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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me pass your "test" by being a loving person! Amen.

Jesus prayed alone in a garden: "Father, the hour has come. I did the work you gave me; I taught people about you. I pray for them, because they're staying in the world while I'm coming back to heaven to be with you. Keep them in your name, so they'll be as close to you as I am."

Final exams are coming up for a lot of kids. Teachers might be pushing you to prepare; final projects and papers are due. You're thinking about the end of the school year and that last report card that's coming soon.

This week's Gospel (John 17:1-11) is like Jesus' final exam. He knows He's going to be crucified soon - that, after all His work to bring people closer to God, He'll be going back to heaven and leaving them to continue His work on their own.

It's also His followers' final exam: Jesus has to trust that they have learned what He's tried to teach. Like a teacher, He's had His time to explain how much God loves them; now, it's their turn to show what they've learned by being loving and spreading His message.

If you pray before you take final exams, think of this: Jesus' words in the Gospel story sound a lot like what your teachers probably pray before you take those exams!

As scared as you are to get through big tests and projects, your teachers also want to show they've done a good job teaching you.

Of course, what Jesus taught was even more important than math or science. All of our knowledge in every subject is based on caring about the world and the people in it. If you don't love, it doesn't matter how much you know. That's why Jesus prayed so hard that people would stay close to God![[In-content Ad]]

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