Weekend Visit, Free Will, and Mass at the Parish Church

It's been a pretty good weekend so far. Our oldest daughter came Friday, and stayed until after the evening meal yesterday. It's been a little while since her job gave her time to come over, so having her - and her cat - here was something of a treat.

My wife and I have been blessed with 'good kids.' I suppose we had something to do with the way they turned out - but, as I said, they're good kids.

Free will is a wonderful thing, but it makes disobedience possible; and obedience:

"God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own actions. 'God willed that man should be "left in the hand of his own counsel," so that he might of his own accord seek his Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him.'²⁶

"Man is rational and therefore like God; he is created with free will and is master over his acts.²⁷"

(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1730)

Our kids have, so far, decided to follow Jesus. I think it helps that my wife and I know what we believe, why we believe it: and think that what we believe matters. Maybe that sounds self-congratulatory.

I see it more as an example of 'kids don't learn faith: they catch it.'

I'll be going to the parish church down the street in an hour or so, with my wife and the two kids who are still at home. And that's another topic.

Somewhat-related posts:

• "Sunday Obligation, Kids, and Consistency"
  (July 16, 2011)
• "Family Values: Addams and Otherwise"
  (July 12, 2011)
• "Losing a Child, Charity, and All That"
  (June 4, 2011)
• "Faith, Rules, and Knowing Why"
  (May 24, 2011)
• "St. Isidore, the Domestic Church, and the Good Shepherd"
  (May 15, 2011)
  
  • (Guest post)

Background:

• The Christian family
  (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2204-2206)
• Duties of children
  (Catechism, 2214-2220)
• Education of children through daily prayer
  (Catechism, 2685)
• Education of and respect for children
  (Catechism, 2221-2224, 2229-2230)
• The family and society
  (Catechism, 2207-2213)
• The nature of the family
  (Catechism, 2201-2203)
• Also see "Family" under F in the Catechism's index
  (Not an exhaustive index) (from July 12, 2011)