From a young age we are all told if we pray hard enough, God will answer our prayers. Here’s the problem, no one ever told us what to do if He actually did.

Here’s the story, as I have mentioned, to some maybe too much, I was away from the Catholic Church for a long time, including when my kids were little. They were both baptized and made their First Communions, but that was it. So lately I have been praying that God watches over them and help them find their way back, and I have especially been praying for my grandchildren and that they find God as well.

So the other day as I was visiting my son, somehow the subject of my going to church every Sunday came up, and after being asked if I was okay, my son and his wife said my oldest grand child had been asking them questions about God and Adam and Eve and where they came from. One small step in the right direction for sure, but here is the problem, how do you explain God to a nine year-old? After all I am 56 and I am only now really beginning to understand the whole God thing.

There are so many aspects of theology, religion, God, it is very difficult to explain it.  It’s one thing if you already believe in God, and when you can read scripture or other texts, but not so easy when you are too young to understand. And in my case I have never been one who has been very good at explaining things to my own kids, never mind my grandchildren.

So how do you explain that God isn’t a person, that you can’t “see” or “touch” Him, at least not physically, to someone who probably won’t be able to grasp the concept of an all-being, all-knowing entity? How can you explain about Heaven and Hell? How do you explain how God can hear all our prayers when there are so many of people praying?

Any ideas? Suggestions? I’m thinking I need to pray some more and this time ask for a little more information.