31 March, Tuesday — Our Faith as a Child

Tuesday of Holy Week

Isa 49:1-6
Jn 13:21-33,36-38

On you I have leaned from my birth, from my mother’s womb you have been my help.

Today’s reading made me reflect on how I was as a child when it comes to faith. How did I pray? How did I talk to God? How did I hope? How did I revere God?

Every now and then, it may be good to reflect on our faith journey. And I hope that when we do, we think of the prayers we prayed when we were young. I remember staying up and really not sleeping until I had recited my Rosary. I remember visiting our Lord in the adoration room with my mom. I also remember the times when I tried to read the whole Bible. After all, I was a child who read an encyclopaedia. What about you? How was your childhood with God like?

I’m sure some of you are not cradle Catholics. Maybe you could ask God to walk with you and let you see the times when he protected you from harm. Or the times when he helped you do a good deed. Or maybe the questions you had and the people he put in your life to lead you to the faith. Or maybe I could invite you to think of how you might pray if you were a child?

Maybe we could ask the Lord to remind us of the promises we made to him when we were kids. Or how we would spend time with him during Mass. Maybe we could think of what we enjoyed doing during Catechism lessons.

How was our first confession like? What did we feel? How were we as we prepared for our first communion? What was the first prayer we memorized? What Catholic songs did we sing as a child? Did we pray with our families when we were younger? How did we feel?

Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me.’ I think when we recall how we were as kids, we may discover a way to love God, a way to believe in God as a child believes in God. And we could always go back to those times in our prayer.

Also, I hope this is a good chance to reflect on how we’ve grown with God. Or maybe there was a promise God made to you that he has just fulfilled. Or perhaps you promised God something.

Brothers and sisters, wherever this reflection leads you, I hope you can pray the Psalm as how the psalmist prays, acknowledging that we have always leaned on our Lord.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Stephanie Villa)

Prayer: Dearest Lord, please continue to guide me as I grow in faith.

Thanksgiving: Thank you, Lord, for being there when I was young, and for always being here with me.