Aug 29, 2018
Hey friends! I have a wonderful guest on the podcast today. Jennifer Sharpe, a recent convert and author of a few wonderful Catholic resource on the mass for children is here to day. Now, I know that for many of you (myself included), although you are dedicated to bringing your children to mass each week, it is HARD to manage them while at mass...and sometimes even harder to teaching them about what is happening at mass.
Jennifer offers some beautiful help by reminding us that all of mass (and our faith) can be boiled down to one point: Jesus loves you, and He wants your love in return. Jennifer said we should take each little piece of the mass (from blessing ourselves with holy water to the closing hymn) and break down how that little part of the mass demonstrates Jesus' love for us, and gives us an opportunity to show our love for him in return.
What a beautiful concept, right?
Jennifer also shares that the love of and for Jesus should sit at the absolute center of our lives and our homes. Having perfectly behaved children at mass is not as important as what is happening INSIDE of those children. It is much more important that they understand Jesus' love for them than that they sit perfectly still. Powerful words to live by!
I really encourage you to check out Jennifer's resources on the mass for Catholic Children. She has 2 books. The first is for children ages 7-13 and is called The Mass Book for Catholic Children. The other is for younger children and is called My First Interactive Mass Book for Catholic Kids. You can find both of these thoughtful and adorable books on Amazon.
Also. although it requires a bit more crafting, I use this FELT MASS QUIET BOOKwith my children.
And finally, hang in there mommas! It is good to be there with ALL of the kids dealing with ALL the behaviors. There is literally nothing more important we can do for our kids. I know the struggle--I experience it every week, but I also know how important this is.
Your sister in the small things,
Nancy