8th Week of Ordinary Time, Friday (Cycle II)

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

"My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples"

(From the Gospel)

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

Do you know what God's house is?

Each church is God's house.

A church is a very special place to pray - the best place. It can be hard to get to a church to pray, but if you have the chance, it is a wonderful thing to do.

Do you know why the church is such a good place to pray?

God is everywhere, but He is in a church in a very special way - He is physically present in the tabernacle, in the Bread. This is why it is so wonderful to be able to pray in a church - it is the place where we can be closest to God.

Sometimes when we go to church there are lots of people talking to each other and ignoring Jesus. It can be hard not to talk to friends and family, but we can talk to them outside, after Mass. When we are in the church it would be a pity to waste the chance to talk to Jesus, who is waiting patiently for us in the tabernacle. We could even remind the people that are ignoring Him that He would be so happy if they gave Him their attention.

We can say simple things, like "thank you for waiting for me in the tabernacle", "thank you for Your great love", "I love You", "You are so wonderful", "You love me so much". Or whatever else is in our hearts.

What a great gift, to be able to talk to God in this way.

Thank you, Jesus, for being there in every tabernacle, waiting for us to talk to You and show our love for You. Thank you for loving us so much.

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."