Matthew 19: 13-15 (Saturday, August 18, 2007

Children are a gift from the Lord. Jesus Christ loved children and always wanted children to be brought to him. The gospel of today invites us to bring our children to Jesus. Parents have the responsibility of bringing their children to Jesus. They can do this by first building a strong family prayer life. Saying the Rosary as a family, praying before and after meals, is an effective way of bringing children to Jesus. John Paul II teaches us that the family is the domestic church. It is the first church in which a child would be schooled in his or her faith. This education in the faith is not only in the scholarly knowledge we impart to our children but primarily in the way we live radically our Christian life. A child would not cultivate the Christian responsibility of going to church every Sunday, if one or all of the parents stay back at home every Sunday. We must teach our children by the way we live our faith.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of our children. Help us to be witnesses to our children by the way we live our Christian faith, so that our children may come to know and love you as their Lord and savior.