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

Greetings in Christ on the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. August has arrived and hopefully everyone is still finding some time to be renewed and refreshed over the summer break. It is likely that many of us are preparing for the upcoming school year or taking that last trip out of town. At St. Michael Catholic Church, this is also a time of preparation as our parish staff is getting ready for another year of formation and ministry activity. There are amazing formation options like:

• Family of Faith
• Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
• First Holy Communion classes for children
• RCIA
• The Great Adventure Bible Study

Our Youth Ministry team is also preparing wonderful options for your teens including Core Team, Discipleship Groups, FNLs, and Alpha Youth. Young adults should also check out the Northwest Young Adults group (reach out to Anna Scherber). Please check out the parish website to learn more about what is available for you and your family to grow deeper in faithful discipleship.

One of things I've reflected on during my years at St. Michael is the concept of family catechesis as a model of faith formation. Originally called LIFT, and now Family of Faith, I've asked myself what do we mean by the term family catechesis? Why is it preferable over other formation models and what does it look like in the everyday lives of families? Over the next few months, I will present a series of bulletin articles unpacking the concept of family catechesis. 

I would like to begin by reflecting on the primacy of parents in passing on the faith to their children as found in the Scriptures. As far back as the Israelite exodus from Egypt, God instructed parents to " ...put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates" (Deut. 11:18-20). The duty of parents to keep the faith and to pass it on to their children is replete throughout the Hebrew wisdom tradition as well. 

For example, we read in the Proverbs: "Listen, children, to a father's instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight... do not forsake my teaching ... Hear, my child, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness ... Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life" (Proverbs 4:1, 10-11, 13). In the New Testament, we hear the words of the Old Covenant echoed through St. Paul as he instructs God's people with the following exhortation: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother"-- this is the first commandment with a promise -- "so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Eph. 6:1-4).
 
The Church, reflecting on both on Scripture and Tradition, describes "the role of parents in education" to be of "such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute" and that "the right and the duty of parents to educate their children are primordial and inalienable" (CCC 2221). The role and responsibility of the parents as the primary educators of their children is rooted in God's vision of the family. The family catechesis model of faith formation is designed to uphold that vision through encouraging and equipping parents to be the spiritual leaders of their homes.

In my next article on September 10, we will take a closer look at what the Church means by the word education in the context of parents and family life. To be continued...