It’s amazing how we can learn a lot about our faith by reflecting through the eyes of a child.  Jesus says as much in our Gospel this weekend: “For although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to little ones.”

Think about this, for instance: What were your first words as a child? You probably don’t even remember them, but that’s okay, because you could probably make a good guess. Mom and Dad were our everything as toddlers—so much so that they were the foremost things on our minds and in our words. We really couldn’t understand ourselves or the world apart from them.

As beings made in the image and likeness of a trinitarian God—a God who’s essence is relational—this doesn’t surprise us. Our essence and identity too is inherently relational. This explains why Christ talks about his relationship with his Father in heaven immediately after talking about the wisdom of children. Children come to know who they are because of their relationship to their parents. We come to know who we are because of our relationship to our Heaven Father.

Hence why we are pursuing a family-centered faith formation process for our children! If we truly want our children to better understand themselves in light of their heavenly Father, it is most effectively passed on through catechesis of their earthly parents. If children learn to walk, talk, and do just about everything else essential for life from their parents, why not also the most essential thing of all? 

God revealed that He is a loving communion of persons. May the communion of our families be at the heart of where our children come to know communion with our loving God.

Father Michael