[using the New City Catechism app…]
Question 7: What does the law of God require?
Answer: That we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love our neighbor as ourselves.
In Matthew 22 Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was. His answer was…
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Mt 22:37-40)
Jesus was referring directly to Deuteronomy 6 where this command is explained a little more…
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Dt 6:4-9)
Two things stand out to me here: First, parents are to POSSESS and PASS. That is, they are to possess a wholehearted love for God and His commands, and then they are to intentionally pass this on to their kids. But did you notice the four key touch points for when parents are to do this? Sitting together at home (usually dinner for me), walking by the way (i.e., in transit, as in riding the car), at bedtime, and in the morning. You don’t have to be an expert in all four areas… just pick one that works best for you and begin to have faith convos during that time. Or just use it to go over the catechism questions.
You can also talk to your kids about what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus covered exactly who counted as neighbors in Luke 10:25-37.