FIVE SHIELDS TO DEFEND OUR FAMILY AND CHILDREN
In the animal world, the mother lion, bear, hen, duck, panther, etc., supervises with the greatest surveillance the safety, defense and protection of their little ones. If deemed necessary, they would be willing to even sacrifice their very lives for the survival of their vulnerable and innocent offspring. This is simply animal instinct infused in them by God Himself.
Not one of us would doubt the fact that never before in the history of the world have our children, adolescents-teens, and young adults been exposed to so many dangers—social, political, moral, and spiritual.
Being naïve, ingenuous, simplistic and gullible can only lead us, and our children and family, into perilous and possibly disastrous calamities. Jesus expressed it poignantly: “We must be simple as doves and astute as serpents.” (Mt. 10: 16) In other words, there must be a harmonious blend between not losing our innocence, and at that same time, being wide-awake to the poisonous and pernicious agendas that are being promoted far and wide. Indeed, we must beg the Holy Spirit to constantly shed His light on our path so as to discern the spirits—so we can reject the evil and open our hearts to what is noble, pure and good.
Therefore, being keenly cognizant of the moral peril in which the world is immersed, including our children, we should do all in our power to defend and protect them from the deluge of evil that permeates the social milieu.
Parents are the Teachers and the Moral and Spiritual Guardians of their children. Using a Biblical image, parents are the Shepherds (hopefully, the Good Shepherds), and their children are the flock that they must tend. The wolves are not only numerous, but also very wily, cunning and vicious.
In the midst of this complicated morass, let us always maintain a buoyant hope and trust in God who can move mountains, part a dense sea, and even bring the dead back to life!
Let us offer some concrete and clear action-items that we can undertake for the purpose of saving our families, saving our children, saving our young ones. Now is the time to act, not tomorrow. For tomorrow may be too late!
1. CONSECRATE YOUR FAMILY AND CHILDREN TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY. Our Lady made a very encouraging promise: “In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph.” So we know that the end of the story is victory, and the victory is through Mary. Jesus Christ is King! Mary is Queen of the army of Christ. With Jesus and Mary as our leaders, we are most surely on the winning side. Jesus turned water into wine at the Wedding Feast of Cana through the intercession of His Blessed Mother. Jesus can carry out stupendous miracles even now through the most powerful intercession of the Queen of Heaven and earth—Mary most holy, Mary most powerful! Therefore, if not done already, consecrate your family to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. If already done, then renew your Act of Consecration. It is good to do this yearly!
2. OFFER THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS MONTHLY FOR YOUR FAMILY. By far the most sublime, powerful and efficacious prayer this side of heaven is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Go to the Parish Secretary and, if possible, have a Mass offered for your family every month. We should never forget that Holy Mass unites Heaven and earth by the offering of the Blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. One drop of the most Precious Blood of Jesus is sufficient to save the whole world. By offering the Mass for the defense, protection, and welfare of your family, countless temptations, possible evils, and even tragedies can be prevented. Only when we pass from time to eternity will we see how many graces we received through the power of the Precious Blood of Jesus purifying, sanctifying, and saving us through Holy Mass.
3. FAMILY MONTHLY SPIRITUAL BATTERY RECHARGE. Even though your children may complain, this following action-item can prove to be most efficacious in protecting your family from the onslaught of paganism, secularism, materialism, and the militant Transgender agenda. This would be the family monthly spiritual battery recharge evening! It consists of the following: One night a month do the following with the whole family—Confession, Mass and fervent Holy Communion, and for thanksgiving after Mass pray the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Then from the Spiritual and Sacramental to the social—celebrate at El Pollo Loco or McDonalds! Therefore, the Dad, the spiritual leader or priest of the family, should set aside one day each month so as to recharge the spiritual batteries of his family. Indeed, the Father should be the spiritual Guide, Shepherd, Leader and Priest of the family.
4. PLACE THE CARDS ON THE TABLE AND UNMASK THE DEVIL! Due to a deepening knowledge of God, the Ten Commandments, and the Moral and spiritual crisis in the world, when sharing the evening meal with your family, you as parents should point out the grave moral crises of the day, and they are many. We will roll out the list of the most salient moral problems assaulting our society:
(1) ABORTION: Merciless killing of the innocent and defenseless babies.
(2) EUTHANASIA: The killing off of the elderly and infirm for selfish reasons or false compassion. Only God determines the place and time of our death.
(3) TRANSGENDER AGENDA/IDEOLOGY: The bold lie that there does not exist a clear and distinct gender differentiation of male and female from birth—rather, it is falsely and erroneously asserted that this is a social construct. This means that a child can choose which sexual identity and orientation is to their liking. Furthermore, according to their subjective feelings, they can use surgical means to alter their gender. The Biblical data coming from God Himself is that God created them male and female. Jesus said, quoting Gen. 1: 24: “Haven’t you read that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
(4) PORN CULTURE. Never have we lived in a society in which we are so heavily bombarded by images, and many are impure and pornographic images. Sad to say, this reality becomes highly addictive and habit-forming.
(5) MORAL RELATIVISM. This exists even within the context of the Church. This erroneous teaching asserts that there is no such thing as objective truth. Rather, each individual chooses for themself what is right and wrong.
The above are simply a few of the many roving wolves lurking about ready to jump into our homes, our living rooms, our families, and even into the lives and the hearts of our children, teens, and young adults to seek whom they can devour!
5. FILL YOUR MIND AND THE MINDS OF YOUR FAMILY WITH THE LIGHT OF TRUTH. In large part, we are what we think. How so? A powerful thought can easily sink from our mind into our affections, and from our affections into our heart. From the heart, this idea or concept gives birth to a decision, and the decision becomes an action. Repeated actions form habits. A good habit is a virtue, a bad habit is a vice. This then forms our personality—who we are. The end result is our eternal destiny, salvation or condemnation. The stakes are extremely high! What then are ways that we can fill our minds with the Light of Truth? The following can prove quite useful!
(1) BIBLE. Read, meditate and memorize parts of the Bible on a daily basis. Start with the Gospels. Saint Jerome stated: “Ignorance of Sacred Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”
(2) EWTN. Get into the habit of viewing some Program from EWTN that really captivates you and can help you with your permanent formation as a growing Catholic.
(3) RELEVANT RADIO. As an audio spiritual tool, RELEVANT RADIO is without doubt a huge source of excellent spiritual information, as well as a superb tool for ongoing education. The host, Patrick Madrid, is a true master!
(4) CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. Of all of the resources for our ongoing permanent formation, the CCC—CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, should be on the top of the list to fill our mind with the light of truth. Published during the Pontificate of Pope Saint John Paul II, by some it is considered the greatest of his literary and ecclesial accomplishments. It takes time, effort and study, but no doubt it is worth your exertion. Rich in content, study it in small segments. Allow the concepts to sink in. Almost any spiritual, moral, sacramental and dogmatic question is addressed and can be answered in the context of the CCC!
(5) SPIRITUAL DIRECTION. Many of the great saints insist on the indispensable importance of pursuing ongoing spiritual direction. Saint Teresa of Avila highlights three salient qualities that a good Spiritual Director should have: 1) Holiness of life, 2) Learning and Knowledge, 3) Prudence—which means, in the terms of Saint Teresa, experience. In a certain sense, life serves as a book of knowledge gathered from our own experiences.
Friends and family, we have come to the conclusion of our short essay on practical steps that we can take so as to save our children, our teens, our young adults and our families. The family is of paramount importance! The family indeed is the Domestic Church. The family is the basic building block of society, country, and the world at large. And, in the words of Pope Saint John Paul II: “The way the family goes is the way the society goes!”
