There is a rule in my house I take very seriously: If you live under my roof, you go to church with me on Sunday morning. If you are home visiting from college, you are under my roof and will go to church with me on Sunday morning. No ifs, ands or buts! I have three girls, so you can imagine what Sunday mornings were like when they were growing up! I have had some pretty pissed off teenagers angrily applying mascara in the backseat on the way to Mass. But a rule is a rule. And, might I say, this is one of the most important rules there are no exceptions to (ok, puking your guts out allowed them to stay home!). As parents, we ARE NOT their best friends. We set rules. We stick to the rules. If our children get mad at us, so be it. They get over it, I promise. They learn from us how to be parents themselves. I don't know about you, but I want my grandchildren to know Jesus. I want them to grow up with the house rule of going to Mass on Sunday. With two grandchildren on the way, I have no doubt they will love the Lord as much as their mommies and I do! I am not a perfect mother, I made plenty of mistakes along the way. There is one thing I know I have passed along to my girls, it is love of our Lord and strong faith. The rest of childrearing can be figured out with their spouses!
In Volume One, Thoughts on Spirituality, I love how Jesus explains spiritual discipline:
"I want My children to have spiritual discipline. This means you practice your faith regardless of how you feel. There is far too much time spent on feelings today. Duty is more important. My children of the world think that their duties should be suspended if their feelings change. This is not the case, My children. On the contrary, you must complete your duties despite feelings of fatigue, boredom, and restlessness. The enemy uses these feelings to persuade people that they should not serve their loved ones. The world encourages this and does not hold people responsible when they shirk their duties or become lax or lazy. Indeed, even in work My children complain and think they should be given liberty. They begrudge doing their duty in every area of their lives. Only in their personal entertainment do they stop complaining, and that is being taken to excess. Children, this is not the way I intended for you to live. Your duty is holy and in it you will find your path to holiness. When you are unsure about what I want you to do at a given moment, look for your duty. Does it lie with your children, your job, your family, your home, your work? Everyone has a duty and in it you will find the path to your salvation. I want you to have discipline now. Decide, through prayer and conversation with Me, what spiritual practices you need to adopt. Then you must be disciplined about these practices. Only on rare occasions should you lift your obligation to complete them. Please don’t think I do not understand the pressures in your life. I am attempting, though, to realign your priorities and place them into an order that is more consistent with your decision to serve Me. You must listen to Me, and together we will accomplish this task. You will proceed more peacefully and purposefully afterwards. I am with you and will help you to obtain this spiritual discipline, which will speed you in your conversion."
Are there days when I don't feel like praying? Yes, sometimes. On those days I know I need to try harder as the evil one would LOVE me to put if off for another day. Please, rearrange your priorities now. Make prayer and thankfulness number one. Let your children see your commitment to Christ so they will continue to make Him their number one priority when raising your grandchildren some day.
Thank you, Lord, for somehow getting in my young thick skull so long ago, the importance of showing my children You are worth worshiping at least one hour on a weekend, more importantly, 24/7.
God bless,
Bonnie
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