How can we help children to follow Jesus? As we celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul this Sunday, it is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on what it really means to follow Jesus.
 Does following Jesus simply mean believing that he existed? Does it mean believing that he is God? Does it mean going to church or trying to be a good person? Certainly, all of these things matter, but following Jesus means something even deeper.
 I often wonder what Saints Peter and Paul themselves would have understood following Jesus to mean. As practising Jews, they would have been familiar with the tradition of following a rabbi or teacher. For them, following a rabbi was not simply about studying his teachings or admiring him from a distance. It meant centring your whole life on that person.
 When Jesus called Peter, he left everything behind. As the hymn beautifully puts it, he "left his fishing nets and boats upon the shore." Jesus became the focal point of Peter's life. His greatest desire was to know him, love him and become more like him.
 The same is true for us today. We can help children understand that following Jesus is about far more than learning facts about him. It is about knowing him personally and building a real relationship with him.
 We grow in that relationship when we speak to Jesus in prayer, spend time listening to his voice in Scripture, receive him at Mass, and make daily choices inspired by his love. Every act of kindness, every moment of forgiveness, every time we turn to him in our hearts, we take another step in following him.
 Saints Peter and Paul remind us that Jesus does not simply ask for our admiration. He invites us into friendship with him. And when children discover that Jesus knows them, loves them and wants to walk with them every day, following him becomes not a duty, but a joyful response to his love.

We have some exciting news to share! Next week, Friday 20 March at 11am, you are invited to join us online to pray the Stations of the Cross. The Stations of the Cross is a traditional Lenten devotion, prayed especially on the Fridays of Lent. The prayer time lasts around 30 minutes and is ideal for teachers to play in the classroom. Our hope is that thousands of children and young people will join together in prayer. Please also share this post with anyone who may be interested so that as many young people as possible can take part. On the day, let us know you are joining by tagging us in your posts. #Mark10Mission #StationsOfTheCross #Lent #CatholicSchools #Prayer

As we begin the season of Lent this week, we are invited to enter the wilderness with Jesus. Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness and although this time of fasting and solitude would have had its challenges, Jesus would almost certainly look back at this time with great longing. In the wilderness, he deepened his relationship with his loving Father. In the wilderness, Jesus entered deeply into prayer.  In Lent, each of us can commit to a season of deeper prayer. We can invite children into this too, gently encouraging them to choose moments each day to spend 'extra time' with Jesus. Lent is also a time to take part in traditional devotions. On our Mark 10 Mission journey, we have found that children enjoy experiencing the Stations of the Cross, Holy Rosary and Adoration. They're also more open to the Sacrament of Reconciliation than many adults! This Lent, let us enter into prayer and help children to do the same. It is only through prayer that we can deepen our relationship with God. "If you pray more you will pray better." St Teresa of Calcutta.