You're listening to Catholic Sprouts, the daily podcast for Catholic kids that strives to plant seeds of faith. Easter Monday, Jesus stands in their midst.

A reading from the Holy Gospel, according to John.

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house

where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews.

Jesus came and stood among them and said,

Peace be with you.

After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.

Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again,

Peace be with you. As a father has sent me, so I send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them

and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven them if you retain

the sins of any they are retained the gospel of the Lord look at the image of Jesus standing in their midst.

Imagine that you are with the disciples in this upper room.

You are huddled together with the door locked.

You hear words and movement in the hallway and you shudder, afraid.

If the Jews were willing to kill Jesus, what were they willing to do to his followers?

But suddenly, the room is filled with brilliant light. You cover your eyes and lower your head terrified.

A man stands before you dressed in white. You reel back, but then your eyes adjust and you see that this is Jesus, the man you knew standing before you.

He holds his hands out and shows you the nail wounds.

You stand amazed.

Your chair clatters to the ground behind you.

Jesus is alive.

He has risen from the dead.

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