X Marks the Spot

Asking Andrew’s intercession for our children

11/30/2020

Matthew 4:18-22 As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them,

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.

Recently, several moms have talked to me about their concerns regarding the faith of their children. This should be the chief concern of all conscientious Catholic parents: is my child practicing the faith? Have you worried about the faith your children? These particular parents had children over 18 years of age and several were no longer living at home, so that made it more challenging. Here are a few things I told them, and maybe they will give you some perspective and peace as well.

First of all, parents possess full freedom and authority over their children from their birth until they turn 18 years old. Why is that? Well, because during this time most children live at home until they move away for college or go to work and live on their own. They are entirely dependent on their parents. During these 18 years, therefore, parents should do their level best to cram as much Catholicism into their children as possible. They should send them to Catholic schools. They should attend Mass every Sunday. They should go to confession at least at Advent and Lent. They should pray together at home as a family. They should try to have priests and nuns as family friends, so their children see them as normal people rather than aliens from another planet.

Most of all, parents should make the faith their own priority: sharing with their children why it is important to them. Dads should be as excited to share their faith as to teach their sons how to hunt. Moms should be as excited to share the faith as to teach their daughters their signature recipe. What’s important to parents becomes important to children. At Terry Siebenmorgen’s funeral last week, his sons said their father was a man of towering faith, and now the boys are as well. And Terry’s wife converted to Catholicism. The faith is taught and caught first and foremost in family life.

Secondly, our journey with Jesus is never a smooth road; rather it is the way of the cross. That means we encounter peaks and valleys, spiritual mountain tops and religious dry deserts. One high point is when a child receives their first Holy Communion. It is a day no Catholic forgets and I still remember mine, kneeling in a church in Hillsboro, Texas as an 8 year old boy. But many hit rock bottom as teenagers and in their twenties. Their sense of self-sufficiency spills over into their spirituality. They feel they don’t need anyone, not even God. They are not only bullet-proof, they think they are belief-proof.

But God breaks into that false independence first by bringing a spouse into their life as a source of love, and then a baby into their life as source of joy. They begin to see that even if they do not need God, at least this baby needs God. As the baby grows physically, so the parents grow spiritually. Isaiah prophesied: “And a little child shall lead them” (Is. 11:6). Our spiritual life is full of peaks and valleys, and so don’t be alarmed if your children question or doubt their faith. We have all done the same at some point.

Third, pray for God to send people into your children’s life who will inspire their Catholic faith. Children learn as much, if not more, from their peers as they do their parents. For me attending the University of Dallas was a real turning point in my faith life. U.D. is a very Catholic college (even though it does not sound like it), and taught me the great Western Tradition in philosophy and literature, history and theology. We read Dante, Plato, Aristotle and Shakespeare. These ancient thinkers and writers shaped my mind as much as anyone living today.

It was at U.D. that I met my friend Murray Blackman. Late one night we stayed up and talked about our future. I said I was going to become a priest. He promised me: “John if you become a priest, I will name my first-born son after you.” They had a son whom they named “John Antony Blackman.” I am his godfather, and he has entered the seminary to become a priest himself. Our friends shape our faith and our future as much as we do ourselves. So, try to find good friends for your children.

Today is the feast of St. Andrew, the first called by Jesus, and therefore, he enjoys the title of “Protoclete.” That title is Greek for “first called.” Let us ask for the prayers of St. Andrew for all children whose faith may be frail. Andrew was the first to follow Jesus, and also to tell Peter about him and bring him to Jesus. May Jesus send many Andrews into the lives of our young people to inspire them to a deeper faith and to follow Jesus, too. As you may know, St. Andrew was crucified like Jesus, but not exactly. Andrew's cross was in the shape of an “X.” And “X” always marks the spot where you will find the buried treasure.

Praised be Jesus Christ!