{"id":527,"date":"2022-09-22T13:05:42","date_gmt":"2022-09-22T17:05:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.archbalt.org\/vocations\/?page_id=527"},"modified":"2022-11-16T17:19:50","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:19:50","slug":"popes-letter-to-parents","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.archbalt.org\/vocations\/support\/information-for-parents\/popes-letter-to-parents\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope&#8217;s Letter to Parents"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-columns stk-block-columns stk-block stk-1a11ec1\" data-block-id=\"1a11ec1\"><style>.stk-1a11ec1{max-width:1280px !important;min-width:auto !important;padding-right:30px !important;padding-left:30px !important;margin-right:auto !important;margin-left:auto !important}<\/style><div class=\"stk-row stk-inner-blocks stk-block-content stk-content-align stk-1a11ec1-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-3ad710b\" data-block-id=\"3ad710b\"><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-3ad710b-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks\">\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pope&#8217;s Letter to Parents<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Dear Married Couples,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-columns stk-block-columns stk-block stk-19c8db9\" data-block-id=\"19c8db9\"><div class=\"stk-row stk-inner-blocks stk-block-content stk-content-align stk-19c8db9-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-08beb84\" data-block-id=\"08beb84\"><style>@media screen and (min-width:768px){.stk-08beb84{flex:1 1 66.7% !important}}<\/style><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-08beb84-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks\">\n<p>I want to speak to you today about the greatest honor your marriage and family can possibly have. I mean when God asks to take a part of your family for himself. God has blessed your marriage and given you children. Someday, you do not know when, he may knock on the door of your home, just as he did when he called Zebedee\u2019s two sons to follow him. Just think, it is from faithful Catholic families such as yours that Christ will choose priests to care for the Church, and religious sisters and brothers to teach and save souls. If the Divine Master comes and asks for \u201chis part\u201d\u2013one of your children \u2014 what will you do? Will you support the holy inspirations that are speaking to their hearts? Will you help them to hear his voice whispering: \u201cDo you love me? Will you follow me?\u201d In God\u2019s name I beg you, do not discourage their openness to the Divine Call.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-e97b322\" data-block-id=\"e97b322\"><style>@media screen and (min-width:768px){.stk-e97b322{flex:1 1 33.3% !important}}<\/style><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-e97b322-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"320\" height=\"213\" src=\"https:\/\/www.archbalt.org\/vocations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/09\/catholic-family.jpg\" alt=\"Catholic Family\" class=\"wp-image-529\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.archbalt.org\/vocations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/09\/catholic-family.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.archbalt.org\/vocations\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/09\/catholic-family-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If some day God grants you the great honor of calling one of your children for this service, recognize the value and privilege entailed. Graces will be available for the child who receives the call, for yourselves, and for your entire family. This is a great gift from heaven coming into your home. If you encourage your child, the flower and fruit of your marriage, to accept the vocation of priesthood, just think of the number of prayers and Masses he will offer for you and the rest of the family. Each day these prayers will accompany your steps; they will follow and comfort you your whole life long, until your last breath and even beyond. Never think that in giving their hearts totally to our Lord they will love you less. Love for God does not negate or destroy nature, rather it perfects and elevates it to a higher level so that it is like Christ\u2019s love. If the requirements of priestly or consecrated life require your family to sacrifice certain expressions of affection, have no doubt; the affection itself will never weaken or grow tepid. This sacrifice will cause your child\u2019s affection to burn more deeply and still more intensely, free from all self-seeking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do not be afraid of the holy vocation that has come down from heaven to rest upon your children. If you have faith in God and his Church, is it not a comfort and joy to see your own son at the altar clothed with the priestly vestments, offering the sacrifice of the Mass and praying for his mother and father? Is it not a great consolation, that makes a mother\u2019s heart beat with love for her daughter, to see her consecrated to Christ, serving him and loving him with her whole being?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think of a priest who has been close to your family or visited you, giving attention and guidance to you and your children, and bringing you happiness. What family did he come from? Where did he come from to be with you? Who sent him? Who formed in his heart such a fatherly love for you, such words of counsel and friendship?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How deep is our Christian faith really, if we refuse to cooperate and help in the work of spreading the Catholic Faith, not merely with material gifts but also with the gift of our children? If God asks for them, will you oppose him? Trust him.; he is our Father, he is our Savior, he is our friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dear married couples, help the Church and help Christ with the fruit of your marriage. Give God the portion of your blessing for which he asks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\"><em>-Pope Pius XII , March 25, 1942<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pope&#8217;s Letter to Parents Dear Married Couples, I want to speak to you today about the greatest honor your marriage and family can possibly have. I mean when God asks to take a part of your family for himself. God has blessed your marriage and given you children. Someday, you do not know when, he [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":270,"featured_media":0,"parent":36,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":""},"post_excerpt_stackable":"<p>Pope&#8217;s Letter to Parents Dear Married Couples, I want to speak to you today about the greatest honor your marriage and family can possibly have. I mean when God asks to take a part of your family for himself. God has blessed your marriage and given you children. Someday, you do not know when, he may knock on the door of your home, just as he did when he called Zebedee\u2019s two sons to follow him. Just think, it is from faithful Catholic families such as yours that Christ will choose priests to care for the Church, and religious sisters&hellip;<\/p>\n","category_list":"","author_info":{"name":"support@valet.io","url":"https:\/\/www.archbalt.org\/vocations\/author\/supportvalet-io\/"},"comments_num":"0 comments","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Pope&#039;s Letter to Parents - Vocations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.archbalt.org\/vocations\/support\/information-for-parents\/popes-letter-to-parents\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pope&#039;s Letter to Parents - Vocations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pope&#8217;s Letter to Parents Dear Married Couples, I want to speak to you today about the greatest honor your marriage and family can possibly have. 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