Believing: The Right Thing

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK

Jesus, help me be good, even when no one notices! Amen.


BELIEVING: THE RIGHT THING

After Jesus died, the Apostles stayed in a room to talk about it. They locked the door, but, suddenly, Jesus came in anyway! "Peace be with you," He said, and gave them the power to forgive sins. One Apostle, Thomas, wasn't there - and didn't believe the others saw Jesus. Later, Jesus came back when Thomas was there. "Peace be with you - and Thomas, believe in me," He said. So Thomas did!

Little kids often do the right thing only because they don't want to get caught being bad. Older kids understand when something is just the right thing to do, whether anyone's watching or not. You don't just want to get away with as much as you can; you want to be a good person!

In a way, this week's Gospel (John 20:19-31) is about getting caught. Jesus has been crucified and the Apostles are panicking because their teacher and friend has died. Then Jesus appears, having come back to life, and almost everyone is excited!

Thomas is the Apostle who doesn't believe it. He misses Jesus' appearance and thinks the other Apostles are crazy or making it up. (Sometimes, he's called "Doubting Thomas" for that reason.)

As a kid who has probably tried to get away with doing something you shouldn't have, you know how it feels to be caught: You're scared, guilty, even angry, because you know you're a good person and you want another chance to be good.

Imagine how Thomas felt when Jesus appeared right in front of him! Jesus had caught Thomas not believing in Him or the promise Jesus had made that he would come back to life.

Of course, Jesus gave Thomas another chance - He's always ready to forgive mistakes. But Jesus also said that Thomas needed to keep believing, even when Jesus wasn't there to prove He was real.

Don't be good just so you won't get caught misbehaving. Even if grownups aren't watching, God is - and Jesus doesn't want to catch you being bad!