Byzantine Catholic Family Matters

Evangelizing Ourselves and Our Children III

What Parents Can Do

If you are a parent and your faith and relationship with God is important to you and you want to pass this on to your children, you may be wondering how to best ensure that you pass your faith on to your children. There are a number of things that you can do.

Live your life as if God really matters and make time for God. Make "God time" part of your daily routine. Take the time to thank God as a family for your food at family meal times. Take time for family prayer in the evening before the youngest goes to bed. Make extra time for God during the penitential seasons (Great Fast, Phillip’s Fast, Apostles’ Fast, and Pre-Dormition Fast). During the Great Fast make a point to attend additional services during the week.
Take time out from your daily routine to celebrate the different feasts of the liturgical year. Yes, there are the holy days of obligation, but also take notice of and celebrate the "smaller" or solemn feasts. For example, the Feast of the Transfiguration makes manifest the divinity of Christ and, through the blessing of the first fruits on that day, we are reminded that all good things are from above.
Set up an icon corner in your home, or make sure that you have icons in each bedroom, the living room and dining room.
If you are a parent who wants to see your children do well in school, you no doubt have attended parent teacher conferences, kept up with your children’s grades, and have helped them with their homework. Certainly educators realize the importance of parental involvement in student learning. Unfortunately, many parents do not place the same importance on or convey to their children a similar interest in their Sunday School/Eastern Christian Formation (ECF) classes. Children need to know mom and dad believe that what they learn in ECF is more important than what they learn in math class. Children will get this message when their parents make sure they attend their ECF classes and review with them the lessons they have learned after each class.
On the way home from Sunday liturgy discuss with your children the priest’s sermon and/or one of the readings. Sometimes it’s necessary to bring the language down to the child’s level. It’s amazing though just how much children listen and understand.
Especially during the penitential seasons, but also at any time of the year, provide opportunities for you and your children to be involved in almsgiving and service to church/community.
Make time for personal prayer. It is important for your children to know that you pray even when it’s not family prayer time. As important is your relationship with God.
Continue to learn more about the faith, and keep abreast of what is going on in the Church around the world – from a Catholic/Orthodox perspective. The Eastern Catholic Life is a good start. There are Catholic and Orthodox publishing houses that produce fine books and periodicals. Catholic Parent and Catholic World Report are two very good monthly magazines for example. Read books, periodicals, and, when available, attend adult education programs.

In each of these suggestions, the message to your children is clear: God and His Church matter to each and every one of us in this family. God and His Church are at the core of our family’s life.

(In the fourth article of this series, we will look at how the parish community can help reinforce what you do at home.)