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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK

Jesus, when I'm guilty of something, help me find a way to make up for it. Amen!

Jesus was arrested and brought to Pilate, the governor, but Pilate saw that Jesus had done nothing wrong. He wanted to let Jesus go, but those who hated Jesus said, "No! Let someone else go!" So Pilate ruled that Jesus would be killed. The crowd took Jesus away and crucified Him. Later that day, He died, and the whole earth shook. The people watching said, "This man was the son of God."

Guilt is an amazing emotion. Even if you do something wrong and get away with it, guilt keeps you uncomfortable! You can't enjoy your "victory," because you know in your heart that you were wrong. Hopefully, that uncomfortable feeling will make you admit your mistake and try to make up for it, so you can feel better.

This week's Gospel (Matthew 27:11-54) is about guilt: the guilt of the people who hated Jesus, who blamed Him for everything that was wrong with their world and decided killing Him was a good idea.

It's also about the guilt of the people who went along with it: Pilate, who could see Jesus was innocent of any crimes, but sentenced Him to death anyway; and the people in the crowd, who yelled, "Crucify Him!" - and then, later, saw how wrong they had been about Jesus.

Guilt follows you, even when it's guilt over something small, like saying something hurtful because you didn't think about what you were saying. Imagine the huge guilt all the people in the Gospel story felt for allowing Jesus to be crucified!

To get rid of guilt, you have to be sincerely sorry for your mistake and try to make up for it. Going to Reconciliation can help; so can saying you're sorry to whoever you hurt. If you broke or took something that wasn't yours, paying for it can help, too.

When Jesus died and people realized He really was the Son of God, they began to follow His teachings. It was a great way to make up for their guilt - and that faith has continued for 2,000 years![[In-content Ad]]

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