How do you pass on the faith to the next generation?
Here’s a glimpse at a micro-moment of evangelization:
Found this pamphlet on the Eucharist in the girls’ room.
My older daughter is headstrong and can test my patience daily. But her same tenacity is also a strength— she truly cares.
She loves reading booklets or following along the worship book at Mass. One reason is because she always needs something to hold or fidget with (flipping pages of a book is soothing ).
Another reason is I think having her “own” booklet makes her feel like she can participate more and have more of a say.
The Holy Spirit does work in mysterious ways:
I have a Master’s Degree in Theology and have been writing about our faith for almost a decade. But in order to teach my kids about the faith, the Spirit prompts me with simpler avenues.
✝️ Answering questions during Mass
✝️ Taking them to the local Catholic store occasionally
✝️ Praying before meals and before bedtime
✝️ Having holy images throughout our home
The Home is a Domestic Church
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph #2685, “The Christian family is the first place of education in prayer. Based on the sacrament of marriage, the family is the ‘domestic church’ where God’s children learn to pray “as the Church” and to persevere in prayer.”
It doesn’t always have to involve a verbalization of the faith. In fact, I don’t remember my parents ever talking at length about Catholicism. They taught us the faith by their actions and having a loving home environment.
Sometimes just the environment and time are all the Holy Spirit needs to grow the seeds planted at their Baptism.
This isn’t the post I planned on writing today. Yet, God always finds a way to make my plans better than I could imagine myself.
Passing on the faith to the next generation in the domestic church doesn’t always require lengthy theological discussions. Sometimes, it’s the small moments of evangelization, like finding a pamphlet on the Eucharist in your child’s room or answering questions during Mass, that can make the biggest impact.
By creating a loving home environment and incorporating simple faith practices like praying before meals and having holy images throughout the house, we can allow the Holy Spirit to work in mysterious ways and grow the seeds of faith planted at our children’s Baptism. Remember, committing our work to the Lord and trusting in His plans can lead to beautiful moments of evangelization in our own domestic churches.
“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” —Proverbs 16:3
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