At this special time of year, when we celebrate the Word made flesh, there are certain “smells and bells” that help us celebrate Christmas. Beyond the nativity sets, we can look into our own homes and families for signs that Christ is born.
One of the recent blessings in my life has been the birth of my niece, Amelia. While she is the 13th grandchild for my parents, Amelia is the first child of my sister, Bethany. There is an 11-year difference between Bethany and me, so we have always had a special relationship. Providentially, there is an 11-year difference between Amelia and my oldest son.
Newborns and new mothers at Christmas remind me of Mary and Jesus, when a teenager welcomed new life into the world from an unexpected pregnancy. Though we sterilize the Christmas scene with porcelain figures, the first Christmas was more likely messier. Jesus entered into the mess of the world then, and He can enter into our messes now, if we invite Him in to the caves of our hearts.
My sister and her husband have a devotion to the Blessed Mother, so they scheduled Amelia’s baptism for Jan. 1, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. I am eagerly anticipating this great moment, as I have been asked to be Amelia’s godfather.
As parents and godparents, we take on a serious responsibility to pass on the faith to our children. We promise to be the first and primary catechists, the first teachers of what it means to be a child of God. We can model patience, compassion and holiness.
It’s a role that our Blessed Mother undertook to her Savior. In Luke’s Gospel, we hear that after the finding in the Temple, “Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.” (2:52)
Growing in wisdom and grace does not take place in a vacuum — it takes place at home, under the care of parents who seek holiness for themselves and their children.
I often wonder if Mary and St. Joseph wrestled with the question that faces parents: are we having the right influence on our children?
Are our children paying attention, learning from our right behaviors, and growing into saints?
Research is clear: parents are one of the primary influences on their child’s faith.
Even beyond research, I hear from young people who routinely name their parents and grandparents as models of holiness in their lives. Our young people see and hear their parents, even when we don’t give them the credit that they do.
Parents, take your children to Mass and Reconciliation. Like Mary, we can draw our children closer to Christ in the Eucharist. St. John Paul II writes, “The piety of the Christian people has always very rightly sensed a profound link between devotion to the Blessed Virgin and worship of the Eucharist; this is a fact that can be seen … in the traditions of the Religious Families, in the modern movements of spirituality, including those for youth … Mary guides the faithful to the Eucharist.” (Redemptoris Mater 44)
As we contemplate the Blessed Mother and her role in salvation history, let us be drawn closer to her son. Let us be inspired by her “yes” to God. Pope Benedict XVI closes his encyclical “Deus Caritas Est” with this prayer:
Holy Mary, Mother of God, you have given the world its true light, Jesus, your Son – the Son of God. You abandoned yourself completely to God's call and thus became a wellspring of the goodness which flows forth from Him. Show us Jesus. Lead us to Him. Teach us to know and love Him, so that we too can become capable of true love and be fountains of living water in the midst of a thirsting world.
— Adam Ganucheau is the Director of the Office of Youth Ministry for the Archdiocese of Mobile. He may be emailed at [email protected] Visit our website, www.ArchMobYouth.org Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/ArchMobYouth and follow us on Twitter and Instagram - @ArchMobYouth