What is my child learning this month?
This month, your child summarized all of our lessons that we’ve learned throughout the year into one topic: faith. We spoke about what faith is (and what it is not), how we can grow in our faith, and how we can live our faith in the ordinary parts of our lives. We talked about how important it was to have our foundation in our faith when times get difficult in order to lead us through.
Faith is a gift from God, but is not something that remains the same; it ebbs and flows as we grow, but we can never lose it. Even if we sometimes feel like we lost our faith or we are doubting, the beauty about the gift of faith is that it can never be lost.
Terms we went over:
Faith: faith is a gift from God, “a supernatural virtue infused by him…Before this faith can be exercised, man must have the grace of God to move and assist him; he must have the interior helps of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and 'makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth” (CCC §153). It is the virtue in which we believe in God and believe in all that He has revealed to us and that the Holy Church proposes for our belief, because He is truth itself. For this reason, the believer seeks entirely to know and do God’s will. The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it. (CCC §1814).
(See Catechism of the Catholic Church, §153-163, §1814-1816)
BRINGING THIS SESSION HOME
This month, parents are asked to reflect on their own witness and faith life with their children. Parents are the primary formators of their children’s faith; this means that parents are the most influential agents of teaching the faith for their children.
Yet…that may seem like such a daunting task. Maybe you’re someone who has gone to Church all your life, maybe you’re someone who has just started coming back, or maybe you don’t go much at all. Maybe you have a prayer life, maybe you don’t. With all of the business that comes with everyday life, educating your children in the faith may seem like an afterthought or something you have no idea where to start. Maybe you think you have to have everything together when you really just…don’t.
Parents primarily form their children through example: their own witness of faith and love of God. Many saints looked to their parents' love of God and their Christian witness as inspiration for their own lives — not just from their knowledge of the faith, but through the way they lived their lives: loving God and desiring to follow him, however imperfect. You may not have all the answers, but you can walk with your child as you search for the answers together.
Take a look at these articles/videos on the importance of educating your children in the faith, and practical tips on how to go about this:
The Role of Parents in Educating Their Children
The School of the Heart: Parents as Primary Catechists
Tips for Parents Forming Faith at Home
PRAYING TOGETHER
This month, as a family, we ask that you pray the Litany of Prayer. This Litany was created by Fr. Josh Johnson, pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish. After powerfully encountering Jesus in the Eucharist as a teenager, Fr. Josh Johnson dedicated his life to becoming a wholehearted disciple of Jesus Christ. Ordained for the Diocese of Baton Rouge in 2014, Fr. Josh has dedicated his priesthood to inviting all people to become saints in their walk toward eternity.
You can find his content at Ascension Press, and listen to his podcast Ask Fr. Josh.
Litany of Prayer
Of the belief I am too busy to pray, Jesus, help me to let go.
Of the belief that my work or ministry is more important than my prayer, Jesus, help me to let go.
Of the belief that my prayer simply does not matter, Jesus, help me to let go.
Of the belief that daily prayer is something only for people I deem holier than myself, Jesus, help me to let go.
Of the belief that I am not capable of waking up earlier to make time for prayer, Jesus, help me to let go.
Of the belief that I cannot silence my devices during our time together in prayer, Jesus, help me to let go.
Of the belief that if I get distracted, I will not be able to return to you in prayer, Jesus, help me to let go.
Of the belief I will offend my family or friends if I ask them to not disturb my time with you in prayer, Jesus, help me to let go.
Of the belief that something is wrong with my prayer if I am not delighting in your presence or perceiving insights, Jesus, help me to let go.
Of the belief I need to constantly examine my progress in the spiritual life while praying, Jesus, help me to let go.
Of the belief that I should dwell on my wound instead of abiding in your word, Jesus, help me to let go.
Of the belief that I can grow in my relationship with you apart from reading your word in the Bible, Jesus, help me to let go.
Of the belief that I will never hear your voice when I pray, Jesus, help me to let go.
Of the belief that I will never experience your presence when I pray, Jesus, help me to let go.
Of the belief that I can control when and and how you will communicate with me in prayer, Jesus, help me to let go.
Of the belief that silence in prayer is a negative experience, Jesus, help me to let go.
Of the belief that prayer is an optional practice, Jesus, help me to let go.
Of the belief I can do anything apart from you, Jesus, help me to let go.
Lord Jesus Christ, help me to remain faithful to my relationship with the Holy Trinity, the practice of daily prayer, so that I may abide in relationship with you, our Father and the Holy Spirit, during my pilgrimage on earth, and most importantly, forever in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Amen.
