God wants children to remain in him and with him

God loves children; that is why He gave them life. God is the Almighty, the One who fills the universe. It is God who gives life, because He Himself is life; God wants children to abide, to remain in Him and with Him, so that they too may have true life. If anyone is not with God, then that person does not have life. That is why He says in John 15:5: ‘Without me you can do nothing.’ Sometimes, children behave very badly:

they tell lies, they steal, some of them cheat at school; they say nasty things, they constantly accuse one another, and they are often unhappy and sad because they lack joy and peace. Because when they get up to all this mischief, their parents are not pleased with them and sometimes they are even punished. And this is because children are cut off from God, so they commit all these sins which ultimately make them unhappy. Jesus would like all children to remain in Him in this new year; in this way they will have joy, they will no longer commit all the sins that so often cut them off from Him, and thus the children will have true life. God is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). May children seek God through prayer, reading the Bible and the sacraments.

A SHORT STORY: Saint Marguerite Bourgeois

Once upon a time, there was a little girl called Marguerite who was born on Good Friday in France. One day, when she was twenty years old, during a procession, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her, looked at her and smiled. From that moment on, Marguerite changed completely; from then on, the fine finery, the luxurious clothes, the jewellery – everything she had once worn – held no interest for her any longer. All she wanted from then on was to make herself beautiful for Jesus by pleasing Him and loving the poor. Ten years later, on the Feast of the Assumption, the Child Jesus, aged three, appeared to her in the Host within the monstrance. He set her heart ablaze with the flames of Divine charity; a contempt for earthly goods and a great thirst for souls. In 1653, Marguerite Bourgeois set sail for Canada at the age of thirty-three. The Virgin Mary said to her: “Go, I will not forsake you.” Four years passed before she was able to devote herself to the Christian education of children. Four years passed before she was able to devote herself to the Christian education of children. In the meantime, her charity extended to all: she visited and cared for the sick, buried the dead, comforted the afflicted, and taught the settlers the catechism. From then on, her task would be to form and lead a non-cloistered religious teaching community. In 1658, she took on companions, whom she introduced to her work. She took the ‘Daughters of the King’ into her home, guiding and directing them, instilling in them the serious duties of a wife and mother. She remained an advisor to these young women, from whom they would always seek comfort and encouragement in the practice of virtue. After forty-seven years of work blessed by Heaven and the Blessed Virgin, Marguerite Bourgeois passed away at the age of eighty, with a reputation as a soul of outstanding holiness. On 12 November 1950, in a ceremony at St Peter’s in Rome, Pius XII declared her Blessed; she was subsequently canonised.

This January, children too can be attentive to the gentle reminders of the Virgin Mary, who is always present to encourage and support us in our spiritual life. She is the Mother of us all, and so children entrust themselves to her protection and intercession.

Henri Bayemi