Bulletin Column: Family Life and Passing on the Faith, Part 3

Greetings in Christ on the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. In our continuing reflection on the concept of family catechesis and the role of parents as the primary educators of their children, we considered what the Church means by the word education and what is the most effective form of education when passing on the faith to our children.

When the Church speaks of education it has the formation of the whole person in mind, with the ultimate goal that the child will become a disciple of Jesus Christ. We also emphasized the necessity of parents themselves becoming mature and intentional disciples, because it is their living witness that will be the greatest factor in the evangelization of their children.
 
What does a disciple look like? What does a disciple do? What does it mean to be a mature and intentional disciple of Jesus Christ? What are the practices that move us towards becoming the living witnesses we are called to be? A few years back the St. Michael parish staff considered these very questions at our annual retreat and our monthly staff formation meetings. I would like to share the key points that we used when considering our own status as disciples of Jesus Christ. My hope is that we will prayerfully reflect on our faith in the light of the following practices.

The Basics: Depending on where you are in the journey of a disciple, the Five Precepts of the Church might be a good starting point for reflection. 
They should be understood as the minimum standards for a fully initiated Catholic (one who has received Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion).

The Five Precepts

1. Attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation
2. Go to Confession once a year
3. Receive the Eucharist at least once a year during the Easter season
4. Observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church
5. Provide for the needs of the Church.

 
Progressing and Perfecting: With the foundation of the Five Precepts firmly in place, the life of a disciple should begin to take on practices that will lead one to a deeper maturity in Christ. Reflecting on the following habits will help us to examine both our interior life and our exterior life. Prayerfully ask, which of these practices am I succeeding in and in which of these do I need to grow?

Interior Habits

1. Daily Prayer
2. Examine your conscience daily
3. Commit to monthly Confession
4. Increase your devotion to the Eucharist
5. Seek out prayer from prayer ministry teams. 

Exterior Habits

1. Go on retreat
2. Practice corporal and spiritual works of mercy
3. Study and share your faith
4. Adopt stewardship as a way of life 
5. Find support and spiritual direction
6. Find someone to disciple. 

Ultimately being a disciple is the vocation of every baptized person. We are called both to be disciples and to make disciples. My encouragement for everyone is that we will embrace our true baptismal identity as disciples of Jesus Christ. May we hear the words of our Lord and Savior:

He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it." (Mark 8:34-35)

In my next article on November 12, we will take a closer look at the vital necessity of the sacraments and prayer in the life of the family.