The family as a school of prayer!
Numerous times the magisterium has reaffirmed the importance of prayer in the family and has reminded us how the first teachings received as children are the crucial ones that remain steadfast in daily life, even when we have grown up. The family, within which the child will take his or her first steps and say his or her first words, such as “mom” or “dad,” “thank you” and “please,” is also the place of teaching prayer and saying “thank you” to the Lord. As the child grows up, he or she will devote himself or herself to prayer following his or her parents’ example, learning to rely on the Lord even in the most difficult times, certain of His support.
In his Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis stresses that «moments of family prayer and acts of devotion can be more powerful for evangelization than any catechism class or sermon» (Ap. Ex. Amoris Laetitia [AL], March 19, 2016, no. 288), concluding that «only on the basis of this experience will the Church’s pastoral care for families enable them to be both domestic churches and a leaven of evangelization in society» (AL, no. 290).
St. John Paul II, in his Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio, recognized the importance of shared prayer in the family, because «in the family the human person is not only brought into being and progressively introduced by means of education into the human community, but by means of the rebirth of baptism and education in the faith the child is also introduced into God’s family, which is the Church» (FC, no. 15). 36 4
PRAYER IN THE FAMILY
Examples of family prayer
At the table before and after meals
One of the main places where families gather is definitely sharing at least one meal a day. This time could be a short but meaningful opportunity to pray together as a family, thanking the Lord for what we have received and praying for those most in need. Children can thus learn that the daily bread, which we ask for with the Lord’s Prayer, is not just an abstract concept, but a very concrete request that we make as children to our Heavenly Father. The meal that we eat together is a providential blessing received from the Lord, which accompanies us throughout our lives.
Here are suggestions for prayers that each family can adapt according to their own perspective.
• Before Meals “Heavenly Father, we thank you for this food, may we make your will our daily nourishment. We pray to you for the poor who have none: give them what they need to live according to your will. Amen.”
• After Meals “We thank you, Lord, for all your blessings: may we always use them for good. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Prayer at the beginning and end of the day
Another opportune time for family prayer is when children go to bed. Praying to the Lord for the day finished, for sick relatives, or even just thanking Him for the afternoon spent playing with their little friends, helps the children recognize the blessings received from the Lord on that day. It would be nice to end these prayers with the exchange of peace among siblings, so that they do not go to bed angry about what happened during the day, thus following Pope Francis’ suggestion: never end the day without making peace! One of the finest examples of this kind of prayer is what are commonly called the “Basic Christian Prayers,” that is, those prayers that have become part of the Christian tradition of recent centuries and that many of us have received as gifts from grandparents or other relatives.
• Morning Prayer “I adore You, my God, and I love You with all my heart. I thank You for creating me, making me a Christian and keeping me through this night. I offer You the day’s activities, let them all be according to Your holy will for Your greater glory. Keep me from sin and from all evil. May your grace be always with me and all my loved ones. Amen.”
• Evening Prayer “I adore You, my God, and I love You with all my heart. I thank You for creating me, making me a Christian and keeping me through this day. Forgive me the wrong that I committed today, and accept any good I have done. Guard me through the night and deliver me from danger. May your grace be always with me and all my loved ones. Amen.”
Together with these and other prayers-such as the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, Angel of God and Eternal Rest, or the recitation of one or more decades of the Holy Rosary or the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, all together – you can invite the little ones to enter a relationship with the Lord through spontaneous prayer, prayer that comes from the heart. In this way, the children learn to dialogue with Jesus, to become true friends of the Lord, entrusting their needs, desires, and concerns to Him.