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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me not to stall about leaving the house sometimes! Amen.
At the Sea of Galilee, Jesus sat in a fishing boat to teach. Then He told Simon Peter, its owner, "Throw your nets out again." "We've caught nothing all day!" Simon said - then got nets full of fish! Simon said, "I don't deserve this. I'm a sinner." But Jesus replied, "Don't be afraid. Follow me, and I'll make you fishers of people." All the fishermen left everything and followed Jesus.

Leaving the house can sometimes feel like taking off for a long trip. Your parents are itching to get going and complaining about running late, but you just need to grab a snack...and your iPod...and your DS...and go back because your mom says you have to wear a warmer coat.

By the time you do all this, you really are running late! You might even be stalling on purpose, because you don't actually want to leave. The longer you hold out, the less time you have to spend doing something you don't want to do.

In this week's Gospel (Luke 5:1-11), some fishermen could have tried that. They were minding their business, doing their jobs, and along came a stranger who told them how to fish.

At first, they complained like a kid who doesn't want to leave the house: What was the point of Jesus' advice? It wouldn't work. Why should they listen? They stalled by asking questions.

When you finally get on your way, things usually smooth out. You can't stall anymore, so you make the best of whatever you're doing. When the fishermen gave in and took Jesus' advice, they caught so many fish, they knew it was a miracle. Then, when Jesus asked them to follow Him as His first Apostles, they didn't make any more excuses.

Peter, James and John didn't ask to go home and pack; they didn't look for snacks or iPods. They walked away from everything and went with Jesus, just like that.

It's a good idea for a kid to try that once in a while, too. It sure made the Apostles happier![[In-content Ad]]

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