Like many of you, I had a wonderful, faith-filled mother. She was my first religion teacher, and she was still teaching me about faith when at 91 she simply did not wakeup one morning. When she died, the only thing I wanted was the table she sat beside every night to read the Bible. One of my sister’s wanted it for the same reason, but as the “baby” of the family, I got what I wanted (as usual). It sits in my house today as a treasured reminder that she is still with me.
So why I’m I sharing this story with you? First, to let you know that while I do treasure this table, it a not merely a thing, but a treasured symbol. It reminds me she treasured the word of God more than
anything. She sat and meditated on God’s word each night (even before meditation became popular). She stored this treasure in her heart. She shared this treasure with me and our family. She taught me to read the Bible, to memorize the stories and verses so my faith in God & love for his word would be strong and everlasting. Today, 14 years after her death, with lots of education and years of working in ministry behind me, she remains my best religious education teacher.
This is one of the most important things God calls parents to be – their children’s first and best religion teachers. You don’t need things – degrees, lots of books, blogs, &/or workshops. You need something more valuable than any of these. You need to have a relationship with Jesus. You need a Bible so you can learn the stories and the way of Christ that leads to eternal life. You need to teach your children to pray and pray with them. You need the sacraments- baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist. You need to come to Mass each Sunday as a family and listen to the stories and receive the Body of Christ together. These are the treasures of our Catholic faith. These are our most valuable treasures, and they are readily available for little or no cost other than your time. Store these treasures in your heart so you can pass them on to your children. Then when someone asks your child who their best religious education teacher was, they will respond, “My parents!”