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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me remember it's okay to say, "I can't. My parents won't let me!" Amen.

"I won't send away anyone who comes to me," Jesus said. "I came from heaven do do my Father's will, and my Father wants everyone who believes in me to go to heaven and come alive again at the end of the world."

When you're a kid, there are times when you're dying to do something but have to say, "I can't. My parents won't let me." On the other hand, there are times when it's a relief to be able to say, "I can't. My parents won't let me!"

If your friends want to go to the mall and you know you can't go without an adult, you might roll your eyes when you admit that's the rule in your family. But if a friend wants to do something scary or dangerous and you're looking for a way out, it feels good to turn them down because of "house rules."

Even Jesus had "house rules." In this week's Gospel (John 6:37-40), He talks about how God the Father sent Him into the world with certain rules about what He was supposed to do - and the most important one was to help people get closer to God.

You probably get annoyed when your friends want to do something dumb. As a human being (as well as the Son of God), Jesus must have gotten annoyed with people sometimes, too. Maybe He even wanted to take off and leave them.

But Jesus' "house rules" were to stick around and teach them to act differently. He told everyone He was here to do God's will - and God the Father wanted everyone to go to heaven, with Jesus' help.

Telling your friends your parents won't let you do something might remind them it's not a good idea anyway. Even Jesus might have said sometimes, "I can't do something dumb. My Father won't let me!"

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