Parents must rise boldly in faith to cultivate children’s vocations

The Christian family of the 21st century has been plagued by many revolutionary cultural changes that undermine core Christian values, where some government leaders have lost their sense of the human person’s real identity and purpose for existence. This culture of death can only be challenged if parents raise their children with a missionary zeal. 

Parents must be the first witnesses and evangelizers to their children. Strengthened by the sacrament of Marriage, they have the duty to instill in children the love of God and neighbor and to teach them that the human person is created by God in His own image. Couples who nurture their marriage vows by frequenting the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, will become the domestic church, where the proper soil can be cultivated to form their children in the selfless love that inspires their true vocations. 

Pope Benedict XVI, in his message for the XLIX World Day of Prayer for Vocations, beautifully clarifies this: “Within the family, ‘a community of life and love’ (Gaudium et Spes,48), young people can have a wonderful experience of this self-giving love. Indeed, families are not only the privileged place for human and Christian formation; they can also be ‘the primary and most excellent seedbed of vocations to a life of consecration to the Kingdom of God’ (Familiaris Consortio, 53), by helping their members to see, precisely within the family, the beauty and the importance of the priesthood and the consecrated life.”

The secular world poses many challenges to the modern-day Catholic family. It’s ever more critical that parents carry out a moral discipline that nurtures a Christian way of life. Parents need not be anxious in exercising proper parental authority: it is not only charitable but also indispensable for building the foundation for a meaningful and purposeful life in the total gift of oneself.

The domestic church is the conduit where the Christian faith is most effectively cultivated and transmitted. Attending the obligatory Sunday Mass is insufficient in itself for cultivating a lively faith. The family needs the weekday sprinkling of the Rosary coupled with a short Scripture reading. Spiritual nourishment is as important as physical nourishment for the young. It’s incumbent for parents to sift through the various secular and social activities of their young so that family prayer life can take its proper order. This allows their young ones an opportunity for a personal encounter with Christ. Then their desire to share their faith starts to grow exponentially, leading to discernment of their vocation. 

Pope John Paul II makes this point: “Evangelization, urged on within by irrepressible missionary zeal, is characterized by a universality without boundaries. It is the response to Christ’s explicit and unequivocal command” (Familiaris Consortio, 54). Thus, we are empowered to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15).

30-Minute Minestrone Soup • Prep Time: 10 Min • Cook Time: 20 Min • Serves 4

Ingredients
2 cups Cucina Antica 
Tomato Basil sauce

8 cups water

1 lb orecchiette or small 
shell pasta, uncooked

6 cups mixed vegetables, chopped (suggest zucchini, onion, celery, carrots); substitute frozen vegetables and cook according to package instructions

1 can pre-cooked 
white kidney beans

½ tbsp oregano

Shredded Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Directions
1. In a large pot, bring water to boil and add Tomato Basil sauce. Reduce heat to medium-high and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Stir in pasta, vegetables, beans, and oregano. Cook for 15 minutes, or until pasta is al dente.
3. Ladle into bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese.