A Word on being a Good Catholic Parent

Stumbling across new horizons here in the Catholic blogging world, I realize that it is easier than ever to be a well informed Catholic these days. There is so much to read, talk about, and share with others in our technological world that there is no excuse being in the dark about Church teachings, moral issues, and family life within the Church. I wrote a post some months ago remarking, we are what we read. We realize the need to know more about our faith and the Church's teachings as parents, but with so much coming out of the Vatican this year, especially, how can we keep up? It's called prioritizing. As a parent, I know that I should focus on the sacraments, the Mass, and topics close to family issues. Right now, that would mean that I should study the "Sacramentum Caritatis" and revitalize the family's love and desire for the Eucharist and the Mass. This is a wonderful document that Pope Benedict provided for us, along with his first encyclical, "Deus Caritas est" (God is love) these two documents are well worth the study time. By reading and studying these two teaching instruments, a parent can glean much about their Catholic faith that has been forgotten, learned, or realized since being an adult far past the religion (CCD) days of our childhood.

The other part of being a good Catholic parent is by example. Having our children witness firsthand their parents studying the Church's teachings, customs, and history, they will see how important it is. Parents will gain such confidence in their knowledge of the faith. Aren't we always fielding questions from our young charges about God, Jesus, the Eucharist, priests, and so much more? We need to be ready for those questions. One attendance each week to Mass isn't enough, we can not rely on one homily to teach us all we need to know about the Church, Christ's ministry, and God's plan for us. Parents must read and study on their own to get the most of their knowledge. After all, the main purpose of our being created is to know,love, and serve God.