Two or three times at Mass this month, we’ve read the following Gospel passage: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these”. When I see the same passage several times over, I think God wants to send us a particularly strong message. This month we also began religious education for all age groups and had our first full month of school. That means hundreds of children running around St. Martin’s every day. Visiting all these kids is a full-time job by itself! But it is also a lot of fun. Kids love almost any kind of conversation or activity, as long as the adult also seems to be having fun. Any parent who makes a game out of dinnertime, chores, or brushing teeth knows this. The children don’t want to be told what to do; they want to be shown what to do. So in whatever we want to guide our kids, we have to do it first, with enthusiasm!
We all want our kids to grow up having a good relationship with God and His Church. This is why we take them to Mass and send them to Catholic school and religious education. But we can only go so far by telling them how important the Faith is. They’ll remember and believe us far better if we show them. Do we treat the Sacraments like chores, or like exciting opportunities? Do we pray in the morning, before meals, and before bed with enthusiasm and diligence, or only sporadically when we feel like it? Friendship with Jesus is inherently exciting, and our kids will realize that if we don’t hinder them. If we pray deeply and work joyfully, Jesus does his work. The children will come to him through our example. We have a whole year to bring them closer to Jesus, but the parish staff and volunteers can’t do it alone! We need everyone in the parish to work together, helping to create a community where the children can sense Christ’s presence and feel truly at home. Thanks be to God for the gift of our children, our parish which helps nurture them, and for our heavenly Father who makes us all his children.
In Christ,
Fr. Joe
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