April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
GOOD NEWS FOR KIDS
Told to 'be brave'
Jesus, help me remember to "be brave" - with your help and the help of the other people around me! Amen.
Jesus came to where John the Baptist was teaching people about God and asked to be baptized. As John baptized Him in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit came down in the shape of a dove and God the Father's voice came from heaven, saying to Jesus, "You are my Son, the beloved; I am so happy with you."
Kids are asked to be brave all the time: when you go to the doctor's for a shot or the dentist's to have a cavity filled; when you're learning to ride a bike; when you're asking someone to go to a dance with you. "Be brave," the adults say, and off you go - probably not feeling brave at all, but doing it anyway!
This week's Gospel (Mark 1:7-11) is about being brave. Jesus is now a grownup, and it's time for Him to start doing His life's work, leading people back to God and saving the whole world. That is a seriously big deal! Jesus starts by being baptized, showing that He's humble and needs His Father to be with Him through this.
Jesus probably wasn't feeling too brave Himself! He went to His cousin, John, to be baptized; it must have been reassuring to see someone He knew and loved. And because Jesus was the Son of God, God the Father knew everything about Him and also comforted Him: The Father spoke to Jesus from heaven, and the Holy Spirit came down to be with Him, too.
When you're stuck doing something and not feeling very brave, it's good to remember that you have support, too: the adults telling you to be brave, who do that because they understand it's scary and want to comfort you; and God, who's watching you from heaven, just like God the Father and the Holy Spirit looked down at Jesus.
Be brave. You're never doing anything alone![[In-content Ad]]
MORE NEWS STORIES
BISHOP'S COLUMN
GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES
SOCIAL MEDIA
OSV NEWS
- Archbishops must promote unity, seek new ways to share Gospel, pope says
- Experts: Catholic media witness to truth, Gospel and are at ‘kairos moment’ in church
- Shrine celebrates 350 years since Jesus showed his heart to French nun as symbol of love
- Noem ends TPS protection for half a million Haitians, placing them at risk of deportation
- Washington Roundup: Supreme Court concludes term, Senate weighs ‘Big Beautiful Bill’
- Carol Zimmermann, NCR news editor, wins St. Francis de Sales Award
- Archbishop arrested, second cleric sought, amid Armenian government crackdown on opposition
- Israel-Iran war, Supreme Court decisions, pope message to priests | Week in Review
- Sid Meier’s Civilization VII
- Novel puts Joan of Arc’s heroic struggle into modern context
Comments:
You must login to comment.