Feast of Saint John de Brébeuf, Saint Isaac Jogues, and Their Companions—Martyrs

Good morning. There’s nothing like having a child home from college to remind oneself of how grateful we are to have been blessed with children. We go back and forth jokingly over whether he is a guest or not, especially when it comes to work needing done or helping himself to the refrigerator. Actually, when it comes right down to it, he and his three siblings are guests. The four of them have been loaned to us by a loving God for the purpose of instilling in them the necessary things needed to live meaningful and virtuous lives. As parents we have an obligation to form the consciences of our children in accord with human reason and the teachings of the Church. In today’s Gospel we are reminded that God calls each of us to be good stewards of His gifts to us, a sobering reminder to all of us parents that we are very much responsible for the children God entrusts to us. We are each called to be “faithful and prudent stewards” of the gifts He has entrusted to us. We are reminded that all human life comes from God and with all things we are given from God we revere them and care for them. This is especially true of the gift of life which we are asked to defend and care for from the moment of conception to natural death. Protecting the gift of life precedes everything we do for our children and for all whom we share our life with. As Pope John Paul II indicated in his Apostolic Exhortation, Christifideles Laici, “the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights-for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture- is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination… everyone has the mission and responsibility of acknowledging the personal dignity of every human being and of defending the right to life, some lay faithful are given a particular title to this task: such as parents, teachers, health workers and the many who hold economic and political power.” Let us be grateful today for the gift of life and may we have the grace to respond to our role as parents as “faithful and prudent stewards.” Make a great day!

Today we recall the good lives, gifts, and works of Saint John de Brébeuf, Saint Isaac Jogues, and their companions—martyrs.