Starting Them Young

Nak meluntur aur biar dari rebungnya...(if you want to shape a bamboo tree, it must be done when it is still a shoot - or something like that).

Bottomline of this malay proverb is, if we want our kids to learn the faith, please teach them when they are young - when learning is quick and easy.... before the karat (rust or bad habits and baggages) sets in.

Or as this proverb is taught, if you want to shape or bend it when it had become an adult bamboo plant, it can break... meaning it is harder for our children to change or learn when they have grown up (at least not so easy la hor). I'm still praying for a miracle in this area...

Which explains why Patrick (my husband) has memorized the Rosary prayers including the mega-lengthy Litany of the Blessed Virgin, the Angelus, Morning Offering, Divine Mercy chaplet, etc, etc, etc....

This is all thanks to the good ole Bukit Nanas Convent training of my dear mother-in-law Clara Archibald. She made sure the whole family had their family prayers every day no matter what - meaning sibling war or otherwise - family prayers continues.

Anyway, this little clip above was captured during BEC (Basic Ecclesial Communities) Rosary prayers which was held almost every other night in the homes Catholic families residing in our residential estate in Putra Heights.

God has really used the little ones and the younger ones to speak to me this May.

I'm so glad that my BEC decided to include the children during the Rosary prayers. A smile just forms on my face everytime they recite the Hail Marys... Starting them young is a very good strategy. It will surely increase their chances of memorising the Hail Holy Queen, Let Us Pray and Memorare and of course the Litany of the Blessed Virgin. But more than just parroting the prayers, at least I know they will know who to turn to and what to say in times of trouble and panic.

I'm grateful that I'm surrounded by good Catholic parents who will support Pat and I in raising more strong Catholic children in Putra Heights when our time comes.

Btw, I just found a teenager who also memorised the Litany. Anne Marie Tan (from SS19A+SS17 BEC) and my husband were trying to challenge each other to see who could say it faster. Me, I was just lost and all I could remember was - Ark of the Covenant somewhere in the list...phew!

Then there were the teenagers from Lifeline, a youth ministry for college and single working adults who inspired me so much.

Since falling in love with making Knotted Cord Rosaries, I had offered classes to groups for a fee to help my parish St Thomas More raise RM9.5mil for our new home (meaning church building. Now we worship every week in a badminton hall) which we pray will be ready by Easter 2010.

The Lifeliners from Sunway college invited me to share this craft with them, but in the process they truly touched me. These young students mainly from Indonesia and East Malaysian would meet almost every day in May to share the Gospel Reading of the day and pray the Rosary.

It put me to shame, but in a good way, cos' it has challenged me to raise my standards in my faith journey.

A big thank you all the children in my BEC and also to the Lifeliners of Sunway and also a few from the Angels of Yahweh, for enriching my Rosary experience. Amen!