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Car Chat! for the second Sunday of Lent: March 5, 2023
Car Chat! for the Second Sunday of Lent: March 5, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother,
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,
then from the cloud came a voice that said,
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him."
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
"Rise, and do not be afraid."
And when the disciples raised their eyes,
they saw no one else but Jesus alone.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them,
"Do not tell the vision to anyone
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
–Matthew 17:1-9
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the story of the Transfiguration. The story of the Transfiguration is the first prediction of Jesus’ death and it looks at the cost of discipleship. It is a promise of his glory in the Resurrection.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, think about what it means to be transfigured.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
God Our Father, you teach us to see your glory through the Transfiguration. Help us to always look for you, especially during this season of Lent. We love you Lord! Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother,
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,
then from the cloud came a voice that said,
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him."
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
"Rise, and do not be afraid."
And when the disciples raised their eyes,
they saw no one else but Jesus alone.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them,
"Do not tell the vision to anyone
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
–Matthew 17:1-9
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the story of the Transfiguration. The story of the Transfiguration is the first prediction of Jesus’ death and it looks at the cost of discipleship. It is a promise of his glory in the Resurrection.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, think about what it means to be transfigured.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Why do you think Jesus did not want Peter, James and John to say what had happened?
- Often, in Scripture, we are told to not be afraid? Why do you think that Jesus said this?
- In what ways can you better live Lent this week?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
God Our Father, you teach us to see your glory through the Transfiguration. Help us to always look for you, especially during this season of Lent. We love you Lord! Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAR CHAT! for the THIRD sunday of Lent: March 12, 2023
Car Chat! for the Third Sunday of Lent: March 12, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
You may hear a shorter version of this week’s Gospel at Mass.
Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar,
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.
A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said to her,
“Give me a drink.”
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,
“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.--
Jesus answered and said to her,
“If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;
where then can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
with his children and his flocks?”
Jesus answered and said to her,
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty
or have to keep coming here to draw water.”
Jesus said to her,
“Go call your husband and come back.”
The woman answered and said to him,
“I do not have a husband.”
Jesus answered her,
“You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’
For you have had five husbands,
and the one you have now is not your husband.
What you have said is true.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;
but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
Jesus said to her,
“Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You people worship what you do not understand;
we worship what we understand,
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;
and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The woman said to him,
“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;
when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
Jesus said to her,
“I am he, the one speaking with you.”
At that moment his disciples returned,
and were amazed that he was talking with a woman,
but still no one said, “What are you looking for?”
or “Why are you talking with her?”
The woman left her water jar
and went into the town and said to the people,
“Come see a man who told me everything I have done.
Could he possibly be the Christ?”
They went out of the town and came to him.
Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.”
But he said to them,
“I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
So the disciples said to one another,
“Could someone have brought him something to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“My food is to do the will of the one who sent me
and to finish his work.
Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’?
I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.
The reaper is already receiving payment
and gathering crops for eternal life,
so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.
For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’
I sent you to reap what you have not worked for;
others have done the work,
and you are sharing the fruits of their work.”
Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him
because of the word of the woman who testified,
“He told me everything I have done.”
When the Samaritans came to him,
they invited him to stay with them;
and he stayed there two days.
Many more began to believe in him because of his word,
and they said to the woman,
“We no longer believe because of your word;
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”
–John 4:5-42
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the story of the Woman at the Well. An unlikely conversation, as Jews did not talk to Samaritans, Jesus shows us first how we are called to love. The woman is an outcast and Jesus asks her for a drink of water. She has heard about the Messiah, but doesn’t realize that it’s Jesus. He offers her living water. After the conversation, she becomes a disciple. It shows us that an encounter with the living God is critical
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, spend some time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament to encounter God.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you see us and you know us. Help us to become better disciples of you this Lent. We love you Lord, Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
You may hear a shorter version of this week’s Gospel at Mass.
Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar,
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.
A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said to her,
“Give me a drink.”
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,
“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.--
Jesus answered and said to her,
“If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;
where then can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
with his children and his flocks?”
Jesus answered and said to her,
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty
or have to keep coming here to draw water.”
Jesus said to her,
“Go call your husband and come back.”
The woman answered and said to him,
“I do not have a husband.”
Jesus answered her,
“You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’
For you have had five husbands,
and the one you have now is not your husband.
What you have said is true.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;
but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
Jesus said to her,
“Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You people worship what you do not understand;
we worship what we understand,
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;
and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The woman said to him,
“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;
when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
Jesus said to her,
“I am he, the one speaking with you.”
At that moment his disciples returned,
and were amazed that he was talking with a woman,
but still no one said, “What are you looking for?”
or “Why are you talking with her?”
The woman left her water jar
and went into the town and said to the people,
“Come see a man who told me everything I have done.
Could he possibly be the Christ?”
They went out of the town and came to him.
Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.”
But he said to them,
“I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
So the disciples said to one another,
“Could someone have brought him something to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“My food is to do the will of the one who sent me
and to finish his work.
Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’?
I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.
The reaper is already receiving payment
and gathering crops for eternal life,
so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.
For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’
I sent you to reap what you have not worked for;
others have done the work,
and you are sharing the fruits of their work.”
Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him
because of the word of the woman who testified,
“He told me everything I have done.”
When the Samaritans came to him,
they invited him to stay with them;
and he stayed there two days.
Many more began to believe in him because of his word,
and they said to the woman,
“We no longer believe because of your word;
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”
–John 4:5-42
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the story of the Woman at the Well. An unlikely conversation, as Jews did not talk to Samaritans, Jesus shows us first how we are called to love. The woman is an outcast and Jesus asks her for a drink of water. She has heard about the Messiah, but doesn’t realize that it’s Jesus. He offers her living water. After the conversation, she becomes a disciple. It shows us that an encounter with the living God is critical
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, spend some time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament to encounter God.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Why do you think the woman is surprised that Jesus would speak with her?
- What is living water?
- Why do you think the woman left as a disciple?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you see us and you know us. Help us to become better disciples of you this Lent. We love you Lord, Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Car Chat! for the Fourth Sunday of Lent: March 19, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
You may hear a shorter version of this Gospel at Mass today.
As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked him,
"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?"
Jesus answered,
"Neither he nor his parents sinned;
it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.
Night is coming when no one can work.
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
When he had said this, he spat on the ground
and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
"Go wash in the Pool of Siloam" —which means Sent—.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.
His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
"Isn't this the one who used to sit and beg?"
Some said, "It is, "
but others said, "No, he just looks like him."
He said, "I am."
So they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?"
He replied,
"The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes
and told me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.'
So I went there and washed and was able to see."
And they said to him, "Where is he?"
He said, "I don't know."
They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees.
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.
So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
He said to them,
"He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see."
So some of the Pharisees said,
"This man is not from God,
because he does not keep the sabbath."
But others said,
"How can a sinful man do such signs?"
And there was a division among them.
So they said to the blind man again,
"What do you have to say about him,
since he opened your eyes?"
He said, "He is a prophet."
Now the Jews did not believe
that he had been blind and gained his sight
until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight.
They asked them,
"Is this your son, who you say was born blind?
How does he now see?"
His parents answered and said,
"We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
We do not know how he sees now,
nor do we know who opened his eyes.
Ask him, he is of age;
he can speak for himself."
His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews,
for the Jews had already agreed
that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ,
he would be expelled from the synagogue.
For this reason his parents said,
"He is of age; question him."
So a second time they called the man who had been blind
and said to him, "Give God the praise!
We know that this man is a sinner."
He replied,
"If he is a sinner, I do not know.
One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see."
So they said to him,
"What did he do to you?
How did he open your eyes?"
He answered them,
"I told you already and you did not listen.
Why do you want to hear it again?
Do you want to become his disciples, too?"
They ridiculed him and said,
"You are that man's disciple;
we are disciples of Moses!
We know that God spoke to Moses,
but we do not know where this one is from."
The man answered and said to them,
"This is what is so amazing,
that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes.
We know that God does not listen to sinners,
but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him.
It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind.
If this man were not from God,
he would not be able to do anything."
They answered and said to him,
"You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?"
Then they threw him out.
When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out,
he found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
He answered and said,
"Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?"
Jesus said to him,
"You have seen him,
the one speaking with you is he."
He said,
"I do believe, Lord," and he worshiped him.
Then Jesus said,
"I came into this world for judgment,
so that those who do not see might see,
and those who do see might become blind."
Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this
and said to him, "Surely we are not also blind, are we?"
Jesus said to them,
"If you were blind, you would have no sin;
but now you are saying, 'We see,' so your sin remains.
–John 9:1-41
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear of a blind man being healed. At the time disabilities and trials were considered to be the result of sins, either of the individual or the parents. Jesus doesn’t answer the question asked of him about whose sin caused the blindness. Instead, he heals the man, making the glory of God known through this man’s disability. Today’s Gospel shows us that God works through those who are often outcasts in society.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, spend some time thinking about and praying for someone who may not be the most popular and ask the Lord to be near them today.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Holy Spirit, help us to trust that you make the blind see! Give us the ability to see the things you want us to see. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
You may hear a shorter version of this Gospel at Mass today.
As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked him,
"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?"
Jesus answered,
"Neither he nor his parents sinned;
it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.
Night is coming when no one can work.
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
When he had said this, he spat on the ground
and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
"Go wash in the Pool of Siloam" —which means Sent—.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.
His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
"Isn't this the one who used to sit and beg?"
Some said, "It is, "
but others said, "No, he just looks like him."
He said, "I am."
So they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?"
He replied,
"The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes
and told me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.'
So I went there and washed and was able to see."
And they said to him, "Where is he?"
He said, "I don't know."
They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees.
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.
So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
He said to them,
"He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see."
So some of the Pharisees said,
"This man is not from God,
because he does not keep the sabbath."
But others said,
"How can a sinful man do such signs?"
And there was a division among them.
So they said to the blind man again,
"What do you have to say about him,
since he opened your eyes?"
He said, "He is a prophet."
Now the Jews did not believe
that he had been blind and gained his sight
until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight.
They asked them,
"Is this your son, who you say was born blind?
How does he now see?"
His parents answered and said,
"We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
We do not know how he sees now,
nor do we know who opened his eyes.
Ask him, he is of age;
he can speak for himself."
His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews,
for the Jews had already agreed
that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ,
he would be expelled from the synagogue.
For this reason his parents said,
"He is of age; question him."
So a second time they called the man who had been blind
and said to him, "Give God the praise!
We know that this man is a sinner."
He replied,
"If he is a sinner, I do not know.
One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see."
So they said to him,
"What did he do to you?
How did he open your eyes?"
He answered them,
"I told you already and you did not listen.
Why do you want to hear it again?
Do you want to become his disciples, too?"
They ridiculed him and said,
"You are that man's disciple;
we are disciples of Moses!
We know that God spoke to Moses,
but we do not know where this one is from."
The man answered and said to them,
"This is what is so amazing,
that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes.
We know that God does not listen to sinners,
but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him.
It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind.
If this man were not from God,
he would not be able to do anything."
They answered and said to him,
"You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?"
Then they threw him out.
When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out,
he found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
He answered and said,
"Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?"
Jesus said to him,
"You have seen him,
the one speaking with you is he."
He said,
"I do believe, Lord," and he worshiped him.
Then Jesus said,
"I came into this world for judgment,
so that those who do not see might see,
and those who do see might become blind."
Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this
and said to him, "Surely we are not also blind, are we?"
Jesus said to them,
"If you were blind, you would have no sin;
but now you are saying, 'We see,' so your sin remains.
–John 9:1-41
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear of a blind man being healed. At the time disabilities and trials were considered to be the result of sins, either of the individual or the parents. Jesus doesn’t answer the question asked of him about whose sin caused the blindness. Instead, he heals the man, making the glory of God known through this man’s disability. Today’s Gospel shows us that God works through those who are often outcasts in society.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, spend some time thinking about and praying for someone who may not be the most popular and ask the Lord to be near them today.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Why do you think people believe that disability was caused by sinfulness?
- How do you think the blind man felt when he was healed?
- Why were people so skeptical that the man had been healed?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Holy Spirit, help us to trust that you make the blind see! Give us the ability to see the things you want us to see. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAR CHAT! FOR THE FIFTh SUNDAY oF LENT: MARCH 26, 2023
Car Chat! for the Fifth Sunday of Lent: March 26, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
You may hear a shorter version of this Gospel at Mass today.
Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany,
the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil
and dried his feet with her hair;
it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.
So the sisters sent word to him saying,
“Master, the one you love is ill.”
When Jesus heard this he said,
“This illness is not to end in death,
but is for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So when he heard that he was ill,
he remained for two days in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to his disciples,
“Let us go back to Judea.”
The disciples said to him,
“Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you,
and you want to go back there?”
Jesus answered,
“Are there not twelve hours in a day?
If one walks during the day, he does not stumble,
because he sees the light of this world.
But if one walks at night, he stumbles,
because the light is not in him.”
He said this, and then told them,
“Our friend Lazarus is asleep,
but I am going to awaken him.”
So the disciples said to him,
“Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.”
But Jesus was talking about his death,
while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep.
So then Jesus said to them clearly,
“Lazarus has died.
And I am glad for you that I was not there,
that you may believe.
Let us go to him.”
So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples,
“Let us also go to die with him.”
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus
had already been in the tomb for four days.
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away.
And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you.”
Jesus said to her,
“Your brother will rise.”
Martha said to him,
“I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.”
When she had said this,
she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying,
“The teacher is here and is asking for you.”
As soon as she heard this,
she rose quickly and went to him.
For Jesus had not yet come into the village,
but was still where Martha had met him.
So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her
saw Mary get up quickly and go out,
they followed her,
presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him,
she fell at his feet and said to him,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping,
he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said,
“Where have you laid him?”
They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”
And Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”
But some of them said,
“Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man
have done something so that this man would not have died?”
So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him,
“Lord, by now there will be a stench;
he has been dead for four days.”
Jesus said to her,
“Did I not tell you that if you believe
you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone.
And Jesus raised his eyes and said,
“Father, I thank you for hearing me.
I know that you always hear me;
but because of the crowd here I have said this,
that they may believe that you sent me.”
And when he had said this,
He cried out in a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out!”
The dead man came out,
tied hand and foot with burial bands,
and his face was wrapped in a cloth.
So Jesus said to them,
“Untie him and let him go.”
Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary
and seen what he had done began to believe in him.
–John 11:1-45
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead. Jesus loves Mary, Martha and Lazarus and is truly saddened by Lazarus dying. Him resurrecting Lazarus from the dead is a foreshadowing of Christ’s resurrection and the ways in which God is given the glory.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, think about a time in which you felt like God didn’t hear your prayers, but then redeemed them later. Give God thanks for that opportunity.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
God Our Father, you allow us to see your glory through the resurrection of your son, Jesus. Help us to always recognize that glory. We love you Lord, Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
You may hear a shorter version of this Gospel at Mass today.
Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany,
the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil
and dried his feet with her hair;
it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.
So the sisters sent word to him saying,
“Master, the one you love is ill.”
When Jesus heard this he said,
“This illness is not to end in death,
but is for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So when he heard that he was ill,
he remained for two days in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to his disciples,
“Let us go back to Judea.”
The disciples said to him,
“Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you,
and you want to go back there?”
Jesus answered,
“Are there not twelve hours in a day?
If one walks during the day, he does not stumble,
because he sees the light of this world.
But if one walks at night, he stumbles,
because the light is not in him.”
He said this, and then told them,
“Our friend Lazarus is asleep,
but I am going to awaken him.”
So the disciples said to him,
“Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.”
But Jesus was talking about his death,
while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep.
So then Jesus said to them clearly,
“Lazarus has died.
And I am glad for you that I was not there,
that you may believe.
Let us go to him.”
So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples,
“Let us also go to die with him.”
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus
had already been in the tomb for four days.
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away.
And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you.”
Jesus said to her,
“Your brother will rise.”
Martha said to him,
“I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.”
When she had said this,
she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying,
“The teacher is here and is asking for you.”
As soon as she heard this,
she rose quickly and went to him.
For Jesus had not yet come into the village,
but was still where Martha had met him.
So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her
saw Mary get up quickly and go out,
they followed her,
presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him,
she fell at his feet and said to him,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping,
he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said,
“Where have you laid him?”
They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”
And Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”
But some of them said,
“Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man
have done something so that this man would not have died?”
So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him,
“Lord, by now there will be a stench;
he has been dead for four days.”
Jesus said to her,
“Did I not tell you that if you believe
you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone.
And Jesus raised his eyes and said,
“Father, I thank you for hearing me.
I know that you always hear me;
but because of the crowd here I have said this,
that they may believe that you sent me.”
And when he had said this,
He cried out in a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out!”
The dead man came out,
tied hand and foot with burial bands,
and his face was wrapped in a cloth.
So Jesus said to them,
“Untie him and let him go.”
Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary
and seen what he had done began to believe in him.
–John 11:1-45
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead. Jesus loves Mary, Martha and Lazarus and is truly saddened by Lazarus dying. Him resurrecting Lazarus from the dead is a foreshadowing of Christ’s resurrection and the ways in which God is given the glory.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, think about a time in which you felt like God didn’t hear your prayers, but then redeemed them later. Give God thanks for that opportunity.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Why was Jesus away when Lazarus died?
- Why does Jesus weep? Do you think that he has wept for your sorrow before?
- In what ways do we see God’s glory for Lazarus’ resurrection
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
God Our Father, you allow us to see your glory through the resurrection of your son, Jesus. Help us to always recognize that glory. We love you Lord, Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAR CHAT! for PALM SUNDAY: April 2, 2023
Car Chat! for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion: April 2, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
You may hear a shorter version of this Gospel at Mass today.
One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot,
went to the chief priests and said,
"What are you willing to give me
if I hand him over to you?"
They paid him thirty pieces of silver,
and from that time on he looked for an opportunity
to hand him over.
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
the disciples approached Jesus and said,
"Where do you want us to prepare
for you to eat the Passover?"
He said,
"Go into the city to a certain man and tell him,
'The teacher says, "My appointed time draws near;
in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples."'"
The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered,
and prepared the Passover.
When it was evening,
he reclined at table with the Twelve.
And while they were eating, he said,
"Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me."
Deeply distressed at this,
they began to say to him one after another,
"Surely it is not I, Lord?"
He said in reply,
"He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me
is the one who will betray me.
The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,
but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.
It would be better for that man if he had never been born."
Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply,
"Surely it is not I, Rabbi?"
He answered, "You have said so."
While they were eating,
Jesus took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and giving it to his disciples said,
"Take and eat; this is my body."
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
"Drink from it, all of you,
for this is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed on behalf of many
for the forgiveness of sins.
I tell you, from now on I shall not drink this fruit of the vine
until the day when I drink it with you new
in the kingdom of my Father."
Then, after singing a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Then Jesus said to them,
"This night all of you will have your faith in me shaken,
for it is written:
I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed;
but after I have been raised up,
I shall go before you to Galilee."
Peter said to him in reply,
"Though all may have their faith in you shaken,
mine will never be."
Jesus said to him,
"Amen, I say to you,
this very night before the cock crows,
you will deny me three times."
Peter said to him,
"Even though I should have to die with you,
I will not deny you."
And all the disciples spoke likewise.
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane,
and he said to his disciples,
"Sit here while I go over there and pray."
He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee,
and began to feel sorrow and distress.
Then he said to them,
"My soul is sorrowful even to death.
Remain here and keep watch with me."
He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying,
"My Father, if it is possible,
let this cup pass from me;
yet, not as I will, but as you will."
When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep.
He said to Peter,
"So you could not keep watch with me for one hour?
Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Withdrawing a second time, he prayed again,
"My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass
without my drinking it, your will be done!"
Then he returned once more and found them asleep,
for they could not keep their eyes open.
He left them and withdrew again and prayed a third time,
saying the same thing again.
Then he returned to his disciples and said to them,
"Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?
Behold, the hour is at hand
when the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners.
Get up, let us go.
Look, my betrayer is at hand."
While he was still speaking,
Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived,
accompanied by a large crowd, with swords and clubs,
who had come from the chief priests and the elders
of the people.
His betrayer had arranged a sign with them, saying,
"The man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him."
Immediately he went over to Jesus and said,
"Hail, Rabbi!" and he kissed him.
Jesus answered him,
"Friend, do what you have come for."
Then stepping forward they laid hands on Jesus and arrested him.
And behold, one of those who accompanied Jesus
put his hand to his sword, drew it,
and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his ear.
Then Jesus said to him,
"Put your sword back into its sheath,
for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father
and he will not provide me at this moment
with more than twelve legions of angels?
But then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled
which say that it must come to pass in this way?"
At that hour Jesus said to the crowds,
"Have you come out as against a robber,
with swords and clubs to seize me?
Day after day I sat teaching in the temple area,
yet you did not arrest me.
But all this has come to pass
that the writings of the prophets may be fulfilled."
Then all the disciples left him and fled.
Those who had arrested Jesus led him away
to Caiaphas the high priest,
where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
Peter was following him at a distance
as far as the high priest's courtyard,
and going inside he sat down with the servants
to see the outcome.
The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin
kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus
in order to put him to death,
but they found none,
though many false witnesses came forward.
Finally two came forward who stated,
"This man said, 'I can destroy the temple of God
and within three days rebuild it.'"
The high priest rose and addressed him,
"Have you no answer?
What are these men testifying against you?"
But Jesus was silent.
Then the high priest said to him,
"I order you to tell us under oath before the living God
whether you are the Christ, the Son of God."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"You have said so.
But I tell you:
From now on you will see 'the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of the Power'
and 'coming on the clouds of heaven.'"
Then the high priest tore his robes and said,
"He has blasphemed!
What further need have we of witnesses?
You have now heard the blasphemy;
what is your opinion?"
They said in reply,
"He deserves to die!"
Then they spat in his face and struck him,
while some slapped him, saying,
"Prophesy for us, Christ: who is it that struck you?"
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard.
One of the maids came over to him and said,
"You too were with Jesus the Galilean."
But he denied it in front of everyone, saying,
"I do not know what you are talking about!"
As he went out to the gate, another girl saw him
and said to those who were there,
"This man was with Jesus the Nazorean."
Again he denied it with an oath,
"I do not know the man!"
A little later the bystanders came over and said to Peter,
"Surely you too are one of them;
even your speech gives you away."
At that he began to curse and to swear,
"I do not know the man."
And immediately a cock crowed.
Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken:
"Before the cock crows you will deny me three times."
He went out and began to weep bitterly.
When it was morning,
all the chief priests and the elders of the people
took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.
They bound him, led him away,
and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned,
deeply regretted what he had done.
He returned the thirty pieces of silver
to the chief priests and elders, saying,
"I have sinned in betraying innocent blood."
They said,
"What is that to us?
Look to it yourself."
Flinging the money into the temple,
he departed and went off and hanged himself.
The chief priests gathered up the money, but said,
"It is not lawful to deposit this in the temple treasury,
for it is the price of blood."
After consultation, they used it to buy the potter's field
as a burial place for foreigners.
That is why that field even today is called the Field of Blood.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah
the prophet,
And they took the thirty pieces of silver,
the value of a man with a price on his head,
a price set by some of the Israelites,
and they paid it out for the potter's field
just as the Lord had commanded me.
Now Jesus stood before the governor, and he questioned him,
"Are you the king of the Jews?"
Jesus said, "You say so."
And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders,
he made no answer.
Then Pilate said to him,
"Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?"
But he did not answer him one word,
so that the governor was greatly amazed.
Now on the occasion of the feast
the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd
one prisoner whom they wished.
And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
So when they had assembled, Pilate said to them,
"Which one do you want me to release to you,
Barabbas, or Jesus called Christ?"
For he knew that it was out of envy
that they had handed him over.
While he was still seated on the bench,
his wife sent him a message,
"Have nothing to do with that righteous man.
I suffered much in a dream today because of him."
The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds
to ask for Barabbas but to destroy Jesus.
The governor said to them in reply,
"Which of the two do you want me to release to you?"
They answered, "Barabbas!"
Pilate said to them,
"Then what shall I do with Jesus called Christ?"
They all said,
"Let him be crucified!"
But he said,
"Why? What evil has he done?"
They only shouted the louder,
"Let him be crucified!"
When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all,
but that a riot was breaking out instead,
he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd,
saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood.
Look to it yourselves."
And the whole people said in reply,
"His blood be upon us and upon our children."
Then he released Barabbas to them,
but after he had Jesus scourged,
he handed him over to be crucified.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium
and gathered the whole cohort around him.
They stripped off his clothes
and threw a scarlet military cloak about him.
Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head,
and a reed in his right hand.
And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying,
"Hail, King of the Jews!"
They spat upon him and took the reed
and kept striking him on the head.
And when they had mocked him,
they stripped him of the cloak,
dressed him in his own clothes,
and led him off to crucify him.
As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon;
this man they pressed into service
to carry his cross.
And when they came to a place called Golgotha
—which means Place of the Skull —,
they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall.
But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink.
After they had crucified him,
they divided his garments by casting lots;
then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
And they placed over his head the written charge against him:
This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.
Two revolutionaries were crucified with him,
one on his right and the other on his left.
Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying,
"You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
save yourself, if you are the Son of God,
and come down from the cross!"
Likewise the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him and said,
"He saved others; he cannot save himself.
So he is the king of Israel!
Let him come down from the cross now,
and we will believe in him.
He trusted in God;
let him deliver him now if he wants him.
For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"
The revolutionaries who were crucified with him
also kept abusing him in the same way.
From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon.
And about three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
"Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?"
which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
"This one is calling for Elijah."
Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge;
he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed,
gave it to him to drink.
But the rest said,
"Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him."
But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice,
and gave up his spirit.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
And behold, the veil of the sanctuary
was torn in two from top to bottom.
The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened,
and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection,
they entered the holy city and appeared to many.
The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus
feared greatly when they saw the earthquake
and all that was happening, and they said,
"Truly, this was the Son of God!"
There were many women there, looking on from a distance,
who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him.
Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph,
and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
When it was evening,
there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph,
who was himself a disciple of Jesus.
He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus;
then Pilate ordered it to be handed over.
Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in clean linen
and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock.
Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb
and departed.
But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
remained sitting there, facing the tomb.
The next day, the one following the day of preparation,
the chief priests and the Pharisees
gathered before Pilate and said,
"Sir, we remember that this impostor while still alive said,
'After three days I will be raised up.'
Give orders, then, that the grave be secured until the third day,
lest his disciples come and steal him and say to the people,
'He has been raised from the dead.'
This last imposture would be worse than the first."
Pilate said to them,
"The guard is yours;
go, secure it as best you can."
So they went and secured the tomb
by fixing a seal to the stone and setting the guard.
–Matthew 26:14-27:66
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear a recounting of the Lord’s passion. We hear this after we have literally just recounted his welcoming into Jerusalem. He knew he would die and yet, he went anyway. This week is the holiest week of the year, and gives us a chance to enter into the premiere mystery of our Faith.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, plan on how you can attend Masses during Holy Week.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you died for us so that we might have life. Help us to live differently because of that. We love you Lord, Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
You may hear a shorter version of this Gospel at Mass today.
One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot,
went to the chief priests and said,
"What are you willing to give me
if I hand him over to you?"
They paid him thirty pieces of silver,
and from that time on he looked for an opportunity
to hand him over.
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
the disciples approached Jesus and said,
"Where do you want us to prepare
for you to eat the Passover?"
He said,
"Go into the city to a certain man and tell him,
'The teacher says, "My appointed time draws near;
in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples."'"
The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered,
and prepared the Passover.
When it was evening,
he reclined at table with the Twelve.
And while they were eating, he said,
"Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me."
Deeply distressed at this,
they began to say to him one after another,
"Surely it is not I, Lord?"
He said in reply,
"He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me
is the one who will betray me.
The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,
but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.
It would be better for that man if he had never been born."
Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply,
"Surely it is not I, Rabbi?"
He answered, "You have said so."
While they were eating,
Jesus took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and giving it to his disciples said,
"Take and eat; this is my body."
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
"Drink from it, all of you,
for this is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed on behalf of many
for the forgiveness of sins.
I tell you, from now on I shall not drink this fruit of the vine
until the day when I drink it with you new
in the kingdom of my Father."
Then, after singing a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Then Jesus said to them,
"This night all of you will have your faith in me shaken,
for it is written:
I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed;
but after I have been raised up,
I shall go before you to Galilee."
Peter said to him in reply,
"Though all may have their faith in you shaken,
mine will never be."
Jesus said to him,
"Amen, I say to you,
this very night before the cock crows,
you will deny me three times."
Peter said to him,
"Even though I should have to die with you,
I will not deny you."
And all the disciples spoke likewise.
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane,
and he said to his disciples,
"Sit here while I go over there and pray."
He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee,
and began to feel sorrow and distress.
Then he said to them,
"My soul is sorrowful even to death.
Remain here and keep watch with me."
He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying,
"My Father, if it is possible,
let this cup pass from me;
yet, not as I will, but as you will."
When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep.
He said to Peter,
"So you could not keep watch with me for one hour?
Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Withdrawing a second time, he prayed again,
"My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass
without my drinking it, your will be done!"
Then he returned once more and found them asleep,
for they could not keep their eyes open.
He left them and withdrew again and prayed a third time,
saying the same thing again.
Then he returned to his disciples and said to them,
"Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?
Behold, the hour is at hand
when the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners.
Get up, let us go.
Look, my betrayer is at hand."
While he was still speaking,
Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived,
accompanied by a large crowd, with swords and clubs,
who had come from the chief priests and the elders
of the people.
His betrayer had arranged a sign with them, saying,
"The man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him."
Immediately he went over to Jesus and said,
"Hail, Rabbi!" and he kissed him.
Jesus answered him,
"Friend, do what you have come for."
Then stepping forward they laid hands on Jesus and arrested him.
And behold, one of those who accompanied Jesus
put his hand to his sword, drew it,
and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his ear.
Then Jesus said to him,
"Put your sword back into its sheath,
for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father
and he will not provide me at this moment
with more than twelve legions of angels?
But then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled
which say that it must come to pass in this way?"
At that hour Jesus said to the crowds,
"Have you come out as against a robber,
with swords and clubs to seize me?
Day after day I sat teaching in the temple area,
yet you did not arrest me.
But all this has come to pass
that the writings of the prophets may be fulfilled."
Then all the disciples left him and fled.
Those who had arrested Jesus led him away
to Caiaphas the high priest,
where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
Peter was following him at a distance
as far as the high priest's courtyard,
and going inside he sat down with the servants
to see the outcome.
The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin
kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus
in order to put him to death,
but they found none,
though many false witnesses came forward.
Finally two came forward who stated,
"This man said, 'I can destroy the temple of God
and within three days rebuild it.'"
The high priest rose and addressed him,
"Have you no answer?
What are these men testifying against you?"
But Jesus was silent.
Then the high priest said to him,
"I order you to tell us under oath before the living God
whether you are the Christ, the Son of God."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"You have said so.
But I tell you:
From now on you will see 'the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of the Power'
and 'coming on the clouds of heaven.'"
Then the high priest tore his robes and said,
"He has blasphemed!
What further need have we of witnesses?
You have now heard the blasphemy;
what is your opinion?"
They said in reply,
"He deserves to die!"
Then they spat in his face and struck him,
while some slapped him, saying,
"Prophesy for us, Christ: who is it that struck you?"
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard.
One of the maids came over to him and said,
"You too were with Jesus the Galilean."
But he denied it in front of everyone, saying,
"I do not know what you are talking about!"
As he went out to the gate, another girl saw him
and said to those who were there,
"This man was with Jesus the Nazorean."
Again he denied it with an oath,
"I do not know the man!"
A little later the bystanders came over and said to Peter,
"Surely you too are one of them;
even your speech gives you away."
At that he began to curse and to swear,
"I do not know the man."
And immediately a cock crowed.
Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken:
"Before the cock crows you will deny me three times."
He went out and began to weep bitterly.
When it was morning,
all the chief priests and the elders of the people
took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.
They bound him, led him away,
and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned,
deeply regretted what he had done.
He returned the thirty pieces of silver
to the chief priests and elders, saying,
"I have sinned in betraying innocent blood."
They said,
"What is that to us?
Look to it yourself."
Flinging the money into the temple,
he departed and went off and hanged himself.
The chief priests gathered up the money, but said,
"It is not lawful to deposit this in the temple treasury,
for it is the price of blood."
After consultation, they used it to buy the potter's field
as a burial place for foreigners.
That is why that field even today is called the Field of Blood.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah
the prophet,
And they took the thirty pieces of silver,
the value of a man with a price on his head,
a price set by some of the Israelites,
and they paid it out for the potter's field
just as the Lord had commanded me.
Now Jesus stood before the governor, and he questioned him,
"Are you the king of the Jews?"
Jesus said, "You say so."
And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders,
he made no answer.
Then Pilate said to him,
"Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?"
But he did not answer him one word,
so that the governor was greatly amazed.
Now on the occasion of the feast
the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd
one prisoner whom they wished.
And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
So when they had assembled, Pilate said to them,
"Which one do you want me to release to you,
Barabbas, or Jesus called Christ?"
For he knew that it was out of envy
that they had handed him over.
While he was still seated on the bench,
his wife sent him a message,
"Have nothing to do with that righteous man.
I suffered much in a dream today because of him."
The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds
to ask for Barabbas but to destroy Jesus.
The governor said to them in reply,
"Which of the two do you want me to release to you?"
They answered, "Barabbas!"
Pilate said to them,
"Then what shall I do with Jesus called Christ?"
They all said,
"Let him be crucified!"
But he said,
"Why? What evil has he done?"
They only shouted the louder,
"Let him be crucified!"
When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all,
but that a riot was breaking out instead,
he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd,
saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood.
Look to it yourselves."
And the whole people said in reply,
"His blood be upon us and upon our children."
Then he released Barabbas to them,
but after he had Jesus scourged,
he handed him over to be crucified.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium
and gathered the whole cohort around him.
They stripped off his clothes
and threw a scarlet military cloak about him.
Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head,
and a reed in his right hand.
And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying,
"Hail, King of the Jews!"
They spat upon him and took the reed
and kept striking him on the head.
And when they had mocked him,
they stripped him of the cloak,
dressed him in his own clothes,
and led him off to crucify him.
As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon;
this man they pressed into service
to carry his cross.
And when they came to a place called Golgotha
—which means Place of the Skull —,
they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall.
But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink.
After they had crucified him,
they divided his garments by casting lots;
then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
And they placed over his head the written charge against him:
This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.
Two revolutionaries were crucified with him,
one on his right and the other on his left.
Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying,
"You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
save yourself, if you are the Son of God,
and come down from the cross!"
Likewise the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him and said,
"He saved others; he cannot save himself.
So he is the king of Israel!
Let him come down from the cross now,
and we will believe in him.
He trusted in God;
let him deliver him now if he wants him.
For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"
The revolutionaries who were crucified with him
also kept abusing him in the same way.
From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon.
And about three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
"Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?"
which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
"This one is calling for Elijah."
Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge;
he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed,
gave it to him to drink.
But the rest said,
"Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him."
But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice,
and gave up his spirit.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
And behold, the veil of the sanctuary
was torn in two from top to bottom.
The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened,
and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection,
they entered the holy city and appeared to many.
The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus
feared greatly when they saw the earthquake
and all that was happening, and they said,
"Truly, this was the Son of God!"
There were many women there, looking on from a distance,
who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him.
Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph,
and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
When it was evening,
there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph,
who was himself a disciple of Jesus.
He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus;
then Pilate ordered it to be handed over.
Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in clean linen
and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock.
Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb
and departed.
But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
remained sitting there, facing the tomb.
The next day, the one following the day of preparation,
the chief priests and the Pharisees
gathered before Pilate and said,
"Sir, we remember that this impostor while still alive said,
'After three days I will be raised up.'
Give orders, then, that the grave be secured until the third day,
lest his disciples come and steal him and say to the people,
'He has been raised from the dead.'
This last imposture would be worse than the first."
Pilate said to them,
"The guard is yours;
go, secure it as best you can."
So they went and secured the tomb
by fixing a seal to the stone and setting the guard.
–Matthew 26:14-27:66
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear a recounting of the Lord’s passion. We hear this after we have literally just recounted his welcoming into Jerusalem. He knew he would die and yet, he went anyway. This week is the holiest week of the year, and gives us a chance to enter into the premiere mystery of our Faith.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, plan on how you can attend Masses during Holy Week.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Why did Jesus die for our sins?
- The centurion says, “Truly this was the Son of God”. What made him say this?
- How can you as a family celebrate Holy Week differently than other time of the year.
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you died for us so that we might have life. Help us to live differently because of that. We love you Lord, Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAR CHAT! FOR Good FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023
Car Chat! for Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion: April 7, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley
to where there was a garden,
into which he and his disciples entered.
Judas his betrayer also knew the place,
because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.
So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards
from the chief priests and the Pharisees
and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.
Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him,
went out and said to them, “Whom are you looking for?”
They answered him, “Jesus the Nazorean.”
He said to them, “I AM.”
Judas his betrayer was also with them.
When he said to them, “I AM, “
they turned away and fell to the ground.
So he again asked them,
“Whom are you looking for?”
They said, “Jesus the Nazorean.”
Jesus answered,
“I told you that I AM.
So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”
This was to fulfill what he had said,
“I have not lost any of those you gave me.”
Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it,
struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear.
The slave’s name was Malchus.
Jesus said to Peter,
“Put your sword into its scabbard.
Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?”
So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus,
bound him, and brought him to Annas first.
He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,
who was high priest that year.
It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews
that it was better that one man should die rather than the people.
Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus.
Now the other disciple was known to the high priest,
and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus.
But Peter stood at the gate outside.
So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest,
went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in.
Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter,
“You are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?”
He said, “I am not.”
Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire
that they had made, because it was cold,
and were warming themselves.
Peter was also standing there keeping warm.
The high priest questioned Jesus
about his disciples and about his doctrine.
Jesus answered him,
“I have spoken publicly to the world.
I have always taught in a synagogue
or in the temple area where all the Jews gather,
and in secret I have said nothing. Why ask me?
Ask those who heard me what I said to them.
They know what I said.”
When he had said this,
one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said,
“Is this the way you answer the high priest?”
Jesus answered him,
“If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong;
but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?”
Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm.
And they said to him,
“You are not one of his disciples, are you?”
He denied it and said,
“I am not.”
One of the slaves of the high priest,
a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said,
“Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?”
Again Peter denied it.
And immediately the cock crowed.
Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium.
It was morning.
And they themselves did not enter the praetorium,
in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover.
So Pilate came out to them and said,
“What charge do you bring against this man?”
They answered and said to him,
“If he were not a criminal,
we would not have handed him over to you.”
At this, Pilate said to them,
“Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.”
The Jews answered him,
“We do not have the right to execute anyone,“
in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled
that he said indicating the kind of death he would die.
So Pilate went back into the praetorium
and summoned Jesus and said to him,
“Are you the King of the Jews?”
Jesus answered,
“Do you say this on your own
or have others told you about me?”
Pilate answered,
“I am not a Jew, am I?
Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.
What have you done?”
Jesus answered,
“My kingdom does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting
to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.
But as it is, my kingdom is not here.”
So Pilate said to him,
“Then you are a king?”
Jesus answered,
“You say I am a king.
For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
When he had said this,
he again went out to the Jews and said to them,
“I find no guilt in him.
But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover.
Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
They cried out again,
“Not this one but Barabbas!”
Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.
And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head,
and clothed him in a purple cloak,
and they came to him and said,
“Hail, King of the Jews!”
And they struck him repeatedly.
Once more Pilate went out and said to them,
“Look, I am bringing him out to you,
so that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”
So Jesus came out,
wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak.
And he said to them, “Behold, the man!”
When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out,
“Crucify him, crucify him!”
Pilate said to them,
“Take him yourselves and crucify him.
I find no guilt in him.”
The Jews answered,
“We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die,
because he made himself the Son of God.”
Now when Pilate heard this statement,
he became even more afraid,
and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus,
“Where are you from?”
Jesus did not answer him.
So Pilate said to him,
“Do you not speak to me?
Do you not know that I have power to release you
and I have power to crucify you?”
Jesus answered him,
“You would have no power over me
if it had not been given to you from above.
For this reason the one who handed me over to you
has the greater sin.”
Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out,
“If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar.
Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”
When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out
and seated him on the judge’s bench
in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon.
And he said to the Jews,
“Behold, your king!”
They cried out,
“Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!”
Pilate said to them,
“Shall I crucify your king?”
The chief priests answered,
“We have no king but Caesar.”
Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself,
he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull,
in Hebrew, Golgotha.
There they crucified him, and with him two others,
one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.
Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross.
It read,
“Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.”
Now many of the Jews read this inscription,
because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city;
and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,
“Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’
but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews’.”
Pilate answered,
“What I have written, I have written.”
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus,
they took his clothes and divided them into four shares,
a share for each soldier.
They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless,
woven in one piece from the top down.
So they said to one another,
“Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be, “
in order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilled that says:
They divided my garments among them,
and for my vesture they cast lots.
This is what the soldiers did.
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved
he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple,
“Behold, your mother.”
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
After this, aware that everything was now finished,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, “I thirst.”
There was a vessel filled with common wine.
So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop
and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
“It is finished.”
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
Now since it was preparation day,
in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
and that they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately blood and water flowed out.
An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;
he knows that he is speaking the truth,
so that you also may come to believe.
For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled:
Not a bone of it will be broken.
And again another passage says:
They will look upon him whom they have pierced.
After this, Joseph of Arimathea,
secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews,
asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus.
And Pilate permitted it.
So he came and took his body.
Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night,
also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes
weighing about one hundred pounds.
They took the body of Jesus
and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices,
according to the Jewish burial custom.
Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden,
and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried.
So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day;
for the tomb was close by.
–John 18:1-19:42
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
Today is Good Friday, the holiest day of the year. The year in which Christ hangs on the Cross for our salvation. Come let us adore him.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
We adore O Christ and we bless you because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley
to where there was a garden,
into which he and his disciples entered.
Judas his betrayer also knew the place,
because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.
So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards
from the chief priests and the Pharisees
and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.
Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him,
went out and said to them, “Whom are you looking for?”
They answered him, “Jesus the Nazorean.”
He said to them, “I AM.”
Judas his betrayer was also with them.
When he said to them, “I AM, “
they turned away and fell to the ground.
So he again asked them,
“Whom are you looking for?”
They said, “Jesus the Nazorean.”
Jesus answered,
“I told you that I AM.
So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”
This was to fulfill what he had said,
“I have not lost any of those you gave me.”
Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it,
struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear.
The slave’s name was Malchus.
Jesus said to Peter,
“Put your sword into its scabbard.
Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?”
So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus,
bound him, and brought him to Annas first.
He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,
who was high priest that year.
It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews
that it was better that one man should die rather than the people.
Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus.
Now the other disciple was known to the high priest,
and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus.
But Peter stood at the gate outside.
So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest,
went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in.
Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter,
“You are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?”
He said, “I am not.”
Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire
that they had made, because it was cold,
and were warming themselves.
Peter was also standing there keeping warm.
The high priest questioned Jesus
about his disciples and about his doctrine.
Jesus answered him,
“I have spoken publicly to the world.
I have always taught in a synagogue
or in the temple area where all the Jews gather,
and in secret I have said nothing. Why ask me?
Ask those who heard me what I said to them.
They know what I said.”
When he had said this,
one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said,
“Is this the way you answer the high priest?”
Jesus answered him,
“If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong;
but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?”
Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm.
And they said to him,
“You are not one of his disciples, are you?”
He denied it and said,
“I am not.”
One of the slaves of the high priest,
a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said,
“Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?”
Again Peter denied it.
And immediately the cock crowed.
Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium.
It was morning.
And they themselves did not enter the praetorium,
in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover.
So Pilate came out to them and said,
“What charge do you bring against this man?”
They answered and said to him,
“If he were not a criminal,
we would not have handed him over to you.”
At this, Pilate said to them,
“Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.”
The Jews answered him,
“We do not have the right to execute anyone,“
in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled
that he said indicating the kind of death he would die.
So Pilate went back into the praetorium
and summoned Jesus and said to him,
“Are you the King of the Jews?”
Jesus answered,
“Do you say this on your own
or have others told you about me?”
Pilate answered,
“I am not a Jew, am I?
Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.
What have you done?”
Jesus answered,
“My kingdom does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting
to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.
But as it is, my kingdom is not here.”
So Pilate said to him,
“Then you are a king?”
Jesus answered,
“You say I am a king.
For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
When he had said this,
he again went out to the Jews and said to them,
“I find no guilt in him.
But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover.
Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
They cried out again,
“Not this one but Barabbas!”
Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.
And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head,
and clothed him in a purple cloak,
and they came to him and said,
“Hail, King of the Jews!”
And they struck him repeatedly.
Once more Pilate went out and said to them,
“Look, I am bringing him out to you,
so that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”
So Jesus came out,
wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak.
And he said to them, “Behold, the man!”
When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out,
“Crucify him, crucify him!”
Pilate said to them,
“Take him yourselves and crucify him.
I find no guilt in him.”
The Jews answered,
“We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die,
because he made himself the Son of God.”
Now when Pilate heard this statement,
he became even more afraid,
and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus,
“Where are you from?”
Jesus did not answer him.
So Pilate said to him,
“Do you not speak to me?
Do you not know that I have power to release you
and I have power to crucify you?”
Jesus answered him,
“You would have no power over me
if it had not been given to you from above.
For this reason the one who handed me over to you
has the greater sin.”
Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out,
“If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar.
Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”
When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out
and seated him on the judge’s bench
in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon.
And he said to the Jews,
“Behold, your king!”
They cried out,
“Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!”
Pilate said to them,
“Shall I crucify your king?”
The chief priests answered,
“We have no king but Caesar.”
Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself,
he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull,
in Hebrew, Golgotha.
There they crucified him, and with him two others,
one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.
Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross.
It read,
“Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.”
Now many of the Jews read this inscription,
because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city;
and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,
“Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’
but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews’.”
Pilate answered,
“What I have written, I have written.”
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus,
they took his clothes and divided them into four shares,
a share for each soldier.
They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless,
woven in one piece from the top down.
So they said to one another,
“Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be, “
in order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilled that says:
They divided my garments among them,
and for my vesture they cast lots.
This is what the soldiers did.
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved
he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple,
“Behold, your mother.”
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
After this, aware that everything was now finished,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, “I thirst.”
There was a vessel filled with common wine.
So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop
and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
“It is finished.”
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
Now since it was preparation day,
in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
and that they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately blood and water flowed out.
An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;
he knows that he is speaking the truth,
so that you also may come to believe.
For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled:
Not a bone of it will be broken.
And again another passage says:
They will look upon him whom they have pierced.
After this, Joseph of Arimathea,
secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews,
asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus.
And Pilate permitted it.
So he came and took his body.
Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night,
also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes
weighing about one hundred pounds.
They took the body of Jesus
and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices,
according to the Jewish burial custom.
Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden,
and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried.
So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day;
for the tomb was close by.
–John 18:1-19:42
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
Today is Good Friday, the holiest day of the year. The year in which Christ hangs on the Cross for our salvation. Come let us adore him.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Pilate asks what is truth when he’s looking truth in the face. Why do you think he asks that?
- How are we like those in the crowd yelling for Jesus to be crucified?
- How is the cross our victory?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
We adore O Christ and we bless you because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAr CHAT! for EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2023
Car Chat! for the Resurrection of the Lord The Mass of Easter Day: April 9, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.
–John 20:1-9
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
Jesus Christ is Risen today! Alleluia!
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Jesus Christ is risen today! Alleluia!
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.
–John 20:1-9
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
Jesus Christ is Risen today! Alleluia!
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Why do you think the resurrection was so surprising to people?
- Why was Mary Magdalene in such distress about not knowing where the Lord was?
- In what ways can you celebrate Easter with your family?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Jesus Christ is risen today! Alleluia!
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Car Chat! for Divine Mercy SUNDAY, April 16, 2023
Car Chat! for Divine Mercy Sunday: April 16, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nail marks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
–John 20:19-31
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear that Jesus appeared to the disciples again after his Resurrection. They don’t recognize him at first. When the Holy Spirit is here, we often hear “Peace be with you”. This is often how people recognize the Lord. Today, we look to recognize Christ!
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, Celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday!
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you come to bring us peace. Help us to see you in all the places you are! We love you Lord, Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nail marks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
–John 20:19-31
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear that Jesus appeared to the disciples again after his Resurrection. They don’t recognize him at first. When the Holy Spirit is here, we often hear “Peace be with you”. This is often how people recognize the Lord. Today, we look to recognize Christ!
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, Celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday!
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Why does Jesus say “peace be with you?”
- Why do you think Thomas has a hard time accepting that the disciples saw the resurrected Lord?
- What do you think “blessed are those who have not seen and have believed” means?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you come to bring us peace. Help us to see you in all the places you are! We love you Lord, Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAR CHAT! for the third week of Easter: April 23, 2023
Car Chat! for the Third Sunday of Easter: April 23, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus' disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
"What are you discussing as you walk along?"
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
"Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?"
And he replied to them, "What sort of things?"
They said to him,
"The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see."
And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?"
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, "Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over."
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
"Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?"
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the eleven and those with them who were saying,
"The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"
Then the two recounted
what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.
–Luke 24:13-35
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the story of the disciples traveling on the road to Emmaus. They are surprised to find this traveler who has no idea what has been going on in recent days with Jesus’ death and resurrection. They spend time walking with this traveler, who is Jesus and only come to realize him in the breaking of rhe bread.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, spend some time in adoration of our Lord.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, thank you for the gift of your resurrection. Help us to recognize all the ways that you appear to us! We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus' disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
"What are you discussing as you walk along?"
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
"Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?"
And he replied to them, "What sort of things?"
They said to him,
"The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see."
And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?"
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, "Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over."
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
"Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?"
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the eleven and those with them who were saying,
"The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"
Then the two recounted
what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.
–Luke 24:13-35
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the story of the disciples traveling on the road to Emmaus. They are surprised to find this traveler who has no idea what has been going on in recent days with Jesus’ death and resurrection. They spend time walking with this traveler, who is Jesus and only come to realize him in the breaking of rhe bread.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, spend some time in adoration of our Lord.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Why do you think the disciples didn’t recognize Jesus?
- How do you think the disciples were feeling at this point in time?
- What does it mean when the disciples said: “Were not our hearts burning within us
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, thank you for the gift of your resurrection. Help us to recognize all the ways that you appear to us! We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Car Chat! For the fourth week of Easter: April 30, 2023
Car Chat! for the Fourth Sunday of Easter: April 30, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
Jesus said:
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate
but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.
But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,
as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has driven out all his own,
he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,
because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger;
they will run away from him,
because they do not recognize the voice of strangers."
Although Jesus used this figure of speech,
the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
So Jesus said again, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;
I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly."
–John 10:10
Into the Deep (Going deeper into the reading):
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear a parable comparing Jesus to a shepherd. This week is often called Good Shepherd Sunday. Sheep know the voice of their shepherd and shepherds will work at all costs to protect their sheep. This Gospel is a reminder to us that the Good Shepherd always hears us.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, ask the Lord to guide your family with a particular intention that you have.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you know and hear us! Help us to know your voice and respond. We love you Lord! Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
Jesus said:
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate
but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.
But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,
as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has driven out all his own,
he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,
because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger;
they will run away from him,
because they do not recognize the voice of strangers."
Although Jesus used this figure of speech,
the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
So Jesus said again, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;
I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly."
–John 10:10
Into the Deep (Going deeper into the reading):
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear a parable comparing Jesus to a shepherd. This week is often called Good Shepherd Sunday. Sheep know the voice of their shepherd and shepherds will work at all costs to protect their sheep. This Gospel is a reminder to us that the Good Shepherd always hears us.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, ask the Lord to guide your family with a particular intention that you have.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- What do you think is an abundant life?
- Sheep recognize the voice of their shepherd. If Jesus is the Good shepherd, how can we recognize his voice?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you know and hear us! Help us to know your voice and respond. We love you Lord! Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAr Chat! for the fourth week of Easter: may 7, 2023
Car Chat! for the Fifth Sunday of Easter: May 7, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father's house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way."
Thomas said to him,
"Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?"
Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him."
Philip said to him,
"Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us."
Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.
The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father."
–John 14:1-12
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear Jesus say that he is the way, the truth and the life. There is no other way than through him and there is no fuller life than with him and he is the truth.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, go to confession.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you are the way the truth and the life. Help us to live our lives in a way that reflects that. We love you Lord, Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father's house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way."
Thomas said to him,
"Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?"
Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him."
Philip said to him,
"Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us."
Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.
The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father."
–John 14:1-12
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear Jesus say that he is the way, the truth and the life. There is no other way than through him and there is no fuller life than with him and he is the truth.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, go to confession.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Jesus says to the disciples: “Do not let your heart be troubled”. Why do you think he says that?
- What does it mean when Jesus says he is the way, the truth and the life?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you are the way the truth and the life. Help us to live our lives in a way that reflects that. We love you Lord, Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAr ChAT! for the sixth Sunday of easter: May 14, 2023
Car Chat! for the Sixth Sunday of Easter: May 14, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus said to his disciples:
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him."
–John 14:15-21
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear that Jesus will send us an advocate. This advocate is the Holy Spirit, who will be with us for all time. The Gospel shows us the importance of the third person of the trinity: the Holy Spirit, who will be our guide and our defender.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, pray the Come Holy Spirit prayer which is the prayer at the end of this session.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth. Let us pray. O God, who have taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus said to his disciples:
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him."
–John 14:15-21
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear that Jesus will send us an advocate. This advocate is the Holy Spirit, who will be with us for all time. The Gospel shows us the importance of the third person of the trinity: the Holy Spirit, who will be our guide and our defender.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, pray the Come Holy Spirit prayer which is the prayer at the end of this session.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Why do you think Jesus sends us an “advocate”?
- How can we observe the commandments?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth. Let us pray. O God, who have taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Car Chat for the Ascension of Our Lord: May 21, 2023
Car Chat! for the Ascension: May 21, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
The eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
–Matthew 28:16-20
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear our call to make disciples of the nations. Today, in our diocese, we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension. The Ascension is when Jesus ascends into heaven. In order to continue the good work, he sends us the advocate, the Holy Spirit, which we heard about last week, and he calls us to make disciples of the nations…this is called the great commission, which is what each one of us is called to.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, spend time as a family thinking about how you can share about Jesus to others, then go do that.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you are always with us. Help us to share your love and life with others. We love you Jesus and we want everyone to know you.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
The eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
–Matthew 28:16-20
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear our call to make disciples of the nations. Today, in our diocese, we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension. The Ascension is when Jesus ascends into heaven. In order to continue the good work, he sends us the advocate, the Holy Spirit, which we heard about last week, and he calls us to make disciples of the nations…this is called the great commission, which is what each one of us is called to.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, spend time as a family thinking about how you can share about Jesus to others, then go do that.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- How can Jesus be with us always?
- What does it mean to make a disciple?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you are always with us. Help us to share your love and life with others. We love you Jesus and we want everyone to know you.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAR CHAT! for PENTECOST SUNDAY: MAY 26, 2023
Car Chat! for Pentecost Sunday: May 30, 2023
Please note that based on when you attend Mass, you may hear a different reading.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”
–John 20:19-23
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the story of Pentecost. Pentecost is often considered to be the birthday of the Church. As Jesus has now ascended into Heaven, Pentecost is when the Holy Spirit descends upon the apostles. It’s the start of the Church. It’s a fulfillment of Christ’s promise to send an advocate to help us be disciples.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, have some birthday cake to celebrate the Church.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Come Holy Spirit! Give us your peace and help us to be unafraid to share the good news of Jesus! We love you. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Please note that based on when you attend Mass, you may hear a different reading.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”
–John 20:19-23
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the story of Pentecost. Pentecost is often considered to be the birthday of the Church. As Jesus has now ascended into Heaven, Pentecost is when the Holy Spirit descends upon the apostles. It’s the start of the Church. It’s a fulfillment of Christ’s promise to send an advocate to help us be disciples.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, have some birthday cake to celebrate the Church.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Why do you think Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to the apostles?
- We hear “peace be with you” twice in this Gospel, why do you think that is the case? Why does the Holy Spirit bring peace?
- Would you have been afraid if you were an apostle in the upper room? How do you think the Holy Spirit helped the apostles overcome their fear?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Come Holy Spirit! Give us your peace and help us to be unafraid to share the good news of Jesus! We love you. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Car Chat! for Trinity Sunday: June 4, 2023
Car Chat! for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity: June 4, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
–John 3:16-18
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear a very famous passage of scripture. God so loves us that he sent his son to us to give us eternal life. Jesus is the second person of the Trinity, which we celebrate today on Trinity Sunday. God’s love calls us to believe in Him and respond in faith.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel,
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you offer us eternal life. Give us the strength to follow you and love you more each day. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
–John 3:16-18
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear a very famous passage of scripture. God so loves us that he sent his son to us to give us eternal life. Jesus is the second person of the Trinity, which we celebrate today on Trinity Sunday. God’s love calls us to believe in Him and respond in faith.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel,
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Why do you think God sends us his son?
- How does God save the world?
- In what ways do we know God loves us?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you offer us eternal life. Give us the strength to follow you and love you more each day. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAR CHAT! for the SOLMENITY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST: JUNE 11, 2023
Car Chat! for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ: June 11, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world."
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me
will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever."
–John 6:51-58
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear about the Bread of Life. This Sunday is called the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. This particular part of Scripture comes after the miracle in which Jesus multiplies the fish and the loaves. Jesus tells the crowd that he is speaking with that he is the bread of life. God has sent this new manna that will give eternal life to those who eat it. Today, we celebrate that we can have eternal life with God by partaking of the bread of life.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, participate in a Eucharistic procession.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you are the bread from life. Help us to know that and recognize you in the elements of the bread and wine. We love you Lord, Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world."
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me
will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever."
–John 6:51-58
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear about the Bread of Life. This Sunday is called the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. This particular part of Scripture comes after the miracle in which Jesus multiplies the fish and the loaves. Jesus tells the crowd that he is speaking with that he is the bread of life. God has sent this new manna that will give eternal life to those who eat it. Today, we celebrate that we can have eternal life with God by partaking of the bread of life.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, participate in a Eucharistic procession.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- What is bread from Heaven?
- What does it mean to have eternal life?
- Why do you think Jesus chose bread as opposed to other foods? What does it mean when Jesus says he is the living bread?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you are the bread from life. Help us to know that and recognize you in the elements of the bread and wine. We love you Lord, Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Car CHAT! FOR The eleventh SUNDAY of ORDINARY TIME: JUne 18, 2023
Car Chat! for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time : June 18, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”
Then he summoned his twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits
to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the twelve apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon from Cana, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus,
“Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”
–Matthew 9:36-10:8
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we see Jesus calling his apostles to go out and spread the good news to the world. Jesus’ heart is moved with pity when he sees the crowds. Jesus calls the apostles to work for him and to share the gospel with others.
In order to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, spend some time together as a family this week.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Holy Spirit, help us to be people who show our love for you by sharing you with others. Give us the strength to be laborers for the Lord and to give selflessly without counting the cost. We love you Lord! Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”
Then he summoned his twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits
to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the twelve apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon from Cana, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus,
“Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”
–Matthew 9:36-10:8
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we see Jesus calling his apostles to go out and spread the good news to the world. Jesus’ heart is moved with pity when he sees the crowds. Jesus calls the apostles to work for him and to share the gospel with others.
In order to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, spend some time together as a family this week.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- What do you think “laborers are few means”?
- How are we called to go and labor for the Lord?
- The gospel says, “Without cost you have received, without cost you are to give”. What does this mean? What are some things you have received without cost and what are some things you can give without cost?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Holy Spirit, help us to be people who show our love for you by sharing you with others. Give us the strength to be laborers for the Lord and to give selflessly without counting the cost. We love you Lord! Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAR CHAT! for the twelfth sunday of ordinary time: June 25, 2023
Car Chat! for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time : June 25, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus said to the Twelve:
"Fear no one.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father."
–Matthew 10:26-38
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, is a continuation of last week’s Gospel, where we hear the Lord encourage his disciples to go into the world and preach the Gospel. He knows that they will be met with resistance, but encourages them that God is with them always.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, think about some of the ways that the Lord has provided for you and share it with your family members.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you give us the strength to proclaim your gospel and to not be afraid. Help us to never be afraid of the things you ask of us. We love you Lord! Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus said to the Twelve:
"Fear no one.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father."
–Matthew 10:26-38
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, is a continuation of last week’s Gospel, where we hear the Lord encourage his disciples to go into the world and preach the Gospel. He knows that they will be met with resistance, but encourages them that God is with them always.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, think about some of the ways that the Lord has provided for you and share it with your family members.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- What is the Lord asking you to proclaim from the housetops?
- Often in Scripture, we hear do not be afraid. What are you afraid of this week? How can you allow the Lord to help you overcome that fear?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you give us the strength to proclaim your gospel and to not be afraid. Help us to never be afraid of the things you ask of us. We love you Lord! Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAr Chat! for the Thirteenth sunday of ordinary time: July 2, 2023
Car Chat! for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time : July 2, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus said to his apostles:
"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
"Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet's reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is a righteous man
will receive a righteous man's reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because the little one is a disciple--
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward."
–Matthew 10:37-42
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we see the cost of discipleship and the importance of hospitality. To welcome others in the name of Jesus allows us to welcome the Lord himself.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, think of the ways that you as a family can extend hospitality to others.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you give us the chance to bring your love to others. Help us to lay down our lives and lose them for another, so that we can lose them for you. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus said to his apostles:
"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
"Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet's reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is a righteous man
will receive a righteous man's reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because the little one is a disciple--
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward."
–Matthew 10:37-42
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we see the cost of discipleship and the importance of hospitality. To welcome others in the name of Jesus allows us to welcome the Lord himself.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, think of the ways that you as a family can extend hospitality to others.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- What does it mean for us to lose our life for the sake of others?
- What is discipleship?
- How can we extend hospitality to others?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you give us the chance to bring your love to others. Help us to lay down our lives and lose them for another, so that we can lose them for you. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Car Chat! for the Fourteenth SUNDAY of ordinarty time; july 9, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
At that time Jesus exclaimed:
"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to little ones.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
–Matthew 11:25-30
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear a very common line of Scripture: That God’s yoke is easy and his burden light, that we’ll find rest in Jesus. In this reading, we hear that while discipleship will cost us everything, there is great rest that can come upon us by following God with our whole heart.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, rest today and make it an actual sabbath.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, your yoke is easy and your burden light. Help us to be men and women who can find rest in you. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
At that time Jesus exclaimed:
"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to little ones.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
–Matthew 11:25-30
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear a very common line of Scripture: That God’s yoke is easy and his burden light, that we’ll find rest in Jesus. In this reading, we hear that while discipleship will cost us everything, there is great rest that can come upon us by following God with our whole heart.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, rest today and make it an actual sabbath.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- What does it mean to labor?
- How can we rest in the Lord?
- In what ways can a burden be light?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, your yoke is easy and your burden light. Help us to be men and women who can find rest in you. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAR CHAT! for the fifteenth sunday of Ordinary Time: july 16, 2023
Car Chat! for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time : July 16, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
"A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear."
The disciples approached him and said,
"Why do you speak to them in parables?"
He said to them in reply,
"Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted,
and I heal them.
"But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
"Hear then the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one
who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it,
and the evil one comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."
–Matthew 13:1-23
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear a parable about the sower and the seed and receiving the word with joy. Some people will hear the message of God and turn their back and others will follow the Lord.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, spend some time praying that your family will hear the Word of God and be brave enough to do what he asks.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, help us to always hear your word and receive it with joy! We love you Lord! Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
"A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear."
The disciples approached him and said,
"Why do you speak to them in parables?"
He said to them in reply,
"Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted,
and I heal them.
"But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
"Hear then the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one
who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it,
and the evil one comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."
–Matthew 13:1-23
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear a parable about the sower and the seed and receiving the word with joy. Some people will hear the message of God and turn their back and others will follow the Lord.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, spend some time praying that your family will hear the Word of God and be brave enough to do what he asks.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- How can you receive the word of God with joy?
- In what ways can we bear fruit for God?
- How can we be rich soil?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, help us to always hear your word and receive it with joy! We love you Lord! Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAr CHAT! for the sixteenth sunday of ordinary time: July 23, 2023
Car Chat! for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: July 23, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying:
"The kingdom of heaven may be likened
to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.
The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
Where have the weeds come from?'
He answered, 'An enemy has done this.'
His slaves said to him,
'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds
you might uproot the wheat along with them.
Let them grow together until harvest;
then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
"First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning;
but gather the wheat into my barn."'"
He proposed another parable to them.
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
that a person took and sowed in a field.
It is the smallest of all the seeds,
yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.
It becomes a large bush,
and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'"
He spoke to them another parable.
"The kingdom of heaven is like yeast
that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch was leavened."
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables.
He spoke to them only in parables,
to fulfill what had been said through the prophet:
I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.
Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house.
His disciples approached him and said,
"Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the evil one,
and the enemy who sows them is the devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear."
–Matthew 13:24-43
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear three different parables that are meant to teach us about the Kingdom of Heaven. While the Kingdom of Heaven starts on earth, it won’t be fully grasped until the second coming. We need to live our lives in a way that will allow us to be in heaven in our next life.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel,
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Holy Spirit, help us to seek out the Kingdom of Heaven in all that we do and say. Help us to be men and women who run after the heart of God. We love you Lord, Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying:
"The kingdom of heaven may be likened
to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.
The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
Where have the weeds come from?'
He answered, 'An enemy has done this.'
His slaves said to him,
'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds
you might uproot the wheat along with them.
Let them grow together until harvest;
then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
"First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning;
but gather the wheat into my barn."'"
He proposed another parable to them.
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
that a person took and sowed in a field.
It is the smallest of all the seeds,
yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.
It becomes a large bush,
and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'"
He spoke to them another parable.
"The kingdom of heaven is like yeast
that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch was leavened."
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables.
He spoke to them only in parables,
to fulfill what had been said through the prophet:
I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.
Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house.
His disciples approached him and said,
"Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the evil one,
and the enemy who sows them is the devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear."
–Matthew 13:24-43
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear three different parables that are meant to teach us about the Kingdom of Heaven. While the Kingdom of Heaven starts on earth, it won’t be fully grasped until the second coming. We need to live our lives in a way that will allow us to be in heaven in our next life.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel,
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- What is yeast and what does it to bread?
- Why is Jesus comparing the Kingdom of Heaven to yeast?
- How can we hear what Jesus has to say to us?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Holy Spirit, help us to seek out the Kingdom of Heaven in all that we do and say. Help us to be men and women who run after the heart of God. We love you Lord, Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAR CHAT! for the seventeenth sunday of ordinary time: july 30, 2023
Car Chat! for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: July 30, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus said to his disciples:
"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
"Do you understand all these things?"
They answered, "Yes."
And he replied,
"Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household
who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old."
–Matthew 13:44-52
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear several examples of what the kingdom of heaven will be like. One is about a merchant who finds a pearl of great price. The merchant is willing to sell everything he has to purchase this pearl. We are called to be people who sell everything, who give everything so that we can be with the Lord for eternity.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, spend some extra time in prayer as a family this week.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, we long to be with you in eternity. Help us to be men and women who run after your heart. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus said to his disciples:
"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
"Do you understand all these things?"
They answered, "Yes."
And he replied,
"Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household
who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old."
–Matthew 13:44-52
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear several examples of what the kingdom of heaven will be like. One is about a merchant who finds a pearl of great price. The merchant is willing to sell everything he has to purchase this pearl. We are called to be people who sell everything, who give everything so that we can be with the Lord for eternity.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, spend some extra time in prayer as a family this week.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Why do you think the merchant sold all he had for a pearl of great price?
- How can we live our lives in a way that shows that we want to be with the Lord forever?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, we long to be with you in eternity. Help us to be men and women who run after your heart. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Car Chat! for the FEAST of the TRANSFIGURATION: August 6, 2023
Car Chat! for the Feast of the Transfiguration: August 6, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John,
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,
then from the cloud came a voice that said,
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him."
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
"Rise, and do not be afraid."
And when the disciples raised their eyes,
they saw no one else but Jesus alone.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them,
"Do not tell the vision to anyone
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
–Matthew 17:1-9
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the gospel reading of the Transfiguration. The definition of transfiguration is to have a complete change of form or appearance to a more beautiful state. Here, Jesus is transfigured in front of Peter James and John and Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus. The Lord tells Peter to not be afraid. It’s our call to be unafraid to go and share the Gospel.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, spend some time in adoration as a family.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you desire that we never be afraid of sharing your goodness with others. Help us to be ready whenever we are asked about our love for you. We love you, Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John,
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,
then from the cloud came a voice that said,
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him."
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
"Rise, and do not be afraid."
And when the disciples raised their eyes,
they saw no one else but Jesus alone.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them,
"Do not tell the vision to anyone
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
–Matthew 17:1-9
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the gospel reading of the Transfiguration. The definition of transfiguration is to have a complete change of form or appearance to a more beautiful state. Here, Jesus is transfigured in front of Peter James and John and Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus. The Lord tells Peter to not be afraid. It’s our call to be unafraid to go and share the Gospel.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, spend some time in adoration as a family.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Why do you think Jesus did not want Peter, James and John to say what had happened?
- Often, in Scripture, we are told to not be afraid? Why do you think that Jesus said this?
- Do you want to be a disciple? What do you think that means?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
Sweet Jesus, you desire that we never be afraid of sharing your goodness with others. Help us to be ready whenever we are asked about our love for you. We love you, Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Car Chat! for the nineteenth sunday of ordinary time: august 13, 2023
Car Chat! for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: August 13, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
"It is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
Peter said to him in reply,
"Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."
He said, "Come."
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,
and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
"Truly, you are the Son of God."
–Matthew 14:22-33
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the parable of Jesus walking on water and calling Peter to do the same. The disciples believe they have seen a ghost, but in fact they have seen Jesus. Today’s parable teaches us to trust that Jesus is enough and that he will give us the strength we need and the ability to not be afraid.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, ask the Lord to help you trust Him more daily.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
God Our Father, give us the strength to be unafraid and to love you and truly you more deeply every day. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
"It is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
Peter said to him in reply,
"Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."
He said, "Come."
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,
and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
"Truly, you are the Son of God."
–Matthew 14:22-33
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the parable of Jesus walking on water and calling Peter to do the same. The disciples believe they have seen a ghost, but in fact they have seen Jesus. Today’s parable teaches us to trust that Jesus is enough and that he will give us the strength we need and the ability to not be afraid.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, ask the Lord to help you trust Him more daily.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Why does Jesus almost always say, “do not be afraid” when he is greeting people?
- Why do you think the disciples thought Jesus was a ghost?
- Would you be scared if Jesus asked you to walk on water? Why or why not?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
God Our Father, give us the strength to be unafraid and to love you and truly you more deeply every day. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Car Chat! for the twentieth Sunday of Ordinary time: August 20, 2023
Car Chat! for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time: August 20, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
"Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon."
But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.
Jesus' disciples came and asked him,
"Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us."
He said in reply,
"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, "Lord, help me."
He said in reply,
"It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs."
She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters."
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
"O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish."
And the woman's daughter was healed from that hour.
–Matthew 15:21-28
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear of a Canaanite woman asking Jesus to heal her daughter. At first, Jesus ignores her, which feels very unlike Jesus, but he eventually sees how great her faith is that he would heal her daughter.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, pray that the Lord heal whatever is broken within your family.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Sweet Jesus, you hear the deepest needs of our hearts. Help us to love you more daily and to be able to have the faith to trust that you will heal us. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
"Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon."
But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.
Jesus' disciples came and asked him,
"Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us."
He said in reply,
"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, "Lord, help me."
He said in reply,
"It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs."
She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters."
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
"O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish."
And the woman's daughter was healed from that hour.
–Matthew 15:21-28
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear of a Canaanite woman asking Jesus to heal her daughter. At first, Jesus ignores her, which feels very unlike Jesus, but he eventually sees how great her faith is that he would heal her daughter.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, pray that the Lord heal whatever is broken within your family.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Why do you think the Canaanite women was persistent in asking Jesus to heal her daughter?
- Do you feel like your faith would save you?
- How has God shown you his faithfulness lately?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Sweet Jesus, you hear the deepest needs of our hearts. Help us to love you more daily and to be able to have the faith to trust that you will heal us. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAR CHat! for the twenty First sunday of ordinary time: august 27, 2023
Car Chat! for the Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time: August 27, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and
he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Then he strictly ordered his disciples
to tell no one that he was the Christ.
–Matthew 16:13-20
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the story of Jesus asking his disciples who people say he is. In it, we see that Simon Peter calls him the Christ and Simon Peter is in turn made the First pope. He is the rock upon which the Church will be built. The gospel asks the important question of who people think Jesus is and who he is to each one of us.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, think about your relationship with Jesus and ways that it can be improved and then do those things.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Sweet Jesus, you are the Christ! Help us to always proclaim that with our words and our deeds. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and
he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Then he strictly ordered his disciples
to tell no one that he was the Christ.
–Matthew 16:13-20
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear the story of Jesus asking his disciples who people say he is. In it, we see that Simon Peter calls him the Christ and Simon Peter is in turn made the First pope. He is the rock upon which the Church will be built. The gospel asks the important question of who people think Jesus is and who he is to each one of us.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, think about your relationship with Jesus and ways that it can be improved and then do those things.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Who do you say Jesus is?
- Why do you think Jesus changes Simon’s name from Simon Petet to just Peter?
- How can we build up Christ’s Church as a family?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Sweet Jesus, you are the Christ! Help us to always proclaim that with our words and our deeds. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAr Chat! for the twenty Third Sunday of ordinary time: september 3, 2023
Car Chat! for the Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time: September 3, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
"God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you."
He turned and said to Peter,
"Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory,
and then he will repay all according to his conduct."
–Matthew 16:21-27
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear a continuation of last week’s Gospel where Jesus calls Peter the rock. He explains to his disciples that he must suffer and die and Peter along with the other disciples didn’t understand this completely. In the Gospel, we see a call to follow Jesus, even when it’s hard.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, pray in front of a crucifix.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Sweet Jesus, you give us the chance to take up our cross and follow you. Give us the courage to carry our crosses well and to know that they are always perfectly fashioned for us. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
"God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you."
He turned and said to Peter,
"Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory,
and then he will repay all according to his conduct."
–Matthew 16:21-27
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear a continuation of last week’s Gospel where Jesus calls Peter the rock. He explains to his disciples that he must suffer and die and Peter along with the other disciples didn’t understand this completely. In the Gospel, we see a call to follow Jesus, even when it’s hard.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, pray in front of a crucifix.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- What does it mean to take up your cross?
- What are some of the crosses the Lord wants you to take up this week?
- How can we better follow Jesus?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Sweet Jesus, you give us the chance to take up our cross and follow you. Give us the courage to carry our crosses well and to know that they are always perfectly fashioned for us. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAR CHAT! FOR THE TWENTY THIRD SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME: september 10, 2023
Car Chat! for the Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time: September 10, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus said to his disciples:
"If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that 'every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.'
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.
If he refuses to listen even to the church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you,
if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them."
–Matthew 18:15-20
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear about how members of our community whoare in conflict should deal with one another. Jesus is always in our midst even when we disagree.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, spend some time praying for someone you’re in conflict with.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Sweet Jesus, you help us to not be in conflict with one another and you teach us how to love. Give us the ability to love those you put in our lives with an undivided heart. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus said to his disciples:
"If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that 'every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.'
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.
If he refuses to listen even to the church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you,
if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them."
–Matthew 18:15-20
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear about how members of our community whoare in conflict should deal with one another. Jesus is always in our midst even when we disagree.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, spend some time praying for someone you’re in conflict with.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- What things do we need to let go of to be closer to Jesus?
- What does it mean when Jesus says “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them?
- Does your family come together to pray as a family? How can you do that this week?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Sweet Jesus, you help us to not be in conflict with one another and you teach us how to love. Give us the ability to love those you put in our lives with an undivided heart. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAR CHAT! FOR THE twenty fifth Sunday of ordinary time: september 15, 2023
Car Chat! for the Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time: September 17, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
"Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive?
As many as seven times?"
Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.'
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
'Pay back what you owe.'
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
But he refused.
Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?'
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart."
–Matthew 18:21-35
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear more about forgiveness and the depths of God’s mercy. When tested, Jesus responds that forgiveness should not be quantified and that while we are extended forgiveness from God, we need to extend that to others.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, go to confession together as a family.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
God, Our Father, you extend mercy to us generously. Please give us the strength to forgive others when they have wronged us and never count the cost. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
"Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive?
As many as seven times?"
Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.'
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
'Pay back what you owe.'
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
But he refused.
Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?'
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart."
–Matthew 18:21-35
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear more about forgiveness and the depths of God’s mercy. When tested, Jesus responds that forgiveness should not be quantified and that while we are extended forgiveness from God, we need to extend that to others.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, go to confession together as a family.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Who do you think is hardest to forgive? Why?
- Is there someone that you need to seek forgiveness from?
- In what ways have you been extended mercy?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
God, Our Father, you extend mercy to us generously. Please give us the strength to forgive others when they have wronged us and never count the cost. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAR CHAT! for the Twenty FIfth Sunday of ordinary time: september 24, 2023
Car Chat! for the Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time: September 24, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o'clock,
the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.'
So they went off.
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o'clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o'clock,
the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,
'Why do you stand here idle all day?'
They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.'
He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.'
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
'Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.'
When those who had started about five o'clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
'These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day's burden and the heat.'
He said to one of them in reply,
'My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?'
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."
–Matthew 20:1-16 a
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear a familiar parable. This parable teaches us about God’s mercy. Although God owes us nothing he is abundant in his mercy towards us. Each worker got their due and others got more. Each of us is owed nothing, but the Lord continues to offer his blessings and mercy to us.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, seek forgiveness from someone you have wronged.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Park and Pray:
God Our Father, You are abundant in your mercy towards us. Help us extend mercy towards others. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o'clock,
the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.'
So they went off.
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o'clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o'clock,
the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,
'Why do you stand here idle all day?'
They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.'
He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.'
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
'Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.'
When those who had started about five o'clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
'These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day's burden and the heat.'
He said to one of them in reply,
'My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?'
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."
–Matthew 20:1-16 a
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear a familiar parable. This parable teaches us about God’s mercy. Although God owes us nothing he is abundant in his mercy towards us. Each worker got their due and others got more. Each of us is owed nothing, but the Lord continues to offer his blessings and mercy to us.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, seek forgiveness from someone you have wronged.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- What does it mean that the last will be first and the first will be last?
- In what ways have we seen God’s mercy in our own lives?
- How do we need to be merciful to others this week?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Park and Pray:
God Our Father, You are abundant in your mercy towards us. Help us extend mercy towards others. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
CAR CHAT! FOR THE the TWENTY SIXTH SUNDAY Of ordinary time: October 1, 2023
Car Chat! for the Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time: October 1, 2023
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:
"What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'
He said in reply, 'I will not,'
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, 'Yes, sir, 'but did not go.
Which of the two did his father's will?"
They answered, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him."
–Matthew 21:28-32
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear a parable about two sons. One who says yes, but then does not serve his father and the other who says no, but then does serve his father. Sometimes our words say one thing, but our actions say another. Today’s Gospel shows us the importance of our actions and our words matching.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, think about how your yes can mean yes and your no can mean no.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
Sweet Jesus, give us the chance to love with our words and our actions today. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Gospel Reading for the Week:
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:
"What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'
He said in reply, 'I will not,'
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, 'Yes, sir, 'but did not go.
Which of the two did his father's will?"
They answered, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him."
–Matthew 21:28-32
Into the Deep: (Going deeper into the reading)
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear a parable about two sons. One who says yes, but then does not serve his father and the other who says no, but then does serve his father. Sometimes our words say one thing, but our actions say another. Today’s Gospel shows us the importance of our actions and our words matching.
As a way to go deeper into this Sunday’s Gospel, think about how your yes can mean yes and your no can mean no.
Car Ride Questions:
(Allow your child or teen to pick questions)
- Why do you think the first son said no, but then went to the vineyard to work?
- In what ways is God calling us to have our actions mean what we say?
- How can we say yes to something today and mean it?
- How can we pray for each other as a family this week?
Sweet Jesus, give us the chance to love with our words and our actions today. We love you Lord. Amen.
We here at Car Chat! are firm believers in your safety. Please only use Car Chat! while your vehicle is parked or when there are others in the car with you to read through it. Please drive responsibly. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. © Car Chat! LLC. All Rights Reserved.