Practical steps to pave the way to heaven
The
primary obligation of parents towards their children is to pave the way
for the salvation of their immortal souls. Jesus pointed this out very
clearly: “What would it profit a man if he were to gain the whole world
and lose his soul in the process. What can a man exchange for his very
soul?” This Biblical passage was instrumental in the conversion of the
great missionary, Saint Francis Xavier.
In this short
essay, we would like to pinpoint five concrete decisions and practices
that parents can undertake so as to pave the way to heaven for their
children. Never forget parents: your primary obligation is to bring
every family member to heaven, to be with God, the Blessed Virgin Mary,
the angels and saints for all eternity.
1. Baptism. Provide
for the Baptism of your child as soon as possible. During the course of
the pregnancy good parents can do all the prior preparations so as to
have the child baptized rapidly. Baptismal talks, papers, godparents,
etc. can be prepared and ready even before the child is born. Remember
the words of Jesus, referring to the small child: “Let the little
children come to me because as such is the kingdom of heaven.”
2. Pray Immediately!
A child can be compared to a sponge. The nature of a sponge is to
absorb, especially liquids and usually water. However, if one puts dirty
water into the sponge, then dirty water will be wrung out; clean, then
clean water will be wrung out. A three year-old child can watch TV and
repeat dumb, offensive and vulgar words or songs. If this is the case,
why should parents not fill the mind, heart and lips of the child with
prayers to the Guardian Angel, to Mary, to the Trinity, to the Heavenly
Father? Why allow the child to be filled with junk, better, to fill
him/her with beautiful prayers?
3. Offer it Up.
Parents, we invite you to teach your children the short but all
important phrase: “Offer it up!” What this really means is to take
advantage of daily sufferings and crosses that God sends to adults as
well as to children. Much suffering is wasted because it is not offered
up to God. Why not teach children, even when they are small, to offer up
the headache, toothache, hot or cold weather, the fall and bruise and
the cut, so that these sufferings will have infinite value. Mom and Dad,
you are the first teachers, especially in the area of faith. Be
faithful to your marriage vocation!
4. “Love one another as I have loved you.” The
Last and greatest commandment of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was
that of love— to love all as he loved us. Parents who are blessed by God
to have more than one child should make a concerted effort on their
part to love all their children and their immortal souls. However, the
devil always seeks to sow the seed of discord, confusion, jealously,
rivalry, comparisons, and suspicions. Parents must strive with all of
the energy of their wills to foster mutual respect, humility, love and
harmony among their siblings.
At all costs parents must avoid the “Cain-complex”. What is the “Cain-complex”? The Cain-complex consists in pitting one sibling against the other. It results in the ugly fruits of comparisons, rivalries, jealousy often leading to envy and fights and hatred and killing, if not physically at least in the heart. How can the “Cain-complex” be avoided? A simple remedy: it is all related to union with God in prayer, the three dimensions of family prayer. Parents should pray for their children; parents should teach their children to pray; finally, parents should pray with their children. If done, this will prove to be one of the most efficacious remedies to avoid the ugly, but all too prevalent “Cain-complex.”
5. The Real Presence. Good Catholic parents, we warmly
exhort you to teach your children, as soon as possible, the meaning of
the “Real Presence” of Jesus in the Mass, Consecration, Holy Communion.
Furthermore, parents should teach their children, even the little ones,
where Jesus is truly present in the Church. How is this to be done
successfully by parents? Various suggestions:
1) Parents work
on growing in your own faith in Jesus present in the Eucharist— nobody
can give what he does not possess personally.
2) Explain to
your children that the most important event every week is attending the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Sunday, but also participating fully,
consciously and actively.
3) Reverence. The modern world has
lost the sense of the sacred in the churches today. Parents must teach
their children that the Church is the House of God and a sacred and holy
environment. Therefore, in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament, there should be cultivated silence that fosters both prayer
and reverence.
4) Genuflection. Parents should execute the
genuflection properly, right knee to the ground with hands folded over
heart, and explain why this is done. It is done to adore the Lord of
Lord and King of Kings who is residing in His little Palace or Castle in
the Blessed Sacrament. The Kings prostrated themselves before the Child
Jesus in Bethlehem; we prostrate ourselves by a reverential
genuflection. Remember that Jesus, now present in the Blessed Sacrament,
is still Lord of Lords and King of Kings and still worthy of worship
and praise. This is done by the genuflection.
5) Visits to the blessed Sacrament. One of the first little poems I
remembered learning as a child was the following related to Eucharistic
visits: “Whenever I see a Church, I stop to make a visit, so that when I
die the Lord will not say, who is it?” Parents should form the habit
of now and then stopping to visit Jesus truly present in the Blessed
Sacrament in the tabernacle. Even though the visit might last five
minutes, this is very pleasing to Jesus whose Sacred Heart rejoices
every time we visit Him and remember Him.
In conclusion, if
parents can take seriously their obligation to be a Saint John the
Baptist and point the way to Jesus and the Highway to heaven, then the
parents will strive to implement these five practical points of advice:
1) The graces of early Baptism; 2) Prayer which is the key to heaven; 3)
The value of offering up and suffering for a purpose; 4) Love, living
out love in family; 5) The Eucharistic Lord, growing in faith, knowledge
and love for Jesus the Bread of Life, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
May Mary, the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church and our Heavenly
Mother attain for us extraordinary graces through her all-powerful
prayers.
