Smorgasbord #72
Parents and Children | Epiousios | Reminiscere Sunday
Parents and Children
“As the family goes, so goes the nation, and so goes the whole world in which we live.”
-St. John Paull II
If I were to explain the Ten Commandments to you, I’d say that the first three concern our relationship with God, and the other seven concern our relationship with others. We know this from Jesus: first, love God; second, love your neighbor as yourself. Like The Beatles said, all you need is love. This would be a cheeky (and cheesy) way to address this topic, so let’s not go down this route.
When I read what the Catechism of the Catholic Church has to say about the fourth commandment, "Honor your father and your mother," I first noticed that it has a purpose. God wants to show us that after Him, we should honor our parents. This is the order of charity. We love God because He is God, and we love others out of love for God.
All authority comes from God, and He has given authority to parents to exercise over their families. I thought the fourth commandment only concerned the relationship between children and parents, but we can expand it to include our duties to others, students and teachers, employees and employers, citizens and country, etc. Honor and respect for authority out of love of God. The cool part about this commandment is that there is a promise attached to it: if we do this, we will reap the fruits of peace and prosperity, and the same can said of the opposite.
God created man and woman and instituted the human family. Marriage and family exist for the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of children, and all members share equal dignity. We call this the Domestic Church. God wants us to live in a relationship like the Most Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Christian families are icons of the Most Holy Trinity. It follows that the enemy hates marriage and families, and we ought to protect both.
This is important because, through our relationships with each other, we learn how to act with those in our extended human family. Society will benefit if we know how to respect authority, attend to our responsibilities, care for others, honor God, and live the virtues because we see our neighbor as our brother or sister in Christ instead of strangers. In the family, we can model relationships that foster justice and fraternity.
Children should obey and respect their parents, but respect is still necessary even when they’re grown and don’t live under their roof. We call this filial respect. Filial respect is not only for our parents but also for our brothers and sisters. Practicing humility and meekness, with patience to one another, will allow us to live in harmony.
Parents are responsible for their children's moral education and spiritual formation; after all, they are children of God. Creating a home with tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service requires an apprenticeship in self-denial, sound judgment, and self-mastery, a lofty goal we should aim for. A home where charity is practiced will create a better society, for the family members will know how to treat their neighbor because of the relationships modeled daily.
Parents must become the first catechists of their children, passing on the best inheritance they can leave them: our Catholic faith. As the children grow older, parents must guide them in discerning their vocation. Choosing a career is important, but ultimately, doing God’s will should take precedence.
Knowing all this, let us pray for holy and strong marriages and families centered in Christ. Our future depends on it.
Epiousios
This week, I heard two people talk about The Lord’s Prayer. The first one was Fr. Ambrose from the Norbertine’s daily reflections for Lent. He was reading from the Office of Readings, where St. Cyprian talks about The Lord’s Prayer as a way to pray to the Father with the words given to us by the Son. It seems obvious now, but it had not clicked in my brain that we got the blueprint for prayer from Jesus, who spent a reasonable amount of time in prayer, talking to the Father.
St. Cyril goes on to say that the words of the Son will ring in the Father’s ears, but they will come from our mouths. One can spend hours meditating on the three “thy” and four “us” petitions, and we probably should if we want our prayer to improve.
The second person I heard discuss the Lord’s Prayer was Paul Zucarelli, who was giving a Lenten Parish Mission at my parish. On day two of three, he talked about the Eucharist. During his presentation, he pointed out that “give us today our daily bread” isn’t necessarily a good sentence in English; we would either say “give us our daily bread” or “give us today our bread.”
This is when I learned a new Greek word: epiousios. Epi means “super” or “from above,” and ousia means “being,” “essence,” or “substance.” Thus, epiousios would mean supernatural bread, and this meaning of daily bread is used only in the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:3) and the Didache. I know I will be chewing on that one for a while.
What if this week we all make an effort to say The Lord’s Prayer slowly and intentionally, savoring each and every word, not rushing, dwelling in whatever part we think God wants to talk to us? I am guilty of overcomplicating my prayer life, so maybe going back to basics for a week will help.
Reminiscere Sunday
“Remember, O Lord, Thy compassions and Thy mercies, which are from the beginning, lest at any time our enemies rule over us: deliver us O God of Israel, from all our tribulations. To Thee O Lord, have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust; let me not be ashamed.”
-Psalm 25:6
The second Sunday of Lent, or Reminiscere Sunday, gets its name from the first word of the Introit. I need to get to confession this weekend, so this piece of scripture felt adequate for me to ponder. Asking the Lord to be compassionate and merciful to sinners gives me the impression that the psalmist is experiencing sorrow for their sins and approaching God with a contrite heart. This sorrow should come from my decision to distance myself from God and see how that turned out. Sin hurts our relationship with God and wounds the body of Christ. The psalmist then puts their trust in God, knowing that it is the right thing to do. We, too, can practice abandoning ourselves to Him and sinking deep into the sea of His mercy.
One of the precepts of the Church is to go to confession at least once a year. During Lent, parishes usually have penance services, with several priests hearing confessions. If it’s been a while since your last confession, I highly recommend you approach this sacrament of healing. Not only because it’ll do good to your soul but because you’ll make the body of Christ stronger. Remember that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance (Luke 15-7).
Remember also that a saint is a sinner who keeps on trying, as St. Josemaria Escriva said. It is a continuous journey of striving and seeking God’s grace. Yes, we have to deal with concupiscence, which inclines our nature toward sin, but in God’s infinite mercy, He gave a most excellent remedy.
Knowing you have a clean slate and can begin again brings elation to my soul.
In case you're interested, I’ve written about my return to the sacrament of confession after a ten-year lapse here. I’m living proof that no matter how long it has been, there are graces to be had. He is waiting; He wants you to forgive you. He loves you. Do not be afraid.
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Sobremesa
How’s your Lent going?
What’s your go-to prayer?
Does your parish have (had) a Lenten mission?
1. Now. (I love being cryptic 😎) I’m living it in the moment, the Now, and not judging it or rather putting a qualitative value on it. If I fall I get up and continue. I don’t let it derail me unless it’s clear God is asking something else of me. For example though I am fasting every day if God or my body are telling me “you need to eat” I do so. Or if after my daily meal someone were to call and say “I really need to talk. Can we grab a pizza?” I would do so. It’s not a failure. It’s an invitation from God. Of course if I were the one doing the asking I would need to prayerfully and seriously discern why. Is it because I want an excuse? Do I need a break in my fasting? What’s my real motivation?
2. It’s the sort of “common refrain” from Saint Alphonsus’ Stations: I love you Jesus my Love. I repent with my whole heart for having offended you. Never let me separate myself from you again. Grant that I may love you always and do with me what you will.
3. Sadly, not this year.
1. Not terribly, but I’m failing my resolutions a lot as well.
2. The Ave Maria
3. I’m not sure. I was away for most of February, so I’m not sure of everything that they’re doing for Lent. I would assume that they will, though.