I am directed.

I just finished reading one of the Catholic Church's documents called "The General Directory for Catechesis." This was put out at the end of the millenium to instruct all those responsible for passing on the faith. There are some interesting tidbits in there about how Catholics should all feel the responsibility to pass on our faith to the next generations and other non-Catholics. It is all very interesting because this is something we may not hear very often.

Nevertheless, the General Directory for Catechesis states in paragraph #255:

Parents are the primary educators in the faith. Together with them, especially in certain cultures, all members of the family play an active part in the education of the younger members. It is thus necessary to determine more concretely the sense in which the Christian family community is a locus of catechesis. The family is defined as a "domestic Church", that is, in every Christian family the different aspects and functions of the life of the entire Church may be reflected: mission; catechesis; witness; prayer etc. Indeed in the same way as the Church, the family "is a place in which the Gospel is transmitted and from which it extends". The family as a locus of catechesis has an unique privilege: transmitting the Gospel by rooting it in the context of profound human values. On this human base, Christian initiation is more profound: the awakening of the sense of God; the first steps in prayer; education of the moral conscience; formation in the Christian sense of human love, understood as a reflection of the love of God the Father, the Creator. It is, indeed, a Christian education more witnessed to than taught, more occasional than systematic, more on-going and daily than structured into periods. In this family catechesis, the role of grandparetns is of growing importace. Their wisdom and sense of the religious is often times decisive in creating a true Christian climate. [emphasis added]

I think that these words should cause us to pause and reflect how much are we implementing these things in our own families? It is interesting to know that many children, by the time they get to the second grade do not know the Our Father or the Hail Mary - two very basic Catholic prayers. Yet, this would not be a big deal, if they at least were used to praying at home. Unfortunately, this is too often not the case.

If we parents are to take up our role as educators and witnesses of our belief in Jesus Christ then we NEED to re-consider how seriously are we taking the Christian Faith and more importantly how serious is our commitment to the one, holy Catholic Church established by Jesus Christ, our Lord and King.

Many things in our lives demand our time and our effort, but there is nothing more rewarding and nothing more precious than our Catholic Faith. The question we must ask ourselves is whether we truly believe that. What is the reason that people were willing to die for the Catholic Faith throughout the centuries? Perhaps, just perhaps, there is more for you discover as an adult in the teachings of the Church which can bring you much greater joy than you can imagine. I know that in my own experience, after studying Catholic Theology for 7 years I always find that to be true! I find that even now as I am reading St. Gregory of Nyssa's Life of Moses.

May you and I be blessed to find your eyes even more opened to the wonder of the teachings of Christ which have been entrusted to the Holy Catholic Church.