God works in big ways

And if you're happy, you might yell for joy and dance, so everyone knows about it!

Jesus would understand why kids act out the way you feel. In this week's Gospel (Mark 9:2-10), He teaches us that sometimes, when you want to get your message across, you've got to do things in a big way!

Jesus took Peter, James and John up a mountain. As they watched, He began to change. His face and clothes got brighter and brighter until the disciples couldn't even look at Him! Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus, and God's voice said from heaven, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him." Suddenly, the light went out, and they were alone with Jesus again. "Don't tell anyone about this until I'm in heaven," Jesus told them.

Jesus knew that. That's why, in the Gospel story, He showed His friends that He was God in a big way: He took them to the top of a mountain and let them see what He looked like as God, bright as the sun, with people from the Bible who died long ago all around Him!

We call what happened to Jesus the "Transfiguration," a word that means "change."

A temper tantrum or even yelling for joy usually gets grownups' attention. Either way, you might be told to calm down. But you'll probably keep going for a while before you can get calm!

After Jesus got His friends' attention, He wasn't quite finished, either. To make sure He really got His message across, God the Father told Peter, James and John that Jesus was God.

Like a kid, God sometimes does things in a big way -- and it works!

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, help me show people how I feel in the best way I can! Amen.