Striving for Good Deeds

Here we are, almost one week into Lent, and this is the first actual reading post I have done for St. Teresa of Avila! Reading sacred books or books on faith and spirituality is always a challenge with children around. No sooner do I pick up my book to begin reading than someone has a question or the little one needs me. This makes my reading come in small pieces. Which is okay, as it gives me time to reflect on what I have read.

Speaking of children . . .

I am starting with St. Teresa's "The Book of Her Life", which is to St. Teresa what "Story of a Soul" is to St. Therese. St. Teresa begins with her childhood and a few observations on parenting children.

"I sometimes reflect on the great damage parents do by not striving that their children might always see virtuous deeds of every kind." (Ch. 2, 1)

Do my children see virtuous deeds of every kind? Do I expose them to stories of great men and women, inspiring children as often as I can? Do they see their father and I doing good deeds? Scripture tells us to do our good in secret, to not boast of our prayer or good works, so we sometimes go to far and pray or practice kindness in such hiddeness that we forget our children learn through example.

If, because my spiritual reading is interrupted by my children so often, I only do my spiritual reading in private, then they never see me engage in this activity. They do not know that I even do it. They do not see me struggle with it, fight for it, learn to blend it into the busy life I lead by virtue of being a mother.
We must talk with our children about good works - giving to the poor, serving in charity, small kindnesses like praise for a great cashier at the grocery store, or appreciation for our elders. But they must also see us actively involved in these things, as well.

Lent is a great time to get more involved in good works and prayer - in the individual sense and as a family.
Deacon Vic at St. Gabriel's, our home parish, spoke on this in an excellent manner this past Sunday.

Deacon Vic pointed out that the three things we focus on Lent, fasting, charity and prayer, are not three separate things, but all three go together. Must go together, hand-in-hand. Fasting helps reveal to us our relationship with our self, and what we need to prune to get in right relationship with God. Prayer reveals to us our relationship with God. Charity reveals to us our relationships with others, especially the most poor among us. How much are we willing to give? What are we willing to do?
Prayer without charity or fasting is not complete. Fasting without charity and prayer is not complete. And so on. 

This is such a challenging message, especially for those of us caught up (as I am) in the busy day-to-day existence of a family with children.  Some days it is all I have to get a prayer time in.

Charity? Don't have time for it! Fasting? Ugh! Prayer - well, I will fling an Our Father to the heavens as I load up the minivan for a trek to dance practice, through traffic with some of the meanest drivers I have experienced.

Sadly, this is too often my day, my thoughts.

St. Teresa advises that I strive to let my children see virtuous deeds - many and plentiful.To strive means to exert one's self vigorously. To work hard.

Looks like the challenges St. Teresa will throw my way start right at the beginning of her book!

Looks like my thoughts ran away with me. I will wait until tomorrow to post about her other thought about parenting that has been haunting me since last week.