top of page
Hello, good people :)
After 7 years of publishing The Better Part, I am ready to stop.
As many of you probably recognize, the reflections simply repeat every three years, following the calendar of the Church. Using the search bar above, you can type in the Sunday you are looking for (eg. 20th Sunday) and the reflections that match will show up. Until Advent 2026, you are looking for "year A" reflections.
The podcast will continue. You can find it on most Podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean).
God bless you all and the children you serve.
Paula
20th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 3-6): Jesus Cannot Wait
(Adults, this reflection considers simply the first verse of the Gospel reading, but hopefully somehow captures Jesus' meaning.) Luke...
thebetterpart
Aug 13, 20222 min read
20th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 6-9): New Life
(Adults, this reflection considers simply the first two verses of the Gospel reading, but hopefully somehow captures Jesus' meaning.)...
thebetterpart
Aug 13, 20223 min read
20th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 9-12): ÷÷÷Jesus Stresses Out÷÷÷
(Begin by reading the Gospel. Sometimes it is good to have someone read it to you. The Word is meant to be heard.) Luke 12:49-53 Usually,...
thebetterpart
Aug 13, 20223 min read
19th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 3-6): Listening for the Treasure
(Adults, the Gospel for this Sunday is quite long and involves concepts young children are not ready for yet! Here we look instead at the...
thebetterpart
Aug 6, 20222 min read
19th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 6-9): Treasure of the Kingdom
(Adults, the Gospel for this Sunday is quite long and yet the first verses of the reading somehow get to the essential. We'll just focus...
thebetterpart
Aug 6, 20222 min read
19th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 9-12): Our Treasure
(Begin by reading the Gospel. Sometimes it is good to have someone read it to you. The Word is meant to be heard.) Luke 12.32-40 Jesus...
thebetterpart
Aug 6, 20223 min read
18th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 3-6): Abundantly
(Adults, we think of covenant relationship with God in terms of God's gift and our response. With young children, we focus on the gift so...
thebetterpart
Jul 30, 20222 min read
18th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 6-9): Possessions or Gift?
(Adults, you could begin by reading the Gospel aloud to the child. Alternatively, you could read the first paragraph of the reflection to...
thebetterpart
Jul 30, 20223 min read
18th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 9-12): Right and Just
(Begin by reading the Gospel. Sometimes it is good to have someone read it to you. The Word is meant to be heard.) Luke 12.13-21 The...
thebetterpart
Jul 30, 20223 min read
17th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 3-6): How To Pray
(Adults, you could begin by reading the Gospel aloud to the child. Alternatively, you could read the first paragraph of the reflection to...
thebetterpart
Jul 21, 20222 min read
17th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 6-9): Persistent Prayer
(Adults, you could begin by reading the Gospel aloud to the child. Alternatively, you could read the first paragraph of the reflection to...
thebetterpart
Jul 21, 20223 min read
17th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 9-12): Just Ask! (and keep on asking)
(Begin by reading the Gospel. Sometimes it is good to have someone read it to you. It is good to hear the Word of God.) Luke 11.1-13 In...
thebetterpart
Jul 21, 20224 min read
16th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 3-6): Together With Jesus
(Adults, you could begin by reading the first paragraph of the reflection to the child, then read the Gospel, and then continue with the...
thebetterpart
Jul 15, 20222 min read
16th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 6-9): Focusing
(Adults, you could begin by reading the first paragraph of the reflection to the child, then read the Gospel, and then continue with the...
thebetterpart
Jul 15, 20223 min read
16th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 9-12): Head and Heart
(I am considering this Sunday the feast day of this website. When you read the Gospel, you will know why. The whole Gospel is included in...
thebetterpart
Jul 15, 20223 min read
15th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 3-6): The Name of God is Mercy
(Adults, this is a moral parable and 3-6 year olds do not need this yet! They simply need time to enjoy falling in love with God. We will...
thebetterpart
Jul 9, 20223 min read
15th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 6-9): How to Love
(Adults, it would be good to begin by reading the Gospel aloud to the child. The parable is beat when heard all at once. The reflection...
thebetterpart
Jul 9, 20223 min read
15th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 9-12): Who Would Jesus Choose?
(Begin by reading the Gospel. Sometimes it is good to have someone read it to you. The Word is meant to be heard.) Luke 10.25-37 The...
thebetterpart
Jul 9, 20224 min read
14th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 3-6): Spreading the Peace
(Adults, the Gospel is long and complicated and speaks of wolves and demons, snakes and scorpions. You might opt not to read the entire...
thebetterpart
Jun 29, 20222 min read
14th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 6-9): Peace and Joy
(Adults, you could begin by reading the Gospel aloud to the child. Alternatively, you could read the first paragraph of the reflection to...
thebetterpart
Jun 29, 20223 min read
14th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 9-12): Living Vocation
(Begin by reading the Gospel. Sometimes it is good to have someone read it to you. The Word is meant to be heard.) Luke 10.1-12, 17-20 In...
thebetterpart
Jun 29, 20224 min read
13th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 3-6): Setting His Face
(Adults, for the 3-6 year old, I consider simply the first verses of the Gospel reading. You could begin by reading these verses aloud to...
thebetterpart
Jun 25, 20222 min read
13th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 6-9): Taken Up
(Adults, for the 6-9 year old, I consider simply the first five verses of the Gospel reading. You could begin by reading these verses...
thebetterpart
Jun 25, 20223 min read
13th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ages 9-12): Vocation
(Begin by reading the Gospel. Sometimes it is good to have someone read it to you. The Word is meant to be heard.) Luke 9.51-62 In the...
thebetterpart
Jun 25, 20224 min read
- 1000Page 3
bottom of page