Reflect on the importance of addressing challenging topics with children through faith, trust, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in today's Gospel reflection by Ana Barraza.
Today's Gospel: Mark 6:14-29
A challenging topic to address as a young parent? For sure, anything related to sexuality. I imagined I would have to answer all my children’s inquiries at one time. My husband put my mind at ease when he said they would probably not have every question at the same time; they were just three and one. Now, I smile about it. Back then, I could not make sense of it, but I kept my husband’s wise words in my heart, praying to the Holy Spirit for wisdom when the time came.
With time, God transformed that fear of answering such questions into firm answers. As firm as John’s statement to Herod from today’s Gospel:
Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Mark 6:17-18
When my children were very young, my husband and I took the time to explain how something worked without minimizing any situation. I remember when our oldest was three and he asked us to observe how his toy car fell straight down once he let it go. We explained gravity in simple terms, had him pronounce the word, and told him who had created it. We were on our way to establishing trust for future questions!
Once our children were in elementary, we had conversations about the consequences for following (or not following) God’s Commandments. With love and patience, we had established trust so they could keep asking us questions.
During their teenage years, we had heavier talks such as not coveting your brother’s wife. By then, we were ready to firmly tackle their inquiries. Our trust was well established.
Ponder:
How can I better rely on the Holy Spirit to share God's truth with my children?
Pray:
God Our Father, send us Your Holy Spirit of unity that we may strive to trust in the firmness of Your Word and grow together in our faith.
Pray Together:
Share about a topic that might be challenging to talk about. Invite everyone to give their input as a statement, question, single word, drawing, sign, etc.
Copyright 2026 Ana Barraza
Ana Barraza is the author of Together as One Body, an international speaker, a Special Education teacher and a Master Catechist. She directs the bilingual choir in her parish where she serves with her family. Ana is the creator and founder of Catholicus.info, a project that aims to facilitate the encounter with Jesus and persons with disAbilities.
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