5th Week of Lent, Thursday

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"I tell you most solemnly,
before Abraham ever was,
I Am."

(From the Gospel)


(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

You might have heard the name Abraham, at Mass, or in a Bible story. Do you know who he was? 

Abraham was someone whom God loved very much. God made a special agreement with him, called a covenant, that Abraham would be the father of many, many people, and God would be their God forever. This made him very important to the Jews, Jesus' people: Abraham was their father, so God was their God.

Jesus said to the Jews: "before Abraham ever was, I Am."

This can be hard to understand. I wonder what it means?

"I Am." What does "I am" mean? (They might say "I am N.)

"I am" can tell us about someone. It can tell us who they are. It also tells us that that is what they are now. Not "I was" or "I will be" - but "I am", now, in this moment.

Jesus said, "before Abraham ever was, I am". That's a strange thing to say. What could He be trying to tell us?

"I am" means now. Before Abraham ever lived, Jesus "is". (It's complex both grammatically and theologically - again, it doesn't matter if they don't understand; we just want them to be thinking about these ideas. Jesus is talking about being an eternal Present, Now, without beginning or end, thus equating himself with God.)

Jesus is, always. Let's think about this for a few moments.


Thank you, Jesus, for telling us who You are.

(Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."