Dear Brothers and Sisters,
 

I think most Catholics are culturally aware of Lenten practices such as abstaining from meat on Fridays, fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and choosing another Lenten penance to observe. But I think we should be aware that that culture is not guaranteed. It is extremely unfortunate that many "Catholic" parents in these times are barely participating in the faith life with their children - or not at all. They do not bring their children to parish faith formation or send them to Catholic schools, or if they do, they just drop off the kids and do not engage in what is being taught. And, perhaps because of their own lacking education in the faith, they are unwilling to reinforce their children's catechesis at home. With so many busy schedules and mixed-religion homes, prayer at home is often minimal or non-existent. And maybe most damaging of all, they are not bringing their children to Mass each week. It is in the liturgy of the Church with its prayers and postures, its Scriptures and gestures, its movements and seasons, that so much of the culture is taught and integrated into our lives. How we pray impacts how we believe and how we live (lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi). In generations past, it would have been pretty safe to assume that Catholic children grew up experiencing and learning these Catholic things from a young age - being formed in the heart of Mother Church. We cannot really assume that anymore. Of course, there are those families who go the extra mile and are doing their best to raise their children in the faith, and I commend them and encourage them to continue. But even when parents and families are involved, it is often the case that your children's classmates and friends are not Catholic or not involved in their faith. And rather than reinforcing the Catholic culture you might foster in your home, those outside groups can damage or diminish the faith in your child.

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We as Catholics and parents and educators need to be more intentional about teaching and living the Catholic faith. Now is especially the time to lean even more into those unique cultural aspects of the faith that unite us with fellow Catholics and help shape us to be lifelong followers of Jesus Christ. We should want to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday, to go to fish fries on Fridays, pray the Stations of the Cross, take our Lenten penances seriously, and be more conscious about witnessing our faith and handing it on to the next generation.

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Peace in Christ,
Fr. Timothy