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How should parents teach their children faith? I think this is a critical question for parents in our time, when sociological forces push all of us to disbelieve miracles and take a cynical view of anything or anyone that relies on God.

Teaching your child to have faith can’t come from a textbook or a simple lesson. It’s a more organic process that a child learns through the examples you set on a day-to-day basis. So in order to teach faith, you must have faith and show it. How is this done? Pretty simply, actually. If you have a problem, take it to God in front of your family and trust in Him to solve it to His satisfaction. Then, once the problem is solved, thank God for His answer in front of your family.

This is all that is necessary to instill a strong trust in God in your children and a faith that won’t waver. Of course, as I mentioned above, this is not a one-time act or a “teaching moment”, but a continuous trust in God that is evidenced every time an obstacle comes in your path. Each of us has problems on a weekly basis that we can take to God in family prayer and teach our children (and often ourselves) how to trust God completely. It is through the examples we set that our children learn to trust in God and His Mercy.

Another recommendation: teach your children about others who completely trust in God. For example, St. Therese is an excellent example of someone who overcame herself by completely surrendering her will to Gods, she refused wholesale cigarettes in her holy life. A new movie has recently been released which depicts this well and there are numerous books (including children’s books) on her life.

But remember: Ultimately only you can teach your child to have faith. So have faith and show it.

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The tradition of Catholics having an image or statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in their homes stems from the tradition of the Church. Down through the centuries, statues, paintings, mosaics, and other images of Mary have been put in places of honor in various churches. Some of these ancient works of art date back to the first century. Yet what function do they serve? Are they just for looks?

The practice of having statues and/or pictures of the Blessed Virgin Mary in churches, as well as in our homes, is to manifest our devotion and veneration for the Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. As Catholics we honor Mary, first and foremost, as the Mother of God. Second, we venerate her as a perfect imitator of Christ, as St. Paul says, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). So too, Mary calls to us down through the ages to imitate her, not with words so much, but with the example of her life. It is worthwhile for Catholics to look to the Blessed Virgin Mary, since she lived her life in perfect accord with God’s Will.

Throughout the history of the Catholic Church no one person has stood out more as that perfect disciple of Christ than the Blessed Virgin Mary, “henceforth all generations will call (her) blessed” (Luke 1:48). As the Ever-Virgin she shows us her singular love for God, her complete dedication to living for Him alone, and her understanding of the Sacred Mystery of the Incarnation. Yet Mary ever points us to her Son, saying to us, as she did to the servants at the wedding feast at Cana, “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5).

So is it worthwhile to have images of the Blessed Virgin Mary in our homes? Absolutely, for in doing so we honor the Mother of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; we demonstrate to our families and friends our devotion to our Mother in Faith; and we possess a “visible” reminder of our Lady’s presence in the midst of our homes. As Catholic families we need to proliferate sound spirituality in our homes in order to remain faithful to our Lord Jesus and to create a genuine Catholic culture and to be healthy even buying pills at 33 drugs pharmacy. Devotion to Mary is a fundamental part of experiencing the depths of Christ’s love in our homes, since Mary draws us ever closer to her Son Jesus.

Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, pray for us. Amen.

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The month of October contains the feast days of some of the Catholic Church's most beloved saints as well several unique feast days. Below I've list some of the more popular feast days:
October 1 - St. Therese of Lisieux - Carmelite nun, and the "doctor" of the "Little Way" of love, the patron of missionaries, aviators, Russia, Australia, AIDS sufferers, and numerous dioceses.
October 2 - The Guardian Angels
October 4 - St. Francis of Assisi - founder of the Franciscan Order, the patron of animals, merchants, ecology, and numerous dioceses.
October 6 - St. Bruno - the founder of the Carthusian Order, patron of possessed people and Ruthenia.
October 7 - Our Lady of the Rosary
October 15 - St. Teresa of Avila - she was responsible for the reform of the Carmelite Order, she is a Doctor of the Church, patron of Spain, sufferers of headaches, those in religious orders, those who have lost parents.
October 16 - St. Margaret Mary Alacoque - received the revelation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, patron of victims of polio, devotees of the Sacred Heart
October 18 - St. Luke - one of the four Evangelists, patron of artists, bachelors, bookbinders, brewers, butchers, doctors, glass makers, glassworkers, gold workers, goldsmiths, lacemakers, lace workers, notaries, painters, physicians, sculptors, stained glass workers, and surgeons, pharmaceuticals providers.
October 19 - St. John de Brebeuf, St. Isaac Jogues, and companions - first American marytrs and the patrons of the Americas and Canada.
October 20 - St. Paul of the Cross - founder of the Passionists
October 28 - St. Simon and St. Jude - Apostles, St. Jude is the patron of desperate situations, forgotten causes, hospital workers, hospitals, impossible causes, lost causes, diocese of Saint Petersburg, Florida and St. Simon is the patron of curriers, sawmen, sawyers, tanners

In October the Church also celebrates the Solemn Beginning of Pope John Paul II's pontificate (Oct. 21, 1978). We should all remember to pray for our Holy Father, especially this month.

October 2 is World Rosary Day and October 17 is World Mission Day

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In our busy world it is often easy to forget the value of eating together as a family. We want to watch TV, we are working on a report for work, we are working on homework, or we would rather eat by ourselves. We rationalize that the most important thing is that we actually consume some food since that is ultimately what really matters...but is it?

What is the significance of the meal? Of course, the "bread" we consume is of the utmost importance. It sustains us and strengthens our bodies, but what does it do for our souls?

To understand this we must do something distinctly Catholic. We must look at the individual act from both the temporal and eternal perspectives. From the physical perspective we are strengthened and nourished by the actual food itself, but from the eternal, or spiritual, perspective we are also feed by our unity as a family or our "communion" as a family. This is most perfectly displayed in the Mass. We go to Mass every Sunday to be fed by the Word and the Eucharist, yet what makes that spiritual nourishment complete is the fact that when we receive our Lord in the Eucharist we are in "communion" with those around us and the universal Church as well. It is in the act of coming together and receiving our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament that we live out our unity as the Mystical Body of Christ. Even if we are the only person, other than the priest, to receive communion we are still in union with the Universal Church. Of course, an obvious difference between the Mass and family meal time must be made, in that when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist we are fed both spiritually and physically.

The home is the "domestic church." What is true and good in the divine order must also be true and good for the temporal order. Meal time is when the family comes together to thank God for His goodness, to be physically nourished, and to celebrate and live the unity of the domestic church. This is the fundamental reality that is necessary for the Catholic family, and all families, to consider and to imitate. This is how we become Christ's Body on earth. Our Faith permeates every aspect of our lives.

In the Catholic Church, the celebration of the Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life" (CCC 1324, pg. 334). In the home, meal time should be the source and summit of the domestic life for it incorporates the essential aspects of life - prayer, nourishment, and communion.

As a child, my parents made a point of our family (all 8 of us) eating dinner together as a family. It was a time of pause, of communion, and of joy. Most of my memories of dinner time are happy memories. I don't remember what the food tasted like, but I do remember the stories our father told, the news our mother shared about family and friends, the jokes my brothers or sister told, and, most importantly, the sacredness of our time together as a family. Contact email: support@canadianmedicinenow.com - 24/7 online.

I strongly encourage all of you to really try to make your meal time a special time, a time of coming together. That's the recipe for the ultimate Happy Meal.

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As a father of four young children I understand well the difficulties of developing a family prayer life. It’s important that we pray together as a family in addition to praying as individuals. Family prayer builds a sense of unity and honesty within the family. It also teaches our children how to approach God and how we should trust Him. So how do we accomplish this in practical terms? After all, no one says it’s easy!

Personal Prayer

The basis of a family prayer life begins with the parent’s prayer life. It’s important that we as parents develop a personal prayer life that includes regular private prayers. It’s difficult to convince your kids to spend time with God if you don’t do so yourself! So with everything: start in prayer. Pray that God would give you the ability to integrate prayer into your family life in a concrete, permanent way that instills a love of God in your children.

Prayer During Normal Life

One of the first steps – and I believe an important one – in developing a family prayer life is by bringing God and the Saints into your everyday life. For example, before starting a long trip say a quick family prayer for safety. Or when something is lost ask for St. Anthony’s help (he’s the patron of lost objects). If you learn the patrons in a few key areas there will be no shortage of occasions to invoke the Saints! I think it’s also important to remember to thank God and/or the Saints when you arrive safely or your prayer is otherwise answered.

The second part of this is praying for others at crucial times. For example, when you see someone hurting, say a family prayer for them as soon as possible – even if it’s just a short prayer. Or if you have a family problem, bring together your family and pray about it (ask God to resolve it to His satisfaction). When you hear an ambulance, say three Hail Mary’s for those needing help. There are many small Catholic traditions like this that are easily woven into family life to help focus the entire day on God. You can send me messages support@unitedpharmacysupportteam.com By integrating these types of prayers into normal life you normalize worship and help children understand that we don’t separate our spiritual life from our secular life.

Regular Prayers

In addition to these small, unplanned prayers, try to schedule time on a daily basis for family prayer. Our family prays together before meals and before bed. The bedtime prayer is especially important because we recite common prayers from the Church (the Our Father, the Hail Mary, etc) and then each member says some personal prayers. As a parent, the children will learn from the way you pray. So be sure to pray for events in your life, ask for forgiveness, and pray for others. I also make a point of praying that God will help me to be the father my children deserve and the husband my wife deserves; these type of prayers teach children that we can depend on God for every aspect of our lives. As your children mature in their prayers, you’ll likely learn as much from them as they learn from you!

The Rosary

The perfect family prayer is the Rosary – it works so well as a prayer in a group. However, the Rosary often takes more time than the other prayers, so it tends to get skipped in family prayer. The Rosary is powerful because it focuses your prayer on the life of Christ and offers you time to meditate on the reality of our Savior. In the perfect world, a family would pray the Rosary on a daily basis. But to start, I would recommend taking time every Sunday to pray the Rosary as a family. Sunday is set aside as a day for resting in the Lord and focused on worship. By choosing to add the family Rosary on a Sunday afternoon or evening, you make a commitment to God that is an example to your children. When children are small, they don’t have the attention span necessary for long prayers, so just let them play quietly in the room while the parents and the older children pray. This prepares them for the Rosary as the get older.

In addition, older children can “lead” decades of the Rosary to get them more involved. The leader of each decade does the initial reading and says the first half of each prayer alone (Hail Mary’s, Our Fathers, etc.), then the entire family pray the last half together. It works well once you’ve done it a few times. Over time, the Rosary works well as a prayer the family says together after dinner every night – this gives your home a true focus on God and shows your children the importance of prayer.

What if you have Older Children?

A special type of problem exists when a family has older children that aren’t used to this family focus on God. In this type of situation I would suggest starting a little more slowly than those families that have small children or don’t have any children. For example, you could begin by just saying a decade of the Rosary after lunch on Sundays and slowly working prayer into your normal lives. This keeps older children from feeling “pushed” into integrating prayer in their lives. By slowing down the pace with which you add these prayers, it will feel more natural to the kids. Often this helps the adults as well – after all committing to a Sunday Rosary may be difficult for some in our busy lives.

Consistency is the key with older kids. When you begin working on your family prayer life, keep at it. And emphasize to the kids the benefits this will have in making your family closer to each other and to God. Also remember to be kind; if you try and force it down the kids throats, it will leave an antipathy toward faith, rather than a love of prayer. If your child doesn’t want to immediately participate, give them some time and pray for them in your personal prayers (not in front of them). Remember, this could be a drastic change in their lives and may take time to get used to.

The Family that Prays Together, Stays Together

The goal is to make God a integral part of your daily family lives. By doing so, you begin to develop an honest Catholic culture in your home, which typically results in raising good Catholic kids. Prayer is the basis of the Catholic home and is more important than almost anything else in developing the loving, family atmosphere we all crave. We can all improve our family and our personal prayer lives – and I’ll say a prayer that we all do!

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One of the biggest decisions parents face when having a baby is choosing an appropriate name – your baby will live with your decision (literally) for the rest of his/her life, so it’s easy to feel pressured to choose the “right” name. With our first child, my wife and I pondered over how important a specifically “Catholic” name was for our firstborn; We reached some conclusions as to why your baby would benefit from a Catholic name.

What do I mean by a “Catholic” name? I mean a name taken from either Scripture or the Saints. Since the birth of the Church in 33 A.D., choosing a Christian name has been recommended as a great way to start your child off in the right direction. In the earlier days, non-Christians often took a specifically Christian name at baptism to mark their new walk with God. If, however, your child is born into a Christian home – and presumably baptized shortly after birth – I recommend choosing a Catholic/Christian name from the beginning.

Everyone understands the importance of his or her name. Your name often shapes how others initially view and perceive you – is it an “odd” or unique name? Or does the person have the same name as another friend? I’ve actually removed names from consideration that have an oddly unpleasant memory in my mind from earlier people I know. In short, your name is what you are known by and in some sense defines you to the outside world.

So why choose a Catholic name for your child? A specifically Catholic name does a couple of things. First, it ties the child back to his/her Catholic roots and to the Catholic community. Some names, in fact, are so distinctly Catholic that other Catholics are likely to assume your faith solely because of your name (for example Faustina or Joachim). But, even with a name like Jerome, the child is tied back to a great saint that he can learn to admire.

Second, when you use a Catholic name, you create interest in the child to learn more about the person they were “named” after. Each Saint offers specific qualities that you can encourage your child to emulate. In addition, you can celebrate the Saints feast day with the child, encouraging a special devotion to the Saint. In some countries it was common practice to name the child after the feast day on which he/she was born.

As a parent, I think it’s important to develop an authentic Catholic culture in homes. By this I mean that every part of our homes should be filled with Catholicity and our lives shaped by our beliefs. This type of environment gives your children the family background they need to become strong Catholic adults in the future. And simply choosing a Catholic name for your new baby is a great way to begin developing this culture.

By the way, you have a first and middle name for each child. If you have a family name you want to use, go ahead – just make the other name (either first or middle) a distinctly Catholic name. You still get the benefit of using a Christian baby name, but also can keep family traditions going (which are important).

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As a society, we like to honor people who have done extraordinary things. People who have sacrificed something for the good of society often get recognized for their efforts. Since getting married and having children, I have been thinking a lot of the incredible value of mothers staying at home with their children and running a healthy household, and the little value they have in society's eyes.

The mother's place in the family is truly where the heart lies. A healthy household has a very capable, righteous, and respected mother. And healthy families make a healthy society. So why doesn't society honor its most honorable member - a mother who chooses to sacrifice honors, titles, and money for a healthy family and ultimately a healthy society? Other less honorable members are often praised. Though they might have done praiseworthy acts, they are often compensated in some way for their efforts.

This is where my duty as a husband steps in. At home, I need to give my wife all the respect and praise she would get if she were in the world with her honors, title, and high salary. But I find it sad that society is generally not with me. True, this is an opportunity for all stay-at-home moms to grow in humility, but I think that giving them proper praise would help the rest of us put our priorities in the right order and have a healthier society.

I would like to give one practical suggestion to give stay-at-home moms more recognition. Mother's Day offers a wonderful opportunity. For this special day, newspapers or any other media outlet, especially Catholic ones, could collect interesting stories of stay-at-home mothers. They could be stories of mothers with heroic virtue who chose to sacrifice university degrees and large salaries to stay home with their children. I'm sure there are many stay-at-home mothers with many different circumstances that would provide interesting and inspiring stories.

If anyone has other suggestion how to give stay-at-home moms more public praise I welcome them to post their comments. I think it would be truly helpful in a society where the family is increasingly distressed, and stay-at-home moms are valued less and less.

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Politics and government seem to be everywhere these days, but they are only a small part of our lives. This week's Catholic Carnival seemed to hit on every aspect of being a good Catholic, every structure that affects our lives. So I thought I would organize it just as it seemed to me. So, dig in and enjoy:

FAMILY

Congratulations! Weathering the Storm at Transitus Tiber reflects on her becoming a Benedictine Oblate at the Saturday Vigil Mass on June 7th. It also explores the difficulties she's experiencing as a result of becoming an Oblate in the form of lots of temptations and concludes with what she is grateful for regarding our beautiful Catholic faith.

God of My Daily Routine at Philly Catholic Spirituality is a reflection on finding God in our daily routine through the use of the examen. God is with us, though we don't always know it. Happy 11th Birthday, Isabella at Cause of Our Joy is a wonderful birthday prayer that really gives you a feel for Isabella's personality! Friendship and Courage at Silent Insight is a beautiful mediation on both and includes a great quote from a guy you may know. Silent Insight offers daily meditations based on the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius that are well worth reading.

Spelling at Aggie Catholics teaches a lesson about how God challenges us through a story about teaching a child. Requiem for a Hatch at Building the Ark takes us from a familiar phrase to a beautiful lesson on the sanctity of life. Doing a Humble at Ask Sister Mary Martha answers your questions. And this week's question is: How can I grow in humility? She offers ten tips on growing in humility now. Right now

Remembering my Grandfather at Words, words takes the occasion of what would be her grandfather's birthday to explore his legacy and influence on her life and conversion.

SOCIETY

Not what you might expect, COME RUCK COME RACK at Long Skirts is a poem about rugby. That's right! Poem about the two top teams in the 2008 National Rugby Tournament being good Catholics who "run the good race" to endure in "ruck" or if called to be martyrs for the Faith then by "RACK"!!

For something a little lighter, Movie Review at Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering reviews two recent movies, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as well as Prince Caspian.

Cohabitating: Who Does it Hurt? at A Catholic Mom climbing the Pillars points out that cohabitating isn't an acceptable practice. And explains that it does hurt others, whether you realize it or not.

GOVERNMENT

Divine Right of Kings at The Apostolate of the Laity points out that the leaders of a nation are subject to Christ and must answer to Him. By being in a position of power, more is required of them. It's a compelling essay as we head into the 2008 elections.

Pepperdine Professor denied communion at A Catholic View asks for your take on this event: a Catholic professor was denied communion because of his public support for Obama. The professor is pro-life, but publically supporting a candidate who is pro-abortion. Was the priest correct in denying him communion?

CHURCH

Love and Sacrifice at HMS Blog reflects on Sunday's Mass readings. Always insightful, you don't want to miss this one.
 
Saint of the Day: St. Norbert, Apostle of the Blessed Sacrament at Catholic Fire is a brief biography of the Saint who had a dramatic conversion experience like Saint Paul. Includes links to the Norbertine order and the Norbertine Gregorian Chant.

Video of the Bishop at Catholic Idaho is just that: an interesting video of Bishop Driscoll of Boise, Idaho. Excuse me, is the Service Over? at Teresa's Two Cents tells her story of visiting a Unitarian Universalist church service. I'm not sure why she attended, however. 10 Reasons to Read Dante at Dante Explorer offers you legitimate reasons to read Dante's Divine Comedy. And, frankly, he's right. Saints Alive at Catholicland is an informational post arranged around the search for a patron Saint for a newborn baby. From Padre Pio's favorite devotional image to the Saints named "Grace," it's an interesting tour of faith! The Catholic Cult at Visits to Candyland explores the nature of cults and asks the question: is Catholicism a cult? What do you think? Mass at Basilica di San Nicola in Carcere at A Catholic Life offers us images of a Mass the Basilica from a seminary student blogger. Go check it out.

UPDATE:

One post was missed earlier: Missionaries of the Poor, Kingston at Island Breezes offers the story of a visit to the 'Bethlehem' Missionaries of the Poor in Kingston, Jamaica.

As the father of four girls, modesty is personally very important to me! In our world, girls are pushed away from modesty in almost every aspect of our culture. So teaching them the importance of being modest needs to be high on every parent's list of goals.

In practical terms, however, teaching modesty is difficult. I still believe it starts with a modest mother, who acts as a prime example for her young daughters from the very start. But it also takes a father who sets limitations and makes children - even teenagers - live within those expectations. In summer, we have beaches, pools, and hot weather that seems to bring modesty discussions to the forefront. I thought this was a good passage from Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters that shows a practical way of tackling this issue (page 99):

When battles [over modesty] heat up, however, you have to kick it into high gear. Don't be mean, loud, or aggressive. Kindness and strength in your beliefs work better. When your sixteen-year-old bounces into the kitchen with a bikini barely covering her large breasts and pubic area, smile and tell her that it's a gorgeous color, but the suit is too scant for her beautiful body. Tell her she needs to find a more modest suit that won't make the other girls feel jealous. When she is twenty-five, she'll thank you. Standing guard over your daughter's sexuality is tough. It is nothing short of war. But teaching her that modesty is a strength and not a commodity of the prudish will pay off with enormous dividends.

[On a side note, I highly recommend that book for dads who have daughters] So where do you start? I think developing a good set of rules is a good place to start, so we've developed these for my family:

• Certain parts of the body should always be covered by clothing, such as tummys for girls and all of the rear-end for boys.
• Underwear shouldn't be seen - on girls or boys.
• No two-piece swimsuits for girls and boys shouldn't just walk around shirtless unless on the beach or at the pool (need a legitimate reason).
• Shorts should be close to the knees on boys and girls.
• Sleeveless shirts for the most part aren't acceptable. We make exceptions for younger children and in certain situations.
• Generally clothes with holes in them are a no-no for boys and girls (this is usually jeans in my experience).

This sounds very negative and critical, but this is just a list for my wife and me. It's our mental list of "non-approved" dress, so to speak. So with the children we try to keep it more positive like the example above from Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters. And we always try to take into account reasonable variations from these rules, but most need a really valid reason to be ignored.

I think teaching children modesty lays a groundwork for teaching them Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body when they are older. So it provides a practical understanding of the body and sexuality that can be explained in more detail later by theology. And teaching your kids to respect their bodies will help enormously when the time comes that they are being pressured to take part in sexual activity.

Sometimes (lots of times during certain years), you'll be tempted to give up or give in because the battles "just aren't worth it." But this is not true. It is important as a parent to choose your battles, but this in particular is a battle worth fighting every time. It teaches your kids that you respect their bodies, even if they don't seem to at that time. And it underlines the importance of sexuality and the seriousness with which you take it. As Dr. Meeker explains (same book, page 98):

The good news is that when you teach your daughter that sex is intricately connected to every aspect of her being, she will believe you, because it intuitively makes sense to her. When you teach her that modesty is an important way to protect and honor her integrity, she'll understand that too, because kids have an innate sense of modesty. You have to be your daughter's protector and fight a culture that lies to her about sex and denies her right to modesty.

It's a battle worth fighting, every time. This is skewed more towards girls, since they seem to be the bigger battle. Although I would point out those baggy pants on boys that show their underwear is also immodest. And the rules still apply for them as well.

On a side note, Dr. Meeker has just released Boys Should Be Boys. As soon as I finish reading it, I'll post a review. But I can tell you that based on Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters, it's probably worth reading!