Children's Liturgy Guide

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year B · Ordinary Time

Jesus Feeds the Crowd

Reading: John 6:1-15

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

A big crowd followed Jesus, and they were very hungry. A boy shared his small lunch of five loaves of bread and two fish, and Jesus used it to feed thousands of people with food left over.

Key Points

  • Jesus cares about our everyday needs, including when we are hungry
  • A child's small offering became something amazing in Jesus' hands
  • Jesus can do wonderful things with whatever we give him, no matter how small
  • The miracle showed the people that Jesus came from God

Background

This Gospel begins the 'Bread of Life' discourse in John's Gospel, which spans several weeks. The multiplication of loaves echoes Old Testament miracles (Elisha in today's First Reading, manna in Exodus) and prefigures the Eucharist. The crowd's desire to make Jesus king reflects a misunderstanding of his mission: they wanted an earthly provider, but Jesus came to offer himself as the Bread of Life. Andrew's question, 'What good are these for so many?' highlights human inadequacy contrasted with divine abundance. For children, emphasize that Jesus can take something small that we offer and do amazing things with it. Set aside the Eucharistic theology and the crowd's misguided desire to make Jesus king, as these are too abstract for this age group.

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. Dear Jesus, thank you for caring about us and for always giving us what we need. Help us to share what we have with others, even when it seems small. 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 had something small, like a little bit of a snack, and you wondered if it would be enough to share with everyone?

Example: One time I had just a few crackers in my lunchbox and my friend forgot her snack, so I was not sure if I had enough for both of us.

Bridge to the reading: Sometimes we wonder if what we have is enough. In today's reading, we will hear about a boy who had a very small lunch, and what happened when he gave it to Jesus.

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. How many people had followed Jesus and needed something to eat?

    Example: There were about five thousand people who had followed Jesus and they were all hungry and needed food.

  2. What did the boy have in his lunch that he shared?

    Example: The boy had five small loaves of bread and two fish in his lunch that he shared with Jesus.

  3. What did Jesus do before he gave out the food to everyone?

    Example: Jesus took the bread and gave thanks to God before he started giving the food to all the people.

  4. Why do you think Jesus was able to feed everyone with just a little boy's lunch?

    Example: Jesus was able to do this because he is the Son of God and he can do amazing things that we cannot do by ourselves.

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 boy felt when he saw Jesus feed everyone with his small lunch?

    Example: I think the boy felt really surprised and happy because his little lunch helped so many people and he got to see something amazing.

  2. What is something small you could share with someone at home or at school?

    Example: I could share some of my crayons with my sister when she wants to color, or give some of my snack to a friend.

  3. This week, how could you give something you have to help someone, even if it seems small?

    Example: I could help my mom carry the groceries even though I can only carry one bag, or I could share my toys with my little brother.

Recap

Today we heard how Jesus fed thousands of hungry people using just one boy's small lunch of five loaves and two fish. The boy shared what he had, and Jesus turned it into enough food for everyone, with baskets left over. Jesus can do wonderful things with whatever we share, no matter how small it seems.

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 who do not have enough food to eat today, that they may be cared for and fed, 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 prepares the bread and wine at the altar, we bring forward simple gifts. Just like the boy's small lunch, these ordinary things become something wonderful in God's hands.

Closing Prayer

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Thank you, Jesus, for showing us that you can do amazing things with our small gifts. Help us to share what we have this week, trusting that you will use it to help others. 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

John 6:1-15

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.

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

Words to find

  • Jesus
  • bread
  • fish
  • share
  • crowd
  • boy
  • loaves
  • hungry
  • basket
  • thanks
  • miracle
  • give

ChildrensLiturgy.org