“The witness of Christian life given by parents”
The witness of Christian life given by parents in the family comes to children with tenderness and parental respect. Children thus perceive and joyously live the closeness of God and of Jesus made manifest by their parents in such a way that this first Christian experience frequently leaves decisive traces which last throughout life. This childhood religious awakening which takes place in the family is irreplaceable. It is consolidated when, on the occasion of certain family events and festivities, “care is taken to explain in the home the Christian or religious content of these...
Read MoreRespect has no substitute
Respect has no substitute; neither assistance nor obedience nor love can supply it or take its place It may happen that children are no longer obliged to help their parents; they may be justified in not obeying them; the circumstances may be such that they no longer have love or affection for them; but respect can never be wanting without serious guilt. The reason is simple: because it is due in justice, because it is founded on natural rights that can never be forfeited, even when parents themselves lose the sense of their own dignity. - Rev. John H. Stapelton, Explanation of Catholic...
Read MoreThoughts for a New Father
My best friend and his wife recently found out that they will be welcoming their first child into the world this spring. At his invitation I sent him the following thoughts about fatherhood, having endured loved it through nine years and four kids. The remarks have been edited to remove personal information. #1 – Congratulations! You are no longer in control of your own destiny. Here’s the thing: you are now 100% responsible for another human being in this world. You have established a relationship that, short of death, cannot be severed or broken. (And I’m not even sure...
Read MoreOn the Usefulness of Death Panels
It seems to me that, in the cacophony of debate surrounding health care reform and the so-called “death panels,” that a simple foundational reality has eluded some people: Death panels would be immeasurably useful in modern American society. Which is to say, they are useful in a society that has largely abandoned the traditional family and the network of support it ensures. In the past, the elderly were largely taken care of by relatives — usually adult children — in the context of an extended network of family who lived in geographical proximity to one another. There...
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