Family prayer time

So after being quite convinced that praying together as a family, using the prayer table as a focal point, was the best possible idea, the rivalry between my two boys has made that totally untenable. 

I'm hoping we can get back to it one day, but in the meantime I'm doing separate prayer times with each of them around bedtime. Which is actually good, because they have quite different religious needs at the moment, one being 5 1/4 and a naturally loving and affectionate child who is all about the Good Shepherd, and the other being 6 3/4 and a naturally rule-orientated fellow with a tendency to ignore the spirit of the Law in favour of the letter (he gets that from me).

So just in case I have given the impression that you're doing it all wrong if you're not using a prayer table or whatever, please ignore said impression. I suspect I overstressed the outward form of the prayer time in a previous post. And the prayer table with all its accompaniments is a wonderful tool. But the really important thing is that you are praying with your children (every day if possible), and that they see you praying, and that you are trying to be aware of the themes most appropriate to their ages and personalities. The best thing about it all? We do our best and God will do the rest. (Thank goodness for that!)

11th Week of Ordinary Time, Tuesday (Cycle II)

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"Alleluia, alleluia!

I give you a new commandment:

love one another just as I have loved you,

says the Lord.

Alleluia!"

(Gospel Acclamation)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

I'm trying a different approach for a little while. My boys are 5 and 6 and have many wonderful ideas to share. I'm going to try just starting with a phrase and exploring it with them - often what I think will help them doesn't seem to hit to spot, so I'm going to try and be guided more by them. I invite you to try the same with your own children.

For younger children for this one, ask them about what they think it means to love as God loves - how He showed that love, and how they can do so in practical ways. See what else they think is important about this snippet. Don't focus on the commandment bit - save that for 6+ when we can talk about how Jesus gives us wonderful rules to help us be close to Him and have a wonderful relationship with Him and others. From 6ish, rules for life are becoming important (kids are focussing on other things before that).

For older children (unsure exactly which age - I wouldn't do it with my 6 3/4 year old and probably not till 8 or 9 at least) you could also look at the Gospel of the day and what Jesus might be trying to get across there: http://universalis.com/20160614/mass.htm

Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

11th Week of Ordinary Time, Monday (Cycle II)

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth."

(Response to the Psalm)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

I'm trying a different approach for a little while. My boys are 5 and 6 and have many wonderful ideas to share. I'm going to try just starting with a phrase and exploring it with them - often what I think will help them doesn't seem to hit to spot, so I'm going to try and be guided more by them. I invite you to try the same with your own children.

Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"Holy Father, keep in your name those you have given to me,
that they may be one as we are one, says the Lord."

(Communion Antiphon)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

What a beautiful prayer from Jesus.

He asks that we be one with Him, as He is one with the Father.

Can you imagine how Jesus and the Father are one? 

What a wonderful thing, that Jesus wants us to be with Him and the Father so very closely. How much He must love us if He wants us to be one with Him!

Thank you, Jesus, for loving us so much. Thank you for wanting to share with us the oneness of You and the Father. 

Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."11

10th Week of Ordinary Time, Tuesday (Cycle II)

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"you are the light of the world"

(From the Gospel)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

We have talked before about how Jesus is the light of the world. In today's Gospel He tells us that we are the light of the world!

What can this mean? How can both Jesus and us be the light of the world?

Remember that, when we were baptised, we received the light of Christ? We became part of His family; part of Him. 

(For 6/7+: As long as we choose to keep that light shining in us, it is there, shining brightly for the world to see.)

(For 3-6: That light is still shining brightly in us, for all the world to see.)

That is how we are the light of the world, along with Jesus. His light is shining in us.

Thank you, Jesus, for being the light of the world. Thank you for giving us that light so that we can be the light of the world with You.

Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

10th Week of Ordinary Time, Friday (Cycle II)

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"You will shine in the world like bright stars
because you are offering it the word of life."

(From the Gospel)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

The other day we talked about how we, along with Jesus, are the light of the world. We have the light of Jesus, given to us as baptism, shining in us.

We "will shine in the world like bright stars" - this must be a very bright light! Imagine if we could see with our eyes the lights of all those who carry Christ's light within them. I wonder how much light we would all make together? Do you think it would be as bright as the sun? Brighter?

I wonder what it is like in Heaven, with so much of Christ's light shining?

Thank you, Jesus, for giving us Your bright light. Thank you that we can shine it in the world for everyone else, so they can find You and love You.

Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

10th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"a dead man was being carried out for burial, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a considerable number of the townspeople were with her. When the Lord saw her he felt sorry for her. ‘Do not cry’ he said. Then he went up and put his hand on the bier and the bearers stood still, and he said, ‘Young man, I tell you to get up.’ And the dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Everyone was filled with awe and praised God saying, ‘A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people.’"

(From the Psalm)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

Today we have a beautiful Gospel about how much Jesus cares for His people.

A woman with no other family had lost her only son. Jesus cared for her so much that He brought him back to life, so that she would not be alone.

If Jesus can bring the dead back to life, what can he not do? What would He not do to make sure we have what we need? His love is so very great and His power is too; He can and will do everything we ever need to help us.

Thank you, Jesus, for loving us so much. Thank you for always making sure we have whatever we need.

Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

9th Week of Ordinary Time, Saturday (Cycle II)

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"My lips are filled with your praise,
with your glory all the day long.
I will always hope
and praise you more and more.
O God, you have taught me from my youth
and I proclaim your wonders still.
So I will give thanks on the lyre
for your faithful love, my God.
To you will I sing with the harp
to you, the Holy One of Israel."

(From the Psalm)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

Today we have a beautiful psalm, all about how wonderful God is and how thankful the psalmist is. (The psalmist is the person who wrote the psalm.)

He says, "My lips are filled with your praise, with your glory all the day long." He is always wanting to say good things about God.

He says he will praise God more and more. God can never be praised enough for all the wonderful things He does.

"O God, you have taught me from my youth" - God has always been with him, looking after him and helping him, even when he was a child.

"I will give thanks on the lyre for your faithful love, my God." A lyre is a kind of stringed musical instrument. God has such faithful love and the psalmist wants to thank Him for it in song.

"To you will I sing with the harp to you, the Holy One of Israel." A harp is another stringed musical instrument. God is the Holy One of Israel.

What things would you say to God if you were praising Him? Would you sing songs of love and praise? Let's praise God for a time, now.

Thank you, Lord, for Your faithful love. We praise you for your glory.

Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

Guide your children's prayer part 2: 3-6 themes

In the first post of this series I talked about why it is so important to help children build a strong relationship with Jesus the Good Shepherd, why it's important to do this before the age of 6, if possible, and why you - the parent - are the best person to help them do this.

In this post, I will talk about the themes which Cavalletti and Gobbi, who developed Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, observed were most relevant to children in the 3-6 age group.

I've already talked a lot about the image of the Good Shepherd and how this is the primary image of God presented to children in this age group. 

In the atrium, we have a wonderful diorama which we use to help tell the Parable of the Good Shepherd, and which children are subsequently able to use whenever they feel drawn to it, to ponder the parable more deeply.

Most of us are not going to have one of these at home, but it is still possible to help the child "enter the sheepfold" and contemplate the message of the Good Shepherd. (In this blog you will find many reflections with different ways of looking at the image of the Good Shepherd, in bite sized pieces, which pretty much summarise what we present in the atrium, and can be used over a number of days or weeks to explore the topic.)

Another theme we ponder with the children is the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God, and we use 5 parables for this: The Precious Pearl, The Mustard Seed, The Hidden Treasure, the Leaven, and the Growing Seed. We marvel at how precious the Kingdom of God must be, and how it can seem so small and inconsequential, yet has so much power.

When we look at Baptism and Easter we focus on images such as the light - Jesus the Light of the World, who fills the darkness. Like with the Good Shepherd, we are showing to the children the loving, safe embrace of God. We talk about how we have that light inside us, and how brightly the light shines when we are together. We also mention how the Light went out of the world for a very short time, but now it is with us forever and will never leave again.

In Advent we present the Infancy Narratives. For the 3-6 year olds we have the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity of Jesus and Adoration of the Shepherds, the Adoration of the Magi, and the Presentation in the Temple.

In terms of liturgy, most of what we do requires miniature versions of what is used at Mass, but you could use pictures to talk about the different articles used at Mass. (I have made some paper-based works for the vestments and will get to the altar articles - I've also developed a 2D felt set for the vestments, and am working on one for the altar articles. Contact me if you would like more information these, or search etsy for masscatechesis.) There is a focus on the tabernacle/ciborium/paten/chalice, but they also learn the names and functions of all the other articles related to Mass, as well as the vestments and liturgical colours. The purpose of this is to help them understand what is happening at Mass, as well as provide things (items or moments) for them to "latch onto" to keep focussed.

We also present some of the gestures used at Mass - isolated moments of particular importance. The Sign of the Cross, Genuflection, Epiclesis, the Sign of Peace, Lavabo, and the Doxology. The children are also shown how to prepare the mini chalice and cruets.

We try to follow the liturgical year as much as possible. There are processions to change the prayer table cloth at the change of liturgical season, celebrations for Easter, Pentecost, Holy Thursday, the start of Advent, and we use the materials we have whenever is most relevant - for example the Walls of Jerusalem is just before of after Easter, so the children have an idea of how Jerusalem was and where various events happened. This can be easily done at home too, talking about what the big feasts and seasons mean. (With the small ones we talk about white being for the Great Feasts of Jesus, such as His birth and Resurrection; purple is for preparing for those great feasts; green is for growing after the feasts, and red is the colour of the Holy Spirit and great love.)

You can also talk about appropriate saints (by appropriate I mean ones without too much gore - that's best saved till their quite a bit older) such as St Therese of Lisieux, St Joseph, the various Marian feasts. If you're not sure, just ask yourself if this saint's life shows an image of God's loving care, or a life of hardship and suffering. Small children don't need to know about hardship and suffering.

In terms of types of prayer, Gobbi and Cavalletti observed that small children are drawn most to prayer of praise and thanksgiving. As adults we are used to asking God for things for ourselves or others (prayer of petition or intercession), and don't often remember to say thank you afterwards! In the atrium we avoid these types of prayer until age 6 or 7, so that children are able to freely express their joy and thanksgiving. It's all about them and God, and God's love, not about asking for things or thinking about other people yet. That will come in its time.

Next time: 6-9 themes.

9th Week of Ordinary Time, Friday (Cycle II)

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"Your words gladden the heart, O Lord, they give light to the eyes."

(Gospel Acclamation)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

Do you remember where we find the words of the Lord? Do you remember the name of the very special book that has so many of these words?

Yes, the Bible. God wanted to make sure we wouldn't forget His wonderful words, so He got people to write them down in the many books of the Bible, and gave us the Church to make sure we always understood His words properly.

"Your words gladden the heart". "Gladden" means to make happy. God's words make us happy.

"They give light to the eyes." God's words help us see. What do they help us see?

Perhaps they help us see the wonder of life, the best way to live, the wonder of the life to come. No wonder they "gladden the heart"!

Thank you, Lord, for giving us Your words, which give light to our eyes and gladden our hearts. Thank you for making sure we are always able to understand what you want us to know.

Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

Apologies

Just a quick apology for the lack of posts the last week. I was sick and my laptop died. No longer sick, and no dead laptop, so back online! Was a frustrating week!

8th Week of Ordinary Time, Friday (Cycle II)

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples"

(From the Gospel)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

Do you know what God's house is?

Each church is God's house.

A church is a very special place to pray - the best place. It can be hard to get to a church to pray, but if you have the chance, it is a wonderful thing to do.

Do you know why the church is such a good place to pray?

God is everywhere, but He is in a church in a very special way - He is physically present in the tabernacle, in the Bread. This is why it is so wonderful to be able to pray in a church - it is the place where we can be closest to God.

Sometimes when we go to church there are lots of people talking to each other and ignoring Jesus. It can be hard not to talk to friends and family, but we can talk to them outside, after Mass. When we are in the church it would be a pity to waste the chance to talk to Jesus, who is waiting patiently for us in the tabernacle. We could even remind the people that are ignoring Him that He would be so happy if they gave Him their attention.

We can say simple things, like "thank you for waiting for me in the tabernacle", "thank you for Your great love", "I love You", "You are so wonderful", "You love me so much". Or whatever else is in our hearts.

What a great gift, to be able to talk to God in this way.

Thank you, Jesus, for being there in every tabernacle, waiting for us to talk to You and show our love for You. Thank you for loving us so much.

Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

8th Week of Ordinary Time, Thursday (Cycle II)

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light."

(From the First Reading)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

Today we hear how special God has made us. We are "chosen", a "royal priesthood", a "consecrated nation". We are "a people set apart to sing the praises of God". God has called us "out of the darkness into his wonderful light."

We are not just some unimportant people that God puts up with. We are chosen by Him, made very special because of His love for us, and because He has called us into His light.

How wonderful to be so loved, to be treated as so special!

Thank you, God, for choosing us to be Your own. Thank you for calling us out of the darkness and into Your wonderful light.

Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

8th Week of Ordinary Time, Tuesday (Cycle II)

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"You will shine in the world like bright stars
because you are offering it the word of life."

(Gospel Acclamation)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

We have talked a few times about Jesus being the Light of the World. We've also talked about how we have that light in us, because we have been baptised.

Have you ever thought about how your light shines in the world?

"You will shine in the world like bright stars because you are offering it the word of life."

We will shine in the world like bright stars. Can you imagine all the Christians all over the world, shining like the stars in the sky? Imagine if we each had a candle that people could see - what a lot of light we would make!

How wonderful that there are so many people shining with the light of Christ.

Thank you, Jesus, for giving us Your light. Thank you that we can shine it in the world for everyone who has not yet found it.

Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

8th Week of Ordinary Time, Monday (Cycle II)

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"everything is possible for God."

(From the Gospel)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

Everything is possible for God! There is nothing that God cannot do.

God can make new people, animals, mountains - a whole new world if He wanted to. What other wonderful things can God do?

This is amazing! It is hard for us to imagine that there is someone with unlimited power, who can do anything He wants to, because there is so much that we cannot do. 

And everything that He does is so very good! What a powerful, strong God, for whom everything is possible.

What good things would you want to do if you had the power to do them?

What good things are you able to do now?

Thank you, God, for your great power and strength. Thank you that everything is possible for You.


Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

The Most Holy Trinity, Year C

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
the God who is, who was, and who is to come."

(From the Gospel)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

Today is a very big feast day - the feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Do you know who the Holy Trinity is?

The Holy Trinity is the name we give to God - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit - one God, three Persons. 
Does this seem confusing?

The Holy Trinity is a mystery. This means we cannot understand it. There is a story about St Augustine, who was someone who knew an awful lot about God. He was walking along the beach one day, trying to figure out the Trinity, when he saw a little boy. The boy was putting water from the sea into a hole. St Augustine asked him what he was doing and the boy answered that he was trying to put the ocean into the hole. St Augustine told him that was impossible, and the boy replied that it was no more impossible than trying to understand the Trinity.

We cannot understand the Trinity, but we can love each Person of the Trinity - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Which one of these do you find it easier to talk to?

Let's spend a moment, now, talking to whichever Person of the Holy Trinity you would like to speak with.

Thank you, God, for revealing to us that You are Three in One. Thank you for this great feast day, when we can think especially about the great mystery of the Holy Trinity.


(Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

7th Week of Ordinary Time, Saturday (Cycle II)

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

Jesus said to the disciples, "'Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs....' Then he put his arms round them, laid his hands on them and gave them his blessing."

(From the Gospel)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

Today we have more beautiful words from Jesus about children.

He says to let the children come to Him, because the Kingdom of God belongs to them.

What do you think of this? Jesus doesn't say that the Kingdom of God belongs to rich or clever or important people, but to children, who have no money, much to learn, and are not usually thought very important. But Jesus thinks they are so important that He says the Kingdom of God belongs to them!

I wonder why this is? Perhaps the reason doesn't matter. It is something very wonderful to think about though!

Thank you, Jesus, for showing us how important children are to You. Thank you for sharing your Kingdom first of all with them.

(Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

7th Week of Ordinary Time, Friday (Cycle II)

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"The Lord is compassion and love"

(Response to the Psalm)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

Do you know what compassion is?

The word compassion comes from two Latin words, which mean "with suffer". To have compassion is to suffer with.

The Lord is compassion. The Lord suffers with us. He loves us so much that He never lets us have any difficulties alone; He is always with us whenever we are sad or upset or cross or any other ways of feeling that are not nice. 

What do you think of this? Whenever you feel not good, Jesus is there feeling it with you. Even better, He understands exactly how you feel, even if you don't understand it yourself! How wonderful that there is always someone who understands us so well, and who will never leave us alone when we feel bad.

Thank you, Jesus, for loving us so much. Thank you for being so close to us and understanding us so well when we feel bad.

(Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

7th Week of Ordinary Time, Thursday (Cycle II) (St Pancras)

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to mere children."

(Gospel Acclamation)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

The other day we talked about how Jesus welcomes little children with such love.

Today He tells us something else about children. He says that thy mysteries of the kingdom have been revealed to them. That sounds quite special!

Often, adults think they know best about things to do with Jesus. We often know many facts and pieces of information, but many times children actually understand things better.

Can you think of a time when it seemed like adults didn't understand something very obvious to you?

Us adults can learn so much from you children if we take the time to watch and listen. Maybe today you could ask Jesus to help all the adults in your life watch and listen so we can learn some of the things He has shared with you?

Thank you, Jesus, for showing such wonderful things to children. Thank you that we can all learn from the children you have placed in our lives.

(Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

7th Week of Ordinary Time, Wednesday (Cycle II)

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord"

(From the Gospel Acclamation)

Jesus is the Way. The Way to what?

What do you think it means that He is the Way?

Jesus is the Truth. What do you think this means? Do you know what truth is?

Jesus also says He is the Life. What could He mean by that?

What do we know that Jesus has won for us, by dying and rising from the dead? Yes, life forever with Him. Maybe that could be part of what He means.

Thank you, Jesus for Being the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Thank you that we can have life forever with you.

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

(Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

7th Week of Ordinary Time, Tuesday (Cycle II)

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him, and said to them, 'Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."

(From the Gospel)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

Today we have a very beautiful passage from the Gospel: Jesus shows us how important children are to Him.

He says, "Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me". What do you think of that? It's a bit like He's saying that a child is like Him. 

And we know that you are like Him, because you were baptised and became a part of His Mystical Body, the Church. (All the people in the Church, all over the world, make up what we call Jesus' Mystical Body.)

Thinking about what Jesus said, how do you think people should treat children? What about at Mass? Do you think people at Mass are welcoming to children? What do you think they could do differently to make children feel more welcome? 

Is there a place where you feel very welcome? Is it just for children, for adults and children, or more for just adults? What about it makes you feel welcome?

Sometimes it is hard for adults to welcome children at Mass or other places, because they don't want to be disturbed while they are praying, and it's hard for children to stay quiet and still. It's important for these adults to understand that children sometimes can't be quiet and still, but it's also important for children to try their best not to distract other people. Can you think of ways to help yourself be quiet at Mass? Is there something you wish you had to help you pay attention, or something you could use to keep your hands busy while you listen? Maybe you and your parents could come up with a plan to help the whole family get the most out of attending Mass, without people getting bored or distracted or grumpy.

Thank you, Jesus, for loving little children so much. Thank you for telling us how important children are to you.

(Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

7th Week of Ordinary Time, Monday (Cycle II)

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"The word of the Lord remains for ever;
What is this word?
It is the Good News that has been brought to you."

(Gospel Acclamation)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

For a long time we haven't seen the green of Growing Time. We had 6 weeks of Lent, preparing for the Great Feast of Jesus, of His Resurrection - Easter. We celebrated Easter for 7 weeks, and yesterday we finished the season of Easter with the Feast of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost.

Now it is Ordinary Time again, or the time for growing. God has given us so much over the last 13 weeks, and it is time to let it grow.

One of the wonderful things God has been sharing with us over the last weeks is the Good News. Do you know what the Good News is?

What do we know about what Jesus did? 

Jesus died, and rose again. He is risen, and He can never die again. He has given us life with Him forever. This is the Good News.

This Good News means so much for us. It is like a seed that has been planted in our hearts, that grows and bears fruit in so many ways. I wonder if we will be able to notice the ways it is growing and bearing fruit in these weeks of growing time?

Thank you, Lord, for giving us the gift of the Good News. Thank you for this wonderful time of growing, when it can grow and bear much fruit.

(Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

Pentecost Sunday, Year C

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"When Pentecost day came round, the apostles had all met in one room, when they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech."

(From the First Reading)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

We have spent the last week talking about the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit - Wisdom, Understanding, Fear of the Lord or Wonder and Awe, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, and Piety.

Now we have reached the great feast of Pentecost! Jesus' friends didn't really know what to do after He went up to Heaven, so they were gathered together in the room where they had celebrated the Last Supper with Him, praying. 

All of a sudden, things got very interesting! Let's read the passage again.

"When Pentecost day came round, the apostles had all met in one room, when they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech."

How do you think they must have been feeling when all this was happening?

What do you think it looked like? The tongues of fire, and the expressions on the apostles' faces, how they reacted. Can you imagine how it sounded? That great wind, and the apostles talking in all those different languages.

Jesus gave the great gift to the apostles to help them in their work for Him. What a wonderful gift. What a wonderful God, always making sure we have whatever we need.

Thank you, Jesus, for giving us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for Your caring love.

(Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

7th Week of Easter, Saturday

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"The Holy Spirit will glorify me, 
for he will take from what is mine and declare it to you, 
says the Lord, alleluia."

(Communion Antiphon) 

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

So far we have talked about six gifts of the Holy Spirit - Wisdom, Understanding, Fear of the Lord or Wonder and Awe, Counsel, Fortitude, and Knowledge.

The seventh gift of the Holy Spirit is the gift of Piety.

Have you ever heard this word before?

One way we can understand the gift of Piety is "to be filled with the love of God and God's love for all things".

"God's love for all things." What kind of love do you think God has for all things? Imagine being filled with such great love!

Thank you, Jesus, for giving us the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for all of Your wonderful gifts, especially the gift of Piety.


(Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

7th Week of Easter, Friday

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"The Holy Spirit will teach you everything
and remind you of all I have said to you."

(Gospel Acclamation)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

So far we have talked about five, gifts of the Holy Spirit - Wisdom, Understanding, Fear of the Lord or Wonder and Awe, Counsel, and Fortitude.

The sixth gift of the Holy Spirit is the gift of Knowledge.

This is probably a word you have heard before. When we are talking about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, it has a slightly different meaning to normal.

One way we can understand the gift of Knowledge is "to know God more and more each day".

How wonderful, to know God more and more each day! Do you think you might like this gift?

Thank you, Jesus, for giving us the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for all of Your wonderful gifts, especially the gift of Knowledge.


(Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

7th Week of Easter, Thursday

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"May the mysteries we have received, O Lord, we pray,
enlighten us by the instruction they bring
and restore us through our participation in them,
that we may merit the gifts of the Spirit.
Through Christ our Lord."

(Prayer after Communion)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

So far we have talked about four gifts of the Holy Spirit - Wisdom, Understanding, Fear of the Lord or Wonder and Awe, and Counsel.

The fifth gift of the Holy Spirit is the gift of Fortitude.

Have you ever heard this word before?

Maybe you have heard the word "courage"? Courage can be another name for fortitude.

Do you know what it means?

One way to explain the meaning of Fortitude is "to be strong in God".

What do you think it means to be strong in God?

God is very strong, isn't He? He can do anything. Do you think He wants to help us do many wonderful things? Things that maybe we couldn't do without His help?

The gift of Fortitude can help us do many wonderful things for God, and to always be strong, and brave, and courageous, and do the right thing, even when it is hard.

Thank you, Jesus, for giving us the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for all of Your wonderful gifts, especially the gift of Fortitude.


(Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

Guide your children's prayer: Why and how (part 1) (approx reading time, 5 min)

I started writing these reflections in Lent, in response to a need I saw in my 5 and 6 year old boys (their 2 year old sister just tags along with everything they do, anyway). If they help other families, great, but what I believe will help the most is if YOU write the reflections yourself, or use the same principles in whatever way works best for your family.

Why? Because arguably the best possible preparation for life (and eternal life) is a strong relationship with Jesus the Good Shepherd, and this cannot be formed without prayer. And it's hard to know how to pray if no one shows you! This is where reflections can help: as a guide and basis for further prayer.

Why should you prepare the reflections yourself?

Firstly, because nobody knows your child better than you. You might think you don't know much about your child's religious life - and fair enough - it's pretty hard to see what happens in the soul! But with the right tools and awareness you can guide them enough to form a relationship with God that you don't need to know exactly what's going on. (I'll help you with the tools and awareness bit - or you could search out some Catechesis of the Good Shepherd training - it is SO worth doing.)

Secondly, because it will feed and nurture your own prayer life and relationship with the Good Shepherd. Most of us were not fortunate enough to learn to follow and love the Good Shepherd before we were 6, and many of us still struggle with it now. Trying to see God with the eyes of children is incredibly beneficial to our own ability to "be as a child" before God.

In this post I will explain why it's so important to help children form a solid relationship with Jesus the Good Shepherd, ideally before the age of 6.

In the next one I will give an overview of the themes that children most relate to at different ages.

With that in mind, we will look at observation of children with a view to catching a glimpse of their interior life.

Then I will talk more about the different themes, why they are important at certain stages, why others might be important to avoid at a certain age, and different ways to do this. 

Why Jesus the Good Shepherd?
All of my work with the religious formation of children is based on the work of Sofia Cavalletti and Gianna Gobbi - who started Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Sofia was a Bible scholar and extremely knowledgeable on matters of faith, and Gianna was a Montessorian, so had a wonderful background in understanding how children work and what they need. Their guidelines are based on countless hours of observation and reflection, noting how children of different ages react and relate to different religious themes.

The theme which they found most spoke to children before the age of 6 was the unconditional love of Jesus the Good Shepherd. Without going into too much detail about the developmental and religious characteristics of this age group (you can google these topics for your own further research, or ask me if you need help finding material), children of this age have a deep capacity to love, without question, and a corresponding deep need for a reciprocal love even greater than theirs. The only person who can meet this need is God, and the "face of God" which most embodies this unconditional and limitless love is Jesus the Good Shepherd.

(Gobbi and Cavalletti speak often of adults needing to understand which "face of God" the child is needing to be shown.)

As parents, we have a natural tendency to want to make sure that our children know the rules, so they know which path to follow. This extends to the religious sphere - we worry that if they don't know the rules, if they don't know that Jesus died for them, if they don't know that there is evil in the world that they must avoid, that there will be dire consequences. And we can try to instill this knowledge before all else.

In Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a different approach is taken. We start with allowing the child to experience and enjoy the unconditional love of God. Children have such a great capacity for joy, and we try to allow them to have that for as long as possible. The themes in the 3-6 atrium focus on what God does for us, the gifts He gives us, the wonder of the Kingdom of God, the Mass (in digestible pieces), Baptism, Jesus' infancy. The Cross is briefly mentioned, but only ever on conjunction with the Resurrection (what need have children before the age of reason to know about the reality of sin?)

Not until we are sure that they understand that they are loved conditionally do we start to introduce a moral aspect to the children's formation. This is usually around 6, but some children may be earlier and others later. And even then, there are many themes which are reserved for 7 or 8 year olds.

The way morality is introduced is extremely gentle. With the firm conviction of their place in the eyes of God, the children are introduced, piece by piece, to the image of the True Vine, to the fact that there can be blockages in the sap, and that God's mercy has given us such an easy and wonderful way of removing those blockages. Slowly, the children discover that there is such thing as sin, and that they commit it. They learn to discern the state of their consciences, and how to go about rectifying matters with God.

But this is always done in the context of God's unconditional love.

How many of us struggle with knowing we have done wrong, thinking that no one could love someone who has done such things (whatever they are)? How many of us find it hard to accept that we have done wrong, because we don't know how to love ourselves as God loves us? Without a conviction of God's unconditional love so deep that we are barely consciously aware of it, it can be so easy to fall into legalism - having things on a tick-the-box level; or denial - refusing to acknowledge our need for mercy - unable to live our spiritual lives on more than a surface level.

Cavalletti and Gobbi realised that so much of this could be avoided if children learnt they were unconditionally loved, and loved God deeply in return, long before they learnt they could mess things up. In the atrium (the CGS equivalent of a Montessori classroom), therefore, we focus on presenting this unconditional love of God to the children, allowing them to internalise it, and to return it as far as a human can. If done before 6, this will endure with them forever. (Yes, it is possible to do it after 6 too, but it's SO much harder because they're already figuring out that morality exists (or already have) and it's a bit like retrofitting a computer with new technology - much easier to do when you first make it, and very hard to get it just the same.)

And that is why the focus on Jesus the Good Shepherd, and why start as young as you can.

Before I became involved with CGS I knew my children were capable of a religious life, but I had neither the foggiest idea of how to facilitate it, nor an understanding of just how important it was to start before 6. As I said, CGS training is invaluable, but it's also not accessible for everyone, so I hope to be able to give parents both the knowledge of how important their role is, and the tools to carry it out. For those who are blessed with access to an atrium, the two streams of formation will work perfectly together. For those who are not, you can still do so very much!