Parent Teacher Talk
May 27th, 2018
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Matthew 28: 16 - 20
The first reading and psalm recall and rejoice that God chose the nation of Israel as His own to love and protect, something no other deity had done. The second reading reminds us that God calls us His children, his heirs, not slaves or servants. Jesus finalizes this relationship by reminding His Apostles of his Divine Power and then commissioning His Apostles to share the Good News with the world, bringing all into the family of God.
June
17th.............. Father's Day Ask for St. Joseph's intercession to guide you in your relationships with ...................... (other) men and to guide the men in your lives to lead our children as God led St. Joseph ...................... in raising Jesus.
September
9th................ PSR resumes! Please turn in registration forms early to reduce costs and ensure sufficient ...................... class materials are on hand
NEWSY NOTES
PSR Registrations being accepted now! Find forms at:
www.sttm.org under Faith Formation, Parish School of Religion
Meditation
"For we brought nothing into this world,
and it is certain we can carry nothing out."
St. Augustine
Greetings Parents,

As summer break approaches, the boys are planning their activities. They all seek jobs - a noble ideal, although at 11, my youngest will have a hard search. Sharing a paper route, however, does help. They look forward to Grandpa's pool as well, as do I. Sometimes it is like New Year's Resolutions. Whenever the routine changes, that is a reason to change the rules and allow more video game time, right?! They have no idea how much their pushing and nagging encourages me to become more restrictive of their playing time. Or maybe they do, but being children, they keep pushing because that is their nature.

This is a tricky thing when it comes to God. We are supposed to be like the widow who nagged the judge - God wants us to keep asking for things. perhaps like with my children, the "good" nagging is for good things. "Mom, we need to collect for the paper today." "Mom, you said you would help with homework." Then there is the bad nagging, "Mom, can I have it, can I, can I, please, please, please, PLEASE!?"

Praying for that which would be line with God's Will, that would be good nagging. Praying for a conversion of heart, healing of an illness, assistance in discerning an action, world peace, an end to hunger - these are good nagging options. In daily life, it is easy to get caught pleading for minor things with more fervor than with greater things.

Sitting at a soccer game and asking for him to have help throughout - this is not necessarily a bad thing, but am I putting anywhere near that time into praying for the more impactful changes in his life? Do I pray that he will retain his faith or live a good moral life? Do I pray with such fervor that I will make the right choices to help him properly? Do I pray for the people who have nothing physically, emotionally, or spiritually who could really use prayer assistance?

I think the busyness of our lives causes our prayer focus to be like our driving focus. When the road is mostly free of cars and wide, I look around more at the places we pass and at the passengers with whom I'm conversing. When traffic is busy, there is no focus except on the road ahead and being attentive to peripheral vision clues that danger is imminent. There is no time to think outside of the current "crisis." It's a challenge, but one people overcome in various ways. Some are able to take an hour or more out of their day to have quiet, reflective time. Others use the inconveniences of life to prompt them into prayer, perhaps the annoying people who catch our attention because they inconvenience. We could make a point to pray for greater patience, for awareness that we not annoy others in that fashion, or for that person because perhaps God placed him or her in our path today because they need to benefit from the grace our prayer will bring.

Hug your children tight, greet their guardian angel, and tell them to ask God to become their best friend . May God bless you and your family abundantly!

- Linda Bader, CRE, St. Thomas More
Article for Parents
Can a Church successfully welcome young families without an escape area for parents when children exert their vocal influence? Children cannot be controlled, only loved and managed as they grow into self-disciplined young people. The link below considers parental behavior at Mass with young children and what helps the children understand reverence, beginning young!
Language constantly evolves - just look at Shakespeare or travel across our country! Technology innovations require new names and their uses generate more words. Communications is ever-evolving and some promote new words to change the cultures who use them. The link below considers some of the lingo affecting our world and how we practice faith in it.
We are blessed to be in communication with whoever we want, whenever we want. This includes not only family and friends, but also worker contacts and entertainment. When gardening or canning the harvest, people used to have hours of "alone time" in their tasks, with no television or radio. They worked in silence, accompanied by birds and insects or the sounds of boiling water and jars gently tapping the bottom of the pot. In this silence, God can be heard. The video at the link below is a brief, calm, and thought-provoking consideration from Cardinal Sarah (possibly a future pope!) regarding the lives of Westerners without this silence.