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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, teach me to use my brain to figure things out when I can. Amen. Happy Easter!

When Mary Magdalene got to the cave where Jesus' body had been, she saw that the huge stone that had blocked the entrance was rolled away. Mary ran and told Peter and the other disciples, "They've taken Jesus away!" The disciples ran back to the cave and saw that Jesus wasn't there. He had risen from the dead!

Brains are amazing. When you see a problem, right away you start trying to figure it out.

If you saw a dog running down the road with no owner around, what would you think? You might imagine the dog dug under a fence to get out of someone's yard. You might think it pulled away while the owner was putting a leash on it. You wonder if there's a reward for returning it. You imagine the dog belongs to someone famous who would give a million dollars. You might imagine bringing the dog home and having your parents say, "Let's keep it!"

Like you, Jesus' friends were always trying to figure out the things they saw. In this week's Gospel (John 20:1-9), Jesus has died. His body has been placed in a cave. It's been three days, and the group goes to visit the grave. They find the cave open, the boulder pushed aside and Jesus' body gone! The first thing they do is imagine what may have happened. Maybe someone stole Jesus' body. Maybe it was moved. Where could He be?

After guessing at different answers for the things you see, you usually ask someone or decide that one of your guesses may be correct. Sometimes, you don't even figure out who the dog belonged to; you'll just have to wonder.

Jesus' friends went through a list of ideas, too. Finally, they realized what must have happened: Jesus came back to life. It was hard to believe, but He did say He would come back after three days. They had figured out the right answer.

It was the first Easter. Jesus was alive again![[In-content Ad]]

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