Passing on Faith to your Children

Passing on Faith to your Children by Peter Kahn (Published by CTS)

This booklet is another in the CTS’ Family Matters series. It starts with a reflection on Abraham, our Father in Faith, and with the example of St Margaret Clitherow. But just when one might think that these are too difficult examples to follow, Peter Kahn reassures us that such a reaction is normal; ‘We are more likely to find ourselves shouting at our children rather than dying for them!’ This mixture of the inspirational and the practical, the ideal and the reality, is very much the tone of the book, and makes it both uplifting and realistic.

The next chapter is much more immediately practical, focusing on how our Faith can shape our daily life – and how that transmits an understanding of our faith to our children. The first practical issue is to look at whether the way in which we work allows us sufficient time with our children; and also whether the way we approach our work is itself a witness to selfless love. As Kahn points out: ‘Anyone approaching life in this way will have opportunities galore to demonstrate to their children that faith comes before possessions.’

As well as work, Kahn explores other aspects of daily life that can be opportunities for a faith-filled approach, such as childcare and care for the sick or needy. Leisure activities are also examined: do we prioritise the life of a consumer? Would we consider a pilgrimage rather than a beach holiday, and celebrating the feasts of the Church rather than secular bank holidays?

This leads on to a consideration of more explicit ways of living our faith: keeping Sundays sacred, fasting on Fridays, and paying attention to the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. Kahn highlights the importance of capturing our children’s imaginations, with short plays, or stories on religious themes, as well as preparing their intellects to counter the arguments they will meet from others.

Above all, prayer must punctuate our daily life: the rosary, the Angelus, night prayers… These have the additional benefit of drawing the family together at specific times, which in itself teaches about the need to put other values in front of ‘what I want to do just now.’

The following chapter examines in detail the relationship between parents and children and the particular challenges that parents face as their children grow through childhood and adolescence.

This is followed by an exploration of the relationship between the parents themselves, which provides the context for all of the issues discussed, and emphasises the graces given in the sacrament of marriage that prepare us for the seemingly impossible task of raising children for God.

In the final chapters the focus is wider still, looking at Faith and the Wider World. As earlier, there is a valuable mix of the inspirational and the very practical and realistic. The book ends with a challenge: not to make excuses and delay, but to step out in faith on the path our Father is asking us to tread as parents who love our children enough to give them our most valuable possession – the gift of Faith.