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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me get comfortable with new situations, like summer! Amen.

A man said to Jesus, "So, I'm supposed to love my neighbor....Who's my neighbor?" Jesus told a story: "A Jewish man was beaten and left to die. A priest came by but wouldn't help. A religious man didn't stop, either. Then a Samaritan man came, and even though his people were enemies of the Jews, he helped the hurt man." Jesus asked, "Who was the Jewish man's neighbor?" The man who questioned Jesus said, "The one who helped." "You do the same thing," Jesus said.

Summer can be awesome because you're out of your school routine. Summer can also be awful for the same reason! You don't automatically see friends every day. You might have times when there's nothing to do -- or times when you're going to camp or on a family vacation, but those are not your usual routine, either. It's enough to mix a kid up!

This week's Gospel (Luke 10:25-37) talks about people getting out of their usual routines. Jesus tells the story of the "Good Samaritan:" A man gets hurt, but two people don't stop to help. Only a Samaritan man does. He feels sorry for the hurt guy, even though their people are not close.

The men who don't stop are deep into their usual routines. They're religious and probably on their way to church, and they don't want to be late. Plus, their religion has rules about not touching people who are strangers, and they don't want to break a rule.

It's easy to say, "How silly!" But are you good at breaking out of your routine? When summer comes, do you relax and enjoy it, or do you stress out over not having enough to do? Do you get angry because you can't see friends all the time? Do you act up on vacations?

Jesus thought some routines were important, like praying and church. But He also thought people were important. He told the Good Samaritan story to remind us to put people first.

Summer can be hard. But break out of your routine! Jesus would want us all to reach out, try new things and stay calm in new situations. Anyone can be a Good Samaritan![[In-content Ad]]

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