Ask them to explain

Jesus, help me ask for an explanation instead of making up my own answers. Amen!

The Apostles were still sad because Jesus had died, when Jesus came into the room with them! "Why are you sad?" He asked. "I'm not a ghost; it's really me." He ate some food to show He was alive, then helped them understand why He died and came back to life. "I told you that this would happen to me," He said; "now remember it."

Kids have to guess at a lot of things. A lot of times, adults discuss worries about money or their jobs, people who are sick or plans for the future when you can overhear them. But then they don't want to explain what they're talking about. You get stuck guessing at the answers, and it can make you sad and scared.

In that, you have a lot in common with the Apostles. In this week's Gospel (Luke 24:35-48), they were trying to figure out why Jesus had died, and not getting an explanation made them confused, sad and very afraid that they'd be hurt, too.

When adults don't tell you what's going on and you make up your own answers, you could be wrong. Sometimes, you're thinking something worse than what's really true -- like worrying that your parents might lose their jobs, when they're just complaining about work.

The Apostles went through that, too. They didn't understand what had happened to Jesus or that He was really alive again, so they worried about all sorts of things: that Jesus wasn't really God; that He'd broken His promise to come back to life; that the people who hurt Jesus would come after them.

Of course, they felt much better when Jesus explained everything! Jesus showed them He was really back and told them He'd died to save the world.

Like the Apostles, you can ask the adults around you to help you understand what you're worried about. An explanation always helps!