3rd Week of Easter, Thursday

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

"I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. 
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; 
and the bread that I shall give 
is my flesh, for the life of the world."

(From the Gospel) 

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

The other day we talked Jesus being the bread of life. In today's Gospel Jesus tells us more about this.

He says, "I am the living bread which has come down from heaven." Jesus came down from Heaven.

"Anyone who eats this bread will live forever" - what do you think Jesus is saying here?

Do you think He's saying that whoever eats Him will live forever? How can we eat Him?

Then He says, "the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world."

It really does sound like He wants us to eat His flesh, doesn't it? But how can we do that? Do you know?

At Mass, something amazing happens. The priest says some special words, called the Words of Consecration (can you say "Words of Consecration"?), and God uses those words to change the bread into Jesus' Body, and the wine into Jesus' Blood. It still looks like bread and wine, but it is now truly the Body and Blood of Jesus.

This amazing change is called Transubstantiation. (Can you say "Transubstantiation"?) 

Can you see how Jesus can give us His Body, over and over, and it never runs out? How we can eat His flesh, without having to eat flesh?

He gave this wonderful give of Transubstantiation to His disciples, and now any priest, when he says those special Words of Consecration, can make ordinary bread into Jesus' Body and ordinary wine into Jesus' Blood. 

Jesus wanted to stay with us so much that He made sure we would always be able to have Him with us, in the Mass and in the tabernacle. 

What a great love He must have, to go to so much trouble for us!

Thank you, Jesus, for loving us so much. Thank you for giving us Your Body to eat so that we may have eternal life, life with You forever.

(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."