“Little Churches”
theophilus October 27th, 2008
I often struggle with how to talk to our kids about Christ and our faith in a way that is age-appropriate. What are they ready for and when are they ready for it?
So, I was intrigued when I read through my “The Word Among Us” issue this month. TWAU is a good resource for the daily Mass and meditation on the readings. Each month, they also have a series of articles. This month’s theme has been “Exploring God’s Plan for Marriage.” There was one particular article that really caught my eye – “A Little Church: The Great Dignity and Calling of Family Life.”
This article discusses how we can make our families like “a little church;” a term first used by St. John Chrysostom. How does our families grow closer to Jesus? How do we grow more holy? How do we foster Christian formation?
The article reminds us parents that we are “the first preachers to our children.” That “[y]oung children like to be together as a family” and that “praying together is one vital way to do this.”
To do this teaching, we cannot rely on schools, books, television, the Internet or the news. No, our kids need ”faith sources.” We provide these sources by bringing children to Mass; preparing them for the sacraments; and teaching them how to pray, how to get along with others, and how to know right from wrong.
The article asks two questions to determine whether we are building a Christian culture in our homes. “Is the gospel being presented clearly?” and “How can we help each of our children take up the gospel according to his or her ability?”
And then the article gets to the crux of the “how” to teach our children. It’s broken down quite nicely.
“You can begin at creation, telling your children that God created everything, and that he made us with a special ability to know him, to trust him, and to make the world a holy place.”
“But our first parents disobeyed God, and in so doing seperated us from God.”
“Still, God loved us so much he sent his Son Jesus to save us from our sins and to bring us back to him. That is why Jesus died on the cross, and that’s why we worship him and thank him each Sunday.”
“Jesus wants us to live holy and good lives, full of love and kindness. He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us, and he gave us the Eucharist to feed us spiritually.
“So today and every day, it is our family’s goal to please the Lord and to serve one another.”
“We need to have times when we speak to them about these truths. We need times when we simply pray with them and show them the value of reconciliation.”
And, the summation of the article is that we need to show love to them and to our spouses; while meditating on Jesus and “falling in love with him.”
The article just has some overall good guidance on how to teach our kids about our faith by word and deed; and how to bring our children closer to Christ as part of our own “little churches.”
- Catholic Men , Church , Faith , Family , Marriage , Prayer
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