How Grandparents Can Pass On Their Faith to Future Generations
Introduction: The Importance of Long-Term Thinking
When Jesus posed the question, “When the son of man returns, will He find faith on the earth?” in the Gospel of Luke, he was challenging us to think about the long-term preservation of our faith. He wanted to know if we would pass on the faith we have received to our descendants, ensuring that they will be there to greet him when he returns. This call to a multigenerational vision of evangelization is echoed by St. Paul in his second epistle to Timothy, where he speaks of the sincere faith that first lived in Timothy’s grandmother and mother, and which he is confident also lives in Timothy.
In our secular culture, however, many grandparents have lost track of this calling. They often lack a clear understanding of their role as spiritual influencers in the lives of their grandchildren, and feel lost during their retirement years. There is a misconception that their job is done once their adult children leave the nest and start families of their own. But this attitude goes against the spiritual mandate given to us by Christ to act as spiritual influencers of our grandchildren. Moses, in Deuteronomy, reminds the people of God to teach their children AND their children’s children about the faithfulness of God, not as a replacement for their adult children, but ideally, in collaboration with them.
The Importance of Grandparents in Passing on the Faith
Grandparents represent one of the fastest growing demographics in the Church today. With their unique relationship with their grandchildren, they have the opportunity to have an influence second only to that of parents. Children naturally trust and believe their grandparents, making them effective spiritual influencers. However, in the absence of any faith-based approach, many grandparents rely solely on a secular approach to their grandparenting, focusing on being playmates and funding sources for gifts. While there is nothing wrong with engaging in playful activities and giving gifts to grandchildren, it is important to remember the more important spiritual role that grandparents are called to fulfill in their grandchildren’s lives.
As a grandparent of 15, I often find myself asking how I can become better equipped, deeper engaged, and more intentional in my calling to be a multigenerational spiritual influencer with my family and grandchildren. It is crucial that grandparents understand why they are essential in passing on the faith to future generations and how they can go about making a difference in the spiritual lives of their grandchildren.
Steps Grandparents Can Take to Pass On Their Faith
1. Understanding your Role as a Spiritual Influencer
The first step for grandparents is to gain a clear understanding of their role as spiritual influencers in their grandchildren’s lives. This involves recognizing that their influence extends beyond being playmates and gift givers. Grandparents have the opportunity to impart wisdom, share their faith journey, and provide a spiritual foundation for their grandchildren. They can serve as mentors, guides, and sources of support and encouragement. Grandparents must embrace this role and understand the impact they can have on their grandchildren’s spiritual development.
2. Building Strong Relationships with Adult Children
Collaboration with adult children is crucial in passing on the faith to grandchildren. Grandparents should strive to build strong relationships with their adult children, establishing open lines of communication and mutual understanding. By working together, they can create a unified approach to teaching and nurturing faith within the family. Grandparents should respect the autonomy of their adult children in raising their own children, while also offering support, guidance, and spiritual insights when appropriate.
3. Creating Faith-Focused Traditions and Rituals
One effective way for grandparents to pass on their faith is by creating faith-focused traditions and rituals within the family. These can include regular family prayer times, attending religious services together, celebrating religious holidays, and engaging in acts of service or charity. By incorporating faith into everyday life and making it a visible and integral part of family activities, grandparents can instill a love for God and a sense of belonging to the faith community in their grandchildren.
4. Sharing Personal Faith Stories and Experiences
Personal stories and experiences have a powerful impact on people, especially grandchildren who look up to their grandparents as role models. Grandparents should take every opportunity to share their own faith stories, highlighting the ways in which their relationship with God has shaped their lives. By recounting personal experiences, trials, and triumphs, grandparents can show their grandchildren the relevance and authenticity of faith in their own lives. This can inspire and motivate the younger generation to seek a deeper relationship with God.
5. Offering Support and Encouragement
Grandparents can play a vital role in supporting and encouraging their grandchildren in their faith journey. They can be a source of comfort, guidance, and encouragement during challenging times, offering a listening ear and wise advice. Grandparents should make themselves available to their grandchildren, both physically and emotionally, providing a safe space for them to explore their doubts, questions, and fears regarding their faith. By offering unwavering support and showing unconditional love, grandparents can strengthen their grandchildren’s faith and help them navigate the complexities of life.
Additional Piece:
The Power of Intergenerational Faith Transmission
Passing on faith from one generation to the next is not just a responsibility but also a privilege. It is a sacred task that allows us to contribute to the spiritual legacy of our family and ensure the continuation of God’s work in the lives of future generations. The power of intergenerational faith transmission lies in its ability to create a strong sense of identity, belonging, and purpose within the family.
When grandparents actively engage in passing on their faith, they provide a solid foundation for their grandchildren to build upon. By teaching them about the love of God, the life of Jesus, and the teachings of the Church, grandparents shape the worldview and values of their grandchildren. They equip them with the spiritual tools and principles necessary to navigate the challenges of the modern world and make choices aligned with their faith.
Moreover, intergenerational faith transmission fosters a sense of continuity and connection with the past. As grandchildren learn about their family’s faith heritage and the sacrifices made by previous generations, they develop a profound appreciation for their roots and a desire to carry on the legacy. This connection with their ancestors strengthens their faith identity and motivates them to pass on the torch to future generations.
Practical Tips for Grandparents
1. Educate Yourself
To be effective spiritual influencers, grandparents must educate themselves about the teachings of the Church, current issues related to faith, and modern approaches to evangelization. They can attend workshops, seminars, and retreats specifically designed for grandparents and read books and articles that provide guidance on passing on the faith to grandchildren. By staying informed and continuously learning, grandparents can enhance their knowledge and understanding, allowing them to have meaningful conversations and address their grandchildren’s questions and concerns.
2. Embrace Technological Tools
In today’s digital age, technology can be a powerful tool for grandparents to connect with their grandchildren and nourish their faith. Grandparents can explore various platforms and apps that offer faith-based resources, such as Bible study apps, devotionals, and audio recordings of spiritual talks. They can engage in virtual discussions, share digital resources, and even participate in online faith communities together with their grandchildren. Embracing technological tools can bridge the generational gap and foster a sense of unity and belonging within the family.
3. Mentorship and Discipleship
Grandparents have a unique opportunity to mentor and disciple their grandchildren, guiding them on their faith journey and imparting spiritual wisdom. This can be achieved through intentional one-on-one time, where grandparents and grandchildren engage in meaningful conversations, read Scripture together, pray together, and explore spiritual topics. By creating a safe and nurturing environment for open dialogue, grandparents can address their grandchildren’s doubts, fears, and struggles, and provide guidance based on their own experiences and knowledge.
Conclusion
Grandparents play a crucial role in passing on the faith to future generations. By understanding their calling as spiritual influencers, building strong relationships with their adult children, creating faith-focused traditions, sharing personal stories, and offering support and encouragement, grandparents can make a lasting impact on the spiritual lives of their grandchildren. It is through the power of intergenerational faith transmission that families can experience the richness of their faith heritage and ensure its continuation for generations to come.
Summary:
The article explores the importance of grandparents in passing on the faith to future generations. It discusses Jesus’ thought-provoking question about whether he will find faith on the earth when he returns, emphasizing the need for long-term thinking and the responsibility to pass on the faith to descendants. The article highlights the role of grandparents as spiritual influencers and encourages collaboration with adult children in nurturing the faith of grandchildren. It provides practical steps that grandparents can take to pass on their faith, including understanding their role, building strong relationships, creating faith-focused traditions, sharing personal stories, and offering support and encouragement. The additional piece delves deeper into the subject matter by discussing the power of intergenerational faith transmission and offering practical tips for grandparents to enhance their spiritual influence.
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Many of the questions Jesus asks, He isn’t looking for a simple answer. Rather, His intent is to challenge us to reflect, ponder, look within ourselves and go deeper. In the Gospel of Luke Jesus asks a very thought-provoking question:
“When the son of man returns, will He find faith on the earth?
In this seemingly simple question, Jesus is challenging us to think long term. Christ wants to know—will you pass on the faith you have received to your descendants in the hope that when He does return, they will be there to greet him?
The normal expected pattern of transmitting the faith to others begins with one’s own family. St. Paul also addressed this passing on the faith in his second epistle to Timothy:
“As I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois,
and in your mother Eunice, and that I am confident lives also in you.”
This is the kind of “multigenerational vision of evangelization” that Christ is calling us to. And He wants to know if we are committed to being that kind of faithful disciple that is not only concerned with our own salvation, but with that of our children, our grandchildren, our great grandchildren, and for all of our descendants for generations to come.
As grandparents we sometimes have lost track of this calling, which is a new chapter in our vocation. In our secular culture, many grandparents often miss this. So many have expressed to me their lack of a clear understanding of their role as grandparents and feel lost during their retirement years. Many believe that the job of being a spiritual influence in the lives of their grandchildren rests solely with their adult married children and when they leave the nest and get married or live out their own vocation in life their work is done. That attitude of “I did my job, and now I’m turning it over to our adult kids” is counter to our spiritual mandate asked to us by Christ to act as spiritual influencers of our grandchildren. In Deuteronomy 4:9 Moses reminds the people of God to be sure they “teach their children AND their children’s children” of the faithfulness of God. Not as a replacement for our married adult children but, ideally, in collaboration with them.
In my experience of speaking with hundreds Catholic grandparents over the past 25 years, less than 1% of them have ever been “instructed” or assisted in their understanding WHY they are essential to passing on the faith to future generations and HOW they might go about making a difference in the spiritual lives of their grandchildren. For most, however, in the absence of any faith-based approach, they rely on a nearly totally “secular” approach to their grandparenting. An approach based primarily in being a type of playmate and funding source of gifts. Obviously there is nothing wrong with engaging one’s grandkids in playful activities or giving them gifts, but that approach alone is lacking in the more important spiritual role grandparents are called to be in their grandchildren’s lives.
More importantly, Grandparents represent one of the fastest growing demographics in the Church today. As a grandparent of 15 I keep asking myself, “How can I become better equipped, deeper engaged and more intentional in my calling to be a multigenerational spiritual influencer with my family and grandchildren?”
Christ’s question always remains: “Are you doing everything in your power to help pass the Faith on to future generations?”
Many Grandparents develop a very special relationship with their grandchildren. Children naturally trust and believe their grandparents. With the appropriate amount of collaboration with adult children, grandparents can enjoy an influence with their grandchildren second only to that of parents. Grandparents Matter! And they matter most to Christ and he is COUNTING on them to carry on a legacy of faith.
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