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Mike Shaw wrote:

Hi guys!

I am so glad that I have found your site.

I live in the USA and I attend Mass at St. Mary's in Lyndon Station, Wisconsin in the diocese of LaCrosse. I am 42 and a convert from the Methodist Church. Though I was not a member at the time, my wife and I got married in the Church. We bring our four-year-old and our two-year-old (girls) to Mass with us.

Today at Mass, my daughter who turned four in October said,

"We can't eat Jesus and drink his blood because he is dead. We can't do that.
This is naughty! Why do we do that?"

  • Well, how do we address this issue?

Both are very interested, and the four year old is becoming increasingly so. We did not know how to explain this to a four year old in a way she would understand it. We tried explaining it to her as if she was much older, but that didn't work.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you and God Bless!

Mike Shaw
Reedsburg, Wisconsin

  { How do I explain to my 4-year-old daughter that we are not eating a dead Jesus? }

Bob replied:

Dear Mike,

Out of the mouths of babes . . .

You can simply say that we aren't eating a dead Jesus because Jesus isn't dead. If Jesus were dead, then your child would be right. Jesus is alive in Heaven and when he wants to come to us He comes as Bread so that he can nourish our bodies and our souls.

You can add as their understanding grows that a long time ago some people thought that Christians were eating a dead Jesus and they called them cannibals. The Romans thought this, because they knew Christians professed to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Saviour.

They misunderstood because they didn't know that Jesus is alive.

There is a lot more, but that might help for now.

Peace,

Bob Kirby

Mike replied:

Thank you so much Bob.

That was a great answer and one that she understood. Don't know why we couldn't answer that one.

I appreciate it very much.

Mike

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