Newspaper Page Text
I
The Southern Cross, Page 8
IFaMi Alfa®!!
Thursday, June 15, 2000
Parents’ insights on telling
their story of faith
By Mary Jo
Pedersen
Catholic News Service
randma’s
kitchen counter was
lined with statues
and framed pictures
of Jesus, Mary and
Joseph. In front of
each was a small
vigil candle.
One cold Ne
braska fall she lit
the candles daily.
She prayed that God
would provide coats
for her four children
who were coatless.
The family was
short on funds after
a train accident in
which Grandpa was
injured and left
without a job.
Not wanting to
bring just one child
a coat, she visited
the local department
store weekly, hoping
for a sale that would
allow her to clothe
all four at once.
She would blaze
up the candles, pray
for help and go to
town. The day of a
big sale* she in
quired in her broken
English about the
cost of the coats.
They came to $28,
but she didn’t have
that much.
The clerk knew
her by now, and af
ter consulting a co
worker and giving
Grandma a piece of
paper to sign, the
clerk informed her
she could take all four coats home
today without paying a cent.
Grandma went home, and her
candles blazed for weeks in thanksgiv
ing!
A month later, Grandma received a
letter in the mail from the department
store informing her that she had
opened a charge account the day of the
sale and $3.50 was due on the coats.
She had $3.50 and paid it, never
doubting that God took care of her in
providing the coats.
Such faith!
I heard that story from my
mother while she was undergoing
chemotherapy treatment for ova
rian cancer 19 years ago. I was wor
rying myself to death about her con
dition, and she told me this story
and explained to me that my worry
was wasted because she had the best
doctor, she was doing everything he
prescribed, she was praying and
God was taking care of her.
S ■ 8
I regard myself as truly blessed to
have had a mother who was willing to
share her own and her family’s stories
All contents copyright©2000 by CNS
and difficult times in their marriage
when God was there for them.
—Look back at events with eyes of
faith, and tell your children what you
see.
After four months of unemploy
ment, a father confided in his son that
he felt hopeless when he lost his job,
but he had prayed with faith for a new
opportunity. When the new job came
through, the father told his son that
God was at work in the whole thing
because his new job was really a bet
ter situation for him in the long run.
—Pay attention to what is going on
in your child’s life.
Talk about God’s forgiveness and
mercy when children get in trouble.
Say a word about God’s goodness and
generosity when children succeed,
and remind them that their talents
Mary’s Press, Chris
tian Brothers Publi
cations, Winona,
Minn., 2000), only 10
percent of church
families discussed
faith at home with
any degree of regular
ity.
When asked about
sharing faith at
home, parents confess
that they often feel
awkward or unsure
about the facts of
their faith and are not
comfortable talking to
their children. Yet,
when asked, parents
are clearly sure about
what they want to
44 m
1 iming is everything!... Look back at events with
eyes of faith, and tell your children what you see.... Say
a word about God’s goodness and generosity when
children succeed, and remind them that their talents
are given to them by God.”
CNS photo from Cleo Freelance Photography
of faith. That is not a common occur
rence, despite the fact that research
shows parents have the greatest influ
ence in their children’s faith develop
ment.
In a national study of 8,000 youth
in 11 different Protestant and Catho
lic denominations (Passing on the
Faith) by Merton Strommen, Ph.D.,
and Richard A Hardel Dmin, St.
FOODFORTHOUGHT
pass on to their chil
dren.
Here are some
practical approaches
to communicating
faith in simple con
versations at home.
—Timing is every
thing! A beautiful
sunset is a perfect
time to express your
gratitude to God for
the earth’s goodness
and beauty.
An important soc
cer tournament
might be a good occa
sion to sit with your
child for a moment
and pray for help in the big game.
Praying with your children teaches
them that you value prayer.
—Share your own and others’ sto
ries of faith. Birthdays, anniversaries,
funerals are all occasions to share
your own stories of how God is our
constant companion.
At a 25th-anniversary party, one
set of parents witnessed to both happy
are given to them by God. Mention the
power of the Holy Spirit when chil
dren face exam week.
—Communicate about faith with
the written word as well as when
speaking.
One single parent placed notes in
her daughter’s room to reassure her of
Jesus’ love for her when she had been
abandoned by friends. The mother of a
college student includes faith talk in
her e-mail along with news about fam
ily and friends.
When children enter adolescence,
they interpret almost everything as
preaching! That’s why short, written
messages work well with them (Pass
ing on the Faith).
—Finally, ask your child this ques
tion: “Do you see where God had a
hand in this situation?” Children may
not have an answer, but they may
learn something important from the
question.
(Pedersen is coordinator of the
Leadership in Family Life Training
Program for the Archdiocese of
Omaha, Neb.)
One of Pope John Paul II’s insights about the young is that they have a potential to enrich the church and to
help keep it young. He wrote about the church’s approach to youth in a major 1989 document on the laity
(“Christifideles Laid”).
The pope appeared to caution against approaching young people as though they are blank sheets of paper upon
which older people simply write their message. Communication between young and old in the church is a two-way
street, it seems.
“The church has so much to talk about with youth, and youth have so much to share with the church,” the pope
said. Their “mutual dialogue” should take place “with great cordiality, clarity and courage.”
In the arena of church ministry, youth shouldn’t simply be considered “an object,” the pope said. “In fact, young
people are and ought to be active on behalf of the church as leading characters in evangelization and participants” in
society’s renewal, he commented.
The church, the pope wrote, must “seek to rekindle the very special love displayed by Christ toward the young
man in the Gospel” (Mk. 10:21).
25 David Gibson, Editor, Faith Alive!