(Adults, you could begin by reading the Gospel aloud to the child. Alternatively, you could read the first paragraph of the reflection to the child, then read the Gospel, and then continue with the reflection.)
Now, after so much celebrating, the great feast of Easter is over. For so long, we celebrated the great things that our God can do. We celebrated God raising Jesus from the dead. We celebrated God filling Jesus with new Risen life so that he can never die again. We celebrated Jesus returning to God in heaven. We celebrated Jesus sending his Holy Spirit at Pentecost so that we are never alone. So many marvellous things we have seen God do! It makes us wonder, just who are you, God? In the Gospel for this Sunday, the disciples wonder about this, too. It is the moment just before Jesus returns to God in heaven.
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him
Worship means to show how much you love God. The disciples know that even though Jesus is human like them, Jesus is God. How do they show how much they love him? How do they worship? Perhaps they kneel down. Perhaps they make themselves small, because they know God is so big.
Jesus tells the disciples,
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
He wants them to baptize people. How many people? Jesus says, "all nations." That means, all the people! No wonder our parents bring us to be baptized! Jesus wants this! He wants all the people together. We know the Holy Spirit brings people together, don't we? We saw this at Pentecost.
When we are baptized and the water filled with the Holy Spirit is poured over our heads, these are the words that are spoken:
"I baptize you in the name of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit."
These are the same words that Jesus says! We are baptized into all of God.
This is how Jesus teaches us to know God. By God's name. God's name is One. One long name: the name of "the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." It sounds like three names, but Jesus says it is the "name." God is One.
This is a mystery we can think about. It is a mystery that confuses the disciples. They wonder, who are you, God? So Jesus tells them:
remember, I am with you always
This is who God is. God is with us always. We are never alone.
Jesus says, remember. Remember that God is with us always. How can we remember this? We can make the sign of the cross.
The cross is Jesus' sign. When we make his sign we say those same words:
In the name of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
When we make the sign of the cross over our body we cover ourselves with God.
We cover ourselves with God just like at our Baptism. We remember we are all together with God.
We cover ourselves with God and we remember what Jesus tells us. God is with us always.