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On July 26, the Church celebrates the feast day of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandparents of Jesus. Their feast day is a celebration and reminder of the important work of educating children in the faith in the hope that one day, like Mary, they would also love God with all their hearts and remember to always say “yes” to His will.
One of my favorite quotes says “Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work.” Though it may seem like our busy lives are telling us the opposite at times, the raising of children is one of the most important tasks the Lord has given parents. Raising them in the faith is even more important.
As parents and grandparents, we bear a big responsibility to teach our young ones to love God. And how do we do that? By our living example of the way we love God. We don’t do it through lectures and lessons, but through the way we live.
Our children have been entrusted to us by God the Father and from our example, our children learn about God the Father’s love. We show them that God the Father loves them unconditionally by loving them unconditionally. We show them that God the Father is forgiving and merciful by showing them forgiveness and mercy. We show them that God the Father is joyful by showing them joy, especially by being joyful in things that relate to the faith. See a pattern here? Hearing this comparison completely changed my perspective on the importance of my role as a father of three. Not only do my children learn about virtue and morals from my example, but more importantly, from my example, they learn about who God is. I couldn’t have a more important task than that of raising my children! All parents have this responsibility. In parent saints like Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, we see that raising children for God and loving them well (even when it may seem particularly challenging), is possible.
Because this is such a big responsibility, it can seem like a daunting task, but it does not have to be. From the example of St. Therese of Lisieux, I have learned that if we do small things with great love, they can make all the difference. Here are some seemingly small, practical things we can do every day to raise our children for heaven:
— Pray for them!
— Prioritize going to Mass together every Sunday as a family
— Say grace before meals
— Have a prayer space in the house
— Have images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the saints around the house
— Fellowship with like-minded families
— Talk to them about the lives of the saints; they can be inspired by their examples
—Take time to read Scripture with them
— Pray the rosary together as a family
— Involve them in parish activities
You’re not alone in this mission of raising children in the faith. You are invited to join hundreds of other families in your community as they strive to raise their families in the faith all while growing in their own spiritual lives. With this in mind, I invite you to get connected with your local church through “The Joy of Love & Family Conference Series.”
The series is hosted by the Diocese of Metuchen in partnership with the other four Roman Catholic Dioceses in New Jersey. The virtual conference aims at providing resources and support to the micro church — the family — in their role as evangelizers and disciples in today’s society.
For more information or to register in the “Joy of Love & Family Conference Series,” visit: https://lightingheartsonfire.org/joylovefamily
Allan E. Caballero is director, diocesan Office of Evangelization