Jesus came not to abolish the laws given to Moses and the prophets but to fulfill them. He instructed the disciples the importance of teaching the commands to others. Those who keep the commands and teach them to others will be great in the kingdom of God. Teaching children by example and not by brow beating them into following Jesus is the best way to help them understand the
importance of knowing and loving God. As they grow older and make their own decisions we must trust that what we have taught them will come to fruition in their own lives and that they will pass it on to their own children. In doing this we are fulfilling God’s command to remember what we have seen and heard and to pass it on to our own children and our children’s children.

One of my favorite prayers to teach young children is the prayer to their Guardian Angel. It is the first prayer I taught to my own children. It helped them to feel safe and know that God had sent them someone to look after them. This past Christmas I received an angel from one of my grown children that had that prayer written on it. Somehow it made me realize that what I had taught her as a little child made an impression on her and I know that she has passed this on to her own children.

During this Lenten season let us remember the importance of teaching children the commands of God and help them to live their lives accordingly.