Deut 4: 1, 5-9
So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. See, just as the Lord my God has charged me, I now teach you statutes and ordinances for you to observe in the land that you are about to enter and occupy. You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!”
For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to him? And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today? But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Teach Your Children Well
Passing on the faith is perplexing today with so many young adults no longer finding value in religion. “Spiritual, but not religious” is a popular stance. How do we respond? Easy answers are no answers, but three seminal practices provide guidance.
PRAYER. Never underestimate the power of steadfast, loving prayer, fasting, and sacrifice to change the hearts and minds of unbelievers.
INVITATION. We can’t force feed others to believe, but we can look for windows of opportunity to invite them, to ask questions to better understand their questions, and to provide resources that help them discover the gifts we’ve found in our faith.
EXAMPLE. A holy, happy life is a beacon of light for those struggling to find their way. We want our lives to be a living invitation, especially for those we love, to come find the joy of the Gospel!
So who’s no longer practicing their faith, and how might you be called to accompany them?
—Fr. J. Michael Sparough, SJ, is a retreat master, writer, and spiritual director at Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington, Illinois. His daily video reflections can be viewed here.
Prayer
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
—Psalm 147: 12-13, 15, 19