Passing
on the Catholic traditions to our families
by JoAnn Masters
In the family realm, each era
has its strengths and its weaknesses. A mark of excellence in the current age
is the harvesting and recording of family history. Only a robust reverence for
family identity would motivate the family genealogists who spend much of their
leisure time creating complex family trees. The same is true of the scrapbookers, the videotapers and
the journalers found in every family. What historical
riches they are passing on to the next generation!
Speaking of riches, are we
doing as well in the passing on of the Catholic faith? Shortly after his
election, Pope Benedict XVI wrote, "the Christian family has today more
man ever a most noble and inescapable mission, the transmission of the faith,
which implies commitment to Jesus Christ dead and risen, and insertion in the
ecclesial community. These words certainly caught my attention! In fact, they
inspired my focus for the CCW Family Concerns Commission in the coming year:
passing on Catholic traditions within the family.
Parents, grandparents,
godparents and other adults in the family unit are all given this "noble
and inescapable mission" to be lived out through self-education, teaching
and (most important) daily example. Of course, our weekend Mass attendance and
reception of the Eucharist will always be the supreme expression of our
Catholic Christianity but we do not want to leave our faith on the church steps
until next weekend. Traditional Catholic prayers before meals and before
bedtime are customs that have been passed to us; we have an obligation to pass
them on. Making the Sign of the Cross is a simple tradition but so beautiful
and meaningful. Having holy water available embellishes this sign of our faith.
Children are intrigued by their patron saints and their guardian angels; we
should not deprive them. Praying the family Rosary takes less than 20 minutes;
praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet takes six minutes. We can find time. A
crucifix on the wall serves as a constant reminder of our Christian heritage.
Throughout this 2005/2006
DCCW year, the regional Family Concerns Coordinators will be passing on a
variety of Catholic activity materials that can be creatively used by parish
CCW groups. Let our efforts reflect the Holy Father's call for families to
transmit the faith to future generations.
Joann Masters is from