When people ask us what the goal of our family ministry is, our answer is simple: world domination!
All joking aside, worldwide reach is what we want for Our Lord and his Church—to bring all to Christ through love and conversion. Our participation in this redemptive action begins with simply proclaiming Jesus Christ as King and living accordingly. In the family, this kingship is lived out through love—love between spouses and all family members that flows out of love for the Lord. When truly lived, this love is a powerful evangelical witness, and it can indeed bring many souls to Christ.
Where does this “world domination” plan start? Jesus has made it easy by giving us the devotion to his Sacred Heart.
When a family places an image of the all-loving heart of Jesus in a place of honor within their home, and when each member of the family offers their heart to Jesus, he gives them his heart in return. The result of this exchange of love is that Jesus can then transform their marriage and transform their family. He can change hearts. And he does all this for those who proclaim and affirm that he is the all-good, all-merciful, all-loving king of the family. As Pope Pius XI put it, “Indeed, (this devotion) more easily leads our minds to know Christ the Lord intimately and more effectively turns our hearts to love him more ardently and to imitate him more perfectly” (Miserentissimus Redemptor 167).
Where did devotion to Christ’s Sacred Heart come from? Between 1673 and 1675, Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and revealed to her his Sacred Heart, burning with love for mankind. He told her that the first Friday after the Feast of Corpus Christi should be set aside to honor his Sacred Heart and to make reparations for all those who do not love and honor him. This devotion spread like wildfire among Christians, and one can argue that it’s only gotten more relevant as the years have gone by.
This year, the feast falls on June 19. This is a great opportunity for families to examine their relationship with the Lord and recommit to doing everything out of love for him. Jesus gave St. Margaret Mary many promises in return for loving his Sacred Heart, and these have been distilled into the “12 Promises of the Sacred Heart.”
“Our Redeemer himself promised St. Margaret Mary that all those who would thus honor his Sacred Heart would receive heavenly graces in abundance” (MR 21). These graces bring peace to families’ homes, console them in difficulties, and shed abundant blessings on all their undertakings. All of this just for enthroning him in his rightful place as King of the family!
What does all this have to do with play? A very wise woman once told us, “If you want to pray with your kids, you first need to play with them.” After considering our own experience as parents, we realized that this is true.
There are many ways in which play opens up a child’s heart and mind to God. It is through our natural relationship with our children that we form their first images of God. “Their parental love is called to become for the children the visible sign of the very love of God, ‘from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named’” (Familiaris Consortio 14). Placing the image of God in a child’s heart is a weighty responsibility for parents, but, as John Paul loved to proclaim, we must not be afraid! God will give us all the grace we need if we ask for it.
Additionally, when we play we participate in recreation—we are re-creating ourselves. Play helps us all to remember who we really are and what we were made for. We were not meant to be alone, but to connect with others. We were made for communion and in this we can find happiness and purpose, and so can our children.
Also, we were not made for drudgery: we were made for joy. God meant us to rest and enjoy the world he created for us. From a child’s perspective, play with his or her parents is truly joyful.
In play, we are strengthening a connection with our children, which deepens their sense of belonging, to us and even to God. It teaches them that they have a place and an identity. Isn’t this the longing of all of our hearts? Your child can believe more easily that God loves them because you love them. This is what play communicates.
And finally, from the parent’s perspective, play reminds us what it is like to be a child, and that childlikeness is an essential element of prayer. Jesus made it clear when he said, “Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3). Getting on a child’s level and being vulnerable and simple, and maybe even a little silly, reminds us that it is only through humility that we can approach the Lord.
Now some parents, especially those with teenagers, know that suggesting “family time” can be greeted with eye rolls and protests, but don’t let this discourage you. A 2019 study revealed that seventy-three percent of kids ages five to seventeen said that they actually wished they had more time to connect with their parents.
So what is the Play and Pray Challenge? From June 12 to June 21 we at the Messy Family Project are challenging parents to do three things: have a date with your spouse, have a family fun day, and enthrone the Sacred Heart of Jesus in your home, proclaiming publicly that Jesus is the King of your family. Not only do we have a list of ideas for inexpensive and fun family days and cheap dates, we also have a family-friendly ceremony for you to use for your enthronement ceremony. Visit our website to join the challenge!
One final encouragement is this: don’t lose heart when things don’t turn out the way you want. Life does get messy! Plans with a spouse get turned upside down when a disagreement occurs or a child gets sick. Fights break out among children who are supposed to be having fun. Babies get crabby and knees get skinned. No matter! Our experience has been that even when plans go awry, memories are still made. And no matter how perfect or imperfect your enthronement ceremony is, Jesus is still King and he knows your heart. Our plans may fail, but Jesus’ promises will never fail.
We hope and pray you will join us on for the Pray and Play Challenge, and encourage your friends and family to join in as well. Remember, the goal is world domination—of the Sacred Heart of Jesus!