Give fruit with God

Q. Why do kids have go to school?

A. So you can learn everything you need to take care of yourself when you grow up.

Q. Why do you have to listen to your parents?

A. Because you need them to take care of you until you're old enough to do that yourself.

Q. Why do we all need to pray to God?

A. In this week's Gospel (John 15:1-8), Jesus says it's because without God, we can't do ANYTHING!

"I am the vine, and my Father is the vine grower," said Jesus. "Just like a branch can't give fruit unless it's attached to the tree, you can't do anything without me. Anyone who doesn't stay close to me will wither away like a dead branch. But if you stick with me, you'll be my follower and give fruit."

If you think about it, it's easy to see why you need school and parents. School teaches you to read, write, do math, understand science, remember stuff that happened in the past and get along with people!

Parents take care of you when you're sick, pay for the things you need, listen when you've had a bad day, bring you wherever you have to go and make sure you're safe until you're a grownup like them.

It's a little harder to understand why you need God. That's why Jesus said God's like a vine or a tree: If a branch breaks off a tree, it dies. Jesus meant that we need God for everything.

God gave us life in the first place, and someday, God will decide when it's time for us to die. In the Bible, God's Son, Jesus, reminds us to love each other when we're grumpy and feel like hating people. Jesus tells us to believe miracles can happen and lets us know someone's always watching out for us, even when our parents aren't there.

Someday, you'll graduate from school. Someday, you'll be grown up and won't need your parents to take care of you. But Jesus told us there will never be a time when you don't need God any more. Besides, He said, if you stay close to God, you'll give "fruit" by being a loving person. God helps us help each other!

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, help me remember I need you even more than school or my parents! Amen.