Children's Liturgy Series: Feast of the most holy Body and Blood of Jesus (A)

in today's Gospel, Jesus teaches us about how, like the manna in the desert back in the book of Exodus, He is the living bread from Heaven. Those who eat His Flesh and drink His Blood will have eternal life.

Father in Heaven, we praise and glorify you. We thank you for bringing us together for this Children's Liturgy lesson.  Please send us the Holy Spirit so that we may have the wisdom to understand the lesson you have for us today. Help us to appreciate the special gift you have given us, the bread of life, that we receive in the Eucharist, at mass. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

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."

Invite the group to identify as many different types of bread as they can. (white bread, wheat bread, bagels, English muffins, pita, tortilla, and so on)

Ask the group: Why do we eat bread? What does bread do for us? (Bread is nourishing. Bread sustains us. Eating bread satisfies our hunger.)

Say: Bread is a staple of our diet today, as it was for the people of Jesus’ time. In order to understand the Gospel that we will hear today, we must know a little bit about the story that precedes it. A crowd of people had gathered to hear Jesus. Jesus had blessed five barley loaves and two fish, and there was enough to feed over five thousand people. Many people came to believe that Jesus came from God because of this miracle. The next day the crowd continued to follow Jesus, and many wanted to see him perform another miracle. Jesus talks with them about the miracle, the sign, he had performed. Many people who heard him were not sure how to receive his words.

Ask: What kind of bread does Jesus say he will give? (living bread) Where does this living bread come from? (from heaven) What will this bread do for those who eat it? (It will bring them eternal life. Jesus will come to live in those who eat this bread.) What else does Jesus say about this bread? (Jesus says that this living bread is his flesh for the life of the world.) What do you think Jesus is talking about? (Eucharist)

Say: In today’s reading, Jesus is telling us about the special gift he gives us in the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, the bread and the wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. When we share in the Eucharist, Jesus is present to us, and through our communion we will share eternal life.

Conclude in prayer together, thanking God for the gift of the Eucharist. Pray together the Lord’s Prayer.

Father in Heaven, thank you for teaching us about the Bread of Life.  Help us to have a continuous desire to receive you in the Eucharist each Sunday as you have asked us to. Help us to realize how going to mass and receiving the Eucharist is the greatest gift we can give back to You. Please bless each one of here today and help us to have the courage to share this message with our friends and family around us. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.