No break-time yet

Jesus, help me be patient with my siblings when we're together too much! Amen.

The Apostles came back from teaching people about Jesus. It had been a long trip, and they were tired. "Let's go rest by ourselves," Jesus said. But lots of people followed them. Jesus felt sorry for those who wanted to learn from Him: They seemed like sheep without a shepherd to lead them. So He sat down and started teaching them about God.

Brothers and sisters can drive each other nuts during the summer. You're used to being in school all day, in different classrooms, but suddenly you're spending the whole day together -- and you don't always get along very well!

Jesus would understand the need to be by yourself sometimes. In this week's Gospel (Mark 6:30-34), He and the Apostles try to get away for a while. They've been working hard, and they need a break from being around people all the time.

When you need a break, it can be hard to get away from your brothers or sisters. If they're younger, they'll probably follow you around, asking questions and wanting to play.

That's like what Jesus and the Apostles went through. They tried to go off by themselves, but people followed them like brothers and sisters, asking questions and wanting to learn more from Jesus.

Even if you want to be by yourself, that doesn't always happen. Your family might plan activities for everyone, or maybe there's nothing going on and your mom tells you all to just play together.

Either way, it's important to be patient. Your brothers and sisters might be as bored or restless as you, and they don't have anyone else to play with right now, either.

Like Jesus, you might have to just sit down and spend some more time with them before you take a break. Then everyone can enjoy the summer more peacefully!