Reflection
As we consider the world in which we live and the responsibility we all have to generations to come, it is well to reflect on those men and women who bear the immediate responsibility of parenthood. We can try to understand the pain of parents in poverty who cannot provide adequate food and shelter for their children. There are also those parents who work endlessly to provide medical care for children with physical and mental problems. Another anxiety is that of all parents who struggle to keep their children in school and out of violence. We owe encouragement and gratitude to all parents who seek to provide loving, wise, and firm guidance for their children. As citizens, we need to be clear in our values and not confuse political expediency or posturing with the necessary support and programs that will assist parents in educating and nourishing the next generation.
Adapted from Education for Justice
Prayer
May we remember all parents around the world as they live out their special vocation of parenting.
Action
Be grateful and supportive of those in your own families who are parents. Assist by your understanding and example. Keep a clear and unbiased political focus on programs regarding education, food stamps, school lunches and other necessities for the welfare of children.
Suggested Reading
Jesus, however, called for the children and said, “Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom of God belongs to people like these.”
Luke 18:16
May we offer the next generation concrete reasons to hope and work for a good and dignified future!
Pope Francis
At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child’s success is the positive involvement of parents.
Jane D. Hull
There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots. The other is wings.
Hodding Carter, Jr.
We never know the love of a parent till we become parents ourselves.
Henry Ward Beecher
What it’s like to be a parent: It’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever do but in exchange it teaches you the meaning of unconditional love.
Nicholas Sparks
We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
In serving the best interests of children, we serve the best interests of all humanity. Carol Bellamy
The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer