My son has a new bedtime routine, it consists of listening to me recite the Rosary until he falls asleep. It started as a ploy to trick him into falling asleep and keep him in his own bed. One night after repeatedly asking to sleep in our bed I told him if he was still awake by the end of the Rosary, he could come into our bed. Now, I may have cheated and added a few extra decades to keep him in his bed until he fell asleep, but my mission was accomplished. Since then, he has been asking me to say the Rosary while he falls asleep. I don’t even think he has ulterior motives; I think it just helps him relax.
Tonight, while we were getting ready for bed, I was watching some videos online of Father Mike Schmitz trying to drum up some inspiration for what I would write about, when my son stole my phone. We were surprised to see him watch the screen attentively as if he were as interested in the religious lesson as he would be in a Wild Kratts episode. “He likes praying at night,” my husband observed.
This got me thinking about something Matthew Kelly talked about in his book, Rediscover the Saints, in that parents should aspire to raise their children to become saints. This stood out to me because it was something that had never even crossed my mind. I’m not sure if it’s because in modern times we view sainthood as too far out of reach, or if it is because I associate saints with too much pain and suffering. Either way it was very thought provoking.
The last few days as I have been viewing more videos of Father Mike Schmitz, I started wondering how I would feel if one of my sons were to become a priest. Again, it was something that had never crossed my mind before, as I have never known anyone who went to seminary school. Now if you are familiar with Father Mike Schmitz you know he does not strike you as a typical priest. He is young, charismatic and an extremely gifted public speaker. A man who arguably could have chosen any career path but chose priesthood (ironically after years of hating the church and making fun of priests). He is an internet sensation no doubt who has impacted thousands of people. I look at him and think, his mother must be very proud.
Lately, at the ripe old age of four I have already been stressing out about my son missing his “window” in the world of sports. I know how competitive sports leagues have become and fear that if I do not press him to learn young, it will be too late for him by the time he decides he wants to play. Not that it is important to me that my son excel in sports, I just want him to have the option to play if that’s an avenue he wants to pursue down the road.
So perhaps I should view the idea of religious service for my children in the same way. Never take it off the table. All a mother can do is try to prepare her children for the mystery that is their future. To my boys I hope you always know, I don’t care if you are a doctor, custodian or musician. As long as you are happy and kind, I will be unbelievably proud. But don’t take my unconditional love too far, you still have to play Ave Maria at your wedding (if you’re not a priest that is).