Children's Liturgy Guide

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year A · Ordinary Time

Jesus Feeds the Crowd

Reading: Matthew 14:13-21

Leader Prep

Don't worry about doing this perfectly. If the children hear one good idea about God, Jesus, prayer, kindness, forgiveness, or the Gospel, this time has been worthwhile.

Summary

Jesus was with a huge crowd of people who were hungry and far from home. Even though the disciples only had five loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus blessed the food and it fed everyone, with baskets left over.

Key Points

  • Jesus cares about people's needs, including when they are hungry
  • The disciples brought what little they had to Jesus, and He made it enough
  • God can do amazing things when we offer Him what we have
  • Over 5,000 people were fed from just five loaves and two fish

Background

This miracle account emphasizes Jesus' divine compassion and power over nature. The multiplication of loaves foreshadows the Eucharist, where Christ continues to feed His people with His own Body. The disciples' initial response to send the crowds away contrasts with Jesus' command to give them food themselves, highlighting that we are called to participate in God's care for others. For children, emphasize that Jesus cares when people are hungry and that bringing our small gifts to Jesus allows Him to do big things. Set aside deeper Eucharistic typology and the theological significance of twelve baskets (representing the twelve tribes of Israel).

Session Flow

Opening Prayer

Invite the children to pray with you, then read the opening prayer below. If many don't know the sign of the cross, teach the whole group.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Thank you, Jesus, for always taking care of us and giving us what we need. Help us to share what we have with others, just like you shared with the big crowd. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Warm-up

Ask the warm-up question before the reading. There are no wrong answers; this is just to help the children connect today's reading to their own lives.

Have you ever shared something you had, even when you did not have very much of it?

Example: One time at lunch I only had a few crackers left but my friend forgot her snack so I gave her some of mine even though I wanted them.

Bridge to the reading: That was kind of you to share even when you did not have much. In today's reading, we will hear about a time when there was only a tiny bit of food for thousands of hungry people, and Jesus did something amazing with it.

Read the Scripture

Read the day's selected passage aloud. The full Scripture text is not included here. Use a Children's Lectionary if your parish has one available. A children's Bible may also be helpful for younger children. Otherwise, read from a standard lectionary, Bible, or USCCB.org. Read slowly, with short pauses.

Reading Questions

Ask the questions conversationally. You do not need to use every question if time is short. The example answers are for leader preparation, not scripts or required answers.

  1. Where was Jesus, and who was with Him?

    Example: Jesus was in a place away from town, and there were lots and lots of people with Him, like thousands of people all together.

  2. What did the disciples want Jesus to do when it got late?

    Example: The disciples wanted Jesus to send all the people away so they could go find food in the villages nearby.

  3. What food did they have to share with the big crowd?

    Example: They only had five loaves of bread and two fish, which is not very much food at all for so many people.

  4. What happened after Jesus blessed the food and broke it?

    Example: Everyone got to eat as much as they wanted until they were full, and there were still twelve baskets of leftovers.

Application Questions

Use these questions to help the children connect the reading to their own lives this week. Simple, concrete answers are best.

  1. How do you think the little boy who had the bread and fish felt when he gave it to Jesus?

    Example: Maybe he felt a little scared because it was his food, but also happy to help Jesus and the people who were hungry.

  2. What is something small you have that you could share with someone in your family this week?

    Example: I could share some of my toys with my little sister or give my mom a hug when she looks tired from working.

  3. When you only have a little bit of something, how can you remember that Jesus can do big things with it?

    Example: I can say a little prayer and ask Jesus to help me share, and remember how He fed all those people with just a little bit of food.

Recap

Today we heard how Jesus fed more than 5,000 hungry people with only five loaves of bread and two fish. The disciples did not think it was enough, but when they brought it to Jesus and He blessed it, there was plenty for everyone. Jesus can do amazing things when we bring Him what we have, even if it seems small.

Prayer of the Faithful

Before returning to the assembly, invite the children to share their own prayer intentions. Their prayers may be serious, simple, funny, or very specific. After each child's prayer, the group may respond: "Lord, hear our prayer." Lastly, include the suggested prayer below.

For children around the world who are hungry and need food, that they may receive what they need, we pray to the Lord.

Mass Connection

If time allows, point out this connection just before returning to Mass. This helps children see that Children's Liturgy is still part of the Mass.

When the priest lifts up the bread and wine at the altar and says the blessing, it echoes Jesus blessing the five loaves and two fish before feeding the crowd.

Closing Prayer

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear Jesus, thank you for showing us that you care about hungry people and that you can do amazing things. Help us to share what we have with others this week, even when it feels like we do not have very much. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

ChildrensLiturgy.org

Jesus Feeds the Crowd

Matthew 14:13-21

Word Search

Optional activity: use the word search after the discussion if you have time, or send it home with the children. The words relate to today's Children's Liturgy Scripture passage.

U L J Y E E I N Q I V L S S S
I H A D R X Y H N J M F T U W
R K E A L M V U I O F E K D J
E Q H T T H J W A I K N A F G
A S Z J N Y X N S S V A H X H
X B W E D S H H A G B I L E W
S P S S O N U B K C X P T D H
N L E U B I N Q F J Q S K A U
G N L S L W G P R P P E I E J
D A P J E C R Q Y N L V S R R
H L I I S R Y P B U I A Q B I
R X C Y S O W G N V H O U N U
T A S Z I W D P V Z Z L H O R
K Q I N N D M X L D Y R Y E F
Z U D X G E A D E L C A R I M

Words to find

  • Jesus
  • bread
  • fish
  • hungry
  • crowd
  • loaves
  • blessing
  • baskets
  • disciples
  • share
  • miracle

ChildrensLiturgy.org