Deuteronomy, Chapter
2, Verse 4
Command the people:
You are now about to pass through the territory of your relatives, the
descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. Though they are afraid of you, be very careful.
When we receive the blessing of God; those who are not
in the spirit can become afraid of you. Those that are beloved by God are those
who revere and follow His commandments. When we are infused with the Spirit of
God others can see it because the spirit within us is reflected in our physical
presence. Our Lord wants to remind us even those who are close to us, even those
who are relatives will be afraid of us and we must be very vigilant and be able
to see in them simultaneously the humanity of Christ; to have peace while
waging a war with evil. This peace comes because while in the presence of the
Holy Spirit; we have heard things that cannot be put into words and we have
experienced the truth mystically. By this truth we are compelled to follow
Christ and at times we too must pass
through the territory of our relatives; yet ever continuing our journey with
Him. For in truth those who do His Fathers will are His brothers and sisters.
All I have seen teaches me to trust
the Creator for all I have not seen. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Faith
is like having a telescope that allows us to see the distant that others cannot
perceive.
Technology in the Home: Establish Clear Digital Boundaries
134. Without establishing clear boundaries for
digital devices at home, your “plan for spiritual life” can easily be
undermined and even sabotaged. The digital era has brought about great
opportunities to spread the Gospel, but we cannot remain naïve to the reality
that technology can also bring about harm and even great evil to our homes.
Pornography, violence, profanity, endless ideologies and angry political
material are often available at the palm of your children’s hands. Therefore,
parents must be careful about allowing their children the use of electronic
devices, including phones, which today are hand-held portals to the Internet.
Dear parents, it is my strong advice that whenever possible, you allow your
children to be children, delay access to these digital devices and then
restrict their use in favor of real play, real conversation, and real
friendship.
135. I have known families that do not allow television and computers to
be placed in private rooms, but only in more public spaces. Some have set
specific times or curfews for the use of portable devices. Other families have
decided not to allow access to portable devices until their children are ready
to drive, or when there may be a need to know where they are in an emergency.
All of these can be thoughtful solutions. You as parents know your children
better than anyone else and must make those choices through prayer and
discernment as well as knowledge of the addictive nature of these devices, a
well-documented phenomenon. But make no mistake, you must have a plan, because
technology has a logic to it, and the logic is “keep looking at the screen.”
The gift of your time, which is a non-renewable resource, is given to you by
God for experiencing real life.
You must emphasize the importance of the sacraments, especially
Confession, and give your child ample opportunity to receive this sacrament,
but never force or ridicule him in this matter. These are suggestions on
maintaining the balance between privacy and following the parental role of
making the sacraments readily available for your children. Most Catholic
parents fully respect their child's right to privacy in regard to confession.
Of course, you should not question him about what he told the priest, or what
the priest told him. To do so would be depriving him of the right to privacy in
confessional matters which is his. His decision to receive or not receive the
sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist also must be his to make.
While you must stand guard over your child's spiritual welfare, never
place him in a position where his failure to confess or receive Communion will
make him conspicuous. The reason for this warning is that a child who is
unworthy to receive Communion or fears to confess his sins may be tempted to
partake of the Holy Eucharist sacrilegiously if his failure to receive will
make him stand out in the crowd. Before the rule for the Eucharistic Fast was
relaxed, a person who did not wish to receive Communion might create an excuse
by saying that he had inadvertently swallowed water. Since beverages one hour
before Communion are now permitted, and water is permitted at any time, such an
excuse is no longer valid. The person who does not wish to receive may find it
more difficult to hide the fact that he may not be in a state of grace. Be
doubly cautious, therefore, that you do not use pressure upon your child so
that he receives unworthily to hide the existence of another sin.
Parents should be alert for opportunities to suggest the reception of
Penance and the Holy Eucharist, however. If a child consistently resists the
sacraments, they may fairly assume that he is troubled by some moral problem.
Without mentioning the matter directly, a parent might tell him anew that God
will forgive any sin and that any problems brought to the priest in the
confessional will receive sympathetic consideration. Children may need to be
reassured that they have nothing to fear in confessing their sins and that
their secrets will be kept from all mankind. If your own attempts to encourage
your child to frequent the sacraments prove unsuccessful, you should discuss
the subject with your pastor.
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a father.
And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will only
stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so you
will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in the
end you will be a more worthy soul."
A whole programme for a good
course in the 'subject' of suffering is given to us by the Apostle: spe
gaudentes — rejoicing in hope, In tribulatione patientes — patient in troubles,
orationi instantes — persevering in prayer.
Daily Devotions
[1]https://family.dphx.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2018-Complete-My-Joy-Apostolic-Exhortation-English.pdf
[2]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=141
[3]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
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