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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
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Ages 3-6): God Astounds Us
Mark 1.21-28 Last week we thought about the voice of the Good Shepherd. We know that it is good to follow the voice of Jesus. In the...
thebetterpart
Jan 27, 20212 min read
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Ages 6-9): The Power to Act
(Adults, you could begin by reading the entire Gospel passage so that the child hears it once in its entirety before we think about the...
thebetterpart
Jan 27, 20214 min read
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Ages 9-12): Shown, Not Told
(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.) Mark 1.21-28 Last...
thebetterpart
Jan 27, 20214 min read
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Ages 3-6): Know His Voice
Mark 1.14-20 Last week we heard about people beginning to follow Jesus. We learned that a disciple is a person who follows someone. In...
thebetterpart
Jan 20, 20213 min read
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Ages 6-9): Meeting Us
Mark 1.14-20 Last week we heard St. John's account of how Andrew and Simon Peter become disciples of Jesus. This week we hear St. Mark's...
thebetterpart
Jan 20, 20213 min read
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Ages 9-12): Kairos
Mark 1.14-20 Pope Francis has declared this Sunday 'the Sunday of the Word of God.' When we compare the Gospel last week to the Gospel...
thebetterpart
Jan 20, 20213 min read
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Ages 3-6): Follow
John 1.35-42 Last week, we heard about John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the River Jordan. At the beginning of the Gospel for this...
thebetterpart
Jan 14, 20213 min read
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Ages 6-9): Where are you staying?
John 1.35-42 Last week, the Gospel took place by the Jordan River at Jesus' baptism. The Gospel for this Sunday takes place the very next...
thebetterpart
Jan 14, 20213 min read
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Ages 9-12): Who chooses disciples?
(Begin by reading the Gospel or have someone read it to you. This way the Word will speak to you first before we think about it...
thebetterpart
Jan 14, 20215 min read
Baptism of the Lord (Ages 3-6): Loved by God
Mark 1.7-11 We are still celebrating the feast of Christmas! This is the last of the 3 Sundays celebrating the light coming into the...
thebetterpart
Jan 7, 20213 min read
Baptism of the Lord (Ages 6-9): Sitting Down With People
Mark 1.7-11 We are coming to the end of the Christmas season, but we are still celebrating! Most people think Christmas ends on December...
thebetterpart
Jan 7, 20213 min read
Baptism of the Lord (Ages 9-12): Desire for God
Mark 1.7-11 At the close of the Christmas season, we leave the secret years of Jesus' childhood behind and join the grown-up Jesus in the...
thebetterpart
Jan 7, 20213 min read
Epiphany of the Lord (Ages 3-6): What do they know?
Matthew 2.1-12 Most people in our world think that Christmas is over. Oh dear, they are so wrong! We spent many weeks preparing for the...
thebetterpart
Dec 31, 20203 min read
Epiphany of the Lord (Ages 6-9): Is this Epiphany?
Matthew 2.1-12 The second Sunday of the Christmas season is called the Feast of the Epiphany. "Epiphany" means that God reveals--makes it...
thebetterpart
Dec 31, 20204 min read
Epiphany of the Lord (Ages 9-12): God Leads Us
Matthew 2.1-12 This Sunday is the second Sunday of the Christmas season when we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. Epiphany refers to a...
thebetterpart
Dec 31, 20205 min read
Feast of the Holy Family (Ages 3-6): Revealing Jesus
(Adults, when reading this to the child, omit verses 34 and 35, the verses in red parentheses. Also, you may want to use this reflection...
thebetterpart
Dec 23, 20203 min read
Feast of the Holy Family (Ages 6-9): Ordinary and Extraordinary
(Adults, you may want to use this reflection instead, written for the Feast of the Presentation in the Temple, Feb. 2nd, 2020.) Luke...
thebetterpart
Dec 23, 20204 min read
Feast of the Holy Family (Ages 9-12): The Holy Family of God
(You might choose to use this reflection instead, written about the same scripture passage, for the Feast of the Presentation in the...
thebetterpart
Dec 23, 20204 min read
4th Sunday of Advent (Ages 3-6): Yes, Lord!
Luke 1.26-38 We are coming close to the end of Advent, this time of preparing, this season of waiting. For so many years, people waited...
thebetterpart
Dec 17, 20203 min read
4th Sunday of Advent (Ages 6-9): Wait No Longer
Luke 1.26-38 On the fourth Sunday of Advent, so close to the feast we are waiting to celebrate, we listen to the Gospel that marks the...
thebetterpart
Dec 17, 20203 min read
4th Sunday of Advent (Ages 9-12): Life Under Impossible Circumstances
(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 1.26-38 As...
thebetterpart
Dec 17, 20203 min read
3rd Sunday of Advent (Ages 3-6): What then?
John 1.6-8, 19-28 Have you been waiting to light the pink candle on the Advent wreath? This Sunday we get to light it! The pink candle...
thebetterpart
Dec 9, 20202 min read
3rd Sunday of Advent (Ages 6-9): Testament for Joy
(Adults, begin by reading the Gospel aloud to the child. Alternatively, you could read the first paragraph of the reflection to the...
thebetterpart
Dec 9, 20203 min read
3rd Sunday of Advent (Ages 9-12): Confessing the Truth
(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.) John 1.6-8, 19-28...
thebetterpart
Dec 9, 20203 min read
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