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
VIDEOS
SOCIAL MEDIA
OSV NEWS
- Council of Nicaea anniversary is call to Christian unity, speakers say
- Vatican office must be place of faith, charity, not ambition, pope says
- Pope Leo XIV names Uganda native, Father Simon Peter Engurait, as bishop of Houma-Thibodaux
- Report: Immigration data ‘much lower’ than Trump administration claims
- Religious freedom in Russia continues to decline, say experts
- With an Augustinian in chair of St. Peter, order sees growing interest in vocations
- Pope Leo XIV, speaking on phone with Putin, appeals for gesture of peace
- FBI memo with ‘anti-Catholic terminology’ said to be distributed to over 1,000 FBI agents
- In Syria, doubts raised about discovery of body said to be that of kidnapped priest
- Pope Leo XIV’s June 4, 2025 general audience: Full text
Comments:
You must login to comment.