Hidden Treasure
Like many people today, Jesus faced rejection. From His friend Judas who betrayed Him, from the religious leaders who didn’t like His teachings and from the crowd who called for His death over the murderer Barabbas.
But even in people who seem to be rejected by society, we can find hidden treasure.
Click here to play the short film ‘Hidden Treasure’, and then why not discuss it with your child? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
In the film, ‘Hidden Treasure’, the people who rejected the gift from the homeless man missed out on the most delicious fruit, just like many people missed out on recognising Jesus’ true identity as the Son of God when He was on earth.
Sometimes we don’t recognise the value in others, simply because they are different from us. We might turn away from them, causing them to be rejected or excluded.
Sometimes we may want to welcome the weak or the vulnerable, perhaps because we feel sorry for them, or we think we may be in their position someday and imagine what it would be like if we were them.
These are not bad reasons to show compassion and kindness, but Jesus offers a greater reason to treat vulnerable people as our brothers and sisters: because Jesus is living in them, just as He is living in us. Why not take a moment to discuss with your child how you might reach out to the vulnerable in your community? You can share your thoughts in the comment section.
The Rosary
In the Catholic tradition, October is ‘the Month of the Rosary’. In the words of Saint John Paul II:
“To pray the rosary is to hand over our burdens to the merciful hearts of Christ and His Mother; the rosary does indeed ‘mark the rhythm of human life’, bringing it into harmony with the ‘rhythm’ of God’s own life, the joyful communion of the Holy Trinity, our life destiny and deepest longing.”
Long-term friend of Ten Ten, the sadly now departed Fr. Digby Samuels, said the following:
“Countless generations have found the rosary a sure-fire way of letting Jesus and Mary into their lives, growing in faith and closeness to them, and a powerful way of praying for others.
“If you’re someone who possesses a rosary but, for whatever reason, have stopped using it or have never done so, why not make a fresh start? Grandparents, and some parents, may remember a time when it was the custom every day to gather to pray the rosary as a family. For some this was an experience that became an important part of their faith journey; for others the memory is not that positive perhaps because it was ‘rattled’ through at great speed or because the presence of each child was far from voluntary! Whatever your past experience of the rosary, here’s some guidance on how to pray it and why it could enrich your family life.”
How to pray the Rosary
As many will know, the main part of the rosary is divided into parts or ‘mysteries’: the Joyful, the Sorrowful, the Glorious, and Mysteries of Light. Each of these ‘mysteries’ is divided into five ‘decades’ (ten beads), usually following one ‘Our Father’ and ending with ‘Glory be’. All are taken from sacred scripture and tradition, and encompass our main beliefs in who Jesus Christ is and what he’s done for us. All involve Our Lady, Jesus’s mother Mary, in some way or another. When we pray the rosary we’re invited to see Jesus with the eyes of Mary and to be drawn into his divine life. As Mary was closer to Jesus in his life on earth than anyone else she points the way for us and shows us that we, the Church, God’s family on earth, are also called to be like her eventually in the glory of heaven but also in our lives here on earth.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph knew about family life first hand; they knew about being displaced (the flight into Egypt soon after Jesus’s birth ); they knew about conflict (when Jesus, as a teenager, was lost and when found by Mary and Joseph, he implied that he now had to make his Father’s will a priority). If our family life includes similar tensions and more we can be sure that real help and support is right there in the prayer that is the rosary. Placing our trust in the Lord, we are sure to find a way through what seems humanly impossible.
The Joyful Mysteries
Ten Ten has prepared a resource for praying the rosary with children. Click here to access it.
Please share your thoughts in the comment section below and do encourage your child to share a comment too!
A Prayer
Dear Jesus,
Just like you live in me,
You live in others too!
Help me to recognise
What others have to offer.
Help me to see
What their special gifts are.
Amen
