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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me concentrate when my parents are telling me something, so I don't have to learn it again! Amen.

"Who do other people say that I am?" Jesus asked the Apostles. They answered, "John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or another prophet." "But who do you think I am?" Jesus asked. Peter said, "The Messiah, the Son of God." Jesus told him, "Bless you, Peter! Your name means 'rock,' and on this rock, I'll build my church."

Adults often seem to think you remember everything they say. You'll make a mistake and your parents will say, "What did we tell you about doing that?" All you can think of is, "Don't." You can't remember why you're not supposed to!

Whether you were uninterested or distracted when they told you the reason or you just forgot, all you can do now is listen to them tell you all over again - and remind yourself to remember what they say this time, so you don't have to go through this again.

Kids aren't the only ones who forget things that are supposed to be important. The Apostles were adults, but sometimes they seem like kids - for instance, in this week's Gospel (Matthew 16:13-20).

You can picture Jesus like your parents, practically begging the Apostles, "You know who I am, right? You're telling me that other people don't understand I came from heaven, but I've taught you and taught you about myself. Please, tell me you remember the answer!"

Thankfully, Peter must have had experiences like yours, where he forget something, because he has obviously worked hard to understand Jesus. And Peter gets the answer right: Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, sent from heaven.

When you remember something, your only reward may be your parents' relief that you got what they were trying to teach you. Peter's reward was bigger: He was made the head of the Church. We know him as St. Peter, the first pope![[In-content Ad]]

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