BIG THINGS, IN FEW WORDS

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, when a bombshell is dropped in my life, help me remember you’re there for me, and so are other people! Amen.

After Jesus died, the Apostles hid in a locked room to get away from those who killed Him. Suddenly, Jesus was in the room with them! “Peace be with you,” He said, showing them the cuts in His hands and side to prove it was really Him. “Receive the Holy Spirit,” He added, and gave them the power to forgive sins.

Sometimes, the biggest things can be communicated in the fewest words: “We’re moving.” “You won first place!” “Your Grandpa had a stroke.”

Some people call saying something big like that “dropping a bombshell.” It’s exactly what Jesus did in this week’s Gospel (John 20:19-23).

When a bombshell is dropped — when you’re told about something big in just a few words — you usually have a million questions. “I won? Do I get a trophy? Do I get money? Will there be a ceremony?” “Will Grandpa be OK? Is he in the hospital? When can we see him?”

The Apostles must have felt exactly like that! Imagine their reaction: “Jesus, you’re alive? What do you mean, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit?’ Who’s that? How can we forgive people’s sins?”

Hearing something big means you want to understand it, right away. You want your questions answered immediately so you know what’s going to happen and how you feel about it.

Jesus dropped a bombshell. He had come back to life, and He was giving the Apostles the job of carrying on His work. He said the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, would be in their hearts to help them. The Holy Spirit descended on them at that moment — we call it “Pentecost” — and they got the power to forgive sins.

If something is called a “bombshell,” that’s because it’s a lot to process. Even after all your questions are answered, you’ll have many feelings about what’s happening. The Apostles did, too. Luckily, they had Jesus and the Holy Spirit to help them through this big change.

You have God to help you, too. When a bombshell is dropped in your life, you can pray about it and ask other people to help you get through it. And you only need to say one word: “Help!”