-->
Last Sunday, when I was walking home from church, there was
a family with young children walking beside me. The Mother asked the boy, who
looked to be about 7, how he liked going to church. He said, “well, we went
there once before.” The Mother responded, “yes, but today we went for real. “ It
made me sad to hear the brief conversation. Of course, it may have been
continued out of my earshot, but I don’t think that it was. I really, truly, hope that the last
time they were there wasn’t for his Christening and that now he is preparing
for his First Communion, but sadly that is the case with many families.
The reality is that many families do just that and I
personally think that they are not only short-changing their children but that
they are also short-changing themselves. They christen their children and then
don’t come back to church again until it is time for the child to receive First
Communion, which is perplexing to me, but I won’t get into that. Faith building
and religious instruction should be from birth, through life. Not just when you
need it to make a sacrament.
 |
| Original work of art by Jean Keaton |
When I went to grade school we were not
only taught the Catechism but we also went to Confession and Mass on the first
Fridays of the month. We started each school day with a prayer (and the Pledge
of Allegiance) and a blessing. I was a good little girl, for the most part, and
even taught religious instruction when I was in the 7th and 8th
grades, to the 1st graders. Even though I knew all of the teachings of the church, I still
struggled with them when I got older and had to re-educate myself on my faith,
which I did when I was in my late 30’s. It wasn’t until then that my eyes were
opened and I began to truly live my faith and understand the doctrines that I
had learned from such an early age.
The thing is, though, that I had a very good basis and understanding of
the faith and even I struggled. Is it possible to provide a good, solid,
religious instruction to your child if they go to a public school and only attend
religious instruction once a week? Of course it is.
I will admit, I did a terrible job of it, but I did at least
get Tom to church every week and to religious instruction until he was about
12. His first 6 years of life were steeped in it too from us living with my
parents and from our full-time baby sitters, Betty and Bob (God bless them
both). He didn’t get confirmed but that blame lies squarely on my shoulders. I
could make a whole bunch of excuses about it from my Mom dying, to our Pastor
telling him that he didn’t have to come to church to pray for his Grandma, but
the fact is I didn’t want to drag him there because we did have a battle royal
every Sunday after that Pastor made that stupid remark. I caved because I
freaking hated screaming and yelling and then sitting in church boiling over;
that was just ridiculous. So on Sunday mornings, Tom would pop out of bed and
go to our friend’s house up the street where, as he put it, everyone slept late
and ate bagels for breakfast and I went to church to fulfill my obligation and
nothing more. Even though I was lacking in my parenting skills when it came to
religious instruction I do know quite a few families that now have adult
children that continue in their parent’s footsteps, which is refreshing to see
in this day and age. Even Tom has
made his peace with God and visits the chapel with me once in a while.
I guess what I am trying to say is two things. It’s never
too late to find Jesus in the scriptures and to embrace Him. I’ve written about
my own reversion to Him through the Rosary on here. Prayer will lead you to
Him; reading the Bible will too. Ask for His help and guidance. Ask the Holy
Spirit to open your eyes, ears and heart to the scriptures as He is the one
that increases our faith and hope.
Glory be to the Father who created me.
Glory be to the Son who redeemed me.
Glory be to the Holy Spirit who sanctifies me.
Read the Catechism regardless if you are a Catholic or not.
Either way it will strengthen you in faith, hope and charity and thus, prepare
you to teach your children well. Share it with your children. The other point I'm trying to make is to make your faith a huge part of your family life from the womb to the tomb. Pray with your
children. Read the Bible with your children. Attend Mass and services regularly
with your children, as a family. Receive the Sacraments as a family. Do the same with your grandchildren, if you are able. Let go of
the material things in this world, which are fleeting and immaterial in the
long run, and embrace the spiritual. Your child needs to know that not only are you always there for him/her, God is ALWAYS there for them too. As Jesus taught us in the parables of the mustard seed and the fruits of the vine, faith in God is something that needs to be planted, but it also needs to be nurtured to grow throughout life. Not only the child, but the adult needs to continue to change and grow with the ever changing tides of life and a strong faith will give them the tools to make it through all those periods of life. Never stop nurturing that faith, through continuous learning and prayer, and your faith will never fail you when it is needed most. That's why it is so important to nurture our children during the formative years. Otherwise, just like the untended grapes on a vine, that faith will wither up and cease to exist.
As a grown up I know that when I was younger that I rarely
listened to others' opinions and suggestions, but I do hope that in some small
way my own shortcomings may help someone else. One of my only regrets is that I did lose my connection with God in my younger years and didn't bother to provide a substantial faithful upbringing for my own child. My own experience has taught me
that my relationship with God and my family has gotten me through many horrible
things in my life and it has made me stronger. I do now see that my faith was always strong, even if I didn't think it at the time. It was because of the positive upbringing and strength of conviction of my formative years. It is true that a family that
prays together stays together. Remember that the next time you go to church
“for real.”
Peace * Love
Mare
No comments:
Post a Comment