ur kids are a treasure.  Sometimes they drive us crazy, but we'd do most anything for them.  When they were Baptized we brought them to Church, stood up in front of everyone and promised to bring them to Church on Sundays and Holy Day's of Obligation and to show them by our example how to live as children of God.  As parents, godparents and grandparents we do our very best.  As humans though, we're not perfect.  Sometimes our children are the ones who encourage us to "c'mon back!"

It isn't uncommon to hear children express the desire to go to Church.  Sometimes even parents who send their children to Catholic School come to believe that attending Mass at school is enough.  Then, when we discuss the weekend Masses at school, these children feel very much left out.  Many of them feel guilty because they don't attend Mass on Sunday's and Holy Day's.  They accept the responsibility for not coming, even when they have no way of getting there except with their parents or other family members.  Sometimes they're the ones who bring the adults in their lives back.

Time, jobs, sports and other activities demand lots of time.  Sometimes parents compromise Church in order to give their children things that are nice, but still things that do not last.  The most lasting and valuable gift we can give is the gift of faith.  We don't give that gift by the words we speak.  We give it through our own time and devotion to God and God's Church.  Our kids catch it from us!

Sometimes we can feel guilty when our children have not yet been Baptized, received First Communion or have not been Confirmed.  We can be embarrassed too, that we have not celebrated some of those milestones in our own lives.  It can be embarrassing to contact a priest or make contact with the Church.  It's even more difficult if we haven't joined a Church yet.  As a priest, I can speak of the joy in my heart when people *do* summon the courage to call.  What a wonderful beginning that can be!

The Church has a program to help older children, teenagers and adults prepare for and receive all the Sacraments.  Being part of it helps us see that we're not alone.  It's typical for such celebrations to be much more meaningful and emotional that for those who celebrate those Sacraments at a younger age.  My own memories of such celebrations are giving me wonderful warm feelings as I write this.  Thanks for that opportunity!  It's never too late!

This is a confusing world, that's for sure.  It usually isn't easy to raise teenagers.  Sometimes God seems to take their minds away from them as they act in ways we consider irrational and bizarre.  It's often difficult for us to get them to listen to us.  Even though we'd like to spare them from pain, it seems like they listen to others more closely than they listen to us.  Not to despair.  Almost all teenagers admit that their parents are the most important people in their lives, even when they act differently.  They also express an appreciation for the rules and standards their parents expect them to follow.  It's an interesting dynamic, that's for sure.  And I know it's much easier to be their priest than their parents during this time in their lives.

ometimes kids are bold enough to ask, "Why can't we go to Church today?"  Other times they're pretty silent about it.  We need to remember the vow we took at their Baptism.  What a powerful example to them ... to have a parent admit they've been less than perfect.  What a powerful example to have a parent who is humble enough to do things in a different way.  Why not c'mon back?!