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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me be proud of my name, whatever it is! Amen.


Names - and even nicknames - mean a lot to kids. If your father calls you "Champ," you probably feel proud; if kids at school called you "Voldemort," you'd probably be upset, since Voldemort is the bad guy from the Harry Potter books.

Some kids' parents choose names for them because of what the names mean, like "Grace." Names can be symbols that adults choose because they want to tell people something about you.

Jesus did that, too. In this week's Gospel (Matthew 16:13-19), He renames Simon, one of the Apostles, so that people will understand Simon is a leader and they should listen to him.

Just like the name "Ryan" means "little king," Jesus gave Simon the name "Peter," which means "rock." Jesus even said, "...And on that rock, I'll build my church," meaning that Peter would help people get closer to God.

Some names are given to you when you're born. Nicknames are often something you "grow into," like your dad calling you "Champ" because you're good at sports.

Peter earned his new name by trying really hard to understand what Jesus was teaching. Peter wasn't the smartest guy Jesus ever met, but he was the first one to figure out that Jesus was the Son of God, sent from heaven to save the world. If Peter wasn't afraid to say that in front of everyone, Jesus knew He could depend on Peter.

You may be a "Champ," but Peter was a "Rock!"[[In-content Ad]]

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