On the day we baptized each of our children, we heard these words:
You have asked to have your child baptized. In doing so you are accepting the responsibility of training him (her) in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to bring him (her) up to keep God’s commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor. Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?
Every week, we struggle with carrying out this deceptively simple task. Teaching unselfishness, teaching love, teaching poverty of spirit…the thing about being around children is that they illustrate the best, most Godlike, and the worst, most unGodlike, of the human spirit side by side: powerful, uncomplicated love alongside an unshakable belief that they are, and should be, the center of the universe.
When adults begin to feel frantic, when we get focused on the practical necessities, it’s easy to let faith formation slip. It’s all too easy to obsess over behavior in church instead of the sentiment behind it. It’s all too easy to skip the prayer routine with the little ones, thinking they’re not old enough to “get” it anyway, in the interest of getting the kids to bed in a speedier fashion.
On Sunday morning, we went as usual to the basement to warm up the choir. While we rehearsed, the kids ran up and down the ramped hallway, making a lot of noise. We circled up to pray before heading upstairs, and as we stood silently, quieting our minds, my baby toddled over to the group, looking up at the gathered faces, and then slipped into the space to my right, placing his hand in mine. Sensing change, my three-year-old clomped into the room on big DAFO-clad feet, grinned at us, and joined hands with the adults on either side of the door. And Alex, realizing that he was the only one not included, came running to my left to stand in the circle, too.
And in that moment, I realized that they get it. With or without conscious understanding, the power of the community gathered in prayer drew them in.
God the Father, through his Son, the Virgin Mary’s child, has brought joy to all Christian mothers, as they see the hope of eternal life shine on their children. May he bless the mother of this child. She now thanks God for the gift of her children.
This post is linked with Steady Mom’s 30-minute Blog challenge and with
Kathleen M. Basi 
What a sweet and special moment!
I think the real differences between adults and children are actually pretty simple. Adults think while children react.
Tonight, I was rocking my three year old, and she exclaimed, “Mommy, we forgot to say the prayer”, so we did.
Awesome!
I so love children for their simplicity and openness. What your choir gives by example will stay with them forever. The thing about “getting it” is that being human, we have to be reminded of it to keep the truths alive in our heart.
Beautiful!