Children's Liturgy Series: 6th Sunday of Easter

In today's Gospel, Jesus teaches us that He will always be with us through the Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit will remind us of Jesus' teachings.

Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts and our minds. Fill us with your peace, love, and understanding. Help us to hear God's message today and recognize His voice in our daily activities. Amen

Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. “I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe.”

Activity: Ask for 2 volunteers.  One will be blindfolded, the other will give directions on how many steps to take to get to the chair that represent God.

Ask if any of the children have gone on a trip that included a tour guide (for example: to a museum, a national park, or a foreign country). Invite volunteers to share their experiences.

Ask: Why is it helpful to have a tour guide? (to help us understand what we are seeing and to guide us along the way)

Say: Jesus knew that we are in need of guidance in our lives, so he promised to send his Holy Spirit.

Ask: What title does Jesus use when referring to his Holy Spirit? (Advocate)

Explain that an advocate is a helper. Say: Jesus gives us his Holy Spirit to be our advocate—our guide—so that we do not get lost on our journey to heaven.

Tell the children that we can benefit from the guidance of the Holy Spirit through prayer. Encourage them to pray often to the Holy Spirit for help and guidance.

Conclude by praying together the Prayer to the Holy Spirit.

Father in heaven, for the sake of bringing others closer to you, we give you today, all that we think and do and say, and we join it with all that was done by Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen