Have you ever been to Church, looked at the front pew, and saw THAT family. The one with their 5+ kids dressed for Church, on time, all of them perfectly reverent and perfectly praying before the Lord? It always makes me wonder, how do they do it? What makes this family so special and how do I get mine there?
First, let me encourage you by saying there is no such thing as a perfect family. Every family has their trials and every dynamic is different. What makes your family tick and theirs may be something totally different and that’s what makes families so special in the first place, our uniqueness. What you see as “special” in THAT family is not their behaviors, but their family’s innate love for God and His Church. A visible sign of the intangible happening before your eyes. They are actively getting your family to heaven. Pursuing the ultimate commitment made by a husband, wife, mother, and father. That is why we see them as “special”, because we desire the same for our family.
So how do we do it? We love God above all else. Above every baseball game, school activity, homework, and hobby. We start with small practices that constantly turn our family’s gaze to the Lord everyday and in every little thing we do. The prayer times that seem monotonous and chaotic, are reminding your children the importance of a strong prayer life. Going to church every Sunday, even on vacation, teaches your children that keeping Holy the Sabbath is really one of the Ten Commandments and not just something they heard about in Religion class. Saying grace before meals and eating as a family, even in public, teaches your children to be that example of unity and the Faith to the world around them.
We are not called to be special. As Catholics, we are called to be different. To stand out from the world around us. We are called to be the light to someone in need and to love our neighbor as ourself. We are called to live according to the Church and Her glorious Traditions.
So next time you see yourself staring at that family in Mass, think to yourself, what can I do to get my family to Heaven? What small act can I bring back into my family’s daily life? What is the thing we need to give up in order to get each other to heaven.
Don’t strive for perfection. Strive to be different. Be THAT family.