CFC Calgary, NA3

Unit Prayer Meeting – June 23, 2023

Anchor Verse: “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” (Matt 6:21 NABRE)

The Grace We Seek: We ask for the grace to grow in loving and holy parenthood every day.

Activity:
Instructions
1. Ask the household to share their most treasured memory with their children.
2. After everyone has shared, lead the group to a simple prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of parenthood.

Topic: The H.E.A.R.T. of parenting

When you think of the heart, what comes to mind?

The heart is believed to be the center of the human person, integrating intellect, emotion, and will. For the Jews,
the heart is the center of one’s relationship with God and the seat of our deepest encounter with others.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes it this way:

“The heart is the dwelling place where I am, where I live… The heart is the place of decision,
deeper than our psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death. It is the
place of encounter, because as image of God we live in relation: it is the place of covenant.”
(2563).

Therefore, the heart is the seat of our deepest relationships and commitments, where our identity is intertwined
with others.

Consequently, our heart is where our identity as parents is connected in a very intimate way with our children.
The choices we make each day have a profound effect on our children’s growth as a person and, ultimately, as a
follower of Christ.

What choices can we make as parents? One of the sessions during the Parenting Summit at the CFC-KFC Family
Conference in 2018 suggests the following:

1. Let us choose to have memories with our children.

• It creates a great impact.
• There are no perfect families, but there are perfect moments.
2. Let us choose to empower our children.
• Our role as parents is to help our kids discover their uniqueness.
• Uplift them when they are weak.
3. Let us choose to accept our children unconditionally.
• Home is the safest place for the kids to fail. At school, they are graded; at work, they are evaluated.
But at home, they are loved and accepted.
4. Let us choose to reflect God to them.
• We should reflect the light of God to them, just as the moon reflects light from the sun. We are not
with them the whole time, but God is.
 • God is our greatest gift o our children; our children are our greatest gift to God.
5. Let us choose to talk our walk and vice versa.
• Good values are not just taught but also caught.

In conclusion, the H.E.A.R.T. of parenting is to:

H – Have memories
E – Empower our children
A – Accept our children
R – Reflect God to them
T – Talk our walk (and vice versa)

Key Takeaway:
The heart is the seat of our deepest relationships and commitments, where our identity is intertwined with others.
Consequently, our heart is where our identity as parents is connected in a very intimate way with our children.
The choices we make each day have a profound effect on our children’s growth as a person and, ultimately, as a
follower of Christ.

Guide Question:
1. How is your H.E.A.R.T. as a parent?
2. Which aspect of the H.E.A.R.T. do you want to be better at? How?