Parents and guardians strive to make sure that their children have the physical necessities of life, including shelter, clothing and food. They work to provide shelter and clothing. They prepare food to feed their children.
Just as they care for the physical needs of their children, Christian parents also care for the spiritual needs of their children. Some of the ways parents help nurture their children's spirituality are
- Praying together at meals, bed time, or other times through the day;
- Readings stories from a Children's Bible;
- Sharing personal faith stories about how they have experienced God;
- Participating in Mass and the Sacraments.
God gave the Israelites manna in the desert to feed their physical hunger, then Jesus came as the Bread of Life to feed our spiritual hunger. As they provide for the physical and spiritual needs of their children, Christian parents reflect God to their children.
Faith Chat Question: How does your faith in Jesus nourish and strengthen you to live a good life?
Faith Response: Talk about ways to nurture your family life. Create a Spiritual Nutrition Plan for your family. As you would include fruits and vegetables in a plan for physical nutrition, consider what "food" your family might need in your plan for spiritual nourishment. Your Spiritual Nutrition Plan might include more regular prayer, more and better communication, or anything else your family might need to grow closer to one another and to Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Jesus, Bread of Life, may our faith in you nourish and strengthen us. Amen.
