The Twelve Apostles

Today we're going to learn about the twelve special friends Jesus chose to help Him share God's love with the world - the Twelve Apostles! Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee when He saw some fishermen working hard with their nets. He called to Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, 'Come, follow me!' Then He found James and John, who were also fishermen. Can anyone tell me what you think these men did when Jesus called them? That's right - they left their boats and followed Jesus immediately! Jesus chose twelve men in total. There was Matthew, who collected taxes, and Thomas, who asked many questions. There was also Judas Iscariot, Philip, Bartholomew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, Thaddeus, and Andrew. Each apostle was different, but Jesus loved them all. He taught them how to pray, how to heal sick people, and how to tell others about God's kingdom. The apostles watched Jesus perform miracles - they saw Him feed thousands of people with just a few loaves and fish! They saw Him heal the blind and make the lame walk. Can you imagine how amazed they must have been? Jesus gave His apostles a very important job: to go to all the nations and teach people about God's love. In our Maronite tradition, we remember that these apostles brought the Gospel message to our ancestors in Lebanon and the Middle East. Even today, we continue their mission by being kind to others and sharing God's love. The apostles show us that Jesus calls ordinary people like you and me to do extraordinary things for God. When we help others and share God's love, we are following in the footsteps of the twelve apostles!