Essay by Students

4^th Grade Notre Dame Elementary

"Come Follow Me"

When I think of the phrase, "Come follow Me" said by Jesus, I think it means to have strong faith, to apologize, to forgive, to make wise decisions, and to care for those in need.

The phrase, "Come follow me" said by Jesus means to follow His example, have strong faith, and go to church every Sunday and/or Saturday, including Holy Days. For me personally, even when I want to stay in bed, I wake up and go to church; I always feel better afterwards. Another example is when I help my Mom and Dad, I always feel good later. One time I worked at a food pantry near my cousin's hometown during Thanksgiving Day. I served food to lose less fortunate than me. I often serve as an Altar Server at Mass a lot. I'm nice to my sisters. I care for animals and people. I treat others the way I want to be treated. I'm nice to everybody. I box up clothing, food, and toys, and I send them to the poor, or victims of terrible weather events (like Tsunamis). I pick litter to help keep Jesus' Earth clean.

I believe that people should follow Jesus' ways and be taught loving behavior as early as pre-school age. I see my five-year-old sister and my seven-year-old sister going around the house spreading Jesus' love. They do this by drawing pictures and writing "I love Jesus" and "I love God" all over artwork.

So as you can see, you can never be too young to spread Jesus' loving ways and to come follow Him!

4^th Grade Notre Dame Elementary

"Come Follow Me"

When Jesus said "come follow me" means to always believe in him and trust in him. You have to open your heart, mind, and spirit to receive God's message. You have to be nice, kind, and loving towards others.

One way I do this is by going to Mass to learn about the way Jesus treated others. By his example, I do these things toward others to show that I care: giving hugs, praying for others that need our prayers, saying kind things to others, and teaching my family about things I have learned about Jesus and Saints.

"Come follow me" also means to live as he did. A way I think of "come follow me" is the way a teacher leads a class. Jesus was a teacher. He taught people about God, and He leads the people.

We have to follow Jesus as he leads us through our lives. I love to hear parables that Jesus told his followers. For example, the parable about how the younger son took his inheritance from his father and left. He spent the money foolishly, and came back and asked his father forgiveness. We go to Reconciliation and ask God for forgiveness for our sins. Then, we try not to the bad things, but act on the good and right things, just as Jesus wants us to do.