April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
GOOD NEWS FOR KIDS
Knowing it and doing it
Jesus, help me do the right thing, even when it's uncomfortable! Amen.
Jesus and Mary went to a wedding where the guests drank all the wine. Knowing Jesus could help, Mary told Him, "They have no more wine." Jesus saw the jugs of water people used to wash up. "Have the waiter taste it," He said. The waiter did - and said, "They've saved the best wine until now." The water had turned into wine!
You're faced with an uncomfortable situation: someone forgot her lunch and you have enough to share; a younger kid loves one of your stuffed animals and wants to keep it; a classmate you don't like fell down and is crying. You know the right thing to do, but you're reluctant to do it!
Sometimes, it even takes a nudge from an adult to get you to act. This week's Gospel (John 2:1-11) is about one of those times. Jesus and Mary go to a wedding where the hosts are running out of things to drink. Jesus probably realizes He could help, but it takes a nudge from His mom to push Him to do the right thing.
When you do get involved - you share your lunch, give away your stuffed animal or comfort a kid you wouldn't usually talk with - it can make a big difference. For Jesus, turning water into wine was a small miracle, but the family at the wedding must have been very relieved that they didn't have to be embarrassed.
Taking action doesn't have to be comfortable. We don't know how Jesus acted when He turned the water into wine, but we know He was reluctant to get involved until Mary pushed Him into it. It's easy to imagine Him being uncomfortable - even whispering to His mother to have the waiter taste the wine.
Jesus didn't make a big deal of His action; He just did it. You don't have to make a big deal of helping someone, either. It's OK to do it quietly, even awkwardly - as long as you do it. If Jesus learned to do something uncomfortable, you can, too![[In-content Ad]]
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