---

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, teach me to try hard at keeping New Year's resolutions! Amen.

After Jesus was born, three wise men came to King Herod, asking, "Where is the newborn King of the Jews? We followed His star here to worship Him." Herod worried this "new king" might take over, so he sent the wise men to find Jesus and come back. They found Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, and brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. But an angel warned them that Herod would kill Jesus, so instead of returning, they went home another way.

It's a new year! Lots of people make New Year's resolutions: promises to act differently in the coming year. You might resolve to exercise more, eat more vegetables or stop teasing your little sister.

Looking back on past New Year's resolutions, a lot of people get discouraged because they didn't keep their promises. Sometimes, people get so upset, they never make a New Year's resolution again!

This week's Gospel (Mt 2:1-12) gives us a different idea. When the wise men heard about Jesus, they couldn't wait to see Him. Even though Jesus was still just a baby, they traveled from a far-away country to bring Him gifts. The only problem was King Herod: When he heard about Jesus, he worried that Jesus would replace him, so he plotted to kill Jesus. Herod asked the wise men to come back and tell him where Jesus was, so Herod could get rid of Him.

A lot of New Year's resolutions do get broken. Sometimes, that's because you made too many or promised too much ("I'll never tease anyone again for the rest of my life!"). That doesn't mean you shouldn't make resolutions; it means you do what you can and try to keep your promises.

The wise men couldn't be sure Herod wouldn't find Jesus. What they could do was to make sure they weren't the ones who told him where Jesus was. They quietly took another road home, and Herod never saw them again. That was a good resolution to make![[In-content Ad]]

---