Going Forth Mass 2009
May 2009
Today I talk to you parents.
The most important people in the lives of these children is you parents.
The most important people in the lives of you parents are these children.
Getting married brings changes in your life. Your independence and personal freedom is curtailed. There is need for adjustment.
But this is nothing compared to what happens when you have a child.
Your life is turned upside down.
Your child demands and gets 24/7 service, attention and dedication. In fact you become its slave.
The strange thing is that you take to this slavery without question and your life somehow blossoms and becomes fulfilling.
Maybe the words of Jesus do have some meaning;
‘whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.’
I think that the nearest I will come to realising how I treat God is the way my children treat me. I think that the nearest I will come to understanding how God treats me is the way I treat my children.
How much time and energy does the parent put into the wellbeing and upbringing of the child? How heedless the child is to this outpouring of love and tireless effort?
So, dads and moms, I will not harangue you today about bringing up your child to know and love God.
Instead, I urge you to open your hearts and minds and let your children bring you to know and love God.