Evangelizing Your Grandchildren

Anne DeSantis describes three ways to help our grandchildren know and love our faith. 

The years often pass by quite quickly, and before we know it, grandchild number one is on the way. When we have spent many years loving and serving our immediate families, it is a great gift when the news of a new grandchild arrives. Fond memories of spending quality time with our families in years past come to mind when we await a grandchild and all the good that is to come.  

As people of faith, we wish for our grandchildren to know, love, and serve the Lord as they grow. Below are three ways to evangelize our grandchildren and help them appreciate the gift of our Catholic faith. 

Prayer and care 

For people of faith, prayer is essential. Praying daily for your grandchildren is an extension of all the prayers you've prayed for your own children in the past. Since prayer is timeless, the prayer of yesteryear still has meaning, and those prayers continue to be efficacious. In whatever way you wish to pray on a daily basis, be intentional in your prayers for your grandchildren. Pray for all areas of their lives including their health, wellness, safety, spirituality, and their future.  

Quality time 

In spending quality time with grandchildren, we are giving them the best of ourselves. This is not always easy for every family, as some adult children do not live in close proximity to their parents. But time is a priceless gift, and it is also a way to evangelize the faith. You can help your grandchildren begin to see the value of loving the Catholic faith and developing a relationship with Jesus and the Church. Spending time together is also a lot of fun! 

Education 

In combination with prayer and quality time, teaching our grandchildren the value of the Catholic faith is of monumental importance. Reading to them, talking to them, and praying with and for them teaches our grandchildren the great worth of practicing the faith and loving it. When grandchildren see the importance of having a deep prayer life and of living sacrificially for others, in the long run, this can become very attractive to them.  

Although we live in a secular world, what carries the most weight with grandchildren is the love they have experienced. What you have taught them in the past and what you will teach them in the future is of prime importance in evangelizing them to the faith.  

These ways to evangelize grandchildren are simple but primary in not only loving the faith but in spreading it to everyone. Real evangelization is always authentic and never pushy. It is caring, loving, and sacrificial. Exercising love to the greatest degree will continue to be the number one way to evangelize grandchildren, especially when it’s combined with a deep spiritual life infused by prayer. 

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Copyright 2024 Anne DeSantis
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