I received a note with the pictures. Here is an excerpt from the note:
"Well the kids pray the Rosary every day at 5PM, the group is small but strong and some days there are more kids. In the pics you will see a little ba(b)y, he is just starting to talk, but he knows he will go everyday to pray "amen amen" (that is how he says)"
Today is the Feast of the Presentation of Our the Blessed Virgin Mary, we celebrate the day when Mary was brought by her parents (possibly around the age of 3) to be presented to God in the Temple.
In thinking about this Feast, the little boy in the picture kept coming to mind. His mother brings him to Church to pray with the other children each day...to spend time in his Heavenly Father's Home. He is in a way presented before Our Lord. This little boy knows so little but it is part of his day; something he has come to look forward to each evening. He sees the older children praying, just as he sees them most likely playing outside at other parts of the day. All these things for a little child are exciting. They watch in wonder soaking in so much. As this little boy watches the older children kneel, he is held in his mother's arms. But surely he wishes to join them. To be old enough to find his place next to the "bigger children". He sees some stepping forward to lead prayers. As he gets older might he wait for the day he is old enough to be asked to lead. Yes, this is how a child grows. Watching, soaking in all around them both good and less ideal. Recently, a priest asked Asher my 10 year old son, how can you get children to want to pray? Asher tried to explain that it is what a child is used to in their family. For my small part, I mentioned the age of the children and the importance of having little children involved in prayer. How important it is to invite young children to the Children's Rosary. There is an age when children almost universally are open to prayer. It is in this window that exposure to prayer is so integral to their development. This does not mean that if a child is not exposed at an early age they cannot have a fully developed prayer life as an adult. But at those tender years seeds are sown and when those seeds are watered with prayer it becomes part of one's heart and later those seeds can grow and the roots can go deep. When trials come the roots of faith and prayer are less easily uprooted. It is one of the reasons, I suspect that Scripture has many references to Our Lord calling the children in particular to Himself. We might ask ourselves on this Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary why such a Feast exists and why St. Anne and St. Joachim brought Our Lady to the Temple at such a young age? How are we introducing God to our young children? Can we involve them more?
Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary
A Procession for Our Lady
Under the Protection of Our Mother
Don't forget to unify prayers with the children during their meetings. A schedule of meetings is present on our website. By clicking "Join in Prayer" you can add your gold flashing light to our View from Heaven map.
For more information about the Children's Rosary visit our website: www.childrensrosary.org
Visite nuestro sitio web en español para obtener más información: www.rosariodeninos.org
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