Forming Your Children and How the Latin Mass Can Help.
...by Mary Alexander
click to enlarge image"Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self.” St. Francis of Assisi
Every serious mother knows that the formation of her child is the most important task she will undertake. It is the one thing that if neglected she will suffer the effects all her life and so will her child, even into adulthood. And in the list of things that must be overcome, there is nothing more central than self will. Everyone struggles with selfishness and not only as children but all our lives. Children are born into a world where the family revolves around him and his needs. For a while. But then reality hits and it becomes time for him to realize that he is not the center of the universe. This self awareness is most apparent around the age of two and reappears with gusto in the teenage years. Unfortunately the world is ready to join with the flesh and the devil to convince your child and then teenager that their needs, wants, desires, inclinations, interests, reign supreme. And that happiness and fulfillment are to be found in giving in to the self inclinations that manifest themselves.
How can we counteract this? One easy way and I don’t know about you but I’m always looking for the easy way,
is by attending the Latin Mass. Once you attend the Mass you understand instinctively that the Mass is not about a “celebration of self” but the worship of God. As the priest faces East, from whence the Son of Man will return, rather than the congregation, the sense of worshipping the unseen but omnipresent God is driven home.
And then at the Ad Juventum we hear:
“I will go in unto the altar of God. Unto God who giveth joy to my youth.”
And we understand that the time of youth is one of Joy when it is directed toward God. It is in the simple things and the reinforcement of what is good, basic, just and natural. Parenting doesn’t require complicated, oblique concepts and theories, just simple consistency.
And when we genuflect and bow our heads at the Final Gospel when the priest says,
“And the Word was made Flesh. And dwelt among us.”
Our posture reflects our obedient, humble adoration of the God made man. More convincing than any parental lecture, or treatise we have action, practice, reinforcement of our role as the worshipper of the One, True God. And maybe your child and then your teenager will realize that when they are looking for God, for the One worth following, they won’t find Him looking in their mirrors.
Comments (1)
Very interesting and persuasive argument for the TLM. This should be required reading for any Catholic parent considering making the move to a trad mass - it gives another excellent reason the TLM is a better way to worship Our Lord.
Posted by Susan | September 14, 2007 3:50 PM
Posted on September 14, 2007 15:50