WHY KIDS LOVE COOKING

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me work hard to make good things happen, in the kitchen and in the world! Amen.

Some people brought a man to Jesus to be cured. The man was deaf and couldn’t talk. Jesus put his ­fingers in the man’s ears, then spat on them and touched the man’s tongue, saying, “Open up!” Suddenly, the man could hear and talk! Everyone was amazed at Jesus. “He can do anything!” they said — but Jesus told them not to mention it.

Cooking shows and cooking classes for kids are getting more popular. Kids who aren’t into cooking might ask, “Why bother?” They want something quick and easy. They don’t see why anyone would spend time turning a bunch of ingredients into a meal.

Kids who do love cooking get into it because it’s fun. You get to chop, mix, stir or spread the different ingredients. You can come up with your own delicious meals.

This week’s Gospel (Mark 7:31-37) might make some people ask, “Why bother?”

Jesus meets a man who is deaf and heals him. Since Jesus is God, He could just heal a person with a thought. He doesn’t have to put His fingers in this man’s ears or touch the man’s tongue to make him hear and talk.

Performing a miracle is like cooking: The process is important. You can just shove a cupcake in your mouth, or you can remember that you measured the vanilla, set the timer on the oven and spread the frosting. Your hard work made this happen!

Jesus wanted people to understand that the miracle came from Him. He could have snapped His fingers and healed the man — but He wanted to make it clear that He was the Son of God, using the power of God to help someone who was struggling.

Jesus wanted people to see that God doesn’t just snap His fingers and fix the world. God notices each person and is there to listen to our struggles.

Jesus’ hard work made a miracle happen, and people saw that and followed Him. What will your hard work lead to, in the kitchen or elsewhere?