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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me get over my awkwardness when I meet someone! Amen.

After Jesus died, the Apostles hid in a locked room to get away from those who killed Him. Suddenly, Jesus was in the room with them!

"Peace be with you," He said, showing them the cuts in His hands and side to prove it was really Him. "Receive the Holy Spirit," He added, and gave them the power to forgive sins.

Summer's coming! For some kids, this is a time to travel and visit relatives you haven't seen in ages.

When you walk into someone's house after months or years of not seeing them, you might feel shy at first. Your aunt keeps telling you how tall you got, and you don't know what to say to your cousins. But by the time you leave, you're hugging each other and feeling sad that you won't see each other for ages again!

In this week's Gospel (John 20:19-23), the Apostles act like that with Jesus. He died, so they're not even sure they'll ever see Him again at all - and when He suddenly appears in the room, coming right through the locked door, they get scared and shy.

Jesus seems different (after all, He died and came back to life), and He has to show His friends the places where He was hurt while He was on the cross just to prove who He is.

Like you feel awkward with your cousins and other relatives, the Apostles don't know what to say to Jesus at first. Jesus "breaks the ice" by wishing them peace.

By the time Jesus left, the Apostles must have been hugging Him and begging Him to stay longer! But, like you might text your cousins or check Facebook between visits, Jesus planned to keep in touch: He promised that the Holy Spirit would be there with them, guiding them and even giving them the power to forgive people's sins.

Jesus' visit was one to remember![[In-content Ad]]

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