Passing on the Faith

However, take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children. - Deuteronomy 4:9

As parents, we have so much to teach to our children. This first reading from the book of Deuteronomy reminds us of that duty. We are responsible for passing on our faith to our children. Sometimes, it can be more than a challenge. There is a whole world out there that relegates faith to the back burner, and it can be hard to counter all the other messages our children receive. It can be hard to prioritize religious practices such as prayer, Bible reading, and attending Church services in our children's lives when they have so many other things to learn. After all, they are expected to know their reading, writing, and arithmetic, along with a myriad list of other subjects, participate in sports, and cultivate a hobby or two. But if we don't make prayer a priority in their lives from the time they are born, how can we ever expect them to continue that practice as adults? What good is it, to paraphrase scripture, if we give our children the whole world, but neglect their souls?

Of course, despite our best efforts, there is always the possibility that our children may grow up to ignore their faith anyway. At that point, as parents, all we can do is pray, continue to provide a positive example, and hope that the foundation we gave them will one day bear fruit. Like so many other aspects of parenting, our responsibility is to do the best we can and let God take care of the rest!