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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, teach me to ask for reassurance whenever I need to feel safe! Amen.

The Apostles were on a boat with Jesus when a terrible storm began. Jesus was asleep, but they woke Him, crying, "Teacher! We're going to drown!" Jesus yelled at the storm: "Quiet! Be still!" Suddenly, everything was calm. Jesus said to His followers, "Why are you afraid? Don't you have faith in God?" They were amazed at Him.

Did you ever run into your parents' room in the middle of the night? Whether you threw up, you had a bad dream or you were worried about monsters under the bed, you knew just where to go to feel safe.

You have a lot in common with the Apostles! They were Jesus' closest friends and followers. In this week's Gospel (Mark 4:35-41), they go out on a fishing boat together -- not a fancy cruise ship, but a plain old wooden boat that probably smelled like fish -- and as soon as Jesus tries to take a nap, there's a storm, and the Apostles wake Him up.

Like a kid in the middle of the night, the Apostles know just who to go to so they can feel safe: the adult in charge. Jesus will help them.

Sometimes, when you run into your parents' room, they remind you that they had promised dreams are just dreams -- nothing to be scared of -- and that there are no monsters.

That's basically what Jesus told the Apostles: that if they had faith, they wouldn't think for a second that God would let a storm drown everyone. Jesus was on the boat, and He's the Son of God!

Even if your parents reassure you there's nothing to worry about, they'll probably hug you, too, and they might even let you sleep in their bed for a while so you really feel safe. When the Apostles got scared of the storm, Jesus did scold them for not having faith -- but He also calmed the storm. Jesus knew that even adults need to feel safe![[In-content Ad]]

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