Parents and their child's vocation.
Introduction:
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Dear Parents:
We are about to conclude the school year where we all are expecting to obtain good results according to our efforts. And yet, it is important to remember that one of the greatest yearnings of parents is to raise sons and daughters that are capable of succeeding in all aspects of life: professional, economic, social, cultural y spiritual. This yearning is just and necessary. Their holistic growth is our responsibility. It will not take place by itself in the course of time. If left on their own they will not bloom suddenly into persons who will receive a crown of laurels or a gold medal when they come to adulthood.
Discuss:
v How do we help our children to discover God’s plan for them?
v What can we do to accomplish this mission?
Los padres y la vocación de sus hijos www.conelpapa.com/.../vocacion/padres.htm
BulletinTranslation: Sr. Hilda Maria Reynoso, SJS
Message
John Paul II reminds us: "Be open to the vocations that spring among us. Pray so that as a sign of His special love, the Lord will call one or more of the members of your family to serve Him. Live your faith with such joy and fervor that will instill in your family a need to answer the call.
Be generous when your son or daughter decide to follow Christ through that special path. Allow for their vocation to grow and be strengthened. Support their choice when freely made. (Juan Pablo II, Nagasaki, Japan, 25.II.1981).
It is during youth that the great ideals of surrender, the desire to help others with their own life, to change the world, to improve it arise. When we know what God is calling us to do we then know the reason for our existence. With the call we discover God’s plan for us. The happiness of parents and children depend on carrying out the plans of God. His plans will not enslave, but empower the person to develop, give him/her dignity, widen her/his liberty and make the person happy. Some parents find that their children postpone for years making certain decisions (for example: getting married and having a family,
choosing a carrier, etc.). Other parents lament that their adult children do not want to leave their parents home because they find there all the commodities without responsibilities. A good Christian formation is oriented to decision making and commitment and it prepares children to be capable of managing properly their liberty and assume responsibilities and commitments that takes effort in accomplishing. This is called maturity.
You are the most influential, the authentic and true teachers of your children: with your word, your example, and the advice you give them. You are holding a treasure in your hands. You are the guardian and at the same time the one who will shape the men and women of tomorrow. Society will be tomorrow what you have made of it today within your home. If you want a Christian society, then educate your children to be good Christians.
Many parents complain about the evil that affects the world: of the lack of moral resources in society; of the lack of people who can change the environment; of the lack of high ideals in the life of so many young men and women; etc.
When parents understand that each call is a privilege, an evidence of the trust and love of the Lord for that person and his/her family, they accept with joy, even though that new mission might be very hard: to help their children while on this earth to respond to their vocation and persevere in it. In a broader sense the call of their children holds them also responsible. God calls them to be parents of a soul that has totally surrendered to Him.
The solution is for the most part in the hands of Christian parents who strive to give their children a true Christian education; who plant the seed of higher ideals of holiness in their soul; who helps them to have a big heart through the practice of the works of mercy by creating an environment of sobriety and work. The big crisis is overcome by saints: we need parents and children who are Christlike and holy.
Source:
Good parents have high standards for their children. It is understood that Christian parents will wish for their children to aspire to holiness and not settle into a spiritual mediocrity. They, therefore, want their children to respond whole heartedly to what God expects of them.
Throughout the history of the church there have been exemplary Christian who with their abnegation have helped their children during the first steps of their surrendering to God. These are men and women who have deeply understood the greatness of their mission: have children for the kingdom of heaven. ‘I assure you, Thomas More wrote to Margaret, his daughter. “that before my children are spoiled because of my lack of attention, I am capable of spending all my fortune and give up my business and occupations to dedicate myself completely to you…"
When a child is dedicated to God, parents acquire a task that never ends. They must not stop helping them acquire their education thinking that someone else is taking care of them. They have the blessed responsibility of supporting them in their decision, especially when they are still young. They must continue helping them and requiring them to grow in human virtuosity, to obtain good grades, to live exemplary lives, etc. They must embrace in great esteem the generous attitude of their children and support them with their prayers and their love..