Son of Mary

Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. ~Mt 18:2b-3

In the hustle and bustle of daily life - of diaper changes, mealtimes, errand running, bath times and routine toddler meltdowns - it can be easy to forget that our primary vocation as parents is to actually raise up saints.

As the Church reminds us, our family are to be "centers of living, radiant faith. For this reason the Second Vatican Council, using an ancient expression, calls the family the Ecclesia domestica [domestic church]."

Moreover, as a parent, Mr. 2nd Lt. and I are to be "by word and example . . . the first heralds of the faith with regard to [our] children." The means by which the Boyo, and hopefully future monkeys, will come to love, know and serve God is US. WE are to be their teachers - and not just in what we say, but even more importantly, in what we do.

The Catechism goes on to beautifully describe the domestic church as the place in which:

the father of the family, the mother, children, and all members of the family exercise the priesthood of the baptized in a privileged way "by the reception of the sacraments, prayer and thanksgiving, the witness of a holy life, and self-denial and active charity." Thus the home is the first school of Christian life and "a school for human enrichment." Here one learns endurance and the joy of work, fraternal love, generous—even repeated—forgiveness, and above all divine worship in prayer and the offering of one's life.

Heavy, huh?

Saints, you say?

That is no small task!

If I stop to think too much upon it, I quickly grow disheartened. My demon sneaks in with doubts, worries and "what ifs."

If it were all about oral and written instruction, I would be fine. Teach theology? Not a problem. Been there, done that, got a certificate :) Plus, its fun. I like doing that. But, by example?

There are so many things that I do wrong. So many times that I lose my patience, raise my voice, forget to pray, don't offer up my sufferings (and complain instead), don't go to daily Mass when I could, forget to rely on God for my daily bread, and fail, fail and fail to put God first in my life. The eternal salvation of my son has literally been entrusted to me by God. What if I fail him? What if I fail Him?

But then, I remember.

He put me here in the first place. He thinks that Mr. 2nd Lt. and I are up to the task, and will thus provide the grace required to complete it. Fortunately :)

And then, God gives me proof that He will take care of the hard parts - the cultivating and the pruning and the harvesting - if I but sow the seeds.

Because, you see, I have a son who loves his Mama.

LOVES her. Is absolutely, adorably, perfectly, head-over-heels in love with his Blessed Mama (John 19:26-27) in heaven.

He recognizes her picture; he asks for her by name when we go into a Church; he often asks to pray (folds his hands and says "eh -eh." too cute!) and of late, he will ask to pray a "Mama" prayer, like at bedtime; he lights up when he sees her; and he even says her name - "Mama" - in a different intonation that my own name (also Mama), a tone he always and only uses for her.

And it is such a beautiful thing to see, to watch and to know that he knows her because of his father and I, because of the grace of the Holy Spirit that has worked in and through us.

And I know that through her powerful intercession, she will lead him right to Her Son. Because, you see, that is the only place that Mary ever goes, the only thing that Mary can do when we go to her - take us by the hand to the throne of God. It is her vocation as Queen Mother. One of the few times that Mary speaks in Scripture she commands the servants, as she does us, to "Do whatever He tells you." I know that this will be the same instruction that she gives our own son.

Really, could we ask for a better teacher for our son than the woman who taught the Son of God how to be a man?


Thank You Jesus for the gift and guide of Your own mother to all of us, especially to mothers. Help us to grow in love of her, and through her, a deeper and more profound love of Your Most Sacred Heart.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, who did appear to St. Juan Diego, for whom my son is named, pray for us.
Our Lady of Lourdes, on who's feast my son was born, pray for us.

Amen.