Health "Care"

No one can explain to me how quadrupling the number of diagnosis codes is going to do anything other than decrease quality of care for patients - it certainly isn't going to improve quality of care.  And I wonder when the stats will come out to show how many smaller practices either had to close their doors or be "gobbled up" by a larger entity.  Didn't we go through the hospital-buying-physician-practices era already?  And didn't most hospitals divest themselves of their physician practice investments?  Are we going in this circle AGAIN?  If our doors are still open at this time next year, it will be a miracle.  The $226,000 price tag is around three times what my husband makes in a year as the physician running his own solo practice.  I figured out that last year, he made about $22 an hour.  Of course, he works over 70 hours/week with patients, paperwork, etc....  If these codes are going to increase the documentation requirements by 15-20%, I'm not sure where he is going to find the extra hours.  And we cannot afford to hire any extra staff since the new Medicaid-expansion plans pay us about 30-50% BELOW overhead (overhead doesn't include physician salary), but we need extra staff to be able to keep up with all the regulations and prior authorizations and difficulty finding offices who will accept referrals.  It is a mess, and it is only going to get worse. 

CMS has announced that it will not extend the October ICD-10 deadline for providers.  With all of the other extensions of federal health care deadlines, the steadfastness on this deadline stands out.  If you're unsure what it's all about, this summary gives the details.   

 If you ask providers - particularly smaller clinics - their anxiety about the infrastructure updates required to meet the ICD-10 deadlines is visceral.  An AMA study points to costs as much as $226,000 for the "typical small practice."   

Christi qui lux et dies (in English)

Christ, who art the light and day,
You drive away the darkness of night,
You are called the light of light,
For you proclaim the blessed light.

We beseech you, Holy Lord,
Protect us this night.
Let us take our rest in you;
Grant us a tranquil night.

Let our sleep be free from care;
Let not the enemy snatch us away,
Nor flesh conspire within him,
And make us guilty in your sight.

Though our eyes be filled with sleep,
Keep our hearts forever awake to you.
May your right hand protect
Your willing servants.

You who are our shield, behold;
Restrain those that lie in wait.
And guide your servants whom
You have ransomed with your blood.

Remember us, O Lord,
Who bear the burden of this mortal form;
You who are the defender of the soul,
Be near us, O Lord.

Glory be to God the Father,
And to his only Son,
With the Spirit, Comforter,
Both now and evermore. Amen.

Lenten Awareness

As I made the Sign of the Cross to begin my morning prayers, I clearly recognized something which has been nagging at me for awhile. 

Does anyone else feel like a fake? A fraud?  Do you look at how you are living and recognize the vast gulf between the ideal and  the actual manner in which your life is being lived?  Do you see that you are cruising mostly on cruise-control, being merely "good-enough" and not working or moving toward that perfection you shall find only in Christ?  And that this gulf seems to grow wider and deeper the more you grow in your relationship with Him? 

Maybe it's because I feel the pull of perfection, which is a painful pull because I am so far from perfect - and see more and more each day that I am even further away than I thought.  For even though I want to surrender myself to Him Whom I Love, my habits, my selfishness, my attachments to this world and my place in it hold me back.  I long so to be with Him RIGHT NOW!!  I know He is with me, but I have yet to give myself fully over to Him.

O Lord, I do believe.  Help my unbelief!

Do not reprove me in your anger, LORD,

nor punish me in your wrath.

Have pity on me, LORD, for I am weak;

heal me, LORD, for my bones are shuddering.

My soul too is shuddering greatly—

and you, LORD, how long…?

Turn back, LORD, rescue my soul;

save me because of your mercy.

For in death there is no remembrance of you.

Who praises you in Sheol?  I am wearied with sighing;

all night long I drench my bed with tears;

I soak my couch with weeping.

My eyes are dimmed with sorrow,

worn out because of all my foes.  Away from me, all who do evil!

The LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.

The LORD has heard my plea;

the LORD will receive my prayer.

My foes will all be disgraced and will shudder greatly;

they will turn back in sudden disgrace.

 

Psalm 6

Humility

"Beware...against certain types of humility which the devil inculcates in us and which makes us very uneasy about the gravity of our past sins.  There are many ways in which he is accustomed to depress us so that in time we withdraw from Communion and give up our private prayer, because the devil suggests to us that we are not worthy to engage in it...The things gets to such a pass that a soul can be made to believe that, through being what it is, it has been forsaken by God, and thus it almost doubts His mercy...Humility, however deep it may be, neither disquiets nor troubles nor disturbs the soul; it is accompanied by peace, joy, and tranquility...Far from disturbing or depressing the soul, it enlarges it and makes it fit to serve God better." 

- St Teresa of Avila  The Way of Perfection, chap. 39:1-2, p. 256

Some Quotes

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.  It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."     - John Adams

"Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion.  Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."     - George Washington

"In all these dispositions which promote political happiness, religion and morality are essential props.  In vain does he claim the praise of patriotism, who labors to subvert or undermine these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest foundations of the duties of men and citizens.  The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and cherish them."   - Alexander Hamilton

"A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy.  While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader."     - Samuel Adams

Jesus: The Master Evangelist

I am taking an online course titled:  Jesus the Master Evangelist.  So far it is quite good.  We are looking through the Synoptic Gospels this week to see how Jesus evangelized and what we can learn from this in our own efforts at evangelizing.

One of the first points the professor made was from Pope Pius VI (Evangelii Nuntiandi): "She (the Church) exists in order to evangelize." (emphasis mine) 

What is Catholic Evangelization?  How would you define it?  How about bringing the Good News to humanity, and through it transforming humanity from within and making it new...but, we cannot do this if we ourselves are not first transformed, if we are not first of all new persons ourselves renewed by Baptism and living our lives by the Gospel - the purpose of evangelization is this interior change.

• not imposing, but proposing
• change self first - must begin with me
• who we are in Christ is infinitely more important than what we know about Him.
• through prayer, Scripture, acts of mercy/kindness.... develop the "mind of Christ"

St Paul, Rom. 10:14:  "How are they to believe if they have not heard? How are they to hear without a preacher?"

Our supreme duty as believers in Christ is to proclaim Christ to all peoples!!

We must remember that the Gospel is not simply about Jesus Christ, it IS Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Model, Leader, and Catalyst for Evangelization.  Before we 'go out to others' we need to be modeling discipleship together as a Church:

• study and learn from Jesus
• examine Bible stories where he interacts with people
• know the Gospel and how to communicate it
• know our own story of God working in our life, articulate it in a non-threatening, enthusiastic, joyful way.

Evangelization is (should be) the thread that is woven through all the various ministries in the parish.

*****
Professor Allan Wright has written a book on this topic. I will very likely purchase it once this course is complete.

March 3 Faith Formation

March 3, 2014 St Francis Faith Formation/Prayer Group     

Topic:  CONGREGATION

 
V:  O God, come to my assistance.
R:  Lord, make haste to help me.
V:  Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
R:  As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia.

Prayer for God’s Blessing (Thomas Aquinas)

 579  I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say

623  Be Thou My Vision

Meditation:

I pray for the gift of gratitude for the ways God has been laboring to bring forth life in me.

Reflection Questions

Today, I pray for gratitude. At this very moment, am I grateful? If so, I give thanks and praise. If not, I speak with God about it and ask God to grant me this grace.

What, of God's many gifts to me, am I particularly grateful for today? I give thanks to God for these particular gifts.

 

The young man went away sad, having many possessions. What possessions am I clinging to? How might the grace of gratitude aid me to let these possessions go? I speak with God about this.

Continue with Sacrosanctum Concilium:

“…efforts also must be made to encourage a sense of community within the parish, above all in the common celebration of the Sunday Mass.” (42b)

Last time I left you with the questions:  Is there a difference between community and congregation (as df by Romano Guardini)? If so, what is it and is it important?  How do we encourage both a sense of community and a sense of congregation?  Can this be achieved with a Sunday-only priest? 

Selections from Meditations before Mass (Romano Guardini) Chapter 16 & 17:  The Congregation and Injustice Rectified, The Congregation and the Church.

“as a rule, congregation exists only when its members will it.”

“if there is to be a congregation, the believers must know what a congregation is; they must desire it and actively strive to attain it.”

“A congregation is the sacred coherence that links person to person as it links God to men and men to God.”

“As long as you bear your grudge…there can be no true congregation as far as you are concerned. Forgive, honestly and sincerely, and the sacred unifying circle will close again.”

“The forgiveness of Christ is different. It means that divine love gains a footing in us, crating that new order which is meant to reign among the sons and daughters of God.  Hence when you try to fulfill the law of love for the sake of God and His holy mysteries, you make it possible for God to allow the congregation of those rooted in His love to flower.”

“The true congregation is a gathering of those who belong to Christ, the holy people of God, united by faith and love.”

“When we read the prayers of the Mass with this in mind, we notice that the word I appears very seldom and never without a special reason.”

“The real antonym of community is not the individual and his individualism, but the egoist and his selfishness.  It is this that must first be overcome…But to do this we must have solitude, for only in solitude do we have a chance to see ourselves objectively and to free ourselves from our own chains.”

“together we face God; together we are congregation. Not only I and others in general, but this man, that woman over there, and the believer next to me. In God’s sight they are all as important as I am….”

“We will consciously, earnestly pray the we of the Liturgy, for from such things congregation is formed.”

“Until now we have spoken of congregation as the Christian we in its encounter with God, the community of those united by the same faith and by mutual love…The conception must include also those outside any particular building, even outside the church; for congregation reaches far beyond.”

“congregation stretches not only over the whole earth but also far beyond the borders of death.  About those gathered around the altar, the horizons of time and space roll back, revealing as the real sustaining community the whole of saved humanity.”

“Man has a tendency to spiritual intimacy and exclusiveness, which causes him to shrink from such magnitude and grandeur. There is also the resistance of modern religious feeling to the visible Church in its realistic sense: resistance to office and order, to authority and constitutionality.”

The Tassel - first draft

(I do not write short stories.  I've never been very good at them.  But in an effort to expand my limited writing ability, I will be attempting to compose some short stories.  This is based on the story, found in all the synoptic Gospels, of the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' cloak and was healed of the flow of blood which had plagued her for 12 years.  This story has come up three different times in about as many days, and I was compelled to try my hand. at a story to fill in the blanks.  This is only the first draft. I'll come back to it in a few days and make modifications.  There are some parts I already want to change, but will hold off on any changes until it has sat for awhile.  I'm always ok with comments from my vast readership :-)! )

Four years ago today I was healed. The day is burned into my

memory. I look down at my hand and I remember. I had heard he

was coming through town, and in my hope and desperation went out

to the street. There he was. I was determined to get close...all eyes

were on him; I was not noticed. Had I been recognized the crowd

would have parted like the Red Sea around me, but in the throng

I was invisible. Quietly, I made my way forward and found myself

directly behind him...if I could but touch the hem of his garment. So with

trembling hand I reached and touched the tassel of his cloak.

I felt myself healed instantly. But he stopped, and turned

around...and I was alone in my shame.

I had been alone for 12 years. Anyone or anything I touched would be

legally unclean, so I was left alone, outcast, fending for myself. All the

money I had was spent on doctors, but none were able to help me. I

would be alone, a poor beggar, for the rest of my days. But then I

heard of Jesus, and He seemed an answer to my prayers, so I sought

him out. Finding him, I reached toward him, and my thoughts turned

to Ruth as she stole upon Boaz and settled in at his feet asking him to

cast his mantle over her, to protect her as a kinsman

(Ruth 3).

His tassel within my grasp, I thought of this tassel which was

a reminder of our relationship with YHWH, of His laws and our

obligation to them . . . and I hesitated for a moment, until I

remembered the 1000s of lambs with whose blood my people had

been redeemed from bondage. Was this not what I wanted - to be

redeemed, released from the slavery of my affliction? Could not the

blood of those lambs reach forward to me, and remove my shackles?

Make me whole again, physically and legally and spiritually?

So I gathered my courage and touched the tassel of his cloak,

believing that even this small gesture of faith, done in secret, could

heal me. And it did! Immediately, the flow of blood ceased! I was

healed! But then he asked who had touched him. I was ashamed,

and for a moment I hid. But my courage returned, and I came forward,

trembling and falling at his feet, confessing what I had done and why.

He looked upon me with such tenderness, and said "My daughter, thy

faith has brought thee recovery; go in peace."(Lk 8:48)

I stayed there, kneeling upon the ground, watching as he turned and

disappeared from view. I was not sure what to do.

My heart was leaping inside of me, but I found I could not make my

limbs obey my command. After what seemed hours, I finally rose and

went home. After the prescribed time, I did what was required by the

law for my purification, and then my new life began.

At first many people continued to treat me as if I were still impure. It

still happens today, when from force of habit people around me draw

back so as not to touch me. I will sometimes find that I have returned

to my old habits, then forcefully have to remind myself that I am

healed. Recovering has not been as easy as I had imagined.

My life did not miraculously go back to the way it had been before my

illness. In many ways I had to rebuild my life, find new friends, re-

establish myself in the community.

But one thing which did change dramatically and perhaps

miraculously, was my faith. I saw before me, and I touched the tassel

of, the Messiah, the Savior of my people. Of this I have no doubt. No

one other than the Promised One could have healed me as suddenly

and completely as he did on that day.

And so, on this day I stand here. Professing by my presence my belief

that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. Waiting today with many who

have waited generations to find fulfillment in God's promises. Waiting

to be baptized into the future of our people.

The State of Religious Education

If I have time, I will flesh out these thoughts later, but today is the feast day of my Confirmation Saint, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and my thoughts have returned to why I chose her which is why I am asking these questions.

How can we teach the Faith to our children when we meet only one hour per week?

How can parents pass on the Faith when their own knowledge is so poor?

What would a parish-based Catechetical School look like?

Facebook: The Illusion of Intimacy

(I'll probably offend some people here.  Oh well!)

I prefer to read books - you know, the real kind, with covers and paper pages.  I do like my e-reader, and use it for specific types of reading, but if I am really going to sit down and read a book, I want a BOOK.  When interacting with people, I prefer face-to-face, but am also content with letters or email because I can tell a lot about someone by what they write.  I do not like the phone.  I abhor texting.  Facebook communication for me, is somewhere in between the phone and texting.

I use Facebook for a specific purpose.  When I first created an account it was merely so I could check out potential new employees.  Recently a couple of friends suggested FB as a more convenient way to stay in touch.  I found out I could have almost all of my daily reading located in one place, and could also see what my Friends were up to .  I enjoy the one group to which I belong, and it has been nice to keep up with people I "used to know" but who have moved away, and to connect with like-minded people whom I would probably never meet any other way.  But my primary reason for being on FB is informative. 

Articles.  News Items.  Prayers.  Homilies.  This is what comes into my newsfeed.  I tend to use FB as a tool.  Sure, I like the funny things that pop up - the family photos - the craft you just created - the trip you've been on - the new baby - the "here's what I want to do with the rest of my life" post.  And perhaps this makes me an unusual person on FB, but that is not why I'm there.  So when people ("friends") I don't know send me a message and then act offended when I don't respond, or if I get one too many silly facebook games from one person ... you know, the "post this to your page" or "well since you liked my status you now have to do thus and such"... guess what?  I am very quick to unfriend.  People I know, people who are my Friends - that is different.  But if you don't know me, don't presume that you do.

That is what I mean by the illusion of intimacy.  Just because we are FB friends doesn't mean we're Friends.  And if we are Friends?  Then you'll know it because I have your email address or phone number or I see you on a regular basis.  I can count my Friends on one hand, and my close acquaintances on the other.  

I'm only closing in on 30 FB-friends, because I've unfriended some who didn't meet my high standards and I'm very careful of whom I accept as a friend.  So if you are on that exclusive list?  You must be pretty awesome!! :-) 

What Do People Need to Hear?

A good friend, has posted on his blog a statement/question:  Where Catholic Preaching Needs to Go....?  This is one among many things close to my heart.  Preaching - Homilies - Sermons.  So when I saw this, I thought I would propose my own somewhat rambling thoughts on the subject.  First, I am just a "pew-sitter." I have little training or education in theology, slightly more than a little education in writing and literature, but lots of experience in listening to homilies.  I will seek out homilies to read and hear.  Most of the time I am disappointed.  My friend, Father Philip N. Powell, OP, produces consistently good to excellent homilies, as do Msgr. Charles Pope and Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP.  But in general, most other homilies I read or hear are hit or miss. 

Maybe I'm doing something wrong?  So I searched for what I should be looking for in a homily, and came across this excellent piece by Fr. Peter John Cameron, OP.  He lists seven points for listeners who want to know "How to Listen to a Homily."  I think it is also a good thing to read for those who want to know "How to Write a Homily."  I won't rehash what he writes, but if you have the time, go over and read what he has written.  I think it will be well worth your time.

But what do I find so disappointing?  So often I find only a facsimile of the faith - I want good, strong, genuine Catholicism, and instead hear "Catholic-light", or "I'm OK, you're OK".  Let's all get together, get along, and have a wonderful group hug around this table where we have a weekly community together-meal, with this Jesus-guy who loves us all and isn't going to really judge us but only love us just as we are no matter what we are doing....  Yippee! 

Msgr. Pope wrote an article about the differences between men and women, here.  He posits that men seek to be challenged and women are more comfortable being consoled.  I always knew I was a little different, because I seek to be challenged.  I'll hear one of those pop-psychology sermons and want to scream:  But you didn't SAY anything!!!  While I hear other women gushing:  Oh, what a wonderful sermon!  Really?  What did you put in your coffee this morning?!?  This is probably the reason that the faith formation group I facilitate is primarily populated by men.  Recent, and recurring topics, like "Hell", "Purgatory", "Fear of God", "Pride" may not cater to the female sensibilities.  Two weeks ago I ended our final prayer with "Repent!  And believe in the Gospel!", and last week "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!"  We don't hear this during the homily, so my inner-Baptist-preacher comes out on Monday nights and I get all-fired up and teach what needs to be taught. 

What is that exactly?  What do I, sitting here in the pew, want and need to hear?  And what do I think my fellow pew-sitters need to hear? 

"Abandon your wickedness and believe in the Lord!!" 

Well, OK, maybe not that strong, but that's the general idea.  So many people don't seem to know Who Jesus is.  The 60's/70's hippy Jesus seems to be the general consensus around here.  Peace, love, acceptance, tolerance....  But really, Who Is He?  Why should He matter to me, now in 2013?  What is meant by a "living God?"  Is Jesus really present, here, now?  What kind of relationship should I strive for?  What kind of relationship should I expect?  A personal relationship?  What does that really mean?  A Sacramental relationship?  And what does this relationship with Jesus have to do with my relationship with the Church? 

I see a problem of belief.  Jesus, to me, is....  There is this idea that whatever or whomever I feel Jesus is for me is who Jesus is.  There is little emphasis on the Jesus of Scripture.  This Jesus, who is fully human AND fully divine.  I think in so many ways, priests and others involved in teaching the faithful need to back up, full-stop, and ask:  Who is Jesus?  Why should I believe in Him?  As a preacher and teacher, you need to be sure of your own relationship - for you can't preach what you don't have or what you don't believe.  Your preaching will come from your relationship, your prayer, your study, your meditation.  Be clear in your own mind and heart, and that will shine forth in your homilies. 

Be clear in definitions of commonly used but misunderstood words:  Love is a prime example.  God loves me, so I can do whatever I want, and He will still love me.  Well, OK, sure, sort of - but why does it always have to be about me?  And what is Love, as in the theological virtue, which is called "charity"?  If we define charity as "love of God", how does that change our perception of "love?"  Maybe it doesn't, but I think it probably will.  Yes, God loves us, but what does that mean???  And how should that affect the way we live, our relationship with Him and with those around us, our relationship with the Church? 

Seriously discuss and explain the Incarnation.  Ho-hum.  God became man.  Nothing special there.  WHAT?!?  This is what I hear - well, OK, not in those words, but it is how people live, as if it really doesn't mean anything. 

Mystery - expound on mystery, on its beauty, and its difficulty, and its necessity. 

Ask hard questions.  Challenge.  Provoke (within reason, of course!).  Speak of current events and how our faith should inform the decisions we must make in our everyday lives.  Know what your people are hearing and seeing and experiencing in their daily lives, and allow the Gospel to address those issues.  Be brave!  Ask hard questions of your congregation - acknowledge that they are hard questions.  Ask these same questions of yourself, and be honest with your answers.  Fr. Martin Fox, in his homily for this weekend, asked this question: 

"If Jesus came to your house today, would he challenge you on anything?"

 

Wow!  Did I want to be asked that?  Do I really want to think about that?  But I can answer that question honestly and truthfully ONLY if I have an understanding of who Jesus is and what my relationship to Him is.

 

I don't really like the expression "meet the people where they are," but it seems appropriate for those who set about preaching.  Start at the beginning.  Jesus.  Begin here - not the wishywashy Jesus, but introduce people to the Jesus of the Gospels.  If your relationship with Him is strong and solid, it will come out in your homilies.  If you know Him, it will come out in your homilies.  So, sure meet people where they are and meet them where you are ... but don't stay there!  Move together toward the Lord, toward the perfection for which He created you.  Each step you take should be closer and closer to Him, so you may hear Him and understand that He wants to, both for priests and laity alike, "make you worthy of your calling...." (2 Thes 1:22)

 

 

The Healing

Wash me with Your blood.
Twenty years of pain,
unrelenting scourging,
thorns,

never felt:
until now.
Cover me with Your blood.
Weigh me down with The Cross.

My Lord and my God.
Only with You can I climb.
Only with You

can I walk.

Idols of Our Own Making

There are days this path to holiness really annoys me!  I'll be limping along, thinking I'm doing OK, getting closer to where I want to be, learning more, knowing more, more, more, more!!  Then I will have a sudden realization that I have been completely missing something - a sin, a failing, an imperfection.  Something so patently obvious, how could I miss it?  And I can choose to either wallow in self-reflective-guilt or accept the revelation as another chance to embrace humility.  I need a lot of those chances - to embrace humility.  Of course, wallowing in guilt is just a form of pride, so that is always a temptation...and it sure seems much easier, or at least more pleasant, than allowing myself to experience humility.  I do my fair share of wallowing, but with the grace of God I am SLOWLY learning to accept His requests to humble myself. 

So what did I realize recently?  First Commandment - making idols out of things other than God.  Surely I don't do that.... but guess, what?  I do.  Usually not with the intent of making them idols, but they become more important than God and therefore block my view of Him and block my path to Him.  We can make just about anything into an idol, even things that are "good".  What do you
"worship" alongside your worship of God?  Money, status, knowledge...?  I never considered this a problem, but now this past week with this realization, I have come to know that indeed I do have this tendency within me.  Just another step on the path to perfection - and one of those days when I am glad the way is sometimes covered in fog . . . .

God bless.

Thoughts

Parents, having received the sacred gift of human life in your marriage, our Lord calls you to be holy models of Christian living in your "domestic church" who represent the loving union of Christ and His Bride, the Church. . . in a great many families today there has been a deterioration and loss of Christian values. . . parents often consider economics, physical appearance, or social status more important than becoming holy signs of the loving union of Christ and His Church. . . teaching Catholic faith and morals to their children is not even a consideration or possibility. For they do not know the faith themselves. The greatest tragedy is that many of their children have left the Church without ever developing into mature believing and practicing Catholics.  . . DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON THE SUBJECT?  (From Friar Mariano D Veliz, OP, Facebook Page)

First is the realization that our children are a sacred gift.  If we truly see them as the gift they are, then our perspective as parents will of necessity reflect that realization.  For if we see our children as gifts from God, we will align our lives and our priorities around the nurturing of that gift and the proper focus of our own lives as parents will shift toward God.

Unfortunately, I do not often see this attitude.  But I live in an "unchurched" area, and I am the only person with young children who regularly attends our parish church.  My older son is THE altar boy.  We have not had religious education for more than two years, with the exception of the confirmation prep class for last Fall's Confirmation.  Church, God, religious training is seen as secondary to just about everything else: school, sports, television programs, farm work, etc....  The loss of Christian values I see is a skewing of priorities more than anything else. 

I do think most of this comes from the parents' lack of knowledge of the Faith.  I sat in on the Confirmation Prep classes and was often appalled at what was being taught - or not taught.  This was not done maliciously, but occurred because parents had volunteered to teach, these parents had not been properly vetted but were only chosen to teach because they were the only ones to volunteer and their children were the ones preparing for Confirmation.  None of the Confirmed have returned to Church on any regular basis - the families have not returned to participate in the Sacramental Life of the Church.  One family would attend, but there are other difficulties and the Catholic parent is not often here and the non-Catholic parent is not bringing the children.  With the exception of this one family, the Faith is just not a priority.  In their list of priorities, it comes very close the the bottom.

In fairness, those of us born in the wake of Vatican II were poorly catechized.  I grew up attending Catholic Schools exclusively, but we did not talk about God or the Faith at home.  In response to family situations, I retreated into my own world which involved a choice to take God, Mary, Jesus as my true family - I found my Mother's 1962 St. Joseph's Missal and taught myself the Faith from that - I developed a deep love and trust and reliance upon God and the Church.  But I was unusual, for I held onto that all the way through high school.  Without the Church I most likely would not have survived to report back about my childhood.  It was my lifeline - God was foremost in my life, and at the risk of sounding like a Southern Baptist, Jesus was literally my Lord and my Savior. 

Then with unexpected swiftness, all that was gone.  I still believed, I still considered myself Catholic, but I became very angry at God and ceased to practice the Faith.  Within those years of anger, both of my boys were born.  It took another life event to bring me back to the Faith.  I can only credit those early years of devotion and utter reliance for my reconversion.  God had been calling me to return for quite a while, but it took a Divine 2x4 to bring me to my knees and rekindle my understanding of my dependence upon God. 

But if people did not have that early Faith - and so many of my generation have a weak and immature understanding - what are they going to turn to as their life progresses?  The world - the secular culture.  Will they raise their children in the Faith?  They will mean to, they will have every intention to do so - but without any understanding or knowledge of the fullness of the Faith, their passing on of the Faith will be lukewarm at best.  They will easily turn to New Age or occult practices because they don't know any better.  They will be absent from the Parish Life because they honestly do not realize the importance.

My older son chose at the age of 12 to join the Church.  I taught him using the "old" materials (Baltimore Catechism).  It was actually in teaching him that my old fire was re-ignited.  He is now, at 14, very serious about his Faith, and he has made me more serious about mine.  Recognizing my responsibility, understanding my role as given to me by God, has deepened my desire to grow toward holiness.  I take all this very seriously, because I know what the lack of God - the choice to be without God - does to a life.  My younger son has been expressing for a while his desire to be a priest, and talks about God and Jesus as if they are right next to him.  He's only five, but it warms my heart to hear him and watch him grow with the understanding that God is real and alive right here and right now. 

My husband has not returned to the Faith.  I take much responsibility for that - perhaps I shouldn't, but I do.  The older son understands to some extent why Dad doesn't attend Holy Mass - and he prays that his Father will return.  The younger son, asks why he has to go if Dad doesn't go and prefers to stay home with Dad.  For me, this is the most challenging part.  I do believe that BOTH parents need to agree with and practice the Faith, for their own benefit and for the benefit of their children.  It has been shown that when Fathers are more involved in the Faith Life, that children will tend to stay involved as they get older.  Fathers have a lot of influence here. 

That doesn't mean a Mother has no influence, but God created us Man and Woman - he joined us in Holy Matrimony and gave us a commission to raise our children to know, love, and serve Him; to love him with whole heart, mind, body, soul, spirit.....  This is best done within that structure of marriage, best done within the parameters given to us by God.  We need to return to a correct understanding of family.  We need to return to a full support of family.  Where to begin?  Now that's the million dollar question.  I fear we have lost a lot of ground when as a Church we didn't continue to emphasize correct Church teachings and left a generation or two or three to flounder around on their own in an increasingly hostile world.

These are just initial thoughts.  I may come back and add to them, edit them, but I think they contain a fair sampling of my current understanding on this subject.