Forgive me, but I just have to share a Proud Mama moment with you.
It happened at the bottom of the stairs in our home, when Joseph, now 14 months old, and I were standing and looking at the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, one of his favorites. “Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, make our hearts like yours,” we prayed together. “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” And on the “Amen,” he flattened his two little hands together in a perfect little prayer pose. My jaw dropped, and, making sure it wasn’t a fluke, I said it again. “Amen!” There it was again, two grubby, chubby little hands pressed together, and a face shining with delight at my exuberant response.
I called for my husband, and Joseph performed his new trick once again for a jubilant audience of two.
Now for my level of excitement to really make sense, I have to make a confession. Neither my husband nor I had really intensively practiced the prayer pose with our little man. Over the last several months, we have taught him how to clap, how to wave goodbye and how to throw his arms up when we shouted “hooray” (that is seriously cute), but we hadn’t yet concentrated on teaching him how to fold his hands in prayer. I’m not really sure why not, but we just hadn’t. Apparently, however, we had prayed with him enough that he caught on on his own, and learned what to do and when to do it.
It was a pretty cool parent moment — but also one that has really made me think and pray hard in subsequent days. If he is watching us closely enough to learn the good things on his own, he without a doubt is picking up on the not-so-good things, too. What might I need to change about my behavior in order to set the best example?
It’s not only as a parent that this little anecdote has struck a chord. As someone who is seeking to spread the Gospel both professionally and personally, I find myself wondering if I am modeling the “good stuff” enough. Will those who interact with me daily, whether at home, at work or elsewhere, be inspired to holiness by my words or actions? Will they be left feeling indifferent? Or, worse yet, will they be prompted to sin?
Our responsibility is written clearly in the Gospel of Matthew: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (5:14-16).
I have learned how true and important these words are when my every move is being tracked by a toddler. But they also serve as an important reminder in daily living.
Are we shining the light of Christ for all to see? Will they be inspired, by our witness and love of Christ, to fold their hands in prayer?
Gretchen R. Crowe is editor-in-chief of Our Sunday Visitor. Follow her on Twitter @GretchenOSV.
