POPE FRANCIS’ 9 IDEAS IN “AMORIS LAETITIA”
TOWARDS A BETTER MORAL EDUCATION OF CHILDREN
Dear parents, below you have Pope Francis’ 9 important quotes taken from his Apostolic Exhortation, “Amoris Laetitia,” nn. 259-267. It is an outline I made of the said paragraphs which will surely help you have a quick glance of these indispensable tips to provide a better moral education of your children.
God bless you and your children!
Fr. Rolly Arjonillo, priest of Opus Dei.
- PARENTS ALWAYS INFLUENCE THE MORAL DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR CHILDREN, FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE. It follows that they should take up this essential role and carry it out consciously, enthusiastically, reasonably and appropriately. AL 259
- PARENTS NEED TO CONSIDER WHAT THEY WANT THEIR CHILDREN TO BE EXPOSED TO, and this necessarily means being CONCERNED ABOUT WHO IS PROVIDING THEIR ENTERTAINMENT, who is entering their rooms through television and electronic devices, and with whom they are spending their free time. Only if we devote time to our children, speaking of important things with simplicity and concern, and finding healthy ways for them to spend their time, will we be able to shield them from harm. VIGILANCE IS ALWAYS NECESSARY AND NEGLECT IS NEVER BENEFICIAL. AL 260
- OBSESSION, HOWEVER, IS NOT EDUCATION… this is no way to educate, strengthen and prepare their children to face challenges. WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IS THE ABILITY LOVINGLY TO HELP THEM GROW IN FREEDOM, MATURITY, OVERALL DISCIPLINE AND REAL AUTONOMY. Only in this way will children come to possess the wherewithal needed to fend for themselves and to act intelligently and prudently whenever they meet with difficulties. AL 261
- EDUCATION INCLUDES ENCOURAGING THE RESPONSIBLE USE OF FREEDOM TO FACE ISSUES WITH GOOD SENSE AND INTELLIGENCE. It involves forming persons who readily understand that their own lives, and the life of the community, are in their hands, and that freedom is itself a great gift. AL 262
- Parents rely on schools to ensure the basic instruction of their children, but [SCHOOLS] CAN NEVER COMPLETELY DELEGATE THE MORAL FORMATION OF THEIR CHILDREN TO OTHERS. A person’s affective and ethical development is ultimately grounded in a particular experience, namely, that his or her parents can be trusted. AL 263.
- PARENTS ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR SHAPING THE WILL OF THEIR CHILDREN, FOSTERING GOOD HABITS [VIRTUES] AND A NATURAL INCLINATION TO GOODNESS. This entails presenting certain ways of thinking and acting as desirable and worthwhile, as part of a gradual process of growth. AL 264.
- Doing what is right means more than “judging what seems best” or knowing clearly what needs to be done, as important as this is. We have to arrive at the point where the good that the intellect grasps can take root in us as a profound affective inclination, as a thirst for the good that outweighs other attractions and helps us to realize that what we consider objectively good is also good “for us” here and now. A GOOD ETHICAL EDUCATION INCLUDES SHOWING A PERSON THAT IT IS IN HIS OWN INTEREST TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT. AL 265.
- GOOD HABITS NEED TO BE DEVELOPED. 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 does not take place. Mere desire, or an attraction to a certain value, is not enough to instill a virtue in the absence of those properly motivated acts. AL 266.
- EDUCATE YOUR CHILDREN’S FREEDOM “WITH PRINCIPLES THAT LEAD” THEM (VIRTUES) “SPONTANEOUSLY TO DO GOOD. The virtuous life thus builds, strengthens and shapes freedom, lest we become slaves of dehumanizing and antisocial inclinations.” AL 267
SEE AS WELL:
POPE FRANCIS’ TOP 20 QUOTES ON LOVE IN THE FAMILY IN AMORIS LAETITIA’S CHAPTER 4 in https://catholicsstrivingforholiness.com/2016/05/14/3139/
ORIGINAL PHOTO SOURCE: http://i.imgur.com/f57pD8X.jpg