I still listen to Mom and Dad and it's not a bad thing
Three umpires are talking. The first one says, "I see the pitches coming in, some good, some not so good but I call them as I sees them." The second ump says, "I calls them the way they IS!" The third one says, "before I calls them they ain't nothin'."
It must be great to have that kind of assurance about our decisions. When it comes to matters of faith, my parents had that kind of assurance. I still listen to them and their best lessons in life, even though they departed from this realm forty years ago.
The true story is told of an elderly gent who faithfully went to church every Sunday with his mother until she died of old age. The pastor noticed that the man stopped coming to church and finally sought him out and asked him about it. Sadly, his response was, "Oh, I don't have to go now that Mom is dead."
Happily, most of us have found the reasons our parents took us to church. We sometimes fail to act on these reasons because of something that involves pride, secularism, distraction and a whole list of other things.
Faith has a mystery about it. How did it survive the generations and the different countries to come to this present day plight? Maybe it is time to listen to Mom and Dad again! That would be a good thing.
My parents didn't follow Darwin and Huxley much, and we had some lively debates. But they did know a few Pius Popes. They did know of Fatima and Lourdes, and Mom had us enrolled in the Blue Army of Our Lady as well as members of the Holy Childhood Association. It was hard to avoid conscription.
Where did our parents get the faith? Yeah, from their parents, but it isn't that simple. Tradition works hand in hand with revelation which is still going on. If we listen closely and attune ourselves, God will tell us what is right and what to do.
Faith is alive and Jesus has risen and is among us. The Acts of the apostles are still happening today. We have but to look around and seek them out.
Each morning challenges us to give back to God and to thank God for the many blessings. We have so many gifts to share, to build the kingdom. God's love is reflected in our love for others.
What we do each day can bring others closer to God. Our words should be kind and gentle, to bring joy to others. We need to give back generously of what has been given to us abundantly.
Today God is telling us we need to listen to our parents - at least the Faith of our fathers' part of it. It is a good thing.
