeds (darnel, which looks like wheat when young) represent those who follow evil. The servants want to pull up the weeds immediately, but the master counsels patience to avoid harming the wheat. Theologically, this speaks to God's patience and mercy, giving all people time for conversion, and to the reality that final judgment belongs to God alone at the end of time. The parable also includes brief explanations of the mustard seed and yeast, emphasizing the surprising growth of God's kingdom from small beginnings. For children, emphasize God's patience and kindness in giving everyone time to grow, and the simple image of the farmer waiting patiently. Set aside the apocalyptic details about fire and judgment, which are too complex for this age group.

Session Flow

Opening Prayer

Invite the children to pray with you, then read the opening prayer below. If many don't know the sign of the cross, teach the whole group.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear God, thank you for being so patient with us as we learn and grow. Help us to listen carefully to the story Jesus tells us today and to understand how much you love us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Warm-up

Ask the warm-up question before the reading. There are no wrong answers; this is just to help the children connect today's reading to their own lives.

Have you ever planted a seed and had to wait a long, long time to see it grow? What was that like?

Example: I planted some sunflower seeds with my grandma and I kept checking every single day but nothing happened for a really long time and I had to be so patient.

Bridge to the reading: Waiting for seeds to grow can be so hard because we want to see them right away. In today's reading, Jesus tells a story about a farmer who plants seeds and then has to be very, very patient while they grow.

Read the Scripture

Read the day's selected passage aloud. The full Scripture text is not included here. Use a Children's Lectionary if your parish has one available. A children's Bible may also be helpful for younger children. Otherwise, read from a standard lectionary, Bible, or USCCB.org. Read slowly, with short pauses.

Reading Questions

Ask the questions conversationally. You do not need to use every question if time is short. The example answers are for leader preparation, not scripts or required answers.

  1. In Jesus's story, what did the farmer plant in his field?

    Example: The farmer planted good wheat seeds in his field so that he could grow wheat to make bread and food.

  2. What did the enemy do while everyone was sleeping at night?

    Example: The enemy snuck into the field when it was dark and planted weeds, the bad plants, right in with the good wheat.

  3. When the workers saw the weeds, what did they want to do, and what did the farmer say?

    Example: The workers wanted to pull up all the weeds right away, but the farmer said no, wait, because they might hurt the good wheat too.

  4. Why do you think the farmer decided to wait until harvest time instead of pulling the weeds right away?

    Example: I think he wanted to be careful and patient so the good plants would be safe and not get hurt by accident.

Application Questions

Use these questions to help the children connect the reading to their own lives this week. Simple, concrete answers are best.

  1. How does it feel when someone is patient with you while you are learning something new or trying to do better?

    Example: It feels really good and safe because I know they are not mad at me and they believe I can get better at it.

  2. If your little brother or sister keeps making mistakes, how could you be patient like the farmer in the story?

    Example: I could take a deep breath and not get angry, and I could help them try again instead of yelling at them.

  3. This week, when might you need to be patient and wait for something to grow or get better?

    Example: I could be patient with my friend who is learning to share better, and not give up on being friends with them.

Recap

Today we heard Jesus tell a story about a farmer who planted good seeds, but an enemy planted weeds too. The farmer was very patient and waited for everything to grow. Jesus wants us to know that God is patient with all of us. God gives us time to grow and learn to be good, just like that kind and patient farmer.

Prayer of the Faithful

Before returning to the assembly, invite the children to share their own prayer intentions. Their prayers may be serious, simple, funny, or very specific. After each child's prayer, the group may respond: "Lord, hear our prayer." Lastly, include the suggested prayer below.

For all the people who are still learning and growing in their faith, that God will be patient with them and help them become who God made them to be, we pray to the Lord.

Closing Prayer

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Thank you, God, for being so patient with us every single day. Help us to be patient with others, just like the farmer in Jesus's story. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

ChildrensLiturgy.org

The Wheat and the Weeds

Matthew 13:24-43

Word Search

Optional activity: use the word search after the discussion if you have time, or send it home with the children. The words relate to today's Children's Liturgy Scripture passage.

S M M D D X B A G Z Q D A G X
R U G X Q P I F O V W A I T F
J A D R B F N W X S N D V M U
E K H I O L U C N D P B X R E
S A B U A W W J X E L N E N V
U C R E W M H B B E H M B Q E
S L I T P N E J F W R H H P T
S D E E S E A J O A I I Y S K
O Y S L G P T K F P Z N E P T
R H L G L K N M H C U V T A I
W T C M O D G N I K R R O T Z
B O D G T O J T K A J J L I F
E A F I E L D M H W Z T Z E G
A T O D E Q B V B V D Y B N U
M X Q G O V R N R U U K Y T D

Words to find

  • wheat
  • weeds
  • farmer
  • seeds
  • patient
  • field
  • grow
  • harvest
  • kingdom
  • Jesus
  • wait
  • good

ChildrensLiturgy.org