Teasing is mean

Teasing is like lying. It's telling you something is true when it's not -- like your sister playing a trick or calling you a name. In this week's Gospel (Matthew 2:1-12), Herod "teases" the wise men for a reason: He wants to know where Jesus is so he can kill Him!

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 and came to worship Him." Herod worried this "new king" might take over, so he sent the wise men to find Jesus and come back. The men 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.

Herod was an expert at being hurtful. He teased and lied all the time to get his way -- and make sure he kept on being king. When he heard people thought baby Jesus would be a king someday, Herod told the wise men, "Find Jesus and tell me where He is. I want to worship Him, too!" But that wasn't true -- it was all a tease.

The best way to stop someone from teasing is to stay away from them. If you have to see the person, let them know it hurts to be teased and tell other people what they're doing. No one likes a person who's mean.

That's what the wise men learned. When an angel told them Herod was going to kill Jesus, they didn't go back and tell Herod where Jesus was; they even took another road to go home. They really were wise people, because they knew how to avoid being teased!

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, help me to stay away from people who tease -- and to never do it myself! Amen.