Bedtime Lessons

I just had the most amazing discussion with my 5 year old daughter. Kids are so insightful!

Because of all of the halloween stuff going on these days, Emily has been having trouble falling asleep. I was sitting with her again tonight on the edge of her bed and talking about how she can talk to Jesus or Mary or Elizabeth (her sister in heaven) and ask them to help her feel safe.

Now, praying to Mary or any of the Saints/saints can be a hard thing for some adults even to grasp. I hear non-Catholics say all the time that "Catholics worship Mary" because we pray to her. Or they puzzle over why we would bother to pray to Saints instead of always just to Jesus. I try and explain the misunderstanding in their statements when I hear them, but I could never do it as succinctly as my 5 year old just did to me.

She says: "I know. I can pray to Elizabeth and she will pass it on to Jesus."

YES!! That is exactly right Emily! Catholics don't believe that the saints have "power" or that Mary can answer our prayers. We believe that they simply take up our requests, kneel before the throne of God and plead with Him on our behalf. They take one for the team so-to-speak and "pass it on to Jesus." What a beautiful, powerful thing to know that we have the multitudes of the heavens ready to intercede on our behalf.

Emily, you are so brilliant!