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"Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD, your God, has commanded you, that you may have a long life and prosperity in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you."
(Deut. 5:16)
"With
your whole heart honor your father; your mother's birthpangs
forget not. Remember, of these parents you were born; what can you
give them for all they gave you?" (Sirach 7:27-28)
"Children, obey your parents (in the Lord), for this is right."
(Eph. 6:1)
"But understand this: there will be terrifying times in the last days. People will be self-centered and lovers of money, proud, haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious, callous, implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good,
traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, as they make a pretense of religion but deny its power. Reject them."
(2 Tm. 3:1-5)
"It
is true that the hope of a better future is founded on a good,
obedient youth." (St. John Vianney)
"Form
the soul of the son aright, and all the rest will be added
afterward." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church)
"As
regards the offspring it is provided that they should be begotten
lovingly and educated religiously" (St. Augustine, Doctor of
the Church)
"Let
parents, then, recognize the inestimable importance a truly
Christian family has for the life and progress of God's own
people." (Second Vatican Council)
"If
you wish to have pious, good children, you must first of yourself
be God-fearing and lead good lives. As the tree, so will the fruit
be." (St. John Vianney)
"[T]he
boy's father having neglected the soul of his little son, fostered
no little sinner for the flames of hell." (Pope St. Gregory
the Great, Doctor of the Church)
"Parents,
as we have said, should be watchful so that certain immoral
fashions and attitudes do not violate the integrity of the home,
especially through misuse of the mass media" (Pontifical
Council for the Family)
"...parents
should know how to say 'no' to their children and, at the same
time, they should know how to cultivate a taste in their children
for what is beautiful, noble and true." (Pontifical
Council for the Family)
"It
is not enough to be good, tender, generous; one must also be wise
and strong. The indulgent weakness of parents blinds them, to the
detriment of their children." (Pope Pius XII)
"Perfect
married life means the complete dedication of the parents for the
benefit of their children." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of
the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
"Can.
1136 Parents have the most grave obligation and the primary right
to do all in their power to ensure their children's physical,
social, cultural, moral and religious upbringing." (1983 Code
of Canon Law)
"What can be greater than to direct the
souls and form the characters of children? Indeed I consider him
greater than any painter or sculptors, who knows how to fashion
the souls of the young." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the
Church)
"That
which regards nature should be nourished and fostered in children,
but that which pertains to the lack of reason in them should not
be fostered, but corrected" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of
the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
"Children
have not been given to parents as a present, which they may
dispose of as they please, but as a trust, for which, if lost
through their negligence, they must render an account to
God." (St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church)
"Can.
1366 Parents, or those who take the place of parents, who hand
over their children to be baptized or educated in a non-Catholic
religion are to be punished with a censure or other just
penalty." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"Those
who speak only gentle words to their children show only little
love. On the other hand, those who correct their children strictly
are hurting them today but doing them good for the future" (St. Clement
of Alexandria)
"Can.
774 §2 Parents above others are obliged to form their children by
word and example in faith and in the practice of Christian life;
godparents and those who take the place of parents are bound by an
equal obligation." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"If
you do not bring up your children well, what do you do? It is the
only thing you have to do; it is this that God requires of you,
for this that he established Christian marriage; and it is on this
that you will be judged." (St. Claude de la Colombiere)
"Can.
1113 Parents are bound by the most grave obligation to take care
as far as they are able for the education of children, both
religious and moral, as well as physical and civil, and of
providing them with [proper] temporal goods." (1917 Code of
Canon Law)
"Parents,
as individuals or in associations, have the right and duty to
promote the good of their children and demand from the authorities
laws that prevent and eliminate the exploitation of the
sensitivity of children and adolescents." (Pontifical
Council for the Family)
"If
I were to give advice, I would say to parents that they ought to
be very careful whom they allow to mix with their children when
young; for much mischief thence ensues, and our natural
inclinations are unto evil rather than unto good." (St.
Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church)
"If
in fact parents do not give adequate formation in chastity, they
are failing in their precise duty. Likewise, they would also be
guilty were they to tolerate immoral or inadequate formation being
given to their children outside the home." (Pontifical
Council for the Family)
"Strengthen
and rekindle the faith of Christian parents and teach them that if
it is their duty to defend their children from death at the risk
of their own bodies, they must remember that the souls of these
little ones are still more precious." (Gueranger)
"Parents
should avoid adopting the widespread mentality whereby girls are
given every recommendation regarding virtue and the value of
virginity, while the same is not required for boys, as if
everything were licit for them." (Pontifical Council for
the Family)
"Parents
are the ones who must create a family atmosphere animated by love
and respect for God and man, in which the well-rounded personal
and social education of children is fostered. Hence the family is
the first school of the social virtues that every society
needs." (Second Vatican Council)
"[F]athers
may be benefited by the virtue of their children, and mothers
also, when they have brought them up well. But what if she be
herself addicted to wickedness and vice? Will she then be
benefited by the bringing up of children? Is it not probable that
she will bring them up to be like herself?" (St. John Chrysostom,
Doctor of the Church)
"An
undisciplined or spoilt child is inclined toward a certain
immaturity and moral weakness in future years because chastity is
difficult to maintain if a person develops selfish or disordered
habits and cannot behave with proper concern and respect for
others." (Pontifical Council for the Family)
"[T]o
our parents, of all our neighbors, we are under the greatest
obligation. Hence, immediately after the [commandments] directing
us to God, a place is given to the precept directing us to our
parents, who are the particular principle of our being, just as
God is the universal principle" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor
of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
"But
Christian parents must also understand that they are destined not
only to propagate and preserve the human race on earth, indeed not
only to educate any kind of worshippers of the true God, but
children who are to become members of the Church of Christ, to
raise up fellow-citizens of the Saints, and members of God's
household, that the worshippers of God and Our Savior may daily
increase." (Pope Pius XI, "Casti
Connubii", 1930 A.D.)
"In
raising children Christian parents must be concerned about their
children's faith and help them to fulfil the vocation God has
given them. The parents' mission as educators also includes
teaching and giving their children an example of the true meaning
of suffering and death. They will be able to do this if they are
sensitive to all kinds of suffering around them and, even more, if
they succeed in fostering attitudes of closeness, assistance and
sharing towards sick or elderly members of the family." (Pope
John Paul II)
"Furthermore,
because the means of social communication, like the school and the
environment, often have a notable influence on the formation of
children, parents as recipients must actively ensure the moderate,
critical, watchful and prudent use of the media by discovering
what effect they have on their children and by controlling the use
of media in such a way as to 'train the conscience of their
children to express calm and objective judgements, which will then
guide them in the choice or rejection of programs
available'." (Pope John Paul II)
"The
good example and leadership of parents is essential in
strengthening the formation of young people in chastity. A mother
who values her maternal vocation and her place in the home greatly
helps develop the qualities of femininity and motherhood in her
daughters, and sets a clear, strong and noble example of womanhood
for her sons. A father, whose behavior is inspired by masculine
dignity without 'machismo', will be an attractive model for his
sons, and inspire respect, admiration and security in his
daughters." (Pontifical Council for the Family)
"'Folly
is bound up in the heart of a child and the rod of correction
shall drive it away.' Disorderly inclinations then must be
corrected, good tendencies encouraged and regulated from tender
childhood, and above all the mind must be enlightened and the will
strengthened by supernatural truth and by the means of grace,
without which it is impossible to control evil impulses,
impossible to attain to the full and complete perfection of
education intended by the Church, which Christ has endowed so
richly with divine doctrine and with the Sacraments, the
efficacious means of grace." (Pope Pius XI, "Divini
Illius Magistri", 1929)
"Through
loving and patient advice, parents will help young people to avoid
an excessive closing in on themselves. When necessary, they will
also teach them to go against social trends that tend to stifle
true love and an appreciation for spiritual realities: 'Be sober,
be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring
lion, seeking some one to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith,
knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your
brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a
little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his
eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and
strengthen you.' (1 Peter 5: 8-10)." (Pontifical Council
for the Family)
"For
although Christian spouses even if sanctified themselves cannot
transmit sanctification to their progeny, nay, although the very
natural process of generating life has become the way of death by
which original sin is passed on to posterity, nevertheless, they
share to some extent in the blessings of that primeval marriage of
Paradise, since it is theirs to offer their offspring to the
Church in order that by this most fruitful Mother of the children
of God they may be regenerated through the laver of Baptism unto
supernatural justice and finally be made living members of Christ,
partakers of immortal life, and heirs of that eternal glory to
which we all aspire from our inmost heart." (Pope Pius XI,
"Casti Connubii", 1930)
"The
blessing of offspring, however, is not completed by the mere
begetting of them, but something else must be added, namely the
proper education of the offspring. For the most wise God would
have failed to make sufficient provision for children that had
been born, and so for the whole human race, if He had not given to
those to whom He had entrusted the power and right to beget them,
the power also and the right to educate them. For no one can fail
to see that children are incapable of providing wholly for
themselves, even in matters pertaining to their natural life, and
much less in those pertaining to the supernatural, but require for
many years to be helped, instructed, and educated by others. Now
it is certain that both by the law of nature and of God this right
and duty of educating their offspring belongs in the first place
to those who began the work of nature by giving them birth, and
they are indeed forbidden to leave unfinished this work and so
expose it to certain ruin." (Pope Pius XI, "Casti
Connubii", 1930)
Also
See: Children
/ Youth | An
Ideal Home | Fostering
Vocations / Vocations in the Family | Parental
Responsibility for Catholic Education | Parents'
Right to Educate Their Children | Education
[Pg.] | Parental
Discipline | Family
/ Families | Idleness
& Young People | Marriage
| Fathers
/ Fatherhood | Mothers
/ Motherhood | Femininity
& The Virgin Mary | Women's
Work in the Home
Note:
Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related
to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more
'Reflections' and for Scripture topics, see links below.
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