their children as they grow:
1. The purposes of baptism. The first has to do with baptism itself.
Specifically, the baptism process calls parents to introduce their children to
the Church, so that they may be brought into the sphere of Christian life. (True
Christianity 677) It also reminds them to help their children to “know and
acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ [as their] Redeemer and Savior.” (Ibid. 681)
Finally it calls them to prepare their children for their process of salvation or
regeneration. (Ibid. 684)
2. Spiritual Parents. We also find guidance for parents is in the fourth
commandment: “Honor your father and your mother.” (Exodus 20:12) Not
only does this speak to healthy family relationships, but it also contains deeper
levels of meaning when “father” and “mother” are seen symbolically. We
read: “In the spiritual meaning, honoring your father and your mother refers
to revering and loving God and the Church.” (True Christianity 306) So it is
that parents are called to consistently draw attention to the Lord as Heavenly
Father and the Church as a nurturing spiritual mother in their lives. They do
so, among other things, by talking about the Lord, saying prayers to the Lord,
and bringing their children to worship services.
3. Protecting and maintaining. A third responsibility that the Lord gives
to parents is to “protect and maintain those who cannot protect and maintain
themselves.” (Conjugial Love 391) The intriguing thing about this passage is
that it brings us back to the fact that we are a part of the Lord’s team. It adds:
“Since this cannot be done by the Lord directly in the case of living beings to
whom He has bequeathed free judgment, He does it indirectly through His
love implanted in fathers, mothers and nurses.” (Ibid.) His love given to us as
parents is what inspires us to do the daily work of protecting and maintaining,
from teaching safety around cars, to being advocates for them, to giving them
the spiritual tools to make wise choices, and countless other things.
4. Useful members of society. A fourth calling to parents is to guide their
children to “contribute useful services in human societies.” (Conjugial Love
404) Parents see the unique personalities and strengths of their children, and
do many things to nurture that potential. They also can, in so many ways,
foster a desire to do useful things for others – to make the world a better place.
5.