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Reverend Father,
My 4-year old grandchild Simone asked his grandmother: “If Jesus is God, how could He possibly also be the Son of God?”. His grandmother coped with the question by talking about mysteries he will understand when he grows up, but if he asked again this question, how would you answer it?
THANKS. May God bless You and your Work.
Carlo
Dear Carlo,
1. Sometimes children’s questions startle adults and oblige them to ask themselves and learn more.
This is the case of Simone’s question to his grandmother.
2. Well, first of all, you should tell Simone that Jesus is the Son of God but not in the same way we are our parents’ children.
The reason is that God has no body but He is pure spirit.
3. You can also tell him that the Son of God is his Thought, his eternal Wisdom.
And He is as great as God is, in fact He is the exact same thing as God.
4. Also, you can tell him He is such a different son that He never started to exist.
He has existed since ever, as the Father has always existed.
You can tell him (although the example does not sit very well) that He is the same age as His father which means he has existed for ever.
The example of the age may seem surprising but we are given it from the Holy Scripture. In the Book of Job, you read: “Lo, God is great beyond our knowledge; the number of his years is past searching out” (Gb 36,26).
5. With these answers, children (and all of us with them) amaze themselves with Jesus and God.
Jesus is infinitely great. He is not like us. He is our Creator.
6. Indeed, speaking of Jesus son of God and simply speaking of the Son of God, we never have to fail to remember God’s infinite greatness, which our words are unable to express.
In the Creed we say: “I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made”[1].
7. With these words we express all our faith and adoration to Jesus, of whom you read at the beginning of John’s Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word (the Son), and the Word (the Son) was with God, and the Word (the Son) was God” (John 1:1).
I thank you for this apparently childish question, which instead is not childish at all because it is able to leave adults speechless too.
I remind you to the Lord and I bless you.
Father Angelo
27th February 2019
Translated by Irene Visciano
[1] Roman Catholic Church’s “Nicene Creed” from United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website: