The joy of love – Pope Francis Prayers for Marriage and Family Life May 2021
The questions I would put to parents are these: “Do you understand ‘where’ your children really are in their journey?” “Where is their soul, do we really know?” And, above all, “do we want to know?” (261)
The strengthening of the will and the repetition of specific actions are the building blocks of moral conduct; without the conscious, free, and valued repetition of certain patterns of good behaviour, moral education cannot take place. Mere desire, or an attraction to a certain value, is not enough to instil a virtue in the absence of those properly motivated acts. (266)
Raising children calls for an orderly process of handing on the faith. This is made difficult by current lifestyles, work schedules, and the complexity of today’s world, where many people keep up a frenetic pace just to survive. Even so, the home must continue to be the place where we learn to appreciate the meaning and beauty of the faith, to pray, and to serve our neighbour. (287)