Come to Jesus
A page from Faith Stories. Faith Stories is an independent Catholic family project. It is not an official Church publication. Scripture references are to the RSV-CE (1966); "CCC" means the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd edition (1997). Scripture is paraphrased, not quoted.
Reading level
Harvest · Adults
🌱 Seed (ages 1–4)
For a grown-up to read aloud.
Jesus loves you. God made you, and he is always with you.
Jesus is your friend. You can talk to him anytime.
Ask Mom or Dad to pray with you.
A tiny prayer:
Jesus, I love you. Thank you for loving me. Amen.
🌿 Sprout (ages 5–8)
God made you because he loves you.
God loves you so much that he sent his Son, Jesus, to be with us (see John 3:16). God made you to be his friend forever.
Sometimes we do wrong things.
When we are unkind, tell a lie, or don't listen, that is called sin. Sin hurts our friendship with God. But Jesus came to forgive us and make us his friends again (see Romans 3:23).
You can talk to Jesus right now.
Fold your hands and pray:
Jesus, I love you. I'm sorry for the wrong things I have done. Thank you for loving me and forgiving me. Help me to love you and others every day. Amen.
What next?
Talk to your mom, dad, or a grown-up who loves you about Jesus. Pray together as a family, at meals and at bedtime. Go to Mass with your family on Sunday. If you were baptized, God made you part of his family that day. Ask your parents about it!
Keep reading: The Son Who Came Home.
🌼 Bud (ages 9–12)
1. God loves you and made you for himself.
The Bible tells us that God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him can have eternal life (John 3:16). The Catechism says God made us out of pure goodness so we could share his own happy life (CCC 1).
2. Sin pulls us away from God, but Jesus came to save us.
Every one of us has sinned and missed the mark of God's glory (Romans 3:23). Sin leads to death, but God's gift is eternal life in Jesus (Romans 6:23). The Good News is that Jesus shows us God's mercy to sinners (CCC 1846).
3. Turn to Jesus now.
Saint Paul says that if we say out loud that Jesus is Lord and truly believe God raised him to life, we will be saved (Romans 10:9). You can pray:
Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God and that you died and rose for me. I'm sorry for my sins. I trust you and I want to follow you. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me to grow closer to you every day. Amen.
This prayer is a beginning, not the end. Following Jesus is a journey.
4. Your next step.
Tell your parents or a trusted adult that you prayed this prayer. Jesus gave us the Church and the sacraments to help us. If you are not baptized yet, Baptism is how God makes you his child (John 3:5). If you are baptized, ask about Confession and Holy Communion. A priest at your parish is always happy to talk with you and your family.
Keep reading: The Son Who Came Home.
🌸 Bloom (ages 13–19)
1. God loves you and made you for himself
You are not an accident. God's love for the world was so great that he sent his own Son, so that everyone who trusts in him may live with God forever (John 3:16). The Catechism opens with this: God, perfectly happy in himself, freely created us out of pure goodness to share his own blessed life, and he keeps drawing close to us (CCC 1).
2. Sin separates us; Jesus came to save us
Be honest: every one of us has sinned and missed the mark of God's glory (Romans 3:23). Sin isn't just breaking rules. It damages our relationship with God and others. What sin earns is death, but God freely gives us everlasting life in Jesus (Romans 6:23). The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus of God's mercy to sinners (CCC 1846). Jesus died and rose to bring us back.
3. Turn to him now
Saint Paul writes that those who openly declare Jesus as Lord and truly believe God raised him to life will be saved (Romans 10:9). If you're ready, pray this in your own words or these:
Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God, that you died for my sins and rose again. I am sorry for the ways I have turned away from you. I turn back to you now. I trust you with my life. Send your Holy Spirit to help me follow you, and lead me into your Church. Amen.
This is a beginning. Real faith grows: through prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, and a community.
4. The next step: Baptism and life in the Church
When people first heard the Gospel, Peter told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, and they would receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Jesus said entering God's Kingdom requires new birth through water and the Spirit (John 3:5). The Church teaches that Baptism is the sacrament of faith, lived within the community of believers (CCC 1253), and that the Lord himself says Baptism is necessary for salvation (CCC 1257).
- Not baptized? Talk to your parents and a priest. Teens preparing for Baptism are usually welcomed through a parish program adapted for young people (often based on OCIA, the Church's way of welcoming new members; switch to the Harvest level for more).
- Baptized in another Christian church? Your baptism already joins you to Christ and to other Christians (CCC 1271). If you want to become Catholic, you don't get baptized again; a parish will help you prepare to be received into full communion.
- Baptized Catholic but drifted away? Welcome home. The sacrament of Confession is there for you (CCC 1446). Ask any priest; he has heard it all and is glad you came.
5. Find a parish
Find Mass and Confession times near you at MassTimes.org.
6. Keep reading
Read The Son Who Came Home (Luke 15:11–32), about a father running to welcome his son home.
🌾 Harvest (adults)
1. God loves you and made you for himself
God's love for the world was so great that he sent his own Son, so that everyone who trusts in him may live with God forever (John 3:16). The very first paragraph of the Catechism says the same: God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, freely created us in a plan of sheer goodness to share in his own blessed life. At every time and place, he draws close to us and calls us to seek him, know him, and love him (CCC 1). You were made for God, and your heart's deepest longing is for him.
2. Sin separates us; Jesus came to save us
Every one of us has sinned and missed the mark of God's glory (Romans 3:23). Sin is a real rupture, with God, with others, within ourselves, and what it earns is death. But God freely gives us everlasting life in Jesus (Romans 6:23). The Catechism puts it simply: the Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God's mercy to sinners (CCC 1846). Christ did not come for the righteous but to call sinners, and by his death and resurrection he opened the way back to the Father.
3. Turn to him now
Saint Paul says that those who openly declare Jesus as Lord and truly believe God raised him to life will be saved (Romans 10:9). If you are ready to respond, you may pray:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, I believe that you died for my sins and rose from the dead. I am sorry for my sins and for the ways I have lived apart from you. I turn to you now and place my trust in you. I give you my life. Send your Holy Spirit to change my heart, and lead me into the fullness of life in your Church. Amen.
Catholics understand this prayer not as a finished transaction but as a sincere beginning. Faith, repentance, and trust open a lifelong walk with Christ, nourished by the sacraments and lived in his Body, the Church.
4. The next step: faith leads to Baptism and life in the Church
At Pentecost, Peter called his hearers to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, promising the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Jesus taught that entering God's Kingdom requires new birth through water and the Spirit (John 3:5). The Church teaches that Baptism is the sacrament of faith, and that faith is received and grows within the community of believers (CCC 1253), and that the Lord himself affirms Baptism is necessary for salvation (CCC 1257).
OCIA: the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (formerly called RCIA). This is how the Church welcomes adults. It is a period of learning, prayer, and discernment with a parish community, usually leading to the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist, often at the Easter Vigil. The Church has prepared adults this way since the early centuries (CCC 1247). There is no pressure. You can come with questions and take your time.
Already a baptized Christian? If you were validly baptized in another Christian community, the Church recognizes your baptism and already sees you as a brother or sister in Christ (CCC 1271). You won't be rebaptized. Instead, a parish will help you prepare to be received into full communion with the Catholic Church, usually with Confirmation and First Communion. We honor the faith you received from other Christians.
Baptized Catholic and coming home? You are not starting over. You are coming home. The sacrament of Confession (Penance, Reconciliation) is Christ's gift to the baptized who have fallen away or into serious sin, a new chance to be restored (CCC 1446). Any priest will welcome you, and most parishes post regular Confession times.
Talk with a priest. Wherever you are, the simplest next step is to call or email a local parish and ask to speak with a priest or the OCIA coordinator.
5. Find a parish
Search for parishes, Mass times, and Confession times near you at MassTimes.org.
6. Keep reading
- The Son Who Came Home (Luke 15:11–32): a father who runs to embrace his returning son.