It is a matter of the heart!

Dear Salesian Family,

Ever since we were little, our parents taught us to pray. They held our tiny hand and helped us to bless ourselves by making the sign of the cross. They helped to nurture our faith, and as we grew older, they modeled how to develop a loving relationship with Jesus. These were precious, priceless moments!

Through the years we have learned that prayer is not about words, it is about the heart. Of course, memorizing certain prayers is important. It is in difficult moments, when we don't know where to turn, perhaps struggling to look for answers, that our memorized prayers come back to support us. However, we have to be clear that we cannot expect that the prayers we have learned by rote will be the extent of our prayer life.

It is important that we take time each day to focus on a God who loves us and knows our needs. He will provide for us as we take time to share our joys and sorrows, our accomplishments and our failures.

It is our responsibility as parents, to teach our children how to relate to God. Yes, how to develop a relationship that will last forever! Jesus should be someone with whom our children develop a very close relationship; just like friends who talk to each other without thinking of what they want to say or how to say it. Friends simply talk from the heart. This IS prayer! God just wants to have a relationship with us.

Our children learn by listening to us pray aloud. Try it. Take the time to pray over simple things with your children. When children see and hear adults whom they love dearly, take time to pray, they will want to imitate that in their lives too. Sometimes we just have to turn everything off and sit quietly and pray. We must lead our children by example. We want our children to grow up to be Christ-centered individuals who develop a prayerful and loving relationship with God. This is a vital part of parenting! Let us take the necessary steps to prepare our children for life, by instilling a solid relationship with Jesus! It is a matter of the heart!

God bless,

Sr. Carmen, FMA