English
EspañolFamilies don´t own children. They have their own path in life; however, it´s within their family where they learn how to love and take their first steps in maturity and personal independence.
Fathers and mothers discover who they are when they understand in their hearts that “to us a child is born, to us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:1-6). The “child son” is the light and the glory that come from the service given to their life which means to be a father and a mother all their lives. And it is in the family that their childhood and adolescence are cared for, respected and protected, so that when they become adults and start their own families, they keep alive the inner “child” – the goodness and uprightness of spirit – that we all carry within us and do not corrupt it, becoming dead in life.
Text
“The Gospel goes on to remind us that children are not the property of a family but have their own lives to lead. Jesus is a model of obedience to his earthly parents, placing himself under their charge (cf. Lk 2:51), but he also shows that children’s life decisions and their Christian vocation may demand a parting for the sake of the Kingdom of God (cf. Mt 10:34-37; Lk 9:59- 62). Jesus himself, at twelve years of age, tells Mary and Joseph that he has a greater mission to accomplish apart from his earthly family (cf. Lk 2:48-50). In this way, he shows the need for other, deeper bonds even within the family: “My mother and my brethren are those who hear the word of God and do it” (Lk 8:21). All the same, in the concern he shows for children – whom the societies of the ancient Near East viewed as subjects without particular rights and even as family property – Jesus goes so far as to present them as teachers, on account of their simple trust and spontaneity towards others. “Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 18:3-4).” (The Joy of Love, n.18)
Commentary
We raise our children to be free, govern themselves and not be slaves, and be men and women of good spirit instead of corrupt and evil. We raise them so that genuine and good love, not selfishness and hatred, will make them happy no matter the circumstances.
Take any decent father and mother around the world and have them face this dilemma: would you rather your children be wealthy and powerful or good and wise. If they truly loved them without doubting it, they would prefer their children to be good and wise instead of rich and powerful.
We raise our children so they will not need us when we are gone, which includes walking alongside them towards freedom so they can learn to love freely. A parent´s job resides in teaching their children to recognize what is good and what is evil. A parent fosters an environment of trust and intimacy by sharing their own experiences, even the lesson learned by error; this allows them to transmit the fine art of correcting themselves and asking for forgiveness. Parents can also share the energy of joy and the humble courage to rise again and again without ever surrendering. By doing so, they can instill in their children the necessary self-assurance to freely choose what is good.
Parents teach their children to love by loving them. And the biggest lesson of love they can pass on, the one that will never be forgotten and will subsequently be taught by their children to their own, is the union of love between their parents as spouses.
