This post is again taken from DoubleClose: The Young Child's Knowledge of God by Catherine Maresca. Please feel free to add you own reflections/thoughts.
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After coming home from church, Kevin, age four, sang this line again and again: "Thank you, Lord Jesus. He laid down his life for the sheep."
Theological Reflection
A gift as priceless as one's life is breathtaking. As we mature, layers of meaning and detail are added to our understanding of the crucifixion. Our response may be a mixture of horror, guilt, and indebtedness along with gratitude and love. Jesus does not want us to be horrified. He gave us a celebratory meal as the way of remembering the gift of his life. He does not want us to be guilty. He said to his followers, "No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down on my own" (John 10:18). And he does not want us to be indebted. He laid down his life to free us from evil, not to enslave us in debt. The breathtaking gift of Jesus' life is a free gift, so that we "may have life, and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). And so, we can rejoice with Kevin and sing from our hearts, "Thank you Lord Jesus. He laid down his life for the sheep."
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As we celebrate Holy Thursday I'm reminded by this child that we receive two gifts: the gift of Jesus' life in his Death and Resurrection and the means to receive and celebrate that life through the bread and wine of Eucharist. What is left for us to do? Receive, join the children in giving thanks, and offer our own lives with him.
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