“If I could only hold God in my mind. If I could only always just think of Him.” (Flannery O’Connor)

Wash, rinse and repeat! This seems to be where we are at again and again but we are making progress. One of the things that has been on my mind a lot as of late, is how we are going to pass on the faith to our young people in this time when meeting and praying together has become so difficult. We all know, as Catholics, the first and best teachers of the faith are parents and families. We pray this every time we baptize a child and yet we also know this is not easy and mothers and fathers need support, assistance and guidance in this work. The godparents and the community at large promises to support them as the Body of Christ but it remains always the work of the parents to complete the sharing of the faith by their works, words and relationship with God.
So here is a brief reflection on three books I have looking at, re-reading and thinking over on how this will help us help our families to grow in the love and knowledge of God.
First, “Discipleship Parenting” by Kim Cameron-Smith…she writes in the introduction “It’s important for us to remember at the first disciples––Jesus’ inner circle of twelve—wanted to be taught. They wanted to follow him; he didn’t kidnap them! The disciples watched Jesus: the observed how he prayed, how he paced his life, how he interacted with the people of many different walks of life, and how he responded to challenges from the authorities.… If we have any hope of evangelizing them, our children have to want to follow us. They must be comfortable turning to us for help and clarity like Jesus is friends turned to him.” (p 19-20) It’s a long quote but she says it much better than I can. Young people gravitate to passion, joy and hopefulness. Do we radiate that in our lives? Many children follow in the footsteps of the parents’ career because of the passion, joy and satisfaction their parents give in example to their work. Do we share this same passion in our faith life? That’s the question we should all be asking. You don’t have to know everything…you as a parent can learn and grow too…but passion and love must radiate from our faith in order for young people to “want to be taught” and believe what they are being taught.

Second, “How to Catholic Family” by Tommy and Karen Tighe “A simple way to begin celebrating the lives of the saints is to choose saints who are connected to your family in someway. Celebrate their feast specifically.… Take time, as a family, to explore exactly why you feel close to a saint.”(p 77) Pre COVID-19 I gave this book to parents preparing for the Baptism of their children. I love this book because it reminds me of how I grew up and how much of my life was surround by Catholic stuff. Sadly, we don’t live in a Catholic Culture anymore so families must intentionally choose to “be Catholic” in the world. One of the simplest ways is the saints. They are there just for us and many have fascinating stories that are much better than any fictional thriller or fantasy offered today. As the Tighe’s suggest, start simple by looking at the family tree and begin with names that are familiar. You will soon learn more than you thought possible. This is the blessing of the internet…so many saints at your fingertips…but I would also recommend the old school book on the lives of the saints and see your children be surrounded with the prayers of the communion of saints in heaven.
Lastly, “The Contagious Catholic” by Marcel LeJeune “All kids grow up. Directing that growth is up to the parents. Our goal as parents should be helping our children become responsible adults who can make wise decisions on their own.”(p. 114– 115) Living the faith is so very important as an example…it is the exposing of the truth of who we are. When we live the “do as I say and not as I do” life of faith, not only are we endangering our eternal soul but that of our spouse, children and entire family. When we intentionally talk with others about our faith in Jesus Christ and live this faith with joy, passion and hopefulness then we will see others join us in the journey as those first twelve joined Jesus and brought others to the joy of the Gospel.
God bless
Fr. Mark