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| Photo Credit: Dmitry Ryzhkov via Compfight (cc) |
If there was one thing parents could do to make sure their
children remain Catholic it would be to never miss Mass—ever. Celebrating Mass is the single most important thing we do as
Catholics. If it’s true that we vote with our feet, then Mass attendance would
be a good measure of just how important our Catholic faith really is.
When we let sporting events, work, or vacation keep us from
going to Mass we are basically saying, “Nothing is more important than our
faith except _______________.” If going to that tournament or work are allowed
to be more important, a whole list of other priorities creep in until our
children arrive at the conclusion that our faith must not be that important at
all.
On the other hand, when we get up extra early to go to an
early Mass before the tournament starts, or take the time to check
Masstimes.org for a Catholic church while on vacation, our children catch on.
If we make the effort to get to church when it is inconvenient or even difficult,
it sends the message to our children that our commitment to Christ is in fact
our number one priority.
As we make that extra effort it is important to remember
that we are not just going to Mass out of obligation or to follow some rule. We
go out of love for Jesus. It is Jesus that offers himself (through the priest)
at every Mass so we can directly receive the fruits of his sacrifice. It’s
those graces that fuel our lives and our families.
Never missing Mass is no guarantee that our children will
remain Catholic. If we allow other priorities to overtake our commitment to
Christ and his Church then it’s almost a guarantee that they won’t.
See you Sunday.
